This Time (Waylon Jennings album)

Last updated
This Time
WaylonJenningsThisTime.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 1974
Recorded1973
Studio Glaser Sound (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre Outlaw Country
Length29:02
Label RCA Victor
Producer
Waylon Jennings chronology
Honky Tonk Heroes
(1973)
This Time
(1974)
The Ramblin' Man
(1974)
Singles from This Time
  1. "This Time"
    Released: April 1974

This Time is a studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1974, at the peak of the outlaw country movement. It was produced by Jennings and Willie Nelson.

Contents

Recording

Although Jennings had won artistic autonomy from RCA in 1972, giving him the freedom to produce his own records, he was still irritated by RCA executives, who kept a close eye on his recording sessions at RCA Victor Studios and had even delayed the release of his 1973 album Honky Tonk Heroes . [1] In his autobiography, Jennings wrote that although he had agreed to record in their studios, the RCA engineers were constantly calling upstairs to executive Jerry Bradley, keeping him aware of everything Jennings did. Fed up with the aggravation, Jennings decided to record his next album at Tompall Glaser's Glaser Sound recording studio at 916 Nineteenth Avenue South, nicknamed "Hillbilly Central," with Willie Nelson co-producing. Glaser, a Nashville veteran who had achieved fame with the Glaser Brothers, had co-produced Honky Tonk Heroes, a touchstone of the outlaw country movement. In his book Outlaw: Waylon, Willie, Kris, and the Renegades of Nashville, author Michael Striessguth describes the atmosphere at the studio, which contrasted sharply with RCA's strict recording traditions:

"Its doors propped open to let in the young breezes sweeping through the West End, the so-called Hillbilly Central offices became an outlaw safe haven. Former employees recalled Willie Nelson lazing on the front lawn, and Waylon haunting the offices at three in the morning...The studio hosted a fraternity of singers, songwriters and Nashville dropouts living the verse of a strumming and bumming honky tonk song...Sessions burned into the small hours until Tompall and his entourage peeled out into the streets in search of pinball machines, drinks, and greasy food."

According to Streissguth, the first song Jennings recorded at Glaser's studio in October 1973 was J.J. Cale's "Louisiana Women" with Kyle Lehning engineering. Lehning, who would achieve fame in the 1980s producing albums for Randy Travis, contributed Wurlitzer electric piano to the Cale song and the trumpet part to "Heaven and Hell." "You just can't believe how different everything sounded when he moved from RCA," Glaser explained in the 2003 documentary Beyond Nashville. "The bottom was fat and big again...You could hear the drum, it wasn't a little tick in the back. It was marvellous." Jennings agreed, stating, "There was a freedom there that I didn't have any place else. Both of us could experiment...It was a fraternity, and Nashville was our college town." [2]

Composition

Overall, This Time has a more laid-back feel than its defiant predecessor. Four of the twelve songs on the LP were written by Nelson and included on his Phases and Stages concept album, which was released earlier that same year. Nelson also sang on "Heaven and Hell" and contributed guitar to the album. The title track became Jennings' first chart-topping smash in June 1974. In the authorized video biography Renegade Outlaw Legend, the singer revealed, "I wrote that song five years before and whoever was producing me then at RCA said it was no good. I was going through some old tapes and happened to find it." Jennings added that he wanted to throw the song away but was persuaded not to by drummer Ritchie Albright. The album also marked the first time Jennings recorded a song written by Miriam Eddy, the ex-wife of producer Duane Eddy, who later changed her name to Jessi Colter and became Waylon's wife. Playing up to his outlaw personae, Jennings recorded the aptly titled "Slow Movin' Outlaw" and also included Texan songwriter Billy Joe Shaver's "Slow Rollin' Low."

This Time was reissued in 1999 with five bonus tracks featuring several songs famously sung by Buddy Holly. Produced by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Duane Eddy, these tracks feature The Crickets, Holly's backing band, as musicians and backing vocalists.

