REVIEWS POST ARTIST REVIEWS POST VENUE REVIEWS POST ALBUM REIVEWS
SEARCH BY :      


Superb 4-CD encapsulation of Jennings' career  11/15/2006          
Nashville Rebel - Box Set 4 CDs
Jennings catalog has seen its share of reissues, in both original albums and anthologies, but never before has a box set captured the full story of his career. Reissues of original albums have told Jennings' story in bits and pieces, single-disc anthologies have cherry-picked the chart highlights, and Bear Family's import box sets "Destiny's Child" and "Six Strings Away" have laboriously cataloged the details of his pre-outlaw career. But with the release of this beautifully produced 4-CD collection, RCA provides both depth and breadth, essaying Jennings transition from a protégé of Buddy Holly to purveyor of folk- and country-rock hybrids to increasingly uncomfortable Nashville cat to rebel immortality and self-direction. Jennings' transformation is highly personal yet shared out loud with his audience; and especially visceral when condensed from thirty-seven years of individual albums to a four-disc box-set. The earliest side here, one of three cut under the direction of Holly in 1958, is a version of the Cajun classic "Jole Blon" featuring a '50s-styled sax and a waltz-time saunter. The collection's second track, "My Baby Walks All Over Me," dates to Jennings' initial early '60s residency in Arizona, with Ray Corbin's twangy lead guitar retaining the sort of energy laid down by James Burton on early tracks by Ricky Nelson. Next, the set jump-cuts to Jennings mid-60s beginnings at RCA where the sound was more polished (and in stereo), the jumpier tempos had relaxed to a cantor, and Jennings voice turned to an earthy croon. Jennings' enduring legacy was minted by his fight for artistic independence in the early-70s, but his initial RCA sides are just as worthy as his outlaw breakthrough. He may have felt constricted by RCA's factory song construction, but the results included some of his most endearing sides, including "Stop the World and Let Me Off," "(That's What You Get) For Lovin' Me," "Mental Revenge," "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line," and "Brown Eyed Handsome Man." Even with Chet Atkins' and a studio full of Nashville A-listers smoothing the background, Jennings gravitas carried every single. The late-60s original "Just to Satisfy You" shows Jennings at the peak of his pre-outlaw period, with a stripped down arrangement and lightly jazzed beat accompanying his commanding baritone. Ironically, it was an earlier, more raw recording of this same song that had brought the Jennings to RCA's attention several years earlier. Lesser remembered treats from this era include a hit duet with Anita Carter on "I Got You," a soulful duet with Jessi Colter on her "I Ain't the One," and the title track to the American International Pictures film "Nashville Rebel." The latter, recorded in 1966 by Harlan Howard, was tremendously prophetic, with lines like "I've got things to do, and things to say in my own way." By the end of the decade, the Nashville system – writers, producers, studios and session musicians all supplied by the label – left Jennings unfulfilled. He did indeed have things to say in his own way, and that included a broader choice of writers and recording venues, and most importantly, the familiarity and warmth of recording with his road band. RCA's way of doing things wasn't producing the commercial success he felt he could achieve, and so Jennings found himself compromised both artistically and financially. The end of the '60s provided the circumstances for Jennings to make a change. He'd grown increasingly uncomfortable with RCA's cookie-cutter style, married Jessi Colter (his third and lasting marriage), and been given time to think by a bout of hepatitis that temporarily ended his touring. Willie Nelson had decamped to Austin with similar thoughts of independence, and Jennings longtime drummer Richie Albright suggested that they push for the sort of artistic freedoms afforded RCA's rock acts. By mid-decade, Jennings had released the successful "Honky Tonk Heroes" and "Ladies Love Outlaws" LPs, and with his RCA contract up for renewal, he held a strong hand. By the tail-end of his initial contract he'd already begun to wrest control of his recordings away from RCA. 1972's slowed-down take of Buck Owens' "Under Your Spell Again" is sung as a duet with Colter, a pair of tracks from "Lonesome On'ry and Mean" features Jennings' roadband, and a co-producer credit on "You Can Have Her" pointed to the following year's independence day. Jennings hired himself a New York City manager and gained the desired concessions in re-signing with RCA. He was now free to record what he wanted how he wanted and with who he wanted to play and produce. The initial fruit of this new-found freedom was 1973's legendary "Honky Tonk Heroes" LP. Jennings co-produced with Tompall Glaser and recorded an album of songs by Nashville-outsider Billy Joe Shaver. The album's title track begins in tribute to Jimmie Rodgers before segueing to a twangy guitar-and-drums sound that hadn't much been heard in Nashville. The stripped-down arrangements have a more live feel than anything Jennings had recorded before, and Shaver's songs were fresh and direct. To further insulate himself from label pressures, Jennings moved his recording sessions from RCA to Tompall Glaser's independent studio, subsequently dubbed "Hillbilly Central." The initial LP from this arrangement, "This Time," gave Jennings his first #1 single with its title track. Thus began a streak of spectacular albums, including "The Ramblin' Man," "Dreaming My Dreams" and "Are You Ready for the Country," and a string of iconic hits that included "I'm a Ramblin' Man," "Rainy Day Woman," "Amanda," and "Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way." Jennings toured extensively with this material, and disc 3 opens with a trio of cuts (from 1974's "Waylon Live") that shows off his towering talent as a stage performer. Jennings fame crossed over to the pop charts with "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," and his involvement with "The Dukes of Hazzard" brought his theme song and narration to televisions nationwide. His albums of the early '80s continued to track new ground, and his singles, including duets with Willie Nelson, and covers of Otis Redding, Little Richard and Eagles hits, kept him on the upper-reaches of the charts. In the mid-80s Jennings recorded an album with Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson as The Highwaymen and moved his solo career from RCA to MCA. At MCA, producer Jimmy Bowen crafted a decidedly more modern sound (gone is the steel, in is subtle synthesizer), but Jennings still sounds great, and the material is well chosen. A 1990 move to Epic yielded the top-10 "Wrong" before diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome slowed Jennings work. A few more albums for indie labels (not anthologized here) found his artistic flame undimmed. The collection closes with the well-chosen, "I Do Believe," from 1995's reunion of The Highwaymen. Jennings song is resolutely independent, yet faithful, as had been his entire career. Completists will note a few omissions (nothing from his lackluster stint with A&M is included, nor is the Grammy® winning take of "MacArthur Park"), and fans may miss a few favorite album tracks, but that isn't the purpose of this set. Further, this isn't filled with rarities and alternate takes; again, that's not the point of this box. Instead, these 92 selections paint the full picture of Jennings artistic arc, from proto-rock 'n' roller, to industry man, to his own man. Across four discs, Jennings talent can't be denied, whether singing within the confines of Nashville's system, or flung wide-open to his personal interpretation. Lenny Kaye's introductory essay is written as both a friend and biographer, filled with warm remembrances and penetrating insights. Rich Kienzle's liner notes provide detail on Jennings' career, recording the pivotal moments that created these recordings. This is a superb introduction to Jennings' career, and a wonderfully listenable condensation for fans. [©2006 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]


LSM Gets Social