2003 greatest hits album by Willie Nelson
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.
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]
Disc one Title Writer(s) Originally from 1. "Night Life " Willie Nelson Single A-side of Bellaire 107 (1960) 2:32 2. "Hello Walls " Willie Nelson ...And Then I Wrote (1962)2:24 3. "Crazy " Willie Nelson ...And Then I Wrote (1962)2:52 4. "Funny How Time Slips Away " Willie Nelson ...And Then I Wrote (1962)3:03 5. "I Never Cared For You " Willie Nelson Monument single A-side (1964) 2:32 6. "The Party's Over " Willie Nelson The Party's Over and Other Great Willie Nelson Songs (1967)2:29 7. "Good Times" Willie Nelson Good Times (1968)2:28 8. "Me and Paul" Willie Nelson Yesterday's Wine (1971)3:49 9. "Shotgun Willie" Willie Nelson Shotgun Willie (1973)2:39 10. "Bloody Mary Morning " Willie Nelson Phases and Stages (1974)2:49 11. "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain " Fred Rose Red Headed Stranger (1975)2:21 12. "Good Hearted Woman " (with Waylon Jennings) Waylon Jennings , Willie NelsonWanted! The Outlaws (1976)2:59 13. "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time " Lefty Frizzell , Jim Beck The Sound in Your Mind (1976)2:06 14. "Uncloudy Day " Josiah Kelley Alwood The Troublemaker (1976)4:40 15. "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys " (with Waylon Jennings) Ed Bruce , Patsy Bruce Waylon & Willie (1978)2:23 16. "Georgia on My Mind " Hoagy Carmichael , Stuart Gorrell Stardust (1978)4:21 17. "Blue Skies " Irving Berlin Stardust (1978)3:35 18. "All of Me " Seymour Simons , Gerald Marks Stardust (1978)3:54 19. "Heartbreak Hotel " (with Leon Russell ) Mae Boren Axton , Tommy Durden , Elvis Presley One for the Road (1979)3:03 20. "Help Me Make It Through the Night " Kris Kristofferson Sings Kristofferson (1979)4:01 21. "Whiskey River " (live, April 1978) Johnny Bush Willie and Family Live (1978)3:31 22. "Stay a Little Longer " (live, April 1978) Bob Wills , Tommy Duncan Willie and Family Live (1978)3:25 Total length: 1:08:16
Disc two Title Writer(s) Originally from 1. "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys " Sharon Vaughn The Electric Horseman (1980)3:06 2. "Faded Love " (with Ray Price ) Bob Wills, Billy Jack Wills San Antonio Rose (1980)3:51 3. "On the Road Again " Willie Nelson Honeysuckle Rose (1980)2:33 4. "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground " Willie Nelson Honeysuckle Rose (1980)4:31 5. "Always on My Mind " Johnny Christopher , Mark James , Wayne Carson Always on My Mind (1982)3:32 6. "Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning " Gary P. Nunn , Donna FararAlways on My Mind (1982)4:21 7. "Pancho and Lefty " (with Merle Haggard ) Townes Van Zandt Pancho & Lefty (1983)4:48 8. "To All the Girls I've Loved Before " (with Julio Iglesias ) Hal David , Albert Hammond 1100 Bel Air Place (1984)3:34 9. "City of New Orleans " Steve Goodman City of New Orleans (1984)4:52 10. "Seven Spanish Angels " (with Ray Charles ) Troy Seals , Eddie SetserFriendship (1984)3:52 11. "Forgiving You Was Easy " Willie Nelson Me & Paul (1985)2:49 12. "Highwayman " (with Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash & Kris Kristofferson ) Jimmy Webb Highwayman (1985)3:04 13. "Living in the Promiseland " David Lynn Jones The Promiseland (1986)3:22 14. "Nothing I Can Do About It Now " Beth Nielsen Chapman A Horse Called Music (1989)3:19 15. "Graceland " Paul Simon Across the Borderline (1993)4:46 16. "Everywhere I Go" (with Emmylou Harris ) Willie Nelson Teatro (1998)3:52 17. "Slow Dancing" (U2 featuring Willie Nelson) Bono , The Edge "If God Will Send His Angels " CD single B-side (1997) 4:02 18. "Mendocino County Line " (with Lee Ann Womack ) Matt Serletic , Bernie Taupin The Great Divide (2002)4:33 19. "One Time Too Many" (with Steven Tyler and Aerosmith ) Steven Tyler , Richie Supa previously unreleased, recorded 1987 5:23 Total length: 1:14:22
2015 re-release disc two Title Writer(s) Originally from 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 SetserFriendship (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
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