Backtracks

Includes liner notes by Stephen Thomas Erlewine.
Willie Nelson's early recordings for the RCA label have often been lambasted by critics, not because of Nelson himself, but because of the Nashville sound production sweetening that many believe was done contrary to the Red Headed Stranger's intentions. BACKTRACKS presents music from this era in an odds `n' sods fashion, delivering material from a variety of sources, including several sparsely-produced, previously unreleased songwriting demo versions of the aforementioned RCA tracks, a few of which feature other vocalists performing Nelson compositions. Though Willie had yet to fully develop his highly idiosyncratic vocal and guitar style when these recordings were made, the collection is an interesting window into Nelson's early creative process and the music that he later refined for his later, more successful, outlaw phase.