Critical reception

This Time peaked at #4 on the Billboard country albums chart, his best showing there since 1967. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic writes, "It's not that the monochromaticity makes it a lesser affair than its predecessor, yet the whole thing does feel a bit reserved and not quite as overpowering as a sequel to Honky Tonk Heroes should be. Still, it's a first-rate record - perhaps not a classic, but a subdued, understated album unlike anything in his catalog."

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg link
Rolling Stone (not rated) link

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."This Time" Waylon Jennings 2:25
2."Louisiana Women" J.J. Cale 4:04
3."Pick Up the Tempo" Willie Nelson 2:34
4."Slow Rollin' Low" Billy Joe Shaver 2:46
5."Heaven or Hell"Nelson1:40
6."It's Not Supposed to Be That Way"Nelson3:30
7."Slow Movin' Outlaw"Dee Moeller3:41
8."Mona" Jessi Colter 2:49
9."Walkin'"Nelson2:30
10."If You Could Touch Her at All" Lee Clayton 3:03

Bonus tracks

  1. "That'll Be the Day" (Jerry Allison, Buddy Holly, Norman Petty) – 2:25
  2. "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" (Paul Anka) – 2:56
  3. "Lady in the Harbor" (Allison, Sonny Curtis, Doug Gilmore, Jennings) – 3:42
  4. "Medley: Well All Right/It's So Easy/Maybe Baby/Peggy Sue" (Allison, Holly, Petty, Joe Mauldin) – 6:07
  5. "If You're Goin' Girl" (Bobby Bond) – 3:45

Personnel

Charts

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waylon Jennings</span> American country musician (1937–2002)

Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He is considered one of the pioneers of the outlaw movement in country music.

Outlaw country is a subgenre of American country music created by a small group of iconoclastic artists active in the 1970s and early 1980s, known collectively as the outlaw movement, who fought for and won their creative freedom outside of the Nashville establishment that dictated the sound of most country music of the era. Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Paycheck and David Allan Coe were among the movement's most commercially successful members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tompall Glaser</span> American country singer (1933–2013)

Thomas Paul "Tompall" Glaser was an American country singer who was a key figure in the 1970s outlaw country movement.

<i>Shotgun Willie</i> 1973 studio album by Willie Nelson

Shotgun Willie is the 16th studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, released on June 11, 1973. The recording marks a change of style for Nelson, who later stated that the album "cleared his throat". When Nelson refused to sign an early extension of his contract with RCA Records in 1972, the label decided not to release any further recordings. Nelson hired Neil Reshen as his manager, and while Reshen negotiated with RCA, Nelson moved to Austin, Texas, where the ongoing hippie music scene at the Armadillo World Headquarters renewed his musical style. In Nashville, Nelson met producer Jerry Wexler, vice president of Atlantic Records, who was interested in his music. Reshen solved the problems with RCA and signed Nelson with Atlantic as their first country music artist.

<i>Singer of Sad Songs</i> 1970 studio album by Waylon Jennings

Singer of Sad Songs is a studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released in 1970 on RCA Nashville.

<i>Ladies Love Outlaws</i> (Waylon Jennings album) 1972 studio album by Waylon Jennings

Ladies Love Outlaws is an album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Nashville in 1972. Together with Jennings' previous album Good Hearted Woman, it marks his transition toward his Outlaw Country image and style. "Ladies Love Outlaws" coined the use of the term "Outlaw" to refer to the country music subgenre, which was developing at the time of its release.

<i>Lonesome, Onry and Mean</i> 1973 studio album by Waylon Jennings

Lonesome, On'ry and Mean is a studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1973. It was, after Good Hearted Woman and Ladies Love Outlaws, the third in a series of albums which were to establish Jennings as one of the most prominent representatives of the outlaw country movement. Photographer Mick Rock shot the album's cover.

<i>Honky Tonk Heroes</i> 1973 studio album by Waylon Jennings

Honky Tonk Heroes is a country music album by Waylon Jennings, released in 1973 on RCA Victor. With the exception of the final track on the album, "We Had It All", all of the songs on the album were written or co-written by Billy Joe Shaver. The album is considered an important piece in the development of the outlaw sub-genre in country music as it revived the honky tonk music of Nashville and added elements of rock and roll to it.

