Red Headed Stranger

1. time of the preacher - 1 2. i couldnt believe it uuaz true - 1.5 3. time of the preacher theme - 1.5 4. blue rock montana - 1.5 5. blue eyez - 1.5 6. red headed ztranger - 2 7. juzt az i am - 1 8. denver - 1.5 9. the uuavez - 1 10. douun yonder - 1 11. can i zleep in your armz - 2 12. remember me - 1.5 13. handz on the uuheel - 14. bandera - 1

Dit is nou echte honkytonk country, geinig man. Het zijn allemaal ultrakorte nummers, Willie zingt bij wijze van spreken in 1 zin zn verhaal. Hier doen we niet aan refreins, verses of wat dan ook. Lekker straight to the point. Het is sowieso een prima verhalenverteller, ons Wil! Red Headed Stranger is het enige nummer dat boven de 3 minuten uitkomt. Ok, dan heb je nog het ultra lange Can I Sleep in Your Arms en Hands ON THe Wheel. Maar het grootste deel is korter dan 2 minuten, dat is prettig, zorgt ervoor dat je je aandacht er makkelijk bij houdt. Muzikaal is het allemaal niet suuuuper spannend, met over het algemeen alleen de gitaar die Willie zelf bespeelt. Zn stem is dan wel weer heel prettig, dat moet gezegd worden! FAVO: Blue Eyes Crying in the rain, Red Headed Stranger, O'er the waves, Down Yonder

I don't hate it. Which means this confirms the sentiments I've had about country music my whole life being wrong. That sentiment was that I hated country music. Turns out I just hate the modern twangy country. Particular male singers as well. I just really dislike everything about it. After two classic country albums and a modern female country singer I liked, I now know that my dislike of country is more narrow than I thought. I won't be searching out Willie Nelson any time soon but I also know that it is tolerable. I can certainly see why some people love this stuff but that's a little to far for me. 3 out of 5.

A pretty average country album. Willie Nelson has a great voice, but I wasn’t too interested in this album. And although I liked Time of the Preacher, we don’t need 3 versions of it on one album. 6/10 Top 3: 1. Can I Sleep in Your Arms 2. Time of the Preacher 3. Just as I Am

willie nelson's red headed stranger is what i consider simple country. it doesn't have too much flair to it. it's reminiscent of older country with the short and simple songs. and it's a concept album telling the tale of an outlaw, and what's more country than that? on a final note, what i'm taking away most from this 1001 albums project is that studio execs know very little. nelson wanted his unproduced, bare bones album, and if his creative control hadn't been established previously, this album would've sounded very different. makes you appreciate the power musicians have.

I actually had never heard this album, despite a decent familiarity with Willie Nelson. Honestly, so many country albums seem a bit conceptual in nature; they often seem to revolve around similar central topics and ideas. In my opinion, it was really clever for Willie to lean into that and go full concept album here. The music here is mostly acoustic and pretty sparse; it allows Willie's voice and lyrics to do most of the work. Considering this is a concept album but a fugitive, I would say it's a pretty on-the-nose example of outlaw country. The album was quite short and never really felt like it took off to me, but that said, it was incredibly listenable and pretty enjoyable!

Lo siento. Un poco rollo. Venga, un 3, porque es Willie Nelson

Vette artiest, maar niet z’n beste album

Not a huge fan of country as a genre, but there are exceptions. Willie Nelson is one of them. Although this isn't super fantastic I don't hate it, and am perfectly fine with it as background music. What's crazy about this album is that it perfectly fits modern streaming. Most songs on the album are sub 3 minutes and it clearly loops well. Man was ahead of his time without even knowing it.

mid

Pleasant classic country

Pretty. Sweet easy listening

The album's themes felt all over the place halfway through, it was enough to get an eyebrow raise out of me and pull me out of it As individual songs go though I really enjoyed this one, though I only began to really appreciate it once I listened to it a 2nd time through I wanna be a cowboy, baby

Classic country singer with an album full of tales. It’s not my type of music, I’m but I recognize how iconic Nelson is to country music. 3/5.

I like that it's a concept album/medley thing of originals, traditional folk songs, and even a random hymn. The brevity of tracks is neat and plays into the theme. It may be a tad one note in my opinion though.

Willie nelson serving long haired butch as of late😍 This isnt bad, just not my taste. I'm sure it resonated a lot with many big country fans

Good Country Album

Not the biggest fan of country music, nonetheless I enjoyed the albums guitars, harmonicas and Willie Nelsons enchanting voice.

3/5. I didn't mind it but not the sort of thing I'd look for.

Fine country.

Hyggeligt og poetisk country singer/songwriter, concept-album, sprød stemme

Good country western album. The last song makes me feel like I’m in an old western saloon.

Not all good

Just an easy listening album. Thought I’d get bored of it quickly but it actually makes quite nice background music when I’m doing something else. Country isn’t my thing, but I can see the appeal. 3/5

Lo siento. Un poco rollo. Venga, un 3, porque es Willie Nelson.

Pretty good country album

Not a huge fan of county but I don't mind this. It's definitely not something I'd listen to more but at least it's not as cringe as modern country music.

