Waylon Jennings Album: “Ol' Waylon”

This was the first album I ever owned. I still have the original LP and recently revisited it. Growing up around country music from birth, the stereotypes of the country sound - of drinking, pickup trucks, wives leaving and all the other things that came through the expression of country's raw roots - climaxed with this album. It became popular. Everything after this album became derivative and country slowly moved toward the "pop" sound it has achieved today.

By this time, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson (couldn't say one without the other) had become not only famous, they had become icons, bringing "outlaws" to the mainstream. CBs, truckers, Smokey and the Bandit and the whole genre had gone mainstream. 'Luckenbach, Texas' became a huge hit (which is quite a paradox because the song speaks directly to the fatigue that Waylon, and many others, had experienced due to achieving stardom).

It would seem that an attempt was made at a big selling album as the songs "Lucille" and "Sweet Caroline" were popular in their own rights. But it worked. It is a great, great album.

The hidden gem on here is the second song "If You See Me Getting Smaller." It is highly personal and confessional and you can feel the emotions of a man coming to grips with the consequences of decisions made in his life.

"Willie, you're my constant companion

You know the light and shade

We have spent a million dollars

To find out what we've made

We have made the maidens marvel

At the things we do and say

Down, down and out brother

Up, up and away

If you see me getting smaller I'm leaving

Don't be grieving

Just got to get away today..."

It's only four stars because it is a super short LP, as are the songs. I was left hungry for more. But I have never tired of listening to it. A little comedy, a little bit of confession and even a little bit of religion makes this a gem for anyone's collection.

This was the first Waylon album I ever bought, simply because it was his current album at the time. Although I have bought many great Waylon albums in the years since, this remains among my favorites.

The big hit here is, of course, Luckenbach Texas. The other songs include covers of Lucille (Kenny Rogers), Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond), Till I gain control again (a Rodney Crowell song that has also been recorded by Emmylou Harris and Crystal Gayle among others) and the Elvis medley. Note that Waylon later recorded a cover of Lucille (Little Richard) - this sometimes confuses people. I suspect that Waylon is the only singer ever to record covers of both Lucille songs.

Apart from the songs already mentioned, there are several other great songs including If you see me getting smaller, I think I'm gonna kill myself, Belle of the ball, Brand new goodbye song and This is getting funny.

Overall, this is a great album that every Waylon fan should have. It may not be the place to begin a Waylon collection (I recommend the double-CD RCA Country legends for starters) but anybody collecting Waylon's original albums should have this high on their priority list.

This is a fantastic album, showing Waylon's baritone voice. Many of the songs are intertwined with the feel of jazz and blues. Waylon sings a classic like Lucille as well. No offense to Kenny, but he changed the wording and made it rhyme much better, and the song is smoother. Sweet Caroline is one of N. diamond's icons, but Waylon sings it second to none. The mood of the album is relaxing with great lyrics and Waylon's baritone voice. "If You See Me Getting Smaller, Till I Gain Control Again, Belle Of The Ball, and I Think I'm Gonna Kill Myself", are slow ballads. The hit "Luckenbach, Texas, Medley of Elvis Hits, Brand New Goodbye Song, and This is Gettin Funny" are up tempo. Waylon shows his voice and range are in an elite class.

When this album was current fare I was a Jazz snob of the lowest order and not at all interested in Country music. Over the years I've broadened my horizons considerably and come to realize that there is good an bad in all genres of music. As far as the Country genre is concerned this is, in my humble opinion, very good. The music is pure and true to the traditions of Country music yet up to date in the mid '70s, when it was recorded. In fact, it seems up to date now, 35 years, or more, after the fact.

The first song. Lukenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) gets the ball rolling nicely and is a perfect vehicle for Waylon's voice. From that point on that album stays true to its roots. All of the songs fit nicely within the body of work and it gives a well-rounded picture of the man from ballads like Lucille to the rockin' revival feel of Satin Sheets, a song that sounds, in parts, like it could have been co-written by Elton John. Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline fits in nicely and is an interesting twist on the original. Likewise, the Elvis medley acquits itself well and serves as a reminder that Elvis was in many ways, the ultimate Country Outlaw, singing Country standards with an R&B feel.

So I give this album a high score for its internal integrity, the fact that it stands on its own two feet as Country music and the fact that even though it is labeled as Outlaw Country it is, at the very core, a solid Country recording, down to earth and honest as the day is long.

Prompt and great service. Have had this on vinyl since it first came out, happy to finally add it to my CD library now.