Disco de Waylon Jennings: “Restless Kid - Live at JD's”

During my years of detailing Waylon's recording career and writing discographies and liner notes for him I have been constantly aware of his versatility in his love for music. On this CD nothing is more evident than just that. Eventhough these songs were "recorded" early in his career the scope and range of the material is fascinating. From composers like Buck Owens, Bob Dylan, Harlan Howard, Johnny Bond and even Carl Sandburg, Waylon has taken the material and done it his way. Despite the background distraction of patrons of JD's the sound quality is excellent given the circumstances of the audio systems used in those early days. On doing the liner notes for Waylon's 1974 album THIS TIME I wrote that he could sing a menu and make a hit. Every song on this CD carries Waylon's own stamp...from "Sloop John B." to "Streets Of Laredo" to "Girl From The North Country" it's all pure Waylon. No wonder Bobby Bare pushed so hard for RCA to take a listen and sign this young man from Phoenix. Bear Family has once again, following on the heels of their monumental boxed sets of Waylon Jennings material, brought forth another chapter in the musical career of a country legend. John L. Smith compiler of THE WAYLON JENNINGS DISCOGRAPHY (Greenwood Press 1994)

JD's was a night club in the Salt River bottom that generally divided Tempe from Scottsdale, AZ. I believe it was on a dirt road that was not paved to connect the two cities until 1967.

JD's was the place to hear the big country acts when they came through from or on their way to California. Waylon was the house band.

When rock music came on strong in the mid-60s, the management opened a rock club in the basement at JD's. Those were the days when hippies and cowboys were on uncertain terms. Interesting times, made more so because Arizona State University was right across the river, with an endless supply of young rock fans.

The thing of it was that everybody dug Waylon - long hair or short, pickup truck or VW van. Like the other gentleman wrote about Bobby Bare, Waylon's appeal was obvious. He was as real as punch in the mouth, or the sweet kiss of a young beauty. Even after he left for Texas and Tennessee, we considered ol' Waymore an Arizonan through and through. He will always belong to us.

This recording proves it. What a great voice this man had!! Enjoy this record.

I found this CD very enjoyable. Not as professional as recent CD's, but pure talent of Waylon jumps out. A reminder of the early days in his career when his voice dominated the music. I wish Waylon would release more of this kind of music.