This release is exclusively produced for Record Store Day on 20/04/2024.

Record Store Day 2024. Limited Edition Release.

If Shotgun Willie played a bit like a concept album, Phases and Stages was a full-blown one, tracing the dissolution of a marriage and devoting one side to the wife's perspective, the second to the husband's….Phases and Stages is easily the equal of its remarkable predecessor, a wonderful set of music that resonates deeply, as deeply as the words. Make no mistake -- the deceptively relaxed arrangements, including the occasional strings, not only highlight Nelson's clever eclecticism, but they also heighten the emotional impact of the album. And this is a hell of an emotional record, where even each side's celebratory honky tonk numbers (the medley "Sister's Coming Home/Down at the Corner Beer Joint" and "Pick Up the Tempo," respectively) are muted by sadness. Then, there are the centerpieces: "Walkin'," where the woman decides it's time to move on; "Pretend I Never Happened," perhaps the coldest ending to a relationship ever written; "Bloody Mary Morning," a bleary-eyed morning-after tale that became a standard; "It's Not Supposed to Be That Way," a nearly unbearably melancholy account of a love gone wrong; and "Heaven and Hell," a waltz summary of the relationship. Any two of these would have formed a strong core for an album, but placed together in a narrative context, their impact is even more considerable. As a result, this is not just one of Willie Nelson's best records, but one of the great concept albums overall.

Additional Information (where supplied)
Artist: Willie Nelson
Barcode / EAN: 0603497827176
Case Type:
Catalogue Number: RSD_0603497827176
Colour: Black
Country of Manufacture: Unknown
Disc Weight:
Duration: Double LP
Edition: Record Store Day
ERA:
Format: 2 VINYL LP
Genre:
Label: Rhino/Atlantic
Language:
Number of Audio Channels:
Number of Discs 2
Record Grading:
Release Date: 20/04/2024
Release Year: 2024
Record Size 12"
Special Attributes:
Speed:
Sub Genre:
Title: Phases and Stages