New/Sealed
RSD Exclusive / Ltd. 5125 USA
2LP
COUNTRY
ATLANTIC 0726130
UPC: 603497827176
Release Date: 4/20/2024
 
Willie Nelson's 1974 classic, celebrating it's 50th Anniversary in March, just prior to RSD. If Shotgun Willie played a bit like a concept album, Phases and Stages was a full-blown one, tracing the dissolution of a marriage and devoting one side to the wife's perspective, the second to the husband's... Phases and Stages is easily the equal of it's remarkable predecessor, a wonderful set of music that resonates deeply, as deeply as the words. Make no mistake - the deceptively relaxed arrangements, including the occasional strings, not only highlight Nelson's clever eclecticism, but they also heighten the emotional impact of the album. And this is a hell of an emotional record, where even each side's celebratory honky tonk numbers (the medley "Sister's Coming Home/Down at the Corner Beer Joint" and "Pick Up the Tempo," respectively) are muted by sadness. Then, there are the centerpieces: "Walkin'," where the woman decides it's time to move on; "Pretend I Never Happened," perhaps the coldest ending to a relationship ever written; "Bloody Mary Morning," a bleary-eyed morning-after tale that became a standard; "It's Not Supposed to Be That Way," a nearly unbearably melancholy account of a love gone wrong; and "Heaven and Hell," a waltz summary of the relationship. Any two of these would have formed a strong core for an album, but placed together in a narrative context, their impact is even more considerable. As a result, this is not just one of Willie Nelson's best records, but one of the great concept albums overall. 140g black vinyl.
 
Disc 1
Track
Title
1
Phases and Stages / Washing the Dishes (2024 Remaster)
2
Phases and Stages / Walkin’ (2024 Remaster)
3
Pretend I Never Happened (2024 Remaster)
4
Sister’s Coming Home / Down at the Corner Beer Joint (2024 Remaster)
5
(How Will I Know) I’m Falling in Love Again [2024 Remaster]
6
Bloody Mary Morning (2024 Remaster)
7
Phases and Stages / No Love Around (2024 Remaster)
8
I Still Can’t Believe You’re Gone (2024 Remaster)
9
It’s Not Supposed to Be That Way (2024 Remaster)
10
Heaven and Hell (2024 Remaster)
11
Phases and Stages / Pick Up the Tempo / Phases and Stages (Theme) [2024 Remaster]
Disc 2
Track
Title
1
Phases and Stages (Theme) [Alternate Version]
2
Sister’s Coming Home / Down at the Corner Beer Joint (Alternate Version)
3
Phases and Stages (Theme) / [How Will I Know] I’m Falling in Love Again [Alternate Version]
4
Bloody Mary Morning (Alternate Version)
5
No Love Around (Alternate Version)
6
I Still Can’t Believe You’re Gone (Alternate Version)
7
It’s Not Supposed to Be That Way (Alternate Version)
8
Heaven and Hell (Alternate Version / Duet Vocal)
9
Phases and Stages (Theme) / Pick Up the Tempo
10
Phases and Stages (Theme) [Alternate Version]