Naked Willie

Naked Willie is a 17-track collection of songs Willie Nelson recorded for RCA Records between 1966 and 1970, “unproduced” by his friend and harmonica player Mickey Raphael to reveal the true essence of the material. The original recordings were embellished with orchestration and back-up singers that were an established element of the then prevalent “Nashville Sound” and completely at odds with the emotive instincts of Nelson’s music. The original results were often satisfactory yet sometimes absurd. Now, with Raphael going back to the original master tapes, the songs are stripped of their excess production touches and left with just the skeletal sounds of the band and Willie’s own expressive voice. An unorthodox singer, Nelson stands firmly at the center of these songs. “Jimmy’s Road” is stark and stunning. “The Party’s Over” is naturalistic. “Sunday Morning Coming Down” is spirited and perfectly reflective of the hangover it portrays. Hopefully, this idea — also used on the Beatles’ Let It Be…Naked — will catch on for many recordings that were sacrificed for the production values of the day.