Yesterday's Wine is the 13th studio album and a concept album by country singer Willie Nelson. Nelson had been recording for RCA Victor since the early 1960s, and had released no significant hit records. By 1970, his recordings had reached mid-chart positions. Nelson lost the money he made from his song-writing royalties by financing concert tours that were generally unsuccessful and unprofitable. In addition to problems with his music career, Nelson had a troubled personal life. He had divorced his wife, Shirley Collie, and his Tennessee ranch had been destroyed by a fire.
After moving to a new home in Bandera, Texas, Nelson was called by RCA Records producer Felton Jarvis about the upcoming scheduled recording sessions. At the time, Nelson had not written any new material. He returned to Nashville, where he wrote new songs to use with others from his old repertoire. These new concept songs were recorded at the RCA studios in Nashville in just two days.
Considered one of the Country Music's first concept albums, Yesterday's Wine is the story of the "Imperfect Man", from the moment he is born to the day of his death. RCA originally released the singles "Yesterday's Wine" and "Me and Paul". The former peaked at number 62 in Billboard's Hot Country Singles. The album failed to reach the charts, and a frustrated Nelson decided to temporarily retire from music, while still under contract to RCA Records. Later with his musical style revitalized, he returned to music in 1972.
Background and recording
By the fall of 1964, Nelson had moved from Monument Records to RCA Victor, under the leadership of Chet Atkins, signing a contract for US $10,000 per year.[1] During his first few years at RCA Victor, Nelson had no major hits, but from November, 1966 through March, 1969 his singles reached the top25 consistently: "One In a Row" (number19, 1966), "The Party's Over" (number 24 during a 16-week chart run in 1967), and his cover of Morecambe & Wise's "Bring Me Sunshine" (number13, March 1969).[2] Up to 1970, Nelson had no major success. His record and song-writing royalties were invested in concert tours that did not produce significant profits. In addition to the problems in his career, Nelson divorced Shirley Collie in 1970. In December, his ranch in Ridgetop, Tennessee was destroyed by fire. He interpreted the incident as a signal for a change. He moved to a ranch near Bandera, Texas and married Connie Koepke.[3] In early 1971, his single "I'm a Memory" reached the top 30.[3]Felton Jarvis contacted Nelson for the recording of his next album.[4]
Nelson had not written any material for the sessions by the time he arrived in Nashville in April, 1971. While living in the new ranch, Nelson read the Bible, Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet, the works of Edgar Cayce and Episcopal priest A.A Taliaferro's work.[5] Inspired by his readings, Nelson decided to work in new material.[6] On May 1–2, he wrote nine songs, combining new ones with previous material from his repertoire, such as "Family Bible", to create the concept for the album. He recorded Yesterday's Wine in four sessions, backed by David Zettner and the studio session players, beginning with two sessions on May 3 and finishing with the last two on May 4.[7]
In his 2015 autobiography, Nelson reminisced about this turbulent time in his life: "I looked up and simply began asking questions. Rather than keep those questions to myself, I put them into songs. The songs became my own particular prayers, my own personal reflections. I strung those prayers and reflections together in a loose-fitting suite of songs. Music critics were throwing around the term "concept album"...I guess you could say that this new notion of mine came together as a concept album. Rather than try to write a bunch of hit singles, I simply followed the natural path taken by my mind". According to Nelson's biographer, Joe Nick Patoski, the new material portrayed "an idea that was so far-out that when it came time to record in early May, 1971 producer Felton Jarvis had no choice but to let the tapes roll".[8]
The album describes the life of a man, called "The Imperfect Man", from the beginning to the day of his death.[4][9] The story begins with a dialog between two characters. The first asks the other "You do know why you're here?", and the second replies: "Yes, there's great confusion on earth, and the power that is has concluded the following: Perfect man has visited earth already and His voice was heard; The voice of imperfect man must now be made manifest; and I have been selected as the most likely candidate." This statement is followed by "Where's the Show" and "Let Me Be a Man". In the medley, Nelson depicts the birth of the character, who implores God to become a man. The song is followed by "In God's Eyes", depicting the character learning to act as a good Samaritan. In "Family Bible", the character describes his memories of and nostalgia for his childhood, the times with his family and the reading of the family Bible. "It's Not for Me to Understand" depicts the character praying, after watching a blind child listening to other children playing and finding himself unable to understand why God allowed that to happen. God replies to the Imperfect Man, "It's not for you to reason why, you too are blind without my eyes, so question not what I command". In the last stanza, the character now expresses his fear of the Lord and his reluctance to question the unfairness of the world again. The medley "These Are Difficult Times / Remember the Good Times", describes the character's bad times and his recovery by remembering the good times.