Willie Nelson's '60s recordings for RCA have long been the subject of critical disdain due to the supposed ill fit between Nelson's idiosyncratic style and the conventions of the Nashville sound era. In fact, Nelson's RCA material is largely of high quality, his modest hits from this period were often excellent, and his uniqueness comes through no matter how syrupy the orchestration (which isn't always the case -- the production on many of these tracks is quite spare). This deluxe eight-CD box set compiles everything Nelson recorded during his eight years with RCA, including a complete live set, unreleased recordings, rough takes of songs that would later surface on his A&M albums, and his few early-'60s recordings for Monument. Nelson covers Western swing, pop-country, ballads, and versions of classic country songs in minimalist fashion with his jazzy phrasing fully developed. In fact, those who have been frightened away from these recordings by critics may be surprised by how little they differ from his '70s sound. Fans will delight over the LP-sized hardback book that accompanies this set and the opportunity to review a neglected episode in the Willie saga.
Disc 01
01. "King Of A Lonely Castle"
02. "(There'll Be) Someone Waiting For You"
03. "To Make A Long Story Short"
04. "I Never Cared For You"
05. "You Left Me A Long, Long Time Ago"
06. "I Feel That Old Feeling"
07. "King Of A Lonely Castle"
08. "Pretty Paper"
09. "What A Merry Christmas This Could Be"
10. "Healing Hands Of Time"
11. "Talk To Me"
12. "Whisky Walzer"
13. "Little Darling"
14. "Permanently Lonely"
15. "Healing Hands Of Time"
16. "Ashamed"
17. "She's Not For You"
18. "Are You Sure"
19. "Night Life"
20. "Mr. Record Man"
21. "Healing Hands Of Time"
22. "Funny How Time Slips Away"
23. "My Own Peculiar Way"
24. "One Day At A Time"
25. "It Should Be Easier Now"
26. "Darkness On The Face Of The Earth"
27. "Buddy"
28. "Hello Walls"
29. "So Much To Do"
30. "Within Your Crowd"
Disc 02
01. "Did I Ever Love You"
02. "And So Will You My Love"
03. "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye"
04. "Down To Our Last Goodbye"
05. "Fraulein"
06. "I Love You Because"
07. "I'd Trade All Of My Tomorrows"
08. "Making Believe"
09. "Home In San Antone"
10. "Don't You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurting Me)"
11. "Columbus Stockade Blues"
12. "Seasons Of My Heart"
13. "Heartaches By The Number"
14. "Go On Home"
15. "My Window Faces The South"
16. "San Antonio Rose"
17. "I'm Still Not Over You"
18. "San Antonio Rose"
19. "Columbus Stockade Blues"
20. "He Sits At My Table"
21. "A Wonderful Yesterday"
22. "The Party's Over"
23. "One In A Row"
24. "Make Way For A Better Man"
25. "Did I Ever Love You"
26. "And So Will You My Love"
27. "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye"
28. "Down To Our Last Goodbye"
29. "A Wonderful Yesterday"
30. "The Party's Over"
31. "One In A Row"
32. "Make Way For A Better Man"
Disc 03
01. "Have I Stayed Away Too Long"
02. "Some Other World"
03. "If It's Wrong To Love You"
04. "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You"
05. "You Made Me Live, Love And Die"
06. "Born To Lose"
07. "What Now My Love"
08. "Lovin' Lies"
09. "Teach Me To Forget"
10. "Tender Years"
11. "A Mansion On The Hill"
12. "Something To Think About"
13. "Blackjack County Chain"
14. "Don't Say Love Or Nothing"
15. "You Ought To Hear Me Cry"
16. "I Don't Feel Anything"
17. "Hold Me Tighter"
18. "I'll Stay Around"
19. "A Moment Isn't Very Long"
20. "The Ghost"
21. "No Tomorrow In Sight"
22. "There Goes A Man"
23. "Go Away"
24. "Once Alone"
25. "The End Of Understanding"
26. "To Make A Long Story Short (She's Gone)"
27. "Suffering In Silence"
28. "Truth Number One"
29. "When I Don't Have You"
Disc 04
01. "Someday You'll Call My Name"
02. "Wild Memories"
03. "December Day"
04. "Pages"
05. "Little Things"
06. "Good Times"
07. "She's Still Gone"
08. "Sweet Memories"
09. "Johnny One Time"
10. "Jimmy's Road"
11. "Bring Me Sunshine"
12. "I Let My Mind Wander"
13. "I Just Don't Understand"
14. "I Just Dropped By"
15. "The Local Memory"
16. "Natural To Be Gone"
17. "Love Has A Mind Of Its Own"
18. "I'll Walk Alone"
19. "It Will Come To Pass"
20. "My Own Peculiar Way"
21. "The Message"
22. "That's All"
23. "Any Old Arms Won't Do"
24. "Johnny One Time"
25. "Jimmy's Road"
26. "Bring Me Sunshine"
27. "Bloody Mary Morning"
28. "Pins And Needley (In My Heart)"
29. "Everybody's Talkin'"
Disc 05
01. "Crazy Arms"
02. "I Gotta Get Drunk"
03. "Wabash Cannon Ball"
04. "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)"
05. "Who Do I Know In Dallas"
06. "Both Sides Now"
07. "It Could Be Said That Way"
08. "Once More With Feeling"
09. "Following Me Around"
10. "Minstrel Man"
11. "Where Do You Stand?"
