- Audio CD (6 Sep 1999)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Koch
- ASIN: B00000JKG2
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Audio Cassette
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 262,222 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. Ballad Of Spider John |
| 2. Muskrat Candlelight |
| 3. Geraldine And The Honeybee |
| 4. Wishbone |
| 5. Satin Sheets |
| 6. Goodbye Old Missoula |
| 7. Painted Lady |
| 8. Watermelon Man |
| 9. Boy From Oklahoma |
| 10. Angel Eyes |
| 11. Northeast Texas Woman |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I cannot believe that there are no other reviews of this superb album. It is a stone cold classic of Americana. You can keep your Ryan Adams & Wilco albums (massively overrated anyway - Adams has no understanding of quality over quantity) and treat yourself to this one-off slice of genius.
I first heard this album some 15 years ago when an American friend of mine sent me this cassette. Of course, I knew nothing of W.A.R. but knowing my friend to be an arbiter of taste, I listened closely. What a revelation. There are shades of The Band, Dylan, Willie Nelson and Gram Parsons all wrapped up in a series of beautifully written songs, with W.A.R's backporch delivery providing the warmth. As far as I know, WAR didn't make another album, which is disappointing because this material is in another class compared to current waffle produced the other so-called Americana songwriters. It also plays to brevity, with just 10 great songs and no filler whatsoever. Another lesson for the current crop - how many of you folk really listen to a 60+ minute CD with at least 25% of it filled with dross?
This is an album to play over and over again; and marvel at subtlety, integrity, song structure and musicianship. Others take note.
I first heard this album some 15 years ago when an American friend of mine sent me this cassette. Of course, I knew nothing of W.A.R. but knowing my friend to be an arbiter of taste, I listened closely. What a revelation. There are shades of The Band, Dylan, Willie Nelson and Gram Parsons all wrapped up in a series of beautifully written songs, with W.A.R's backporch delivery providing the warmth. As far as I know, WAR didn't make another album, which is disappointing because this material is in another class compared to current waffle produced the other so-called Americana songwriters. It also plays to brevity, with just 10 great songs and no filler whatsoever. Another lesson for the current crop - how many of you folk really listen to a 60+ minute CD with at least 25% of it filled with dross?
This is an album to play over and over again; and marvel at subtlety, integrity, song structure and musicianship. Others take note.
Format:Audio CD
I came accross this album by chance whilst looking at Shaun Colvins' web site. She covered Satin Sheets (Very well I might add) and there was a link to Willis Alan Ramsey, for which I shall always be greatful as this is a truly great album that shows how it should be done. My favorite tracks are, Watermelon Man, Satin Sheets and Muskrat Candlelight, although there is not a bad track on the album. I have never seen anything else by this man other than a live track recorded at a festival. Is there more out there? Lots of contemporary artists have come close to producing albums this good, such as Mark Erelli, Jeffrey Foucault and Jackie Greene, but there is something about the production on this album that makes it so special. Buy it if you can, it's a rare gem.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
56 reviews
39 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Perhaps THE essential work of the 70's Austin scene.
30 Jun 1999
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Before Lyle Lovett released "Step Inside This House," the only brushes with the work of Willis Alan Ramsey most folks had were via The Captain and Tennille's version of "Muskrat Love," or perhaps Jimmy Buffett's cover of "The Ballad of Spider John." Thanks to the release of "Step Inside This House," apparently enough interest has arisen to prompt the re-release of Willis Alan Ramsey's self-titled album. Originally released in the 70's, this album made a huge splash with fans of the Austin-based music scene of that period. However, Ramsey chafed under the constraints of the music business-even within the relatively loose bounds of Shelter Records-and to the best of my knowledge, he never released another recording. (Until Lovett's "Step Inside This House," I wondered if he'd died.)
An interviewer once asked Clint Black-respected as a songwriter in spite of his place in "Commercial Country"-what five albums he'd want with him on a desert island. He reportedly rattled off a mixed list of country and rock artists, and then, as an afterthought, named one more: "Willis Alan Ramsey." This recording truly is a treasure. Listen to it, and you'll find that, like a well-loved piece of antique furniture, it gets better with time. (If the world is a just place, we'll next see a re-release of a Steve Fromholz recording.)
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
A reluctant messiah among songwriters.
30 Sep 1999
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Nearly three decades after it was first released, it's a little ironic to recall that this recording, now a word-of-mouth legend, was initially considered a commercial flop.
Willis Alan Ramsey's start as a recording artist came about a little unusually. After being snubbed by James Taylor's producer, Ramsey approached Leon Russell at his motel, following Russell's appearance in Austin with the Allmann Brothers. After listening to Ramsey, Russell invited him to California for another audition. The album that followed, recorded at various locations across the country, took a year to complete. While Russell's Shelter Records was widely considered a haven for those artists alienated by the big labels, Ramsey still reportedly felt that the process of making the album came at the expense of too many artistic compromises. To him, the music business was simply too much about business and not enough about music, even within the relatively loose constraints of "America's answer to Apple Records."
While many "insiders" blamed Shelter Records for failing to support Ramsey's debut album, the surprising truth was that Ramsey himself asked Shelter not to promote it. In an interview with Jan Reid, a journalist for Texas Monthly magazine (and author of "The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock," a fascinating account of the rise of the progressive country scene of the time), Ramsey said: "I just don't like advertisement. I don't like somebody to feel like they've got to shove something down my throat before I'll find out about it. Because I know that people who listen to records as much as I do will gradually hear one if it's any good. Let it stand the test of time."
Words to choke on, perhaps, for a zealous capitalist, but I'd wager that most would agree that this recording has indeed stood the test of time. It's doubtful that Willis Alan Ramsey-a man who couldn't tolerate the oppressive influence of managers, agents, and journalists-will ever be a household name, act in a movie, or make big bucks off of beer commercials. He might never release another recording. That's regrettable, I suppose. Ultimately, though, we should forget the regret and rejoice that this treasure of a recording is available again. It endures as a gift from the soul of a remarkable artist, a man who refused to allow himself to be molded into a commodity. In the prophetic words of Mr. Ramsey himself, "Let it stand the test of time."
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
At long last, Willis without scratches and pops
8 Dec 1999
Format:Audio CD
What an incredible album/CD! I saw WAR at the now-defunct Bijou in San Antonio in 1976. No back-up band. Just WAR, a guitar and a microphone. Absolutely one of the best musical performances I EVER saw. I remember hearing a "thump, thump, thump" throughout the show, thinking there was some sort of programmable percussion. Halfway through "Angel Eyes", I realized it was his foot lightly tapping on the mic stand. It was humorous, but at the same time, fitting. Simple songs, sung naturally and performed beautifully. I have a copy of this album, but have been unable to listen to it for 10 years, due to the amount of wear. I am so grateful to finally get a copy of it on CD!
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