[10] "Summer of Roses" depicts the character falling in love and in the prime of his life. It is followed by the anticipation of the beginning of the end in "December Day", as the character announces "This looks like a December day. It looks like we've come to the end of the way". "Yesterday's Wine" finds the character drinking in a bar, talking to the regulars about his life, and reflecting on aging. In "Me and Paul", the Imperfect Man remembers the circumstances in which he lived with a friend in past times. The album ends with "Goin' Home", as the character watches his own funeral.[11]
Of the writing of "December Day" and "Summer of Roses," with Nelson remembered, "I couldn't write a suite of songs, no matter how spiritual, without reference to romance," he deemed "Summer of Roses" and "December Day" "love poems. In the first song, love was fleeting, tragically brief; in the second, love was remembered..."[12] "December Day" had been recorded previously for Nelson's 1969 LP Good Times. "Family Bible" was another old tune that Nelson, a struggling songwriter at the time, sold to Paul Buskirk for fifty dollars; Buskirk took it to Claude Gray, whose version charted at number 7 on Billboard'sHot Country Songs in 1960.[13] A song based on his own youth, Nelson later insisted, "There could be no Yesterday's Wine without 'Family Bible.'"[14] In his memoir Nelson wrote that "Me and Paul" was a song "that described the road that my drummer and best friend, Paul English, and I had been riding together".[15] The cover art was designed by Hartsel Gray and the liner notes written by Dee Moeller.[16]
Release and reception
RCA Records marketing department was at a loss on how to promote Yesterday's Wine.[17] In 2015, Nelson recalled the opinion of one of the label's executives, who told the singer "It's your fuckin' worst album to date".[18] Nelson added that another member of the label felt that the record was "some far-out shit that maybe the hippies high on dope can understand, but the average music lover is gonna think you've lost your cotton-pickin' mind."[18] RCA issued a single containing "Yesterday's Wine" and "Me and Paul" in October 1971.[19] The single peaked at number 62 in Billboard's Country Singles.[20] RCA initially pressed 10,000 copies of the album,[21] which was released in August, 1971.[22]
Yesterday's Wine failed to chart, and did not satisfy RCA's expectations.[4] Discouraged by all of his failures, Nelson decided to take a hiatus from music. He later wrote in his autobiography, "I think it's one of my best albums, but Yesterday's Wine was regarded by RCA as way too spooky and far out to waste promotion money on."[9] In 2015, he added: "I was tempted to say something, to show how the songs fit together in one cohesive story, but I stuck to my guns and stayed silent...Nashville and I had been trying damn hard but we hadn't really seen eye to eye for most of the sixties. I felt like I had shown goodwill and patience. I'd given the Music City establishment a fair chance. After Yesterday's Wine, I cut other albums for RCA, but the story was always the same. The sales were slow and the producers lukewarm about my output. My career had stalled."[23] The album was later considered one of the first concept albums in country music.[24][25][26] Meanwhile, author Michael Streissguth felt that Yesterday's Wine "tried to be a concept album, but it lacked a clear thread, despite Willie's claim to the contrary."[27]
Nelson moved to Austin, Texas and returned to music in the following year. He formed a new band and performed in local venues, as his act was rejuvenated by the burgeoning hippie scene of the city.[28][29]
Yesterday's Wine was reissued on CD in 1997 by Justice records, and then by RCA/BMG Heritage in 2003.[30][31] In 2017, RCA Victor reissued again the album on LP and digital download.[32]
Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a B+. Christgau observed: "The great Nashville songsmith has never bowled anyone over with his singing, and here he finds the concept to match." The Reviewer felt that the "religious themes" present in the songs "tends to limit their general relevance."[33] Nathan Bush described Yesterday's Wine for The New York Times as "the last and best of [Nelson's] Nashville albums", saying that it was "Organized in the manner of an epic poem, each cut a metaphor in the journey through life... it was Nashville's first fully conceived concept album, and nobody knew what to make of it. It soon disappeared quietly and utterly."[34]Rolling Stone wrote: "[Yesterdays Wine] is the first of his bold, conceptual departures from country's hits-plus-filler norm. Rather than tack rock guitar riffs onto modern honky-tonk sagas, Nelson absorbed the innovations of Bob Dylan and the singer-songwriters into his own distinct style. Even if the narrative concepts don't always hold together, Willie hangs his most ambitious albums on some of his catchiest tunes."[35]
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram welcomed it as "the usual heady stuff expected from this unique song stylist."[22] The Dayton Daily News gave it an A. The reviewer considered it "the most touching piece" that he "came across in many years".[36]San Antonio Express-News considered that Nelson's "tearful voice" did #an excellent job in getting the message driven across in a collection of soft ballads". The review described Nelson's songwriting as "deft of handling meaningful words" in "Family Bible", and his "mastery of the lyrics" on "Summer of Roses" and "December Day". The piece concluded that it represented "a showcase for Nelson's talents" and that it was "worthy of general listening, and listening again".[37]
AllMusic gave Yesterday's Wine five stars out of five. Critic Nathan Bush compared it to Nelson's subsequent album Red Headed Stranger, suggesting that while the story on Yesterday's Wine "isn't as tightly constructed", it gave the album "a feeling of malleability that adds to its power". Bush concluded that "Yesterday's Wine provides further insight into the development of his art during this prolific period."[38]
In their book, The Listener's Guide to Country Music, Robert Oermann and Douglas B. Green compared the album with Nelson's later recordings for Columbia Records: "All of those are beautiful records. They're all on Columbia and are made just the way Willie wanted them. It was not always so at his previous record label, RCA. Nevertheless, he made a few landmark recordings while he was with that company... Few of the songs on Yesterday's Wine are well-known Nelson compositions, but all are minor masterpieces".[39]
Release History
Upon original release, this was issued on LP only. But after Nelson began seeing major success in 1975, RCA reissued "Yesterday's Wine" as part of its "Pure Gold" reissue series. This time, RCA issued 8-track and cassette copies of the album. The album was reissued again in 1980, as part of RCA's "Best Buy" series. It was also around this time that the album was issued in Great Britain for the first time.
In 2016, German reissue label Speakers Corner reissued this album for the European market. The following year, US reissue label Friday Music reissued the album on burgundy-colored vinyl.
"Yesterday's Wine" has been reissued on CD numerous times; in 1997 by Justice Records, a Houston, TX based independent label, and in 2003 by BMG Heritage. In 2010, Sony reissued "Yesterday's Wine" as part of a triple disc boxed set, along with Red Headed Stranger and Stardust.
Track listing
All tracks were composed by Willie Nelson; except where indicated[16]
Side one
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Intro: Willie Nelson and Band" / "Medley: Where's the Show; Let Me Be a Man"
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, activist and actor. He was one of the main figures of the progressive and outlaw country subgenres that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictions of the Nashville sound. The critical success of his album Shotgun Willie (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger (1975) and Stardust (1978), made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music. Nelson has acted in over 30 films, co-authored several books, and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana.
Red Headed Stranger is the eighteenth studio album by American outlaw country singer Willie Nelson, released in 1975. Following the success of his recordings with Atlantic Records, coupled with the negotiating skills of his manager, Neil Reshen, Nelson signed a contract with Columbia Records, the label that gave him total creative control over his works. The concept for the album was inspired by the "Tale of the Red Headed Stranger", a song that Nelson used to play as a disc jockey on his program in Fort Worth, Texas. After signing with Columbia, he decided to record the song, and arranged the details during his return to Austin, Texas, from a trip to Colorado. It was recorded at low cost at Autumn Sound Studios in Garland, Texas. The songs featured sparse arrangements, largely limited to Nelson's guitar, piano, and drums. Nelson presented the finished material to Columbia executives, who were dubious about releasing an album that they at first thought was a demo. However, Nelson had creative control, so no further production was added.
