Crazy

Willie Nelson and Nashville never really hit it off -- the music machine was baffled by Nelson's offhand, almost jazzy vocal delivery, which producers' slick arrangements of his songs tended to obscure. However, Nelson enjoyed considerable success writing songs for other artists, including Ray Price and Faron Young, and this collection of demo recordings, made for his publisher, is a fine display of his songwriting skill. Containing versions of classic songs like "Crazy," "Three Days," and "I've Just Destroyed the World," as well as a vocal from Patsy Cline on the R&B standard "Just Out of Reach," these rough recordings have held up well over time and now seem almost contemporary.