Track Listing

1. Stardust
2. Georgia On My Mind
3. Blue Skies
4. All Of Me
5. Unchained Melody
6. September Song
7. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
8. Moonlight In Vermont
9. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
10. Someone To Watch Over Me
11. Scarlet Ribbons
12. I Can See Clearly Now

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7371 in Music
• Released on: 2000-01-17
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Willie Nelson has never been one to do the safe or expected, and this Booker T Jones-produced album of pop standards from the 1930s and 1940s certainly fits the profile. It's also one of the better albums of Nelson's career, allowing Willie to dip his fragile, quivering tenor all around the beat in songs like "All of Me" and "Unchained Melody". Jones's organ, piano and string arrangements are low-key and swinging (except on the almost wooden "On the Sunny Side of the Street"), and Nelson's vocals on "Georgia on My Mind" and "Moonlight in Vermont" are filled with a dignified and slightly jazzy country soul. The 1999 reissue adds a pair of bonus cuts to the mix, including the lullaby-like "Scarlet Ribbons" and the somewhat out-of-place "I Can See Clearly Now". --David Cantwell

Customer Reviews

Landmark album deserves all the acclaim
Country purists may not like this album, but I love it. It introduced a whole new set of people to the songs of the thirties and forties that make up the majority of the original album. Unchained melody (from the mid-fifties) is very modern by comparison.

I knew very little about most of these songs when I first bought this album on vinyl, but I have since acquired a taste for the music from way back then. According to the liner notes, Moonlight in Vermont is Willie’s favorite song. The original singer was Margaret Whiting, and while I now prefer her version, I might never have discovered her music if it wasn’t for this album and its sequel, Somewhere over the rainbow.

The rest of this album includes covers of Stardust (Isham Jones, 1931), Georgia on my mind (made famous by Ray Charles, but originally a hit for Frankie Trumbauer in 1931), Blue skies (Ben Selvin, 1927), All of me (two versions both topped the American charts in 1932, one by Louis Armstrong and the other by Paul Whiteman), September song (Walter Huston, 1939), On the sunny side of the street (Ted Lewis, 1930), Don’t get around much anymore (Duke Ellington, Glen Gray and the Ink spots all had top ten hits with it in 1943) and Someone to watch over me (Gertrude Lawrence (1927).

Two bonus tracks recorded at the same sessions, slightly more modern, are included here. Scarlet ribbons fits easily with the other songs. I can see clearly now does not really fit. Although it is a brilliant version, it is just a different style from the other songs here. Even so, I’m glad it was included.

Almost all these songs were included on the Australian compilation All the songs I’ve loved before, which has also been released in Britain. That compilation (which I’ve already reviewed) claims to include all the songs from this album, but September song is missing (probably by accident). In any case, I bought this before I bought that compilation.

This was a landmark album when released and was a huge seller, deservedly so.

simple genius
When I get together with friends and talk about the new albums we've bought recently, I seem to stick out like a sore thumb!! While they're buying the latest Ibiza chillout albums, or getting worked up about the new Kylie video, I'm off buying remastered albums by Willie Nelson!!

But this is chillout music of a completely different kind. Willie and an acoustic band led by Mr Booker T. Jones (Booker T and the MG's fame) have a whale of a time on a clutch of old time gentle songs that just ooze class.

The sound quality on this remastered CD is nothing short of sensational as is the playing of the band, especially on harmonica and drums.

I'd love to hear a Travis album after they'd listened to this for six months!!!

Willie Nelson has not had the recognition he deserves in the UK as he is considered solely a 'country' artist, but music as good as this is genre defying and I for one will be searching out more of his back catalogue in the future.

A gem of a find!!!

Sheer musical joy!
This is the one Willie Nelson album to have, even if you don't normally like his music. I lent my copy to a friend who really doesn't like the red-headed stranger. I had trouble getting it back!
'Stardust' is never far from the hi-fi in my home. When the sun is beating down and you just feel happily lazy, make yourself a tall cool drink, put this album on, slouch on the couch and remind yourself how privilieged you are compared to those who do not own a record of such richness and soul.