The Essential Willie Nelson

Last updated
The Essential Willie Nelson
Willie-Nelson-The-Essensial-Willie-Nelson.jpg
Greatest hits album by
ReleasedApril 1, 2003
Recorded1961–2003
Genre Country
Length120:00
Label Sony BMG
Producer Nick Shaffran, Al Quaglieri
Willie Nelson chronology
Crazy: The Demo Sessions
(2003)
The Essential Willie Nelson
(2003)
Songs
(2005)

The Essential Willie Nelson is a two-disc compilation of Willie Nelson songs. This digitally remastered compilation covers five decades of Nelson's recording career, and is part of Sony's Essential series of compilation albums. A 2009 release in limited Essential 3.0 series came with a bonus disc of eight fan-favourites and rarities. The album was re-released with an updated track listing on October 16, 2015.

Contents

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [1]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]

David Quantick of Q wrote, "[T]he songs here sound fresh and almost youthful. The arrangements are sparky, too... All the sheer scope of Nelson's writing is displayed." [2] In a retrospective review, AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that "The Essential Willie Nelson gets about as close as a set could to providing the basics". [1]

Track listing

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Originally fromLength
1."Night Life" Willie Nelson Single A-side of Bellaire 107 (1960)2:32
2."Hello Walls"Willie Nelson ...And Then I Wrote (1962)2:24
3."Crazy"Willie Nelson...And Then I Wrote (1962)2:52
4."Funny How Time Slips Away"Willie Nelson...And Then I Wrote (1962)3:03
5."I Never Cared For You"Willie NelsonMonument single A-side (1964)2:32
6."The Party's Over"Willie Nelson The Party's Over and Other Great Willie Nelson Songs (1967)2:29
7."Good Times"Willie Nelson Good Times (1968)2:28
8."Me and Paul"Willie Nelson Yesterday's Wine (1971)3:49
9."Shotgun Willie"Willie Nelson Shotgun Willie (1973)2:39
10."Bloody Mary Morning"Willie Nelson Phases and Stages (1974)2:49
11."Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" Fred Rose Red Headed Stranger (1975)2:21
12."Good Hearted Woman" (with Waylon Jennings) Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson Wanted! The Outlaws (1976)2:59
13."If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time" Lefty Frizzell, Jim Beck The Sound in Your Mind (1976)2:06
14."Uncloudy Day"Josiah Kelley Alwood The Troublemaker (1976)4:40
15."Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" (with Waylon Jennings) Ed Bruce, Patsy Bruce Waylon & Willie (1978)2:23
16."Georgia on My Mind" Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell Stardust (1978)4:21
17."Blue Skies" Irving Berlin Stardust (1978)3:35
18."All of Me" Seymour Simons, Gerald Marks Stardust (1978)3:54
19."Heartbreak Hotel" (with Leon Russell) Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden, Elvis Presley One for the Road (1979)3:03
20."Help Me Make It Through the Night" Kris Kristofferson Sings Kristofferson (1979)4:01
21."Whiskey River" (live, April 1978) Johnny Bush Willie and Family Live (1978)3:31
22."Stay a Little Longer" (live, April 1978) Bob Wills, Tommy Duncan Willie and Family Live (1978)3:25
Total length:1:08:16
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Originally fromLength
1."My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" Sharon Vaughn The Electric Horseman (1980)3:06
2."Faded Love" (with Ray Price)Bob Wills, Billy Jack Wills San Antonio Rose (1980)3:51
3."On the Road Again"Willie Nelson Honeysuckle Rose (1980)2:33
4."Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground"Willie Nelson Honeysuckle Rose (1980)4:31
