Willie Nelson’s 1974 classic, Phases and Stages, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2024! If Shotgun Willie played a bit like a concept album, Phases and Stages was full-blown, tracing the dissolution of a marriage and devoting one side to the wife's perspective, the second to the husband's…. Phases and Stages is easily the equal of its remarkable predecessor, a wonderful set of music that resonates deeply, as deeply as the words.
Make no mistake -- the deceptively relaxed arrangements, including the occasional strings, not only highlight Nelson's clever eclecticism, they also heighten the emotional impact of the album. And this is a hell of an emotional record, where even each side's celebratory honky tonk numbers (the medley "Sister's Coming Home/Down at the Corner Beer Joint" and "Pick Up the Tempo," respectively) are muted by sadness. Then, there are the centerpieces: "Walkin'," where the woman decides it's time to move on; "Pretend I Never Happened," perhaps the coldest ending to a relationship ever written; "Bloody Mary Morning," a bleary-eyed morning-after tale that became a standard; "It's Not Supposed to Be That Way," a nearly unbearably melancholy account of a love gone wrong; and "Heaven and Hell," a waltz summary of the relationship. Any two of these would have formed a strong core for an album, but placed together in a narrative context, their impact is even more considerable. As a result, this is not just one of Willie Nelson's best records, but one of the great concept albums overall. Released April 20, 2024 for Record Store Day 2024.

Orders are limited to one (1) per customer / household.

Tracklist
Side One
1. PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) [0:20]
WASHING THE DISHES [1:22]
2. PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) [0:24]
WALKIN’ [3:41]
3. PRETEND I NEVER HAPPENED [2:59]
4. SISTER’S COMING HOME [1:48]
DOWN AT THE CORNER BEER JOINT [1:57]
5. (HOW WILL I KNOW) I’M FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN [3:25]
Side Two
1. BLOODY MARY MORNING [2:48]
2. PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) [0:32]
NO LOVE AROUND [1:51]
3. I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE GONE [4:15]
4. IT’S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THAT WAY [3:27]
5. HEAVEN AND HELL [1:52]
6. PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) [0:24]
PICK UP THE TEMPO [2:41]
PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) [0:21]
Side Three
1. PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) (Alternate Version) [2:41]
WASHING THE DISHES (Alternate Version)
2. SISTER’S COMING HOME (Alternate Version) [3:58]
DOWN AT THE CORNER BEER JOINT (Alternate Version)
3. PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) (Alternate Version) [4:00]
(HOW WILL I KNOW) I’M FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN (Alternate Version)
4. BLOODY MARY MORNING (Alternate Version) [3:40]
5. NO LOVE AROUND (Alternate Version) [1:54]
Side Four
1. I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE GONE (Alternate Version) [4:15]
2. IT’S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THAT WAY (Alternate Version) [3:16]
3. HEAVEN AND HELL (Alternate Version/Duet Vocal) [2:59]
4. PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) [3:10]
PICK UP THE TEMPO
5. PHASES AND STAGES (Theme) (Alternate Version) [0:40]