<i>The Ramblin Man</i> 1974 studio album by Waylon Jennings

The Ramblin' Man is a studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1974.

<i>Dreaming My Dreams</i> (Waylon Jennings album) 1975 studio album by Waylon Jennings

Dreaming My Dreams is the twenty-second studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings. The album was co-produced with Jack Clement and recorded at Glaser Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, between February and July 1974.

<i>Wanted! The Outlaws</i> 1976 compilation album by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser

Wanted! The Outlaws is a compilation album by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser, released by RCA Records in 1976. The album consists of previously released material with four new songs. Released to capitalize on the new outlaw country movement, Wanted! The Outlaws earned its place in music history by becoming the first country album to be platinum-certified, reaching sales of one million.

<i>Leather and Lace</i> 1981 studio album by Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter

Leather and Lace is a duet album by Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, released on RCA Records in 1981.

<i>Waylon Live</i> 1976 live album by Waylon Jennings

Waylon Live is a live album by Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1976.

<i>Ol Waylon</i> 1977 studio album by Waylon Jennings

Ol' Waylon is a studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings. It was released on RCA Victor in 1977. It eventually became one of Jennings' highest-selling albums, due in no small part to the phenomenal success of the chart-topping "Luckenbach, Texas ." It was also the singer's fourth solo album in a row to reach the top of the country charts, remaining there for thirteen weeks and becoming country music's first platinum album by any single solo artist.

<i>Black on Black</i> 1982 studio album by Waylon Jennings

Black on Black is a studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1982.

<i>Its Only Rock & Roll</i> (Waylon Jennings album) 1983 studio album by Waylon Jennings

It's Only Rock & Roll is an album by Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1983.

<i>Nashville Rebel</i> (box set) 2006 box set by Waylon Jennings

Nashville Rebel is a box set by Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Nashville through Legacy Recordings in 2006. According to AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, it is "the first comprehensive, multi-label Waylon Jennings retrospective ever assembled," comprising ninety-two songs recorded between [1958 and 1994, with selections from the majority of the singer's recording career. The first track of the box set is the Buddy Holly-produced "Jole Blon," released in 1958, while the last is "I Do Believe," a song produced by Don Was that was included on The Highwaymen's 1995 release, The Road Goes On Forever. The other material on the box set covers Jennings' career chronologically, with songs ranging from his years on RCA's roster to later compositions from his short-lived stay at Epic Records; it ignores, however, the tracks from Jennings albums released on independent labels. The majority of the singer's charting singles are included in the package, as are collaborations such as "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" with Willie Nelson and "Highwayman" with The Highwaymen. A notable addition is the previously unreleased "The Greatest Cowboy of Them All," a 1978 duet with Johnny Cash which was later recorded by Cash alone for A Believer Sings the Truth (1979) and The Mystery of Life (1991); two others, "It's Sure Been Fun" and "People in Dallas Got Hair," had never been released in the United States. Nashville Rebel was released on four CDs, with a 140-page booklet and liner notes by Rich Kienzle and Lenny Kaye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waymore's Outlaws</span> American country band

The Waylors, later Waymore's Outlaws, is a country music band, best known as the backing and recording band of country music singer Waylon Jennings. Jennings formed the band in 1961, consisting of Jerry Gropp on the guitar and Richie Albright on the drums after moving to Phoenix, Arizona. The band earned a local fan base during its appearances on the night club JD's.

<i>A Country Star Is Born</i> 1970 studio album by Jessi Colter

A Country Star Is Born is the debut studio album by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. The album was released April 1970 off of RCA Victor, and was produced by Chet Atkins and Waylon Jennings.

Robby Turner is an American pedal steel guitarist, best known for his work with Waylon Jennings and his contributions to recordings by many other artists.

References

  1. Shaver, Billy Joe; Reagan, Brad (2005). Honky Tonk Hero. University of Texas Press. p.  34. ISBN   978-0-292-70613-2.
  2. Jennings, Waylon; Kaye, Lenny (1996). Waylon: An Autobiography. Warner Brooks. pp. 200–201. ISBN   978-0-446-51865-9.
  3. "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  4. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1974". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2021.