Maps of Music

Teatro (1998)

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

The album takes its name from the old movie theater in Oxnard, California, where its sessions were held.

Key places

Where Teatro was recorded (1998)

Recording site El Teatro Studio — The album was recorded at Teatro Studios, the place that gave the album its name. The sessions were held in the old movie theater in Oxnard, California. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Teatro: 45th studio album by Willie Nelson
• Released September 1998 on Island Records
• Record company credited on the Discogs release: Island Records Inc.
• Recording sessions held in the old movie theater named Teatro in Oxnard, California
• Produced by Daniel Lanois
• Filmmaker Wim Wenders later made a feature-length documentary of the recording sessions with live performances
• Basic album lists 14 tracks

Background

• Most songs written by Nelson
• Most tracks are re-recordings of songs he first recorded in the 1960s
• Earlier versions include Darkness on the Face of the Earth (1961), My Own Peculiar Way (1964), Home Motel (1962), I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye (1968), I've Just Destroyed the World (1962) and Three Days (1962)
• Emmylou Harris provides backing vocals
• Mickey Raphael plays harmonica, a regular member of Nelson's band
• Bobbie Nelson, Nelson's sister, plays piano
• Lanois contributes The Maker, originally released on his album Acadie

Recording

• Mark Howard recorded and mixed the record
• Lanois plays electric guitar and bass
• Brad Mehldau plays vibraphone and piano
• Cyril Neville plays congas
• Mastering done at Oceanview Digital Mastering

Cover

• Lanois took the photograph used for the album cover

Sources: en.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

• Wikipedia describes the sound as spare yet drum-heavy and atmospheric, credited to Lanois
• Lanois had also produced Emmylou Harris's alternative country album Wrecking Ball
• The sound is presented as the work of Lanois, who also played electric guitar and bass on the record
• Mark Howard recorded and mixed the record

Reappraisal

• The album was reissued in 2017 by Light in the Attic Records
• The 2017 reissue included a DVD of the documentary by Wim Wenders

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Wim Wenders directed a feature-length documentary about the recording sessions and live performances.
• The album was mixed and recorded at Teatro Studios, as credited on the Discogs release.
• Mastering was done at Oceanview Digital Mastering.
• The 2017 reissue by Light in the Attic Records came with a DVD of the Wenders documentary.

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

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact