Willie Nelson - Phases and Stages [2xLP]

Willie Nelson’s 1974 classic, celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2024.

If Shotgun Willie played a bit like a concept album, Phases and Stages was full-blown, 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, 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.

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Tracklist

1. Phases And Stages (Theme)/Washing The Dishes
2. Phases And Stages(Theme)/Walkin'
3. Pretend I Never Happened
4. Sister's Coming Home/Down At The Corner Beer Joint
5. (How Will I Know) I'm Falling In Love Again
6. Bloody Mary Morning
7. Phases And Stages (Theme)/No Love Around
8. I Still Can't Believe You're Gone
9. It's Not Supposed To Be That Way
10. Heaven And Hell
11. Phases And Stages (Theme)/Pick Up The Tempo/Phases And Stages (Theme)
12. Phases And Stages (Theme)/Washing The Dishes (Alternate Version)
13. Sister's Coming Home/Down At The Corner Beer Joint (Alternate Version)
14. Phases And Stages (Theme)/(How Will I Know) I'm Falling In Love Again (Alternate Version)
15. Bloody Mary Morning (Alternate Version)
16. No Love Around (Alternate Version)
17. I Still Can't Believe You're Gone (Alternate Version)
18. It's Not Supposed To Be That Way (Alternate Version)
19. Heaven And Hell (Alternate Version/Duet Vocal)
20. Phases And Stages (Theme)/Pick Up The Tempo
21. Phases And Stages (Theme) (Alternate Version)