This box contains a wealth of American music, plus a couple of
jewels--Django Reinhardt's "Nuages" and Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They
Come"--from beyond these shores. Here are 100 songs commemorating
Willie Nelson's incredible journey by going full circle. "When I've
Sang My Last Hillbilly Song," leading off Disc One, was recorded in
1954 or '55; it is reprised on Disc Four's final track, updated in
2007. Between those years Nelson, a Depression era kid who grew up dirt
poor in Abbott, Texas, became one of the world's most recognizable
figures, in the music/entertainment business or otherwise. One Hell Of
A Ride is, quite simply, the most all-encompassing Nelson retrospective
ever assembled.
In addition to all of its glorious music, this package also features incisive words in an essay by Nelson's biographer, Joe Nick Patoski, whose Willie Nelson: An Epic Life was published in 2008. There's also a brief reminiscence by Mickey Raphael, Nelson's longtime harmonica player, that is funny and affecting.
Finally, there is the man himself, who on April 30, 2008 turned 75. The songs herein, many of them touchstones, some lesser known gems, reflect the musical sense and sensibility of an artist for all ages, and for the ages. |
