Waylon Jennings - Waylon Sings Ol' Harlan (RCA Victor, 1967; mono version)

With Waylon Jennings' songwriting talents becoming more evident later in his career, an album like this one was a logical move during the early part of his tenure with RCA Victor. Various sources have mentioned the affinity Ol' Hoss had for prolific but under-recorded tunesmith Harlan Howard, whose compositions were also