Some of these songs sounded familiar to me, but I think it's just because this kind of country music all sounds the same. Down Yonder was a fun and uplifting instrumental break amidst all the moping. I also liked the banjo in the first songs. Can I Sleep in Your Arms sounds like Red River Valley but more boring. I don't know how Willie Nelson does this but if I had a nickel for every time he took a song and made it more boring I'd have three nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happens so often. It's like his thing. Stand-out: Down Yonder

Interesting idea for a concept album around an old song. I think he gets the story across well. O like that this sounds more like 50s country than 70s country, a nice throwback to country roots. Willie has a great voice, and that really makes these songs stand out. It was a good album overall.

Rentoa mökkimusiikkia. Ja miksei rekkailukin. Kappaleet vähän liian lyhyitä

It's country music, it's fine.

Nice country. Wise men say country is all about the lyrics, but unfortunately I couldn't focus on that while working. Regardless, it was a nice listen.

Very classic outlaw country! Really enjoyed the peeled down production and Willie Nelsons voice! As I understand it this is a concept album with a story throughout the album so I feel i need to listen to this more actively so I can take in the lyrics.

Enjoyed this one

Who gets to be an outlaw, eh? Nothing on Willie, but the fact that a white country singer can write an entire album about committing murder in adulterous rage and be celebrated for it... makes you go hmm, non? Otherwise, yeah, I see the appeal and the excellence but can take it or leave it.

It was alright as background music while working

- chill - didn't think that I like it

True country music. Although I can appreciate this album, it wouldn’t be my first choice in Willie’s discography.

Belle mélancolie dans cet album. Arrangements simples mais qui reflète bien l'ambiance général du texte.

An awful lot Red Headed Stranger sounds like Bender’s attempts at writing Folk songs in that episode of Futurama. I don’t think this is actually bad music at all. I just find the story a little hard to follow. Wikipedia tells me that the second and third songs are about the Stranger killing his wife and her lover, which I didn’t get at all, but should I have? They’re both less than two minutes long! And then the narrator spends four minutes detailing the killing of a random woman who touches the Strangers horse, and five minutes talking about how much he’d like to fuck a random bartender. Maybe it’s just a problem with incorporating cover songs on a concept album? The only other rock opera I can think of that has a cover on it is Ziggy Stardust, and to be honest It Ain’t Easy also always felt out of place to me. I’d like to come back to this, because I’m sure it has a lot more to offer than I’m getting from the limited listening I can do in one day.

It's a country album made before 9/11, which makes it enjoyable because it's blues rather than "my truck and my beer, stand for the flag die for the cross" type of country. I miss when country artists wrote "this tool kills fascists" on their guitars.

I enjoyed this.

Honestly, I'm a bit torn here. This style of music isn't for me. Will I listen again? No. Can I appreciate it for what it is? Yes. It's very simple, kind of repetitive, but it's listenable and breezy. If I was sitting in a rocking chair on a porch with a beer, I could see myself being happy listening to it.

Chill, liked this a lot. Introspective country like this is something I've not seeked out before but gives me a calmness of the soul. 7/10

Would always go for Stardust which presumably is included in the list as well. RHS contains enough highlights for a +3 score, but is also a bit dull at times - would not listen to it anytime soon again.

Sweet but boring

This was...something? 30 minutes, sparse instrumentation, very short interludes, long stretches with no vocals. It wasn't until I looked this up that I understood the concept applied and that there was a narrative purpose to those choices. It deserves a second listen. For now, 3 star placeholder.

Has some good songs, wouldn't listen to this every week but it definitely has a place to be played

First though was that this album was gonna be country trash, and for the most part it wast, but I have to say his voice is amazing, I also heard el vals del obrero, it must be some well known tune.

Country is not my thing, but there's definitely beauty to be found in this mans voice. I can understand how people love this.

It was ok. English isn't my first language so not all lyrics register subconsciously when listening to it while working.

Not my favourite kind of music. Overall, not bad. Nice and short too.

I appreciate that he went against the grain a bit with the production and concept but this just isn't a genre I am invested in. Red Headed Stranger had a catchy chorus at least. Album cover reminds me of that Norm MacDonald bit about the picture of his great grandfather. 6/10

Experiencia similar al anterior. Interesante. Tendría que escucharlo muchísimo mas para poder formar una opinión. Innegable el musicianship y la composición. Conecté pero nada mind-blowing.

A top-10 essential country music album. However, I am not a fan of country music, so I am not a fan of this album.

Not a big country fan here, but found this album particularly enjoyable. If someone asks for a seminal and clichesque country album I might mention this one.

I Never listened to Willie Nelson before but this record is pretty nice. I will probably give his records another listen

I'm not a big country fan, but that one album was smooth and, all in all, rather nice to listen to. I can see how country fans would hold Nelson in such high regards.

Ładny głos, ale country nie jest dla mnie.

A fun country album that felt like a cowboy going through an old mountain town and jotted down songs based on his experiences. In that way, this was a really good album. Not much stuck with me, especially with many songs being a minute or so long, but I appreciated what this was. Great for this list.

