Waylon Jennings: Honky Tonk Heroes CD Track Listing

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Waylon Jennings Honky Tonk Heroes (1973)
Originally Released July 1973\nCD Edition Released June 28, 1994\nBuddha Remastered CD Edition Released June 1, 1999\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: When Waylon Jennings hooked up with songwriter Billy Joe Shaver, he found the perfect author for his obsessions, his fascinations, and his very image. Waylon had always been looking, perhaps unintentionally, for a common ground between country and rock, and Shaver's songs -- sketching an outlaw stance with near defiance and borrowing rock attitude to create the hardest country tunes imaginable -- were perfect. On his previous album, Waylon had sung that "ladies love outlaws," but now he found the music that would soon be called outlaw country, a defiant, ballsy blend of mythmaking and truth-telling. Shaver never had a better voice for his songs, and Jennings never had better songs for his style. Honky Tonk Heroes arrived at a crucial moment, a time when true honky tonk was fading, so only a dose of rock & roll could save it. And, no matter how much rock attitude is here, this is pure country in its stance and attitude -- yet Honky Tonk Heroes' very defiance makes it a perfect discovery album for listeners who never thought they would like country music. And the songs! Shaver earned his stripes here, with songs that were emotional, funny, and clever, utterly bringing the mythic outlaw ethic to life. "Black Rose," "You Asked Me To," and "Honky Tonk Heroes" remain among the greatest things Waylon ever cut, and every other song here matches them. Few country albums have ever been this consistent, and few records, from any genre, have been as consistently compelling. A wonderful album -- one that's hard to tire of. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nAmazon.com essential recording\nAccording to legend, it was at Willie Nelson's Fourth of July picnic when Waylon Jennings drunkenly promised a nobody named Billy Joe Shaver that he'd record a whole album of his songs. Apparently it wasn't until Shaver threatened physical violence on Jennings (in front of a Nashville studio full of people) that he finally made good on his promise, although Jennings had only recently been granted full artistic control by RCA. The result was a stunning achievement: 1973's Honky Tonk Heroes was the defining record of the anti-Nashville Outlaw movement--the term came after the album--and a cornerstone in country music history. Featuring bare-bones production and plainspoken, hard-nosed lyrics that celebrated personal freedoms and simple pleasures, the record was a far cry from the demure Nashville Sound. In each other, Jennings and Shaver had found a kindred spirit, and together they rewrote the country rulebook. --Marc Greilsamer \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nGreen Gables, September 27, 2005\nReviewer: J. PALMER (the middle of Texas, literally)\nWe reciecved an 8-track tape player and two tapes for X-mas in 1973. We owned & operrated our own 18-wheeler. It's a long way from Lubbock to Brownsville, TX with only 2 tapes (700+ miles, one way) and we thought we were in hog heaven, havin' music on board. One tape was Honkytonk Heroes and the other, Red Rose Speedway. Both have extremely fond memories, but. As we drove down Sunset Blvd. in Brownsville listening to Waylon singing about Green Gables, a glance to the right side of the road revealed Green Gables in all it's glory.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nNostalgic....and still good, July 17, 2004\nReviewer: Smallchief\nWell, everybody knows the story about how an unknown songwriter named Billy Joe Shaver talked the semi-famous singer Waylon Jennings into recording his songs. The result was the first "outlaw" country album. \nRecord producers seem to think the last person who should be consulted on their music is the musician. Waylon, who was lonesome, on'ry, and mean, bucked the system and determined that he was going to make music his way. "Honky Tonk Heros" was the result, a rough-edged collection of simple songs and spare arrangements. Acoustic guitar and harmonica lead the instruments on most tracks. \n\n"Honky Tonk Heroes" won't sound all that revolutionary to the modern listener, but it's still good -- and I would buy this CD for the legends that surround it. All the songs on "Honky Tonk Heroes" are good; probably none belong in the top ten list of Waylon's best. My favorite is "Omaha" which has one of those melodies that stick in your head for days on end. \n\nWaylon's gone now; I don't think Billy Joe ever made any money although he's now an elder statesman accepting homage from callers at his trailer house in Austin. (I don't know whether or not he lives in a trailer house. I just made that up cause it sounds like it should be true.)\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nGreatest of All Time, January 2, 2004\nReviewer: David E. Palmer (Chicago, IL USA)\nThis album deserves at least ten stars. It's just that good.\nThe sound is very "stripped down," without any of the "bells and whistles" of a typical Nashville product -- no marimbas or Mariachi horns, no chorus girls, no string orchestras (well, except on "We Had It All"). Each instrument comes across crisp and clear. When you listen to it, it's almost like Waylon is right there in the room with you. The lyrics are honest and heart-felt observations on life.\n\nIf I had to choose one word to describe this record, it would be "real."