I just absolutely love Country Music in every form you can possibly think of, and I truly appreciate the history of it in it’s entirety. I am also an avid record collector in many different forms of the term, and this is one of those many instances where they re issue titles based upon the history of the album. I’m going to let you in on some news about this banger if you love this album as much as I do.
So, in 2024 we had a longlist of new releases and I made a huge list for them. But there was a long long list of albums that were re released on anniversary issue albums, like this one which is the big 50! I wanted to take some time and make a few articles for these albums in the future.
This is the seventeenth studio album from Willie Nelson released fifty years ago in 1974, and this past spring during Record Store Day they issued a special release. I love this early Atlantic period of his albums along with “Shotgun Willie” (which was a commercial flop) , and this was produced by Jerry Wexler who is a Legend in his own right.
So this album is basically a concept album with one side of the story from the husband and one side from the wife. But what REALLY makes me elated about this album was that it was his first album that included his band called “Family”. So, yeah he did finally get to record a MAJOR album using his own band consisting of the litany of Legends he had.
Paul English, Bee Spears, Mickey Raphael, and Bobbie Nelson all appear in every song on this album and Willie was given full and complete control over this entire project. And here we are now celebrating fifty years of it’s relevance. It truly is one of the greatest Country albums of all time in my opinion.
FROM THE WEBSITE:
It’s been 50 years since the release of Willie’s groundbreaking album “Phases and Stages”. This timeless masterpiece captivated audiences worldwide, serving as a powerful reminder of the enduring impact of extraordinary music and captivating storytelling.
“Phases and Stages” was a groundbreaking concept album by Willie Nelson, released in 1974. It narrates the tale of a crumbling marriage from both partners’ perspectives. One side of the album portrays the woman’s perspective in phases, while the other illustrates the man’s journey through stages of the relationship.
Despite being released 50 years ago, Phases and Stages remains an essential country album, currently ranked by Texas Monthly as Willie’s best album.
Tracklist
Side One
1. PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) [0:20]
WASHING THE DISHES [1:22]
2. PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) [0:24]
WALKIN’ [3:41]
3. PRETEND I NEVER HAPPENED [2:59]
4. SISTER’S COMING HOME [1:48]
DOWN AT THE CORNER BEER JOINT [1:57]
5. (HOW WILL I KNOW) I’M FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN [3:25]
Side Two
1. BLOODY MARY MORNING [2:48]
2. PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) [0:32]
NO LOVE AROUND [1:51]
3. I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE GONE [4:15]
4. IT’S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THAT WAY [3:27]
5. HEAVEN AND HELL [1:52]
6. PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) [0:24]
PICK UP THE TEMPO [2:41]
PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) [0:21]
Side Three
1. PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) (Alternate Version) [2:41]
WASHING THE DISHES (Alternate Version)
2. SISTER’S COMING HOME (Alternate Version) [3:58]
DOWN AT THE CORNER BEER JOINT (Alternate Version)
3. PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) (Alternate Version) [4:00]
(HOW WILL I KNOW) I’M FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN (Alternate Version)
4. BLOODY MARY MORNING (Alternate Version) [3:40]
5. NO LOVE AROUND (Alternate Version) [1:54]
Side Four
1. I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE GONE (Alternate Version) [4:15]
2. IT’S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THAT WAY (Alternate Version) [3:16]
3. HEAVEN AND HELL (Alternate Version/Duet Vocal) [2:59]
4. PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) [3:10]
PICK UP THE TEMPO
5. PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) (Alternate Version) [0:40]
