WILLIE NELSON 8211 Phases and Stages 8211 2 LP 8211 140g Black Vinyl RSD 2024

This product is a Record Store Day title and not available to pre-order.Available to buy in-storefrom 8am on Saturday, 20/04/2024 (Record Store Day).Any remaining copies will be available to buy online from 8pm on Monday22/04/2024. Willie Nelsons 1974 classic, celebrating its 50th Anniversary in March, just prior to RSD. 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. Don\’t forget: Click \’Notify Me\’ to be the first to know about its availability online.