\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nHigh-water mark of Waylon's career, perhaps, September 28, 2002\nReviewer: William E. Adams (Lovington, NM United States)\nWillie Nelson became "Willie Nelson" with his 1976 classic album "Red-Headed Stranger." Wayon Jennings became "Waylon Jennings" with this 1973 release. All but one of the songs was written by Billy Joe Shaver, and that consistency of attitude makes this short album almost as good as Willie's. Thirty years ago a group of musicians got together in Nashville and made this record, which at the time, was as un-Nashville as "country music" could possibly get. This collection is folk-country-confessional art song, with a touch of rock and blues. At least five of the songs are among the best performances Waylon would ever manage. If you only want to own one CD to represent Waylon's 40-year-career, this would be a great choice. Such a decision would be a little unjust to Waylon, who put out at least 30 unforgettable renditions in varying styles. "Honky-Tonk Heroes' however, fully merits its cult status and classy reputation among knowledgeable fans.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA musical landmark, February 2, 2002\nReviewer: redtunictroll (Earth, USA)\nAfter a tough contract renegotiation, Jennings was truly free of the Nashville machine. Free to produce his own records, free to say what he wanted, and free to record what and where he pleased. The full fruition of these freedoms can be found on this landmark 1973 release.\nIt's surprising to find that this most un-Nashville album was recorded at the very heart of all that Jennings was rebelling against musically: RCA's "Nashville Sound" studio. That it sounds absolutely nothing like the prevailing Nashville pop is a tribute to Jennings, his co-producer (Tompall Glaser), his band (The Waylors), his songwriter for this album (Billy Joe Shaver), and the sympathetic players Jennings brought in for the sessions. A further surprise is the lengthy list of musicians, given the relative spareness of the productions.\n\nWhether or not the legend of a drunk Jennings promising Shaver he'd record his songs is true, it's clear that no other songwriter of the day so vividly captured the singer's ethos. The songs combine outlaw rebellion, mythical storytelling, and a sense of all-out relief at being able to finally say what's on one's mind. Its sentiments, couched in minimal arrangements, remain as salty and vibrant as the day they were recorded.\n\nBuddha's reissue adds two bonus tracks to the original ten: Shaver's "Slow Rollin' Low" and the single version of Shaver & Jennings' "You Ask Me To," both of which match the quality of the original LP lineup. The original liner notes (by Roger Schutt) are augmented by a 1999 essay from Rich Kienzle that adds an excellent historical perspective.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA true milestone., July 20, 1999\nReviewer: A music fan\nAs a youngster of thirteen, I purchased "Honky Tonk Heroes" from the bargain bin at our local Woolworth store for ninety-seven cents. You see, country music wasn't very big in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1973. From the first guitar notes of the title song, I realized that this was unlike any country music I had ever heard. Different from the worn out syrup they played on our local 1500-watt "Country" station or my Mom's Eddie Arnold and Tennessee Ernie albums. I ran the needle through the album, a fact to which my father and siblings will attest, and to this day continue to be amazed when I hear one of the songs covered by one of today's "stars" or by some four-piece band in some out of the way watering hole.The fact that it has now been re-releaased more than twenty-five years later is a true measure of the albums staying power and timelessness. A true classic, and for a young Michigan boy with a limited budget, a true diamond in the rough. Buy this CD, but don't be surprised if you catch your own thirteen year old son ( or daughter ) borrowing it.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\ngreat work by two people that hated each other, May 30, 1999\nReviewer: cbucko@hotmail.com (Michigan)\nThe original liner notes make it clear that Waylon and Billy Joe did not get along. But it all clicked and the world is better for it. Just about every song is a classic, probably because Shaver was getting audiobiographical. Played the record through so much that the needle picked up both sides, looking forward to the CD.\n\nHalf.com Album Notes\nPersonnel include: Waylon Jennings (vocals, guitar); Dave Kirby, Eddie Hinton, Jerry Gropp, Randy Scruggs, Steve Young (guitar); Reggie Young, Billy Sanford, Dale Sellers (electric guitar); Ralph Mooney (steel guitar); Brenton Banks, Stephanie Woolf (violin); Marvin Chantry (viola); Byron Bach (cello); Donnie Brooks (harmonica); David Briggs (piano); Andy McMahon (organ); Henry Strzelecki, Joe Allen, Bee Spears (bass instrument); Richie Albright, Willie Ackerman, Buddy Harman (drums).\n\nProducers: Waylon Jennings; Tompall Glaser; Ronny Light; Ken Mansfield.\n\nRecording information: Nashville Sound Studios, Nashville, Tennessee.\n\nThis is the quintessential "Outlaw country" album. Waylon Jennings spent the early '70s working his way up to this rough-and-tumble masterpiece, arguably the finest album of his prolific career. Jennings was so taken with the songwriting of Nashville rowdy Billy Joe Shaver that he decided to record this all-Shaver album (with the exception of the Fritts/Seals-penned "You Asked Me To"), which helped put Shaver on the map as the poet laureate of the Outlaw set.\nJennings eschewed the lush countrypolitan sound in favor of a raw, electrified approach that owed more to the Rolling Stones than to Billy Sherrill. With a small band and simple arrangements, he introduced contemporary rock-oriented beats into his hard-hitting country sound, adding some funky grit to Shaver's common-man poetics on tunes about the tougher side of life. HONKY TONK HEROES inspired a subsequent generation of country iconoclasts, as well as spurring on Jennings's contemporaries like Willie Nelson and Tompall Glaser. It stands as one of the most important country recordings of the '70s.\n\nIndustry Reviews\n8 (out of 10) - ...[Waylon Jennings] brought his own band into the studio and self-produced a concept album that became the template for a movement....the raw presentation...changed the rules in Nashville...forever...\nSpin (07/01/1999)
This country cd contains 10 tracks and runs 27min 29sec.
Freedb: 77066f0a

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