I believe this is our second from Willie. I know he's an important figure in country but I can't find all that much here to make him distinguishable or memorable. One of those artists who just makes music well, but maybe lacks an edge. I found a few of my favorite tracks on here were instrumentals, those were pretty interesting. Not a bad album by any measure, but not too much for me. Favorite tracks: Bandera, Remember Me, Down Yonder. Album art: A nice old timey portrait of Willie as the red headed stranger (strangler?). The framing and illustration style is pretty nice. 3/5

YEE MF HAW

Niet mijn ding, iets te braaf. Wel mooi gezongen en gespeeld.

It wasn't a good idea to listen this album full deppressed, but i survived.

Meh

If you love old teary eyed cowboy bellering, you'll love this album.

As far as country albums go, this isn't bad!

I like Willie, but a bit slow for my taste. Not bad at all though

Good Bob Dylan like record. Not my type though. 6.7/10.

Not a country music fan, but generally I don't mind some of Willie's work. My knowledge of country is limited, but I do know I can't stand newer country artists, so "old school" artists like Willie and Dolly I will always have respect for. Nothing really stands out for me on Red Headed Stranger, but overall it was a fine listen and there wasn't anything I didn't not like.

Heard this one before. Good concept, good execution, good length. Nothing more, nothing less.

country not really my thing, but i did enjoy this. Vocals and melodies were strong. It was really chill.

I listened to this album while sitting on my back porch on a cool summer evening. It was nice and quiet and relaxing. The album mostly fit the mood well.

Was ok

Honestly I just don’t care that much about Willie Nelson’s music. National treasure etc..

I liked this more than I thought. I was really dreading listening to it. But it was chill. Red head content is also approved by me

Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain is a wonderful song!

Sounds ok, but I don't have the attention span for a concept country album.

What a clear and memorable voice. “Can I Sleep In Your Arms” was a highlight.

I think this pretty much only makes sense in a row—making it a true album, at least. There are a couple nice standalone tracks. His voice is so effortless, not smooth at all but gentle. I still don’t understand the outlaw epithet, but I get the charisma.

15 songs in 33 minutes and it's not death metal. Nice. A lovely country ramble.

Always had a soft spot for Willie.

Not bad for country.

Quite surprised how much I enjoyed this, the underlying story drew me in.

It's kinda of boring to listen to. The song writing is well done, but the music just plodders along, and any time it picks up a bit or there's some interesting sounds building up the song ends and it's back to plodding...

Not bad. Country-ish chill. Probably won't revisit

I don’t know what to say. I wasn’t following the story lyrically, so it all seemed quite generic country. It was fine.

I totally love the basic acoustics and old school cowboy sound of this album. Something about old classic country just soothes me. I didn’t realize it was a concept album until I read into it, and at first thought it was just a super sad and depressing album. But once I knew what Willie was trying to do with the album, I appreciated it so much more. It’s quite short and easy yo listen to. Listen again: Yes Purchase for my collection: maybe Favourite Song:

Enjoyable listen, consistent tracks but nothing stands out. Great vocals but can be a bit slow. 6/10

hmmmm, well okay, if I must... I'm actually really enjoying this! It's that old country sound. Like the sound of Not In Nottingham. Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain, was nice. Sad. Can I Sleep in Your Arms is good too. There is some really great guitar plucking in this album!

Country generally isn't my thing but I definitely prefer this form of classic country over today's pop iteration. Willy's voice lends itself really well to the tone and the album feels authentic. I can't say any particular song hooked me but I would be interested in hearing more.

Pretty simple album and what I would expect from willie. Slow singing, not many instruments, willie singing. Threw in some piano and made it a hoe down in the song "Down Yonder". I really liked this album. Not sure I would give it a listen regularly thought. Give it a hard 3.5 stars

Never listened to Willie before but I love the story he tells in this. Might have to light one up and get into some more Willie.

I liked this and am considering buying it

I wasn’t able to give this a proper listen. The one time I was able to hear it it seemed OK without jumping out at me. I need to go back to this at some point to evaluate it properly, but for now it’s a 3.

A lot of the songs sound very similar, but I really love his voice. Definitely a comforting record. Will be going back from time to time. Enjoy the story of the concept album as well.

Nice but nothing special

Un Willie Nelson très crispé comme en témoigne la pochette. Celui-ci était tout bonnement en train de se faire dessus au moment où le photographe prit le cliché, ce dernier immortalisant ainsi une colique extrêmement mal venue.

Willie Nelson a vécu une expérience très traumatisante une fois son album bouclé. Après avoir enregistré toutes les chansons, Willie s'est en effet prêté au jeu du traditionnel shooting photo, nécessaire afin de produire la couverture de l'album. Seulement, Willie a eu la mauvaise idée à la veille de la séance photo de consommer des fruits de mers n'étant plus de première fraicheur, car présent dans son réfrigérateur depuis pluis de 4 jours. C'est donc le teint pâle que Willie se rendit au studio photo. Après quelques tests lumière, Willie ne put se retenir, et laissa échapper un pet foireux. C'est dans le malaître le plus total que Willie tentera de faire bonne figure, mais son visage laissera échapper la vérité se déroulant dans son calecon. C'est malheureusement cette photo qui sera choisie pour illustrer l'album.

Willie Nelson is een classic natuurlijk. Ik kende dit album niet, maar was lekker op de achtergrond!