5."Always on My Mind" Johnny Christopher, Mark James, Wayne Carson Always on My Mind (1982)3:32
6."Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning" Gary P. Nunn, Donna FararAlways on My Mind (1982)4:21
7."Pancho and Lefty" (with Merle Haggard) Townes Van Zandt Pancho & Lefty (1983)4:48
8."To All the Girls I've Loved Before" (with Julio Iglesias) Hal David, Albert Hammond 1100 Bel Air Place (1984)3:34
9."City of New Orleans" Steve Goodman City of New Orleans (1984)4:52
10."Seven Spanish Angels" (with Ray Charles) Troy Seals, Eddie Setser Friendship (1984)3:52
11."Forgiving You Was Easy"Willie Nelson Me & Paul (1985)2:49
12."Highwayman" (with Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash & Kris Kristofferson) Jimmy Webb Highwayman (1985)3:04
13."Living in the Promiseland" David Lynn Jones The Promiseland (1986)3:22
14."Nothing I Can Do About It Now" Beth Nielsen Chapman A Horse Called Music (1989)3:19
15."Graceland" Paul Simon Across the Borderline (1993)4:46
16."Everywhere I Go" (with Emmylou Harris)Willie Nelson Teatro (1998)3:52
17."Slow Dancing" (U2 featuring Willie Nelson) Bono, The Edge "If God Will Send His Angels" CD single B-side (1997)4:02
18."Mendocino County Line" (with Lee Ann Womack) Matt Serletic, Bernie Taupin The Great Divide (2002)4:33
19."One Time Too Many" (with Steven Tyler and Aerosmith) Steven Tyler, Richie Supa previously unreleased, recorded 19875:23
Total length:1:14:22
Essential 3.0 bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Originally fromLength
1."Remember Me" Scotty Wiseman Red Headed Stranger (1975)2:52
2."I Love You a Thousand Ways"Lefty Frizzell, Jim Beck To Lefty from Willie (1977)2:59
3."Love Me Tender" George R. Poulton, Ken Darby Porky's Revenge! (1985)2:32
4."Midnight Rider" Gregg Allman, Robert Kim PayneThe Electric Horseman (1979)2:57
5."Philadelphia Lawyer" Woody Guthrie Folkways: A Vision Shared (1988)2:59
6."Why Do I Have to Choose" (with Waylon Jennings)Willie Nelson Take It to the Limit (1983)3:12
7."Let It Be Me" Gilbert Bécaud, Manny Curtis, Pierre Delanoë Always on My Mind (1982)3:33
8."Still Is Still Moving to Me"Willie NelsonAcross the Borderline (1993)3:29
2015 re-release disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Originally fromLength
1."Night Life" Willie Nelson Single A-side of Bellaire 107 (1960)2:32
2."Hello Walls"Willie Nelson ...And Then I Wrote (1962)2:24
3."Crazy"Willie Nelson...And Then I Wrote (1962)2:52
4."Funny How Time Slips Away"Willie Nelson...And Then I Wrote (1962)3:03
5."The Party's Over"Willie Nelson The Party's Over and Other Great Willie Nelson Songs (1967)2:29
6."I Gotta Get Drunk"Willie Nelson Both Sides Now (1970)2:13
7."Yesterday's Wine"Willie Nelson Yesterday's Wine (1971)3:12
8."Me and Paul"Willie NelsonYesterday's Wine (1971)3:49
9."Family Bible"Willie NelsonYesterday's Wine (1971)3:10
10."Bloody Mary Morning"Willie Nelson Phases and Stages (1974)2:49
11."Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" Fred Rose Red Headed Stranger (1975)2:21
12."Good Hearted Woman" (with Waylon Jennings) Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson Wanted! The Outlaws (1976)2:59
13."If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time" Lefty Frizzell, Jim Beck The Sound in Your Mind (1976)2:06
14."Uncloudy Day"Josiah Kelley Alwood The Troublemaker (1976)4:40
15."Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" (with Waylon Jennings) Ed Bruce, Patsy Bruce Waylon & Willie (1978)2:23
16."Georgia on My Mind" Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell Stardust (1978)4:21
17."Blue Skies" Irving Berlin Stardust (1978)3:35
18."Heartbreak Hotel" (with Leon Russell) Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden, Elvis Presley One for the Road (1979)3:03
