I’ve never been much of a Willie fan. Used to make sport of him, in fact. I also strongly dislike most country music.
I remember when this album came out. I remember that it was heavily promoted, large in-store displays, prominent ad space in Rolling Stone. At the time I was too consumed with Aerosmith, Lou Reed, Black Sabbath, etc.
Anyway, I randomly thought of the album last week and decided to give it a listen. I found it pleasantly sparse, very interesting, and quite enjoyable. I listened again and liked it even more the second time.
So, after a week or so of pretty heavy rotation, my affection for it has grown. I’m not sure how sustainable its enjoyment is - often, when I like something immediately, I find that it lacks staying power - but for now I’m having a damn good time with it.
I am interested to hear others’ thoughts on the album. Go ahead and spout off about Willie’s musical output too (good or bad).
mmm
ETA: I just read that CMJ New Music Monthly referred to it as “the Sgt. Pepper’s of country music”.
Madame Pepperwinkle is a big, big Willie Nelson fan. She thinks Red Headed Stranger is his 2nd Best album. (The first is his album of songs by Gershwin that came out last year. YMMV.) I’m indifferent to him myself, but that album isn’t at all hard to listen to.
As a rocker, I got enough of a feel from the good players I knew that Willie was the real deal, just like they’d be in awe of Chet Atkins even though his arrangements were corny).
I’ve never deeply dug in, but had that and Stardust and a few other of his albums in the fabric of my life. His singing is idiosyncratic, but musical and authentic.
It’s always been one of my many favorites. Willie’s idea of stringing songs together with interludes to tell a story was fascinating. “You can’t blame a man for killin’ a woman / Who’s tryin’ to steal his horse”
The Red Headed Stranger is a fabulous record, it’s probably the jewel of that period in Willie’s career. If you like it, you should probably give Phases and Stages, and my personal favorite, Shotgun Willie a listen.
It’s a great record. Carla Bozulich (from Ethyl Meatplow and The Geraldine Fibbers) did a reinterpretation of the whole album (well, most of it) back in 2003. I personally love her version too.
Here’s her doing bits live: Carla Bozulich's Red Headed Stranger -- Live at Schuba's 2002 - YouTube
And the Amazon link for the album: Amazon.com
Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson are two of the best song/story writers in America. The Redheaded Stranger is a perfect example of stringing lyrics together with a plunking guitar and having magic happen.
