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Stardust (Willie Nelson album)

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Stardust is a 1978 album by Willie Nelson that spans the genres of pop, jazz, country and folk music. The songs selected for the album consist entirely of pop standards. Nelson's decision to record such well-known tracks was met with some controversy,[1] as he was seen as a leader in the outlaw country genre at the time.[1] Stardust was produced by Booker T. Jones and was recorded in less than two weeks during December, 1977.[1]

Stardust was met with near-universal positive reviews and high sales. It stayed on the US Billboard Country Album charts from the time of its release in 1978 until 1988. The album was also number one on New Zealand Charts for six weeks. In 2003, the album was ranked number 257 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

It has sold 10 million copies world-wide. Columbia reissued the album in 1999 with two previously unreleased tracks. In 2008, Sony rereleased the album with a bonus disc consisting of 16 songs culled from Nelson's other albums.

Track listing

  1. "Stardust" (Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish) – 3:53
  2. "Georgia on My Mind" (Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell) – 4:20
  3. "Blue Skies" (Irving Berlin) – 3:34
  4. "All of Me" (Seymour Simons, Gerald Marks) – 3:54
  5. "Unchained Melody" (Hy Zaret, Alex North) – 3:50
  6. "September Song" (Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson) – 4:35
  7. "On the Sunny Side of the Street" (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh) – 2:36
  8. "Moonlight in Vermont" (John Blackburn, Karl Suessdorf) – 3:25
  9. "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" (Duke Ellington, Bob Russell) – 2:33
  10. "Someone to Watch Over Me" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 4:03

Reviews

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Robert Christgau(A-)[2]
NeuFutur[3]
Pitchfork Media(9.3/10)[4]
Rolling Stone(Not Rated)[5]

Stardust received positive reviews from most major publications, both on its original release and for its various reissues. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said that the record "showcases Nelson's skills as a musician and his entire aesthetic -- where there is nothing separating classic American musical forms, it can all be played together -- perhaps better than any other album, which is why it was a sensation upon its release and grows stronger with each passing year." Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album an A- letter grade, stating, "I'm real happy this record exists, not just because Nelson can be a great interpretive singer--his "Moonlight in Vermont" is a revelation--but because he's provided me with ten great popular songs that I've never had much emotional access to."[6]

Reissues

Columbia Records 1999 reissue bonus tracks

  1. "Scarlet Ribbons" (J. Segal and Evelyn Danzig) – 4:30
  2. "I Can See Clearly Now" (Johnny Nash) – 4:18

Sony Records' 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition bonus tracks

In 2008, Columbia Records issued a version of Stardust subtitled 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition. The album contained a 16 track bonus disc of songs Nelson's other albums. None of the bonus tracks date to the original Stardust sessions.

  1. "What a Wonderful World" (George David Weiss and Bob Thiele)
  2. "Basin Street Blues" (Spencer Williams)
  3. "I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)" (D. Dougherty, E. Reynolds and A. Neiburg)
  4. "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" (Fred E. Ahlert and Joe Young)
  5. "The Gypsy" (Billy Reid)
  6. "Mona Lisa" (Jay Livingston and Ray Evans)
  7. "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" (Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen)
  8. "Ole Buttermilk Sky" (Hoagy Carmichael and J. Brooks)
  9. "That Lucky Old Sun" (Haven Gillespie and Beasley Smith)
  10. "Little Things Mean a Lot" (E. Calisch and C. Stutz)
  11. "Cry" (Churchill Kohlman)
  12. "You'll Never Know" (Mack Gordon and Harry Warren)
  13. "Tenderly" (Jack Lawrence and Walter Lloyd Gross)
  14. "Stormy Weather" (Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler)
  15. "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" (Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen)
  16. "Angel Eyes" (Earl Brent and Matt Dennis)

Personnel

Chart performance

Chart (1978+80) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums 1
U.S. Billboard 200 30
Canadian RPM Country Albums 1
Canadian RPM Top Albums 28
New Zealand Albums Chart 1
Australian Albums Chart 5

Sales

Country Sales
U.S.A. 5,850,000
Canada 280,000
New Zealand 70,000
Australia 550,000

References

  1. ^ a b c AllMusic page: "Stardust review.
  2. ^ http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=1679&name=Willie+Nelson
  3. ^ http://neufutur.com/?p=3696
  4. ^ http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/144526-willie-nelson-stardust-legacy-edition
  5. ^ http://replay.web.archive.org/20071205224150/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/willienelson/albums/album/184692/review/6067773/stardust
  6. ^ Robert Christgau review: "Willie Nelson - Stardust."

External links

Preceded by
Waylon & Willie by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
 Top Country Albums number-one album
June 10-August 19, 1978 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Top Country Albums number-one album of the year
1978 		Succeeded by
Preceded by New Zealand Albums Chart number-one album
July 6-August 10, 1980 		Succeeded by
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