12. "When We Live Again"
13. "If You Could See What's Going Through My Mind"
14. "Happiness Lives Next Door"
15. "I've Seen That Look On Me (A Thousand Times)"
16. "I Don't Feel Anything"
17. "Laying My Burdens Down"
18. "How Long Have You Been There"
19. "Senses"
20. "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down"
21. "What Can You Do To Me Now"
22. "The Losers Song"
23. "Fire And Rain"
24. "I Can Cry Again"
25. "I'm A Memory"
26. "That's Why I Love Her So"
27. "If You Could See What's Going Through My Mind"
28. "The Losers Song"
Disc 06
01. "Yours Love"
02. "Kneel At The Feet Of Jesus"
03. "Today I Started Loving You Again"
04. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"
05. "Will You Remember Mine"
06. "Wonderful Future"
07. "Wake Me When It's Over"
08. "Help Me Make It Through The Night"
09. "Rainy Day Blues"
10. "If You Really Loved Me"
11. "The Words Don't Fit The Picture"
12. "What Do You Want Me To Do?"
13. "Stay Away From Lonely Places"
14. "Good Hearted Woman"
15. "Home Is Where You're Happy"
16. "My Kind Of Girl"
17. "I'd Rather You Didn't Love Me"
18. "Undo The Right"
19. "One Step Beyond"
20. "I Want A Girl"
21. "Country Willie"
22. "You Left Me A Long, Long Time Ago"
23. "London"
24. "A Moment Isn't Very Long"
25. "Who'll Buy Me Memories"
26. "No Love Around"
27. "Come On Home"
28. "Mountain Dew"
Disc 07
01. "Dallas"
02. "San Antonio"
03. "Streets Of Laredo"
04. "Who Put All My Ex's In Texas"
05. "The Hill Country Theme"
06. "Waltz Across Texas"
07. "Travis Letter"
08. "Remember The Alamo"
09. "Texas In My Soul"
10. "There's A Little Bit Of Everything In Texas"
11. "Beautiful Texas"
12. "Medley [Where's The Show / Let Me Be A Man]"
13. "In God's Eyes"
14. "Family Bible"
15. "It's Not For Me To Understand"
16. "Medley [These Are Difficult / + ]"
17. "Remember The Good Times"
18. "Summer Of Roses"
19. "December Day"
20. "Yesterday's Wine"
21. "Me And Paul"
22. "Goin' Home"
23. "Phases, Stages, Circles, Cycles And Scenes"
24. "Pretend I Never Happened"
25. "Sister's Coming Home"
26. "Down At The Corner Beer Joint"
27. "I'm Falling In Love Again"
28. "Chet's Tune"
29. "Poor Old Ugly Gladys Jones"
Disc 08
01. "Introduction Bo Powell / Willie Introduces Band"
02. "Medley [Mr. Record Man / Hello Walls / One day at a time]"
03. "One Day At A Time"
04. "Medley [The Last Letter / Half A Man]"
05. "I never cared for you"
06. "Yesterday"
07. "Touch Me"
08. "Something To Think About"
09. "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye"
10. "How Long Is Forever"
11. "Night Life"
12. "Medley [Opportunity To Cry / Permanently Lonely / My own peculiar way / I love you because / I'm still not over you / +]"
13. "My Own Peculiar Way"
14. "I Love You Because"
15. "I'm Still Not Over You"
16. "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight"
