Willie Nelson – Stardust (1978) [Japanese SACD 2001 #SRGS 4563] {SACD ISO + FLAC 24bit/88,2kHz}

Country crooner’s classic collection of easy-going pop standards features the songs Moonlight In Vermont, All Of Me, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore & others. It was arranged by Booker T. Jones & recorded in Willie’s inimitable style in Emmylou Harris’ house.

Willie Nelson has never been one to do the safe or expected, and this Booker T. Jones-produced album of pop standards from the ’30s and ’40s 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.

At the height of outlaw country, Willie Nelson pulled off perhaps the riskiest move of the entire bunch. He set aside originals, country, and folk and recorded Stardust, a collection of pop standards produced by Booker T. Jones. Well, it’s not entirely accurate to say that he put away country and folk, since these are highly idiosyncratic interpretations of “Georgia on My Mind,” “All of Me,” “Moonlight in Vermont,” and “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” blending pop, country, jazz, and folk in equal measures. It’s not that Willie makes these songs his own, it’s that he reimagines these songs in a way that nobody else could, and with his trusty touring band, he makes these versions indelible. It may be strange to think that this album, containing no originals from one of America’s greatest songwriters, is what made him a star, and it continues to be one of his most beloved records, but it’s appropriate, actually. Stardust showcases Nelson’s skills as a musician and his entire aesthetic — where there is nothing separating classic American musical forms, it can all be played together — perhaps better than any other album, which is why it was a sensation upon its release and grows stronger with each passing year.

Tracklist:
01. Stardust
02. Georgia On My Mind
03. Blue Skies
04. All Of Me
05. Unchained Melody
06. September Song
07. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
08. Moonlight In Vermont
09. Don’t Get Around Much Anymore
10. Someone To Watch Over Me

Produced and Arranged by Booker T. Jones. Recorded and Mixed in The Enactron Truck.
Engineers: Bradley Hartman and Donivan Cowart. Mastering Engineer: Bernie Grundman.
String Conductor: Jules Chaiken.

WILLIE NELSON, vocals and guitar
BOBBIE NELSON, piano
PAUL ENGLISH, drums
REX LUDWIG, drums
JODY PAYNE, guitar
BEE SPEARS, bass
CHRIS ETHRIDGE, bass
MICKEY RAPHAEL, harmonica
BOOKER T. JONES, organ and piano

SACD ISO

WillieNelsnStardust1977Japan2001SACDIS.part1.rar
WillieNelsnStardust1977Japan2001SACDIS.part2.rar

FLAC 24bit/88,2kHz

WillieNelsnStardust1977Japan2001FLAC2488.2.rar

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