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Today's Shelf Pull: Willie Nelson, Shotgun Willie (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

A shuffle, a quiet word, and a second look

This expanded edition keeps the original album together, then opens another door into the sessions with alternate versions and outtakes.

Willie Nelson's Shotgun Willie (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) gives a listener two useful things: an album with its own direction, and room to look around afterwards. This vinyl edition pairs the original sequence with a second LP of session outtakes and alternate versions.

The opening title track supplies a better introduction than any grand declaration could. Its sly shuffle puts movement beneath the storytelling, while Nelson's relaxed phrasing keeps the song from standing too stiffly. Independence need not arrive wearing a particularly serious expression.

Originally released in 1973, the album marks Nelson's move away from Nashville convention towards a more personal mixture of country, swing and reflective songwriting. The interesting part is how those elements share the space. Nothing needs a separate room or an explanatory notice.

For today's pull in Listowel, that balance is the attraction. There is plenty here for someone following the songs rather than the history. Start with the opening pair, then notice how the first side makes space for smaller, more inward titles without abandoning its sense of motion.

On the shelf today

Willie Nelson - Shotgun Willie (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

2LP / Folk / Songwriter / 2023

EUR31.95 / Available now

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