Greatest Hits (& Some That Will Be)

Willie Nelson

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Greatest Hits (& Some That Will Be) Review

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Greatest Hits (& Some That Will Be) was released in the fall of 1981, summarizing a remarkable seven-year stretch of extraordinary success that began when the iconoclastic Red Headed Stranger, Willie Nelson's first album for Columbia, became a smash hit not long after its 1975 release. From that point on, Nelson became an American popular music icon and a fixture at the top of the country charts, something that was all the more remarkable because he rarely played it safe: he sang pop standards, jammed like the Grateful Dead, recorded tributes to heroes like Lefty Frizzell, and did duet albums with both mentor Ray Price and fellow maverick Leon Russell. It was a far-ranging, unpredictable body of work, with each individual album retaining its own distinctive character, and Greatest Hits manages to pull off the nifty trick of making sense of these records in two records (now one CD) and 20 songs. Sequenced like a set list, not according to strict chronological order, the collection manages to hit all the major singles, but does so judiciously, making sure each of the records and musical moods get equal pay. So, there is no overdose of Stardust material, and even album tracks like a moving version of "Look What Thoughts Will Do" get a hearing. Consequently, this Greatest Hits is far more than a mere recitation of familiar items. It is something much better -- a rounded, full-bodied portrait of Willie in all of his idiosyncratic spleandor, which is about as much as could be asked from a hits collection. And that's why it's worth having, not just as an introduction, but just as a splendid listen on its own terms.

Track Listing

Title/Composer Performer Time Stream
1
Railroad Lady
Jimmy Buffett / Jerry Jeff Walker
Willie Nelson 02:40 SpotifyAmazon
2
Heartaches of a Fool
Walt Breeland / Paul Buskirk / Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson 02:30 SpotifyAmazon
3
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain
Fred Rose
Willie Nelson 02:20 SpotifyAmazon
4
Whiskey River
Johnny Bush / J. B. Shinn III / Paul Stroud
Willie Nelson 03:32 SpotifyAmazon
5
Good Hearted Woman
Waylon Jennings / Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson 02:54 SpotifyAmazon
6
Georgia on My Mind
Hoagy Carmichael / Stuart Gorrell
Willie Nelson 04:21 SpotifyAmazon
7
If You've Got the Money (I've Got the Time)
Jim Beck / Jimmy Beck / Lefty Frizzell
Willie Nelson 02:04 SpotifyAmazon
8
Look What Thoughts Will Do
Jim Beck / Jimmy Beck / Dub Dickerson / Lefty Frizzell
Willie Nelson 02:43 SpotifyAmazon
9
Uncloudy Day
Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson 04:39 SpotifyAmazon
10
Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to Be Cowboys
Ed Bruce / Patsy Bruce
Willie Nelson 03:28 SpotifyAmazon
11
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
S. Rice / Sharon Rice / Sharon Vaughn
Willie Nelson 03:05 SpotifyAmazon
12
Help Me Make It Through the Night
Fred Foster / Kris Kristofferson
Willie Nelson 03:59 SpotifyAmazon
13
Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground
Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson 04:28 SpotifyAmazon
14
I'd Have to Be Crazy
Steven Fromholz
Willie Nelson 03:26 SpotifyAmazon
15
Faded Love
Billy Jack Wills / Bob Wills / Johnnie Lee Wills
Willie Nelson 03:50 SpotifyAmazon
16
On the Road Again
Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson 02:33 SpotifyAmazon
17
Heartbreak Hotel
Mae Boren Axton / Tommy Durden / Elvis Presley
Willie Nelson 03:02 SpotifyAmazon
18
If You Could Touch Her at All
L. Clayton / Lee Clayton
Willie Nelson 03:29 SpotifyAmazon
19
Till I Gain Control Again
Rodney Crowell
Willie Nelson 05:53 SpotifyAmazon
20
Stay All Night (Stay a Little Longer)
Tommy Duncan / Bob Wills
Willie Nelson 03:25 SpotifyAmazon
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Greatest Hits (& Some That Will Be)

Willie Nelson Discography Browser