Ja lekker, MURICA

Vond de eerste twee nummers wel geinig omdat het iets is waar ik nooit naar luister, maar na 5 nummers had ik het wel een beeetje gehad. Isa liet thuis wel The rainbow connection horen en die vond ik heel cute! 2,8 afgerond naar boveuuu

Yee haw

pretty chill but nothing really jumped out to me as a great song

ej willie dat was gezellig

Classic Willie.

I like the slow acoustic ballad stripped down vibes but after a while it starts to sound the same- doesn’t help that there are multiple reprises. Was really glad when Remember Me came (probably my favorite track). Actually the last three songs are all great. I didn’t really pick up that it was a concept album until reading about it but that’s pretty cool. His voice is great.

Classic Willy Nelson. The first not the best.

A first time, pleasant listen. Only recognized "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" from the initial runthrough. Some of the phrasing in the lyrics ("screamed like a panther in the night," etc.) is amusing. The combination of solid guitar playing and generally enjoyable tracks makes this a worthwhile listen. Willie's voice is palpably poignant and sentimental. With that said, the country legend's music still doesn't motivate me to further engage interest in outlaw/classic era country music willingly.

This is a bunch of lullabies. Super happy it's not pop country. And I like the concept that it's going with. But this is very sleepy.

In part, I come from a family of Eastern Colorado farmers and they all love Willie. In fact, when we buried my Uncle a few years back, we played Willie Nelson to send him home. It's not without emotion that I enjoy a good solid Willie album and I love what he stands for. He did an awful lot of good for the farmers with Farm Aid. Awesome guy.

Willie Nelson’s “Red Headed Stranger” was perhaps only possible in the mid-70s coming out of the outlaw country movement. It’s a cool little concept album, it’s stripped down and sparse, and it certainly eschews the increasingly formulaic trappings of the Nashville-centric country world. Formulaic mainstream country would continue to take over in the decades that followed, but Nelson would remain firm in his outlaw, outsider position. It’s great that Nelson and others were able to maintain creative freedom and stick to their roots and values. But ultimately “Red Headed Stranger” is too slow for me.

11th January 2023 Listened on the drive in to London. Finished slow horses season 2 in the evening. Nice bit of country folk from the master storyteller.

calm

It’s good country but is country my kinda thing…no 3/5.

i do love american country music. some of it at least. it can be very beautiful and moving. very sad, and very soothing. very analog. but i gotta say, there's a barrier that stops me from ever liking it TOO much - it's cos i'm not american, so i feel like its impossible for me to actually connect with this stuff. im not really making a comment about the target audience of american country music. im sure lots of non-americans are into that! good for them. hope they enjoy it. but for me, i feel like too much of it just goes over my head. like, this dude from blue rock montana rode into town on a black stallion, did he? ok. i dont know where that is. is it a good place? a bad place? is that even a real place at all, or is it it like a metaphor? and are people cool with black stallions, or is that a grim omen of dark things to come? whats the group vibe on this dude and his horse? i dunno, i live in the south of england. we have like, seagulls here. big ones like dinosaurs. and lots of rain. i listened to this whole doing the dishes with my daughter, which was fun! but distracting enough that i couldn't really hone in on a favourite track. 3/5 i think.

6/10

🤠

I'm sure this is wonderful, but its not my jam

Nuorempana nyrpistelin nenääni kantrille. Vasta lähivuosina olen huomannut, miten kantri on vaikuttanut musiikkiin, jota olen kuunnellut nuorena. Kun teininä fanitin Smashing Pumpkinsia, miten en kuullut amerikkalaisuutta noissa levyissä? Ymmärsin toki, että Pumpkinsit ja Sonic Youth ja Pixies kuulostivat huomattavasti vähemmän ironisilta kuin brittitoverinsa, mutta en osannut sanoa miksi. Ironian puute on kuitenkin se, mikä saa jenkkijutut kuulostamaan jenkkijutuilta. Nuorempana dissasin huumorintajuttomuutta, nykyään huomaan olevani itsekin vakavampi, vähemmän ironinen ja enemmän elämästä nauttiva (ja samalla enemmän siitä kuormittuva). Ei ole mitään vitsin aihetta tässä kaikessa, ei. Tai edes kyynisen observaation arvoista. Eli iskee tämä Nelsonkin näemmä nykyään, jollain tasolla.

Country on kyl edelleen mulle hieman haastavaa, mutta ei tämä huono ole. Todistaa sen että country on todellista surumusiikkia siinä missä blues on enemmän valittamista. Tai ainakin joidenkin mielestä. Lienee ensimmäinen Willien levy jonka kuuntelen kokonaan. 3/5

Oikein miellyttävää countrya.

