Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Big Mamou - Waylon Jennings, Davis, Link
2. That's the Chance I'll Have to Take - Waylon Jennings, Jennings, Waylon
3. Stop the World (And Let Me Off) - Waylon Jennings, Belew, Carl R.
4. Anita, You're Dreaming - Waylon Jennings, Bowman, Don
5. (That's What You Get) For Lovin' Me - Waylon Jennings, Lightfoot, Gordon
6. The Chokin' Kind - Waylon Jennings, Howard, Harlan
7. Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line - Waylon Jennings, Bryant, Ivy J.
8. Just to Satisfy You - Waylon Jennings, Jennings, Waylon
9. Cedartown, Georgia - Waylon Jennings, Smith, Sammi
10. The Taker - Waylon Jennings, Kristofferson, Kris
11. Lovin' Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again) - Waylon Jennings, Kristofferson, Kris
12. Sweet Dream Woman - Waylon Jennings, Gorgoni, Al
13. Ladies Love Outlaws - Waylon Jennings, Clayton, Lee
14. Lonesome, On'ry and Mean - Waylon Jennings, Young, Steve
15. Freedom to Stay - Waylon Jennings, Hoover, Bill
16. Pretend I Never Happened - Waylon Jennings, Nelson, Willie
17. You Can Have Her - Waylon Jennings, Cook, William
18. We Had It All - Waylon Jennings, Fritts, Donnie
19. Honky Tonk Heroes - Waylon Jennings, Shaver, Billy Joe
20. You Ask Me To - Waylon Jennings, Jennings, Waylon

Disc 2:

1. This Time - Waylon Jennings, Jennings, Waylon
2. It's Not Supposed to Be That Way - Waylon Jennings, Nelson, Willie
3. I'm a Ramblin' Man - Waylon Jennings, Pennigton, Ray
4. Rainy Day Woman - Waylon Jennings, Jennings, Waylon
5. Amanda - Waylon Jennings, McD., Bob
6. Bob Wills Is Still the King - Waylon Jennings, Jennings, Waylon
7. Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way - Waylon Jennings, Jennings, Waylon
8. Waymore's Blues - Waylon Jennings, Jennings, Waylon
9. Dreaming My Dreams with You - Waylon Jennings, Reynolds, Allen
10. Good Hearted Woman - Waylon Jennings, Jennings, Waylon
11. Are You Ready for the Country - Waylon Jennings, Young, Neil
12. Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) - Waylon Jennings, Moman, Chips
13. The Wurlitzer Prize (I Don't Want to Get Over You) - Waylon Jennings, Emmons, Bobby
14. Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys - Waylon Jennings, Bruce, Ed
15. I've Always Been Crazy - Waylon Jennings, Jennings, Waylon
16. A Long Time Ago - Waylon Jennings, Jennings, Waylon
17. Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got out of Hand - Waylon Jennings, Jennings, Waylon
18. I Ain't Living Long Like This - Waylon Jennings, Crowell, Rodney
19. Theme from the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys) - Waylon Jennings, Jennings, Waylon
20. Storms Never Last - Waylon Jennings, Colter, Jessie
21. Drinkin' and Dreamin' - Waylon Jennings, Seals, Troy
22. Rose in Paradise - Waylon Jennings, Harris, Stewart

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12618 in Music
• Released on: 2007-07-24
• Number of discs: 2

Customer Reviews

the music lives on!
My son is a HUGE Dukes of Hazzard fan. He received this CD for Christmas. He loves Waylon Jennings, the good ole' boy!

Best of the Outlaw
Waylon Jennings is awesome. It you're looking for some great country, specifically classic outlaw music from the Original Outlaw, look no further.

Excellent two-disc distillation of country music legend
In the wake of the fifth anniversary of Jennings' passing (and the 70th anniversary of his birth), a number of archival sets have recently hit the shelves. First out was the magnificent four-CD, multi-label spanning "Nashville Rebel" box set. This was quickly followed by a fascinating video compilation under the same title. Now up are a pair of new projects, the triple-disc "Never Say Die: The Final Concert Film" collection and this 42-track two-CD compilation.

As has been pointed out for similar single- and double-disc set, there's just not enough space on a couple of discs to capture every track that every fan feels is essential. nor paint a detailed portrait of Jennings lengthy recording career. The best that can be expected is to hit the highlights and hits, and flesh out some of the shadows with select album cuts. Further, these sets aren't meant to break new ground or provide previously unreleased tidbits for collectors. They're perennials used to renew shelf space and retail interest, giving a legendary catalog a chance at an end-cap at Target or Walmart. This is a meat-and-potatoes overview of Jennings career, focusing heavily on his most productive years at RCA, with a peek at his pre-RCA work ("Big Mamou"), and his last #1 single ("Rose in Paradise") recorded for MCA.

The story arc of this set is familiar to anyone knowledgeable of Jennings' career. Gaining a rock 'n' roll edge as one of Buddy Holly's last Crickets (and narrowly avoiding the plane crash that took his mentor), Jennings developed his style at J.D. Musil's nightclub in Phoenix and recorded his own album for sale at live shows (see Hip-O's "Phase One: The Early Years 1959-1964" for more of this early material). Upon signing with RCA he found himself marketed as "Folk Country," but neither his label nor producer Chet Atkins could restrain Jennings' unique charms. Despite the soft edges of the Nashville Sound, ballads like "The Chokin' Kind" cut through the cooing background vocals with Jennings' emotion soaked vocals. Signature tunes like "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line," employ twangy guitars that simply push Atkins' conventions out the door.

Jennings won his independence from Nashville's factory-like production techniques in 1972 and began recording with his own road band. He produced himself and held sessions in non-RCA and non-Nashville sessions. He further stretched his independence by championing a new generation of songwriters, including Kris Kristofferson, Gordon Lightfoot, Rodney Crowell, and most notably, Billy Joe Shaver, and began writing a larger helping of his own material. His self-containment and self-direction was unique to hit-making commercial country music -redefining the mainstream to fit him, rather than fitting himself into the extant mainstream.

Included among the 42 tracks are a dozen country #1s and fourteen more Top 10s. This set overlaps with 28 tracks on 2001's "Country Legends" set, and with 19 tracks on 1993's "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line." Many core tunes can be found on all three collections, but key titles and fan-favorites are particular to one or two. For instance, this Essential title includes the early country-folk "That's the Chance I'll Have to Take," the pre-outlaw "Ladies Love Outlaws", and Jennings final #1, "Rose in Paradise," none of which turn up on the other two collections. On the other hand, this set omits excellent covers of "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," "Lucille," and "T For Texas," and originals like "Shine" and "Never Could Toe the Mark." This set, along with "Country Legends" includes the rarer studio version of "Bob Wills is Still the King"; the live version can be found on the 1993 set.

One could argue that less famous tracks should have been dropped in favor of those with more popular acclaim, but this would only satisfy a listener's sweet tooth. Jennings catalog is filled with lesser hits and album tracks that are important elements of his overall development, and condensing such an extensive recorded history to two discs is bound to leave out some desired recordings. Expanding to more discs, such as on the "Nashville Rebel" set, is one solution. Even better is to pick up this set (or the single-disc "Essential Waylon Jennings") as an introduction, and then augment your collection with individual album reissues from your favorite periods of Jennings career. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]