Maps of Music

Stardust (1978)

Where the lyrics of Stardust take you, and where it was really made.

Stardust has no photo of Willie Nelson on its cover. Columbia first planned to press fewer copies, then reversed course as sales rose.

Key places

Recording trailer at Nelson's Hollywood Hills home (1978)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — The album was recorded in a recording trailer parked at Nelson's home in the Hollywood Hills. This point is set at city level, so it marks Los Angeles rather than the exact spot. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Stardust: 22nd studio album by Willie Nelson, released April 1978
• Ten songs, all American pop standards that Nelson picked from his favorites
• The cover shows a painting, not a photo of Nelson
• Platinum certification in December 1978, triple platinum in 1984, quintuple platinum by 2002

Background

• Followed the 1975 album Red Headed Stranger and the 1976 album Wanted! The Outlaws
• Nelson lived in Malibu, California at the time, in the same neighborhood as producer Booker T. Jones
• Nelson wanted to reach older listeners who did not follow his music at the time
• Columbia executive Rick Blackburn reacted negatively and suggested new songs instead
• Nelson asked Jones to arrange 'Moonlight in Vermont', then asked him to produce the whole album
• Columbia saw the project as a radical departure from the outlaw movement

Recording

• Recorded from December 3–12, 1977
• Recording done in the Enactron Truck, a recording trailer parked at Nelson's home in the Hollywood Hills
• Jones kept the arrangements sparse, with no backup singers or additional strings
• Harmonica part recorded in a tiled bathroom shower

Cover

• Cover art: painting of the Pleiades constellation by Susanna Clark
• Nelson declined to use his own photograph; Columbia criticized the choice, and Nelson dismissed the criticism

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · es.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Willie Hugh Nelson on April 29, 1933, in Abbott, Texas.
• Wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band, Bohemian Polka, as a guitarist at age nine.
• Attended Baylor University for two years before dropping out to pursue music.
• Moved to Nashville in 1960 and joined Ray Price's band as a bassist.

Career

• Songs such as "Crazy" (Patsy Cline), "Funny How Time Slips Away" and "Pretty Paper" became hits for other artists.
• Debut album ...And Then I Wrote was released in 1962; joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1965.
• Helped lead the outlaw country movement after moving to Austin, Texas in 1972.
• Red Headed Stranger (1975) was a critically acclaimed concept album; the single "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" became his first number one hit.
• Co-founded Farm Aid in 1985 with Neil Young and John Mellencamp.
• Acted in over 30 films, including The Electric Horseman (1979).
• Received a Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance for "Ride Me Back Home" (2019).
• Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993 and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone welcomed the release and said that, despite the polished material, the album was as down-home as a Legion dance
• Rolling Stone also described Nelson's performances as tools of a journeyman musician's trade, shown in a way that looked like works of art
• Billboard gave a favorable review, calling the pairing of artist and producer unusual but working well
• Billboard praised Nelson's distinctive, soft vocal style and the sparse support from his own guitar and the band
• Texas Monthly favored the album and noted that it blended the stark economy of Red Headed Stranger with church spiritualism
• The Los Angeles Times called the tracks a warmly refreshing merger of earthy rural vocals and sophisticated urban songs
• The Chicago Tribune stressed that Nelson directed young fans toward classic tunes
• Orange Coast praised Nelson's phrasing and sense of understated drama, while saying the album was no step forward in his career
• Village Voice critic Robert Christgau called his 'Moonlight in Vermont' a revelation

Reappraisal

• Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said the album showcases Nelson's skills and his entire aesthetic, perhaps better than any other album
• Pitchfork said Nelson gives these songs fresh readings, and that the record set the template for his career and the standard
• Zagat Survey called it a departure from the traditional Willie, finding common ground between outlaw country and mellow pop

Records

• Billboard Top Country Albums number 1, Billboard 200 number 30
• Canadian RPM Country Albums number 1, RPM Top Albums number 28
• Singles 'Blue Skies' and 'All of Me' reached numbers one and three on Hot Country Singles
• 1979 Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for 'Georgia on My Mind'
• Top Country Albums run of ten years, from release until 1988
• New Zealand number 1 and Australia number 5 in 1980
• Rolling Stone ranked it number 260 among the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2012
• Included in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The August 14, 1978 issue of Newsweek put Nelson on its cover, with a staff writer interview.
• Nelson and his sister Bobbie had sheet music for 'Stardust' that he had tried to play with his guitar, but he did not like that arrangement.
• Nelson doubted recording 'Georgia on My Mind' because he compared his version with Ray Charles's; Jones told him to do it his own way.
• Nelson's pop influences came from Frank Sinatra, and the songs were the ones that first inspired his career.
• Columbia first planned to release fewer copies, then reversed its decision as the album sold well.
• For the 35th anniversary, Nelson performed the entire album live at the Hollywood Bowl in 2013.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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