Shotgun Willie is the 16th studio album by Willie Nelson, released in 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 Records as their first country music artist.
Phases and Stages is the 17th studio album by Willie Nelson, which followed the moderate success of his first Atlantic Records release, Shotgun Willie. Nelson met producer Jerry Wexler at a party where Nelson sang songs from an album he planned to record. The single "Phases and Stages" was originally recorded the same year. Nelson recorded the album at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in two days and Wexler produced it.
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.
The Words Don't Fit the Picture is the 14th studio album by country singer Willie Nelson.
Willie Nelson and Family is the twelfth studio album by American country music singer Willie Nelson, released in 1971.
My Own Peculiar Way is the ninth studio album by country singer Willie Nelson. It was his last release in the 1960s. Bergen White was the conductor and arranger. This became Willie's first studio album in which he used his new classical acoustic guitar called Martin N-20 that he named "Trigger".
Good Times is the eighth studio album by American country music singer Willie Nelson, released in 1968. Arrangements were by Anita Kerr, Bill Walker and Ray Stevens.
Texas in My Soul is the seventh studio album by country singer Willie Nelson. It was an early concept album that aimed to pay tribute to the State of Texas. The original album artwork features the Alamo, along with three San Antonio construction projects completed in 1968: the Tower of the Americas, HemisFair Arena and the HemisFair monorail system.
The Party's Over and Other Great Willie Nelson Songs is the sixth studio album by country singer Willie Nelson.
Country Favorites – Willie Nelson Style is the fourth studio album by country singer Willie Nelson. He recorded it with Ernest Tubb's band, the Texas Troubadours and Western Swing fiddler-vocalist Wade Ray with studio musicians Jimmy Wilkerson and Hargus "Pig" Robbins. At the time of the recording, Nelson was a regular on a syndicated TV show hosted by Tubb.
Country Willie: His Own Songs is the third studio album by country singer Willie Nelson. This was Nelson's third album, his first for RCA Victor.
...And Then I Wrote is the debut studio album by country singer Willie Nelson, recorded during August and September 1962 and released through Liberty Records.
Country Music Concert is a 1966 live album by country singer Willie Nelson.
"Yesterday's Wine" is the title track of the 1971 album of the same name by Willie Nelson. The track was also written by Willie Nelson. It later became a #1 duet for George Jones and Merle Haggard in 1982.
The Family is Willie Nelson's touring and recording group. Nelson, who did not manage through the 1960s to succeed as a singer, retired after the failure of his 1971 album Yesterday's Wine. The following year, he returned from retirement rejuvenated by the burgeoning music movement of Austin, Texas.
"Bloody Mary Morning" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Willie Nelson. Nelson wrote the song inspired by his struggles to become a "better parent". It was originally released in the 1970 RCA Records release Both Sides Now with the title "Bloody Merry Morning".
"Family Bible" is a song written by country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. Nelson began writing the song in 1957, while he enjoyed success as a disc jockey in KVAN, in Vancouver, Washington. After being denied a raise by the station, he moved to Houston, Texas. Due to financial issues he sold the song to Paul Buskirk.
The Willie Nelson statue, or simply Willie, is a bronze sculpture of singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, located in Downtown Austin, Texas. The statue was commissioned to artist Clete Shields by the nonprofit organization Capital Area Statues.
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Reid, Jan (2004). The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock. University of Texas Press. ISBN978-0-292-70197-7.
Reid, Jan; Sahm, Shawn (2010). Texas Tornado: The Times & Music of Doug Sahm. University of Texas Press. ISBN978-0-292-72196-8.
Sachs, Lloyd (2017). American Country: Bluegrass, Honky-Tonk, and Crossover Sounds. Milbrook Press. ISBN978-1-512-45647-9.
Santoro, Gene (2004). Highway 61 Revisited: The Tangled Roots of American Jazz, Blues, Rock, & Country Music. Oxford University Press. ISBN978-0-190-28860-0.
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