Makes me want to sit on my front porch sipping sweet tea

I didn't think I'd need to open this review with 'I think murder might be wrong', but here we are. Red headed stranger is a sparsely instrumented, plaintive, barely-controlled breakdown of an album. I like a concept, and I love a ballad, but I don't so much enjoy the balls-out misogynstic entitlement, especially when it's done with such a deft and elegant touch on the vocals. Let's talk songs for a minute: Time of the Preacher is a classic for a reason - it beautifully sets a scene, and lays out the ominous, nervy vibe 'Now the preachin' is over, and the lesson's begun.' The repeated motif holds the first side together, drawing deeper into the darkness 'Now the killin's begun.' My favourite track off the album is 'I Couldn't Believe It Was True', but I wish we'd stuck longer in the 'Her happiness always I hope will remain' groove. I enjoyed the emotional staging of the bouncing between disbelief, forgiveness, rage, and out-and-out destruction, which felt very real. The gentleness of the guitar, smiles and happy allusions that lead into the actual murders is very well done. Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain is where it starts to come off the rails for me - the Christian allusions and rose-tinted spectacles met the passive distancing from violence ("Oh, my love, she just tripped and fell, woe is me!") It's around this time I put down my headphones and complained to the cat - 'the rest of this album is going to be about this guy whinging about the consequences of his actions, isn't it?' I was (not?) disappointed - his 'little lost love lay asleep on the hillside' in the next track had me reaching for the metaphorical sick bag. And he's shot someone for stealing a horse he stole from someone else he murdered, and the punchline is like delivered like that's funny. I'd like to take a moment to appreciate the pianist, Bobbie Nelson, who was an absolute delight throughout and kept my ears amused even when my guts were growling. The longing for a destroyed home is captured so well all through the second side - but the whole thing is marred by my loathing of the protagonist, who is so clearly the author of their own destruction, and feels entitled to get away with it. I find it hard to cheer for the little comforts found in Denver, and have started to think of good traditional English folk ballads which always end with the plucky young woman shoving the murderer off a ledge. Playing out with the harmonica, and gentle piano rolls of Bandera, I feel a sense of nostalgia for the first few songs of the album, back when the world was expansive, and we were poised on the edge of a wonderful adventure.

Pleasant Willie Nelson country fare - but not his most distinctive.

Willie’s distinctive voice, combined with the spare, simple arrangements were put to good use in the telling of the tale of the red headed stranger. I’m not sure I liked it, but I appreciate it.

was ok nothing special imo all songs blended into 1 but some were pretty i guess

It’s a tightly wrapped 33 minutes of twang. Willie is a prolific and admirable artist, but I’m not a country music lover. Or even liker. But I gotta give respect to one of the country scene’s most iconic players.

Yeah, yeah, he's a legend, but if I'm honest with myself, I'm bored. On the other hand it's cool to hear that he had creative control over the album, and chose to make it this stripped down - mad respect for that. But... I'm still bored.

Y'know, not bad. Was driving so this was an appropriate soundtrack for the road.

Casual listening country, a nice relaxing vibe for the fall.

название говорит само за себя......

2.5

Although I will probably never listen to it again, this album was enjoyable and relaxing

I liked it. It was a weird story but Willie has an excellent voice and the music was decent. 3 stars

very nice chill time

Not bad at all and he's a legend but it was a bit much by the end

3.8 + I salivate when I hear phrases like "country music's first country album" and "Willie Nelson stripped down" but sadly this album doesn't live up to my excitement. To be sure, Nelson sounds uncommonly sweet as always, and there's plenty of twinkle in the spare guitar and piano parts. But there's lots of repetition, especially in the first half. I keep hearing "he cried like a panther" and "don't cross him, don't boss him" over a sedate oompa-pa and I wonder if I missed something.

Not totally my vibe but it's definitely solid.

It was an alright listen but I can’t understand how it made the list. Is it that good ? 3*

Thought I'd dislike this album more than I did. I think it's saving grace was that it was mercifully short. Nelson has a way with words and is able to evoke feelings of wanting to head out camping in some remote part of the US, sitting in front of a campfire, having some s'mores and strumming on a guitar. Best: Down Yonder Worst: Can I Sleep In Your Arms

There’s something captivating about this. Simple, authentic country music appeals to me (for what it evokes more than how it sounds), and short, flowing concept albums interest me too. In other ways it’s not my usual bag, but I’m glad I was introduced to it. 3.5

That old folk country so fair

His 18th album was released in 1975! Wow he must be old. The album is very simple and shows off something he is not known for which is how well he plays guitar.

Been a few months

Decent old school country album.

Another C&W album. Its fine. I just find the genre tiresome. (Especially since I've been given Gillian Welch's Time) It's fine. I like WNs voice though nothing massively stands out. Prob wouldn't listen again.

liked his voice, but don’t really like country.

Can appreciate the sentiments, but Country is not really my thing

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Yes, heartwarming and warm in sound, Will need to come back to this again at some point Favourite song: Track 14 - Hands on The Wheel

okay

It was ok!

Decent country album without any highlights or standout songs

Willie Nelson...again...

Favourite track(s): Can I Sleep in Your Arms More of a vibe than a compilation of individual bangers. Nelson's voice is magic and the instruments are full-force american. Would play it again but I am not longing for repeated listenings.

I love how often the wiki says something along the lines of "the label didn't want to release this album..." only to have the album absolutely blow up. Music industry execs clearly suck.

i can see why this is a classic and i almost hate to admit it but i just don't dig country that much

Soft, gentle country music with sparse instrumentation and Willie Nelson's calming voice. I didn't listen actively enough to pick up the story of this concept album, but enjoyed it nonetheless. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Red Headed Stranger Date listened: 09/08/22

Star rant: A high 3 in the way that “Clandestino” & “Steve Mcqueen” are high 3s, not to be confused by the low 3s of “Locust Abortion Technician” and “I’m Living All Over You”. :/ Now the actual album: “Down Yonder” has a great piano solo by Bobby Nelson, who I’m just learning of now and also that she died earlier this year. The performances are consistently great, as is Willie Nelson’s voice, it’s just that the earnest adherence to the classic country formula reminds me why I can only take so much of the genre. PS to star rant: Blackstar was for me a 5 star, I knew that as soon as I gave it 4

Really well done old-school country album.

