Willie Nelson is a well known country music legend who has recorded over 200 albums. His successful career has spanned decades and he is known and loved for his unique singing voice and guitar playing. With this large collection of music under his belt, here are some of the best Willie Nelson albums according to the opinions of his faithful fans.
Red Headed Stranger, released in 1975, makes the list of best Nelson albums because it was the album that really brought Willie into the spotlight and helped to increase his popularity and give him the recognition he deserved in the music industry. This album spawned two big hits with
“Remember Me” and ” Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain”. This album was originally released as a vinyl LP, but has since been remastered and is now available on CD.
Another of Nelson’s best albums includes the 1982 release of Always On My Mind, which also features the single of the same name. Another album that pre-dates the invention of the CD, this one has also been remastered and includes two bonus tracks not on the original album. This album has more of a pop feel to it as opposed to being strictly country music. Some of the other tracks include “I’m A Memory” and Nelson’s version of the classic Simon and Garfunkel song, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”.
Nelson’s 1978 recording with longtime friend and fellow country music artist Waylon Jennings, entitled Waylon and Willie, remains to date, one of the finest albums recorded by both artists. A chart topping success for eleven weeks straight, this album features three individual songs from both Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, as well as five songs where the two artists sing together in duets. This album features the popular hit “Mommas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys”. This album was so successful, it remained on the record charts for a total of one hundred and twenty six weeks.
Another of Nelson’s popular collaborations with a friend and fellow musician, his album with Merle Haggard entitled Pancho and Lefty is considered to be one of Nelson’s best works. This 1982 release features straight on country music with two singers whose voices compliment each other. This album features the songs “Pancho and Lefty”, ” Still Water Runs the Deepest”, and “My Own Peculiar Way”.
An older 1978 album of Willie Nelson’s called Stardust, is still today considered to be one of his finest. This album features a collection of well loved, classic songs that Nelson enjoyed from his childhood, and the album has sold over four million copies since it’s initial release. This release features a cover of the classic Ray Charles tune “Georgia On My Mind”, and his cover of Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” really showcases Nelson guitar playing abilities.
The Nelson album The Great Divide is also an interesting choice for one of the best Willie Nelson albums and makes the list because of his unique selection of musical artists to perform duets with him. This album is full of the unexpected, with Willie performing with such artists as Matchbox 20’s Rob Thomas, Kid Rock, and R&B artist Brian McKnight, to name a few. This album often does not receive the attention it deserves due to people often ignoring it because of the other artists Willie chose to sing with him on this release. However, it is definitely worth a listen, and you may be surprised with what you hear. This album is the perfect example of how Willie makes music for the love of making music, as opposed to making them just to receive airplay on the radio. Nelson stays true to his musical philosophy while still providing a delightful treat for his fans.
Of course, any of the numerous Willie Nelson “greatest hits” or “best of” collections rank right up there at the top of the list, featuring many of the most popular and best loved Nelson classics. Some of the best Willie Nelson collections of this type include the two disc set, The Essential Willie Nelson from 2003, 16 Biggest Hits from 2009, the 2003 remastered version of Willie Nelson’s Greatest Hits and Some That Will Be, and The Very Best of Willie Nelson from 1999.
Choosing the best Willie Nelson albums is more a matter of choosing your personal favorites. This artist has definitely given us a large selection of good music to choose from.
