Maps of Music

The Party's Over and Other Great Willie Nelson Songs (1967)

Where the lyrics of The Party's Over and Other Great Willie Nelson Songs take you, and where it was really made.

Nelson felt RCA kept him around so his stable mates could pillage his poor-selling albums for material.

Key places

Recording sessions, Nashville (1967)

Recording site Nashville — The recording sessions for this album are linked to RCA Victor Studios in Nashville. The point sits at the city centre, so the exact studio building is not marked. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Sixth studio album by country singer Willie Nelson
• Released in 1967 by RCA Records
• All tracks composed by Nelson, except two co-written songs
• "To Make a Long Story Short (She's Gone)" co-written with Fred Foster
• "I'll Stay Around" co-written with Hank Cochran
• Unlike his last two albums, no cover songs; only original compositions

Background

• By 1967, Nelson had enjoyed immense success as a songwriter, penning "Crazy" for Patsy Cline and "Pretty Paper" for Roy Orbison
• As a recording artist, his success was only middling
• His previous album, Make Way for Willie Nelson, produced the Top 20 single "One In a Row"
• His sales lagged far behind other country stars such as Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash
• Nelson grew unhappy with RCA, feeling the label did not promote his records enough
• He felt the label kept him around so his stable mates could pillage his poorly selling albums for material
• In his first autobiography, Chet Atkins admitted he was just about the worst at promotion and sales
• Nelson's inability to create his live sound on record remained a source of frustration in the years ahead

Recording

• Chet Atkins returned as producer, after delegating responsibilities to Felton Jarvis on the previous LP
• Two band members, steel guitarist Jimmy Day and drummer Johnny Bush, took part in the recording sessions
• Atkins said no to using Nelson's full band in the studio
• The title track had been written years earlier while Nelson lived in Houston
• It was part of a two-week songwriting spurt that also produced "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Crazy", "Mr. Record Man" and "I Gotta Get Drunk"
• "I'll Stay Around" was written with Hank Cochran, who had helped Nelson get a writing job at Pamper Music when he first arrived in Nashville in 1960
• Jim Malloy served as engineer

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

Reappraisal

• Jim Worbois of AllMusic enthuses that the title track sums up the album perfectly.
• He adds that it is one of those records that sounds incredible at 2 o'clock in the morning when one is feeling reflective after a busy night.
• Nelson biographer Joe Nick Patoski deems it “not Willie’s most stellar work.”

Records

• Published by RCA Records in 1967.
• Reached seventh place on Billboard's Hot Country Albums chart.
• The title track, "The Party's Over", reached number 24 on the country singles chart.
• "Blackjack County Chain", written for Nelson by Red Lane, was climbing the country singles chart at number 21 when radio stations started banning it for its grisly content.

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

Trivia

• The title track was written years earlier, while Nelson lived in Houston.
• Hank Cochran helped Nelson get a writing job at Pamper Music when he first arrived in Nashville in 1960.
• Chet Atkins said no to using Nelson's full band in the studio.
• Two members of Nelson's band, Jimmy Day and Johnny Bush, were allowed into the sessions.
• Nelson said in later years that capturing his live sound on record remained a frustration.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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