19."Lovin' Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" Kris Kristofferson Sings Kristofferson (1979)5:51
20."My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" Sharon Vaughn The Electric Horseman (1980)3:06
21."Faded Love" (with Ray Price)Bob Wills, Billy Jack Wills San Antonio Rose (1980)3:51
22."Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground"Willie NelsonHoneysuckle Rose (1980)4:31
23."Whiskey River" (live, April 1978) Johnny Bush Willie and Family Live (1978)3:31
2015 re-release disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Originally fromLength
1."On the Road Again" (Live)Willie Nelson Honeysuckle Rose (1980)2:33
2."Always on My Mind" Johnny Christopher, Mark James, Wayne Carson Always on My Mind (1982)3:32
3."Pancho and Lefty" (with Merle Haggard) Townes Van Zandt Pancho & Lefty (1983)4:48
4."To All the Girls I've Loved Before" (with Julio Iglesias) Hal David, Albert Hammond 1100 Bel Air Place (1984)3:34
5."City of New Orleans" Steve Goodman City of New Orleans (1984)4:52
6."Seven Spanish Angels" (with Ray Charles) Troy Seals, Eddie Setser Friendship (1984)3:52
7."Forgiving You Was Easy"Willie Nelson Me & Paul (1985)2:49
8."Highwayman" (with Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash & Kris Kristofferson) Jimmy Webb Highwayman (1985)3:04
9."Living in the Promiseland" David Lynn Jones The Promiseland (1986)3:22
10."The End of Understanding" (with Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash & Kris Kristofferson)Willie Nelson The Road Goes On Forever (1995)2:41
11."Across the Borderline" Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, Jim Dickinson Across the Borderline (1993)4:40
12."Still Is Still Moving to Me"Willie Nelson Across the Borderline (1993)3:29
13."I Never Cared For You"Willie Nelson Teatro (1998)2:18
14."Just Breathe" (with Lukas Nelson) Eddie Vedder Heroes (2012)4:02
15."I Wish I Didn’t Love You So" Frank Loesser Let's Face the Music and Dance (2013)4:18
16."From Here to the Moon and Back" (with Dolly Parton) Dolly Parton To All the Girls... (2013)4:01
17."The Wall" Willie Nelson, Buddy Cannon Band of Brothers (2014)3:29
18."Band of Brothers" Willie Nelson, Buddy Cannon Band of Brothers (2014)2:51
19."Who'll Buy My Memories?" (with Bobbie Nelson)Willie Nelson December Day: Willie’s Stash, Vol. 1 (2014)2:47
20."Unfair Weather Friend" (with Merle Haggard)Marla Cannon-Goodman, Ward Davis Django and Jimmie (2015)4:14
21."It's All Going to Pot" (with Merle Haggard and Jamey Johnson)Buddy Cannon, Jamey Johnson, Larry ShellDjango and Jimmie (2015)2:56
22."Roll Me Up" (with Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson and Jamey Johnson)Willie Nelson, Buddy Cannon, Rich Alves, John Colgin, Mike McQuerryHeroes (2012)3:25

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [6] Silver60,000
United States (RIAA) [7] Platinum944,700 [8]

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. 1 2 AllMusic review
  2. 1 2 Quantick, David (April 1996). "Willie Nelson: The Essential Willie Nelson". Q : 129.
  3. "Willie Nelson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  4. "Willie Nelson Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  5. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  6. "British album certifications – Willie Nelson – The Essential Willie Nelson". British Phonographic Industry.
  7. "American album certifications – Willie Nelson – The Essential Willie Nelson". Recording Industry Association of America.
  8. Bjorke, Matt (October 9, 2019). "Top Country Catalog Album Sales: October 9, 2019". RoughStock. Archived from the original on 2019-10-09. Retrieved October 13, 2019.