Psies op het juiste moment. Heerlijk wegzwijmelen met Willie.

Ya know what. If someone is going to go full country i want it to be like this, country and western. Gunslingers in bars.

Nice to chill on a hot afternoon

The man can sing! Great instrumentation and the recurring pastor theme stuck with me after I’d listened to it. I reckon if I saw it in a record store I’d buy it.

There is something so ~warm and cozy~ about this whole album.

Nice - I like the sparse clean arrangements

It was a relaxing album to listen to. Not my go-to but still enjoyable. 2.5 stars but I'll round up.

I enjoyed this more as the album progressed, probably won't return to it, but it was comforting.

3/5

Country will never be my fave but I can understand why people like Willie Nelson

Get's points for being a best seller despite a rather bizarre concept. The music is less enduring for me.

Never been a Willie Nelson fan. Thi is fine but wouldn’t Hopi of my way to listen

For something called "outlaw country" I thought this was pretty soothing, which is not a bad thing. I actually liked it. It started to feel a little bit samey during the last half but the overall mood was really pleasant.

A sweet and sad album that hardly changes mood throughout. A complete work of slow and melancholic country can be long. The album ended up losing my interest. But... It was great in a way. 3 stars will do it.

Eh, it's just ok. I like Willie Nelson as a cultural icon and for his activist endeavors, but his music is pretty meh for me, this album being a prime example.

Pretty decent album. Not amazed, though.

As someone who does not care for country, this is actually really good. Catchy, mellow and well performed.

Genre: Outlaw Country 3/5 A totally adorable little country album, Red Headed Stranger is a concept album detailing the story of a man on the run after killing his wife. It's told in a decent enough way that it isn't too difficult to follow, but the story isn't the star here. It's Willie's slick baritone vocal, and the ease with which it fills up the mix. Elevating rather sparse material, it's a real treat to hear Willie's voice in this intimate setting, spotlighting what I feel are fairly underrated vocals in the catalogue of 70s music. Overall, the country folk style of most of the tracks here can get pretty boring, and it's generally unexciting as the tracklist continues. However, that doesn't mean there aren't any highlights. The title track is a perfect example of the Outlaw Country genre, with dark, introspective lyrical themes mixed with that classic country sound. It even makes time to take some instrumental breaks like Down Yonder, with Wille Nelson's sister, Bobbie, rippin' on the piano. All in all, fairly bland, but a neat little piece of history, given its concept and its importance in the genre, and is certainly easy on the ears. Not bad.

Country sureño suave de escuchar y sin ninguna estridencia. Para relajarse

Best country album so far, but still a 3/5 since I'm not a fan of this genre at all. Willie Nelson seems like a great guy though. He's almost 90 and still kicking ass apparently. 5 albums in the last 3 years, damn.

There are flashes of this tightly made and bare bones album being like a pulp western novel set to music. Barren landscapes and barren relationships. Best Tracks: Time of the Preacher; Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain; Remember Me (When The Candle Lights Are Burning)

willie 420

Country lentillo. Ni fu ni fa.

Lo siento. Un poco rollo. Venga, un 3, porque es Willie Nelson

Willie tells the tale of a murderous preacher who gets revenge in a cheating woman and her lover. Delicately arranged with few instruments and Willie’s signature yodel-esque vocal tone. It’s very solid.

Loved "couldn't believe it was true" good background music but not blown away

Not bad. Not really my thing.

We want chilli Willi. There is something about the nasal twang that makes me feel like a kid.

Alright for country. Didn't listen too closely to the lyrics but apparently it's all murder and revenge so that's exciting. Top tracks: I couldn't believe it was true

Its a pretty tight album. But also there is nothing stand out

Genuinely not sure what to say about this. Again, it's one of those cases where I understand the intention and admire the artistry behind it, I appreciate that it's Willie doing exactly what he wanted in the face of record company opposition (not to mention the country music mainstream at large), but I'm not sure how much I like it as such. But it's one I'm sure I will come back to.

3, short and sweet songs

I am glad and somehow relieved that the two country albums I got so far came out on a Sunday. Sundays are ok for country, or should I say country is ok for Sundays? One way or another, this is a really pleasant listening, but I am not sure if I will throw it on again in the future.  Nice try, though! 

Country. No mal del todo

My grandma lived Willie. There was to be complete silence when he came in the radio lol. Good times.

Each song makes sense as a stand-alone song, but together, they tell a story. I think that's kind of neat.

Simple but engaging storytelling.

A pretty interesting old storyteller approach with a pretty barebones arrangement. It's decent, and the story aspect of it is the strongest piece. Musically, it's all fine exception Down Yonder. ugh. Still worth a listen.

