Willie and Family Live by Willie Nelson (Vinyl record album review)

Album name: Willie and Family Live

Artist name: Willie Nelson

Year: 1978

Number of discs: two

Label: Columbia Records

Collection: Selman

Buy it:

Amazon (Vinyl): $144.44

Amazon (CD): $28.00

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I know Willie Nelson as a popular culture icon, but haven’t ever given him much thought or listened to much of his music.

What I expected

Country-rock, rock, blues.

What it was actually like

This was a fantastic double record of a live performance, or perhaps multiple live performances. I’ll definitely be listening to it again. I loved all four sides, but highlights were probably Will The Circle Be Unbroken (I’m most familiar with the Staple Singers’ version) and Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms (I’m most familiar with the Flatt and Scruggs version).

Whiskey River is a terrific song, but it was slightly weird that it somehow got included on this record twice: as the first song on side one, and then again as the second to last song on side four. I guess they just really liked it?

Grade

5/5: love it