outlaw country Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Willie Nelson “Red Headed Stranger”

sfilzen — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 22:14:02 +0000

Willie Nelson “Red Headed Stranger” 1975. Today, April 29th, is Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday (b. 1933). Not much of a country fan myself, this LP is from my kid’s collection and still sports its original shrink wrap circa 1980, or at least The People’s Choice sticker states that year. Red Headed Stranger was Nelson’s 18th studio LP. A concept album about a fugitive on the run from the law after killing his wife and her lover, it is considered one of the best country albums ever recorded and its crossover appeal plus commercial success earned it a #28 spot on the Billboard pop charts and went to #1 on the country charts. The single “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” (written by Fred Rose, first recorded by Elton Britt in 1946, then made more popular by Roy Acuff in 1947) won a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and catapulted Nelson into widespread popularity: it went to #1 on the country charts and to #21 on the Hot 100. In 1986, Nelson, along with Morgan Fairchild, starred in the movie Red Headed Stranger based on the concept album. Robert Redford was originally slated for the lead role in the late 70’s when the script was first written but he eventually turned it down. Then in the early 80’s legendary western director Sam Penkinpah was supposed to direct, but at the time HBO was going to produce it with a low budget, so Penkinpah also declined his participation. It finally began filming in ’85 and released in ’86 but didn’t fare particularly well and had a limited release. I haven’t seen it but I’m guessing the record is better than the film.

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Local Music Week: Cat Call Killers “Call Your Bluff”

sfilzen — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 00:48:00 +0000

Cat Call Killers “Call Your Bluff” 2021. Outlaw-country tinged garage punk from Milwaukee. Self-released on CD and digital only. Cat Call Killers are a very recently-formed Milwaukee band (2020) but the musicians have been around for awhile. One I know for sure, Lynn Winter (drums), plays/has played in bunches of bands including Two and a Half Stars (one of our neighborhood’s unofficial bands) and she rocks hard. There’s also Brian Miller on bass, Ross Stoeve on guitar and he shares vocals with Mona Stoeve. My top track is the growling, grungy and grooving “Jack & Jill” – a head-banger and ass shaker. Other standouts are the opener “Sheriff’s Gun,” the band’s whiskey-soaked theme song “Cat Call” and the hard-rocking “Did It Anyway.” Cat Call Killers have only played two shows, both at the end of 2021, but we missed both opportunities to see them. I’m hoping they’ll continue to perform in 2022 and won’t miss them next time.

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Willie Nelson “Pretty Paper”

sfilzen — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 22:48:58 +0000

Willie Nelson “Pretty Paper” 1979. Nelson’s first Christmas album and his 24th studio LP. Relaxed, country-tinged standards like “White Christmas,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Silent Night, Holy Night” as well as the rockabilly classic “Blue Christmas” made famous by Elvis. Nelson has two originals, the title track “Pretty Paper” and the instrumental “Christmas Blues.” Nelson wrote “Pretty Paper” in 1963 and it was first recorded by Roy Orbison. Orbison’s version went to #15 on the US Hot 100 chart in ‘63 and went to #6 in the UK in ‘64. Nelson first recorded it in ‘64 and then re-recorded it for Pretty Paper and again in ‘97 for Hill Country Christmas. A whole slew of other artists have covered the song over the years including Chris Isaak (2004), Reverend Horton Heat (2005) and most recently Dolly Parton (2020).

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Johnny Cash “A Night To Remember”

sfilzen — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 15:36:01 +0000

Johnny Cash “A Night To Remember” 2020. Third Man Records, Vault Package, clear vinyl. Recorded live May 5th, 1973 at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles. The concert was part of a series, “A Week to Remember,” spearheaded by Clive Davis (who introduces Cash at the start of the concert), highlighting Columbia Records artists. The week also included performances by Miles Davis, Bruce Springsteen and Earth, Wind and Fire. The Vault package also includes a DVD of the concert (which I haven’t watched yet). The concert is simply amazing. Classic Cash originals like “Big River,” “I Walk the Line,” “A Boy Named Sue” (written by Shel Silverstein but mostly associated with Cash) and “Folsom Prison Blues” but also Cash’s versions of other Americana greats like “The City of New Orleans,” “If I Had a Hammer” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” Cash’s wife June Carter Cash joins Johnny on several songs, as does rockabilly great Carl Perkins (on “That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine,” “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “Daddy Sang Bass.” Like all Third Man releases, the quality of this release is impeccable. Top quality vinyl, a glossy and durable gatefold sleeve and bonus inserts (the DVD plus a 7″ split single of Cash covers: The Lumineers doing “Pretty Pictures in My Mind” and Ruston Kelly’s version of “Dark and Bloody Ground.” According to the Johnny Cash website, these are “two brand new songs from Johnny Cash: Forever Words project, a multi-year project by John Carter Cash, who has combed the Johnny Cash archive for unreleased poems, prose and lyrics.”

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