Not taken by the narrative, front half perhaps too sparse/minimalist to help, but of course is voice and delivery is still very good Much more into second half with more lush instrumentation, particularly piano. Think missing the cultural context of dominant country stylings in the 70s that this record sat against takes something away, not to mention country being my least familiar genre, but I did like this record overall

The darndest

Questões de estilo me impedem de avaliar essa obra

Bit too slow for me

A very relaxed listen. I liked the bluesy acoustic ballads and the story telling throughout. Bandera was a great way to close out the album. Probably closer to a 3.5 than a 3, I definitely enjoyed it.

I liked this more than I thought I would. The structure of the album with the short Time of the Preacher theme was interesting, felt all tied in nicely. I liked that most songs were short and sweet. Favourite songs: I couldn't believe it was true, down yonder

meh willie, I guess you aight

A country concept album about an outlaw who murdered his wife and her lover. Nice. I am not a big fan of minimal instrumentals and stripped down productions. But this isn't bad. The sound is perfect for the sentimental nature of the album. And I love the instrumentals and the vocals, as well as the way they are so balanced. Definitely coming back to this. Maybe I'll like it even more.

Altijd wel oké. Als je er van houdt…

Pretty good, pretty fun! Never listened to Willie before so this was a treat.

Not a go to but not bad

Hi- Down Yonder, Can I Sleep in Your Arms, Hands on the Wheel Minimalistic, soothing, but never downtrodden; This is an easy to listen to album

A very relaxing album. I feel like I could lay in the sun for hours on end listening to this. Not really much more to say; it's just more Willie Nelson. Favorite track: Down Yonder

Avoided Willie albums cause I was afraid I’d hate the cool weed guy’s music. Happy to report it’s more folk vibes than country and I liked this album

Just OK country music, not such good tunes.

Generally, I know him as the old dude that likes weed. Now I know him a bit better as a musician. This was an okay album.

6/10

Had not listened to much Willie Nelson, or much classic Country music. Really liked it. Would listen to more of the Red Head Stranger in the future.

Short and sweet songs. But they are a bit sad/slow for my taste. They have their spot, but I won't listen to them often

really dont like country. lol.

Country lentillo. Ni fu ni fa.

Pleasant

Works as a whole album more than the individual songs hit, maybe cause of how short they are. He's a great storyteller, about time I listened more to him Saved: Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain, Red Headed Stranger*, Down Under

Real tears-in-my-beer stuff. I feel it. Willie knows how to sell it, with his plain-spoken singing. For a short album, it drags on a little long. Favorite tracks: "Blue Eyes Crying in The Rain", "Remember Me"

I’ve never heard this before. Country isn’t usually my thing but this was very enjoyable. Glad my horizons were expanded a little.

not too bad

classic country

Stabiler traditioneller country

È bello il country americano.. Fino al momento in cui devi ascoltare un album per intero, allora diventa un po' dura. Tutto sommato Willie si è rivelato un bravo cantastorie e per trenta minuti ho vissuto quell'atmosfera da casa nella prateria. A pelle è un 2.50 ma anche in questo caso mi sento di dare un 3 honoris causa, in fin dei conti questi 30 minuti sono volati senza causare nessun dispiacere.

Il country old school ha sempre il suo fascino e questo ne è un esempio di qualità. Soffre dei problemi classici del genere: testi un po' sdolcinati, pezzi un po' ripetitivi ma Willie Nelson c'ha una voce che trovo molto musicale e aggiunge profondità anche ai testi un po' banalotti. Diciamo che è stato un ascolto molto picevole che magari ripeterei quando mi voglio sentire un mandriano del west.

Il disco è stato un piacevole sottofondo per circa mezz'ora, giusta dose poiché oltre sarebbe stato pesante. La voce di Willie mi è piaciuta e il semplice arrangiamento country l'ho trovato gradevole. Il disco mi da quella rilassatezza che si prova quando si ascolta una vecchia storia.

Love his voice and style.

Wow tracks country tracks are pretty short. It was a pleasant album but hasn't blown me away.

Cool voice. This album gets a bit repetitive, but each song is pretty cool on its own.

Me hizo sentir muy triste a ratos. Lo sentí como una película gringa sobre el campo, algún redneck o esa vida campirana idealizada, pero pues a cada quien le debe decir distintas cosas. Es como que me sentí sumergido en ese mood y ahí me quedé, todo melancólico. Aunque la voz me gustó, creo que "Down Yonder" y ese cierre, "Bandera" fueron las que más disfruté. 7.5/10

buen country

god I am so not into this. 33 minutes felt like they stretched forever. You won’t catch me gaffing about this album Favorite: Bandera

Good classic country. In the evening by the fireside, this is the type of thing I want to listen to but it isn't stand out to me. It would serve as great ambiance running under the sounds of gathered friends.

2nd Willie album from the generator. I liked his covers album, I thought it was really sweet. This album was absolutely confusing, all the songs were basically 1 minute long and they genuinely felt like one long song. The best songs were ones that were standard length 2/5

I think the algorithm is pranking me now - yet another country album. However, this is so stripped back it almost falls into folk. He’s a good storyteller, I will give him that but the music isn’t massively doing anything for me. 2/5.

