The Essential Willie Nelson is a two-disc compilation of Willie Nelson songs. This digitally remastered compilation covers five decades of Nelson's recording career, and is part of Sony's Essential series of compilation albums. A 2009 release in limited Essential 3.0 series came with a bonus disc of eight fan-favourites and rarities. The album was re-released with an updated track listing on October 16, 2015.
The Essential Willie Nelson | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | April 1, 2003 | |||
Recorded | 1961–2003 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 120:00 | |||
Label | Sony BMG | |||
Producer | Nick Shaffran, Al Quaglieri | |||
Willie Nelson chronology | ||||
|
Reception
editReview scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Q | [2] |
David Quantick of Q wrote, "[T]he songs here sound fresh and almost youthful. The arrangements are sparky, too... All the sheer scope of Nelson's writing is displayed."[2] In a retrospective review, AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that "The Essential Willie Nelson gets about as close as a set could to providing the basics".[1]
Track listing
editNo. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Remember Me" | Scotty Wiseman | Red Headed Stranger (1975) | 2:52 |
2. | "I Love You a Thousand Ways" | Lefty Frizzell, Jim Beck | To Lefty from Willie (1977) | 2:59 |
3. | "Love Me Tender" | George R. Poulton, Ken Darby | Porky's Revenge! (1985) | 2:32 |
4. | "Midnight Rider" | Gregg Allman, Robert Kim Payne | The Electric Horseman (1979) | 2:57 |
5. | "Philadelphia Lawyer" | Woody Guthrie | Folkways: A Vision Shared (1988) | 2:59 |
6. | "Why Do I Have to Choose" (with Waylon Jennings) | Willie Nelson | Take It to the Limit (1983) | 3:12 |
7. | "Let It Be Me" | Gilbert Bécaud, Manny Curtis, Pierre Delanoë | Always on My Mind (1982) | 3:33 |
8. | "Still Is Still Moving to Me" | Willie Nelson | Across the Borderline (1993) | 3:29 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Originally from | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "On the Road Again" (Live) | Willie Nelson | Honeysuckle Rose (1980) | 2:33 |
2. | "Always on My Mind" | Johnny Christopher, Mark James, Wayne Carson | Always on My Mind (1982) | 3:32 |
3. | "Pancho and Lefty" (with Merle Haggard) | Townes Van Zandt | Pancho & Lefty (1983) | 4:48 |
4. | "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" (with Julio Iglesias) | Hal David, Albert Hammond | 1100 Bel Air Place (1984) | 3:34 |
5. | "City of New Orleans" | Steve Goodman | City of New Orleans (1984) | 4:52 |
6. | "Seven Spanish Angels" (with Ray Charles) | Troy Seals, Eddie Setser | Friendship (1984) | 3:52 |
7. | "Forgiving You Was Easy" | Willie Nelson | Me & Paul (1985) | 2:49 |
8. | "Highwayman" (with Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash & Kris Kristofferson) | Jimmy Webb | Highwayman (1985) | 3:04 |
9. | "Living in the Promiseland" | David Lynn Jones | The Promiseland (1986) | 3:22 |
10. | "The End of Understanding" (with Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash & Kris Kristofferson) | Willie Nelson | The Road Goes On Forever (1995) | 2:41 |
11. | "Across the Borderline" | Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, Jim Dickinson | Across the Borderline (1993) | 4:40 |
12. | "Still Is Still Moving to Me" | Willie Nelson | Across the Borderline (1993) | 3:29 |
13. | "I Never Cared For You" | Willie Nelson | Teatro (1998) | 2:18 |
14. | "Just Breathe" (with Lukas Nelson) | Eddie Vedder | Heroes (2012) | 4:02 |
15. | "I Wish I Didn’t Love You So" | Frank Loesser | Let's Face the Music and Dance (2013) | 4:18 |
16. | "From Here to the Moon and Back" (with Dolly Parton) | Dolly Parton | To All the Girls... (2013) | 4:01 |
17. | "The Wall" | Willie Nelson, Buddy Cannon | Band of Brothers (2014) | 3:29 |
18. | "Band of Brothers" | Willie Nelson, Buddy Cannon | Band of Brothers (2014) | 2:51 |
19. | "Who'll Buy My Memories?" (with Bobbie Nelson) | Willie Nelson | December Day: Willie’s Stash, Vol. 1 (2014) | 2:47 |
20. | "Unfair Weather Friend" (with Merle Haggard) | Marla Cannon-Goodman, Ward Davis | Django and Jimmie (2015) | 4:14 |
21. | "It's All Going to Pot" (with Merle Haggard and Jamey Johnson) | Buddy Cannon, Jamey Johnson, Larry Shell | Django and Jimmie (2015) | 2:56 |
22. | "Roll Me Up" (with Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson and Jamey Johnson) | Willie Nelson, Buddy Cannon, Rich Alves, John Colgin, Mike McQuerry | Heroes (2012) | 3:25 |
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
Certifications
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[7] | Platinum | 944,700[6] |
References
edit- ^ a b AllMusic review
- ^ a b Quantick, David (April 1996). "Willie Nelson: The Essential Willie Nelson". Q: 129.
- ^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
- ^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
- ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (October 9, 2019). "Top Country Catalog Album Sales: October 9, 2019". RoughStock. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
- ^ "American album certifications – Willie Nelson – The Essential Willie Nelson". Recording Industry Association of America.