Over the years people told Willie Nelson to cut off his braids, to get rid of his nylon string guitar and to try and sing more like other popular singers. Producers and record company executives and reviewers and other musicians tried to make him and his music more digestible to the masses. As it turns out, they were all wrong.
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In 1978, Willie Nelson was considered the king of "outlaw country," an innovator in country music at a time when the genre had grown stale and repetitive. The idea to record an entire album of the most well known standards (Moonlight in Vermont, All of Me, Sunny Side of the Street..) was definitely not a popular one and Columbia Records was in strong opposition. The industry predicted that this album would destroy his career.
In 1978, Willie Nelson was considered the king of "outlaw country," an innovator in country music at a time when the genre had grown stale and repetitive. The idea to record an entire album of the most well known standards (Moonlight in Vermont, All of Me, Sunny Side of the Street..) was definitely not a popular one and Columbia Records was in strong opposition. The industry predicted that this album would destroy his career.
Produced by Booker T. Jones, Stardust was recorded very quickly and has a clean, open sound. Willie was always known as a great interpreter of other songwriters, but this album allowed his voice to reach new heights. It cuts like diamond and reaches me even at the quietest volume. The arrangements are beautifully spare and allow the songs themselves to do most of the heavy lifting.
The album won a grammy.
It reached number one all over the world.
It's been certified quintuple platinum (5 000 000 copies sold.)
Other albums may come into my life for a brief while, but Stardust is here forever.
Text by guest contributor Afie Jurvanen
Afie, thank you for reminding me about this album. I remember buying it in high school and loving it. My original album is unfortunately long gone but I downloaded it last night and listened on my morning commute, which made the ride much better.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for your incredible music as well.