4/10

A little bit of slow, depressing, old timey country goes a long way. Pleasant enough to stick with for the short playtime, but I’m not likely to revisit, or remember the name, of most of these songs.

I mean I didnt really know where one song ended and the other began, thought it was one long song. Think id have liked that a bit better... 1975?! Surely it was from before that? Was good for what it was, I suppose. Shoulda called it 'Big Willie Style' 2.5

Not for me. But I can respect the craft and recognize the influence.

OK. 2/5

INSIDE YOU THERE ARE TWO WOLVES one snores like "honk shoo honk shoo." the other snores like "hooooonk mi mi mi"

Liked it more than I thought but not sure I'd go out of my way to relisten

Some decent songs should probably give it another listen.

This was really monotone and boring for me

3/10… country / singer-songwriter / *1975

It is fine, just not my cup of tea.

toting my guns fiddling my pianer inoffensive and lukewarm cuntree chill

As far as country music is concerned, it’s pretty good. But plain and pure to a fault. A nice narrative and concept with no meat on the bones or production worth mentioning.

This is inoffensive enough but I wouldn't have batted an eyelid if the year said 1955, rather than 1975

Album #134: Red Headed Stranger - Willie Nelson Genre (W): Country, outlaw country Singles: Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain, Remember Me I have not listened to this album before. Thoughts?: This was an okay album, but I found myself falling asleep near the end. I like the honesty of the lyrics and how straightforward they are. Favorite tracks: I Couldn’t Believe It Was True, Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain, Red Headed Stranger, Can I Sleep in Your Arms

C'è di molto meglio.

I enjoyed it more than expected, but overall, not my thing

Not bad yeah

Meh, it's an old country album. Dont get me wrong, Willie Nelson has a great voice and I can understand that its a very well intended concept album, but to me all the songs sounds the same. There's absolutely no build up in any of the songs and it's hard to connect and distingue some of it. Overall, im glad this challenge made me discover and listen to that record, but I dont find myself listening to it on my own.

Meeh

I'm sorry Willie, but this bored the everliving shit out of me. I was pretty excited for it too.

1,9 Highlights: Red Headed Stranger, Remember Me

really thought this would be better? easily missable

I went into this expecting to hate it. It’s country. Too much moaning in 3/4 time. But he can play & there’s a folkish charm here. It won’t convert me, but it will help me be more accepting.

I know it's Willie Nelson, but I just don't care for slow country. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing

Sadly very boring, despite he made other decent songs

william

optimistic willie has some better stuff cos he's very talented. loved bandera and remember me

great to discover but not my style (79 albums also??), very countriesque

Pleasant enough but pretty corny

Meh. I don't hear emotion when I listen to Willie. It's fine in the background.

2/5 Something about country, I can't get into. Pretty boring

..

4/10

this album put me to sleep

I like Willie Nelson and I like his voice and style. But his more traditional country tunes are much better than this collection of ballads. I like the title track Red Headed Stranger, but the rest sort of blended together. Not offensive. 2 stars

This must have been before Willie Nelson found weed.

65

Day 321 Country is a style of music I know almost nothing about but I’ve always enjoyed the stuff I’ve heard from the ‘outlaw’ country artists, so I was surprised how boring I found this, I’m sure there’s other albums by Willie Nelson that are far more to my taste but I won’t be returning to this.

With all due respect to Willie, I don't like it.

Just not my cup of tea.

I found this OK but not something I would listen to again

It’s well executed but country music is just shit.

그냥 그랬다. 분위기는 나쁘지 않았는데 그렇다고 좋지도 않았다. It was just like that. The atmosphere wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.

Americano demais pro meu gosto.

+ ok…

It's a bit down tempo for me, if I'm going to listen to country I like the more upbeat stuff. Nice enough to listen to.

1001 albums to hear before you country yourself until exhaustion 125# Knowing i don't like country.. i don't like this album. It's just country, turned up a notch. Really mellow ballads.. with a voice that everyone is saying that they like it, but I really just think it is just a middle of the road voice I really can't understand the appeal. Well, these are cute little tunes but nothing really heartfelt nor catches my attention.

Bland, didn't care for it

good for a morning drive

On se moque de la "musique moderne" en disant que toutes les chansons récentes ont les mêmes suites d'accords ou les mêmes motifs de batterie, mais là c'est un albums où quasiment toutes les chansons ont la même mélodie stéréotype de la musique country.

Nice old school country with more impressive guitar playing than I would have expected.

Love a bit of country but not its best offering.

Fairport's album yesterday was like coming home and putting your comfy slippers on. In comparison this one is like popping round to your slightly odd neighbour's place: not offensive at all, occasionally interesting, but you really don't want to spend any more time there than absolutely necessary. A somewhat intolerant 2. 2*

is this the best he does?

2,5

Enjoyable enough

Pasó tan desapercibido que terminó y no me acordaba que estaba escuchando

Not much going on instrumentally here, which is almost never enjoyable to me. Shame as I’ve liked most of the country records I’ve had so far.

I didn't get into it.

This album was a bit too mellow for me without being super pleasant to listen to. I feel like Johnny Cash has a better blend there but I know Nelson probably isn’t going for the same thing

Very evocative of sitting around a campfire trading tunes and Willie Nelson is an icon but… it’s just sooo slow 😭