Waylon Jennings Album: “Waylon Live: The Expanded Edition”

If asked to provide a definition for pefection in music, I'd play this CD. It's rough around the edges, and it sure as hell ain't polished, but that's what makes it perfect.

Waylon is in TOP form, the Waylors rock, and the sound is MILES ahead of the terrible sounding 1999 version. The '99 version is clipped and distorted sounding. This version, however, was mastered by Vic Anesini, who has a monster reputation in the business for great sounding mastering... and this is no exception! It's open and pure sounding. The remix is great... which is rare. It doesn't feel like it was mixed after the fact -- it pans things like they did back then, and it doesn't have that modern, ultra-compressed/limited sound that the '99 reissue had. Put simply, the sound is killer. (And I am a sound engineer and an audiophile of sorts.)

The new songs make this feel much more "live" than the original "Waylon Live." Granted, most Waylon shows, until the later years, went for 45-55 minutes but, especially in the early '70s, there was a great feel to the music that really set it apart from the studio recordings. It had a looser, more fun feel to it... and Waylon filled in all the lead guitar himself, which is a major bonus.

There is no Waylon release that is more essential than this one. The best live album you'll ever hear... no doubt.

Do yourself a favour and buy this... now.

This is Waylon at his best. This album, re-issued with 9 bonus tracks, is THE live album to own (along with Waylon's new "Never Say Die: Live," which is on-par with this one). Recorded in Texas over two nights, this great album combines a rockin', tough Waylon Jennings with two rowdy crowds who want just that -- a rockin', tough Waylon.

This album starts off with a rockin' version of Jimmie Rodgers' "T For Texas" and ends with Waylon's 1974 #1 hit, "This Time." In-between those we get 11 excellent tracks, including a rough and rowdy "Lonesome, On'ry and Mean," a rockin' "(I'm A) Ramblin' Man," a few softer-type ballads, the 1976 smash-hit "Good Hearted Woman" (the version on this album is the one they overdubbed Willie Nelson's vocals onto and became a hit), and one track which could have been a huge hit had it been released on the original album: "Never Been To Spain." Every other track is as good as those I've mentioned.

This is one of the Waylon albums that should definitely be in your collection. You will not regret purchasing this gem. Another great re-issue from Buddha Records.

(And to the reviewer who mentioned the high levels on this CD: it's the way the album was mastered for CD. If you listen to the two tracks from this album on "Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line: The RCA Years," they sound fine, with no clipping, but they don't have the same drive and power behind them. I think it's really meant to be a LOUD album.)

I just watched the latest "Country Music Awards" television presentation and it is amazing how far country music has fallen. This Waylon album, recorded at the zenith of country music is a stripped down, raw, electrifying recording of a band with so much talent that Nashville could not touch it. In the current era of slick, gilded, studio produced, over-manufactured vehicles for pretty, effiminate "country" singers posessing dubious talent, this album is a true testament to the musical genius of Waylon Jennings and the men that formed his band. Today's "country" music stars don't hold a candle to Waylon, and this album is all the proof you need.

a superb live album released at last as it was intended by the great man.listen to the grunt from ol'waylon at the intro to "t for texas",you can feel it's gonna'be a good one.the pathos and sadness he puts across during "the last letter"is touching.this cd left me asking myself"what the hell ever happened to country music"? buy this and remember when it gladened the soul and touched your heart and made you just feel plain good..pick it,waylon!

I have a huge music collection, and would consider myself as well-versed in country music as most. "Waylon Live" was one of my top 5 country albums when it was an 11 track LP. Now, it's a 42 track, 2 CD set. I honestly feel that Waylon may have been the best musical artist in the world in the early seventies. He had struggled for years to find his sound (and the freedom to express it). When he finally did, the passion and intensity was amazing. As soon as he made it, self-parody, drugs and "tongue in cheek" humor took the wind out of his "musical sails". The peak of Waylon's powers are captured here, and (IMO)there has never been a release that is any better. Waylon had a completely unique sound, Ralph Mooney is amazing, and the songs are uniformly great. This is desert island stuff. Thank you Waylon for sharing your talent, and thank you RCA for FINALLY releasing this the way it should be (although I know, this would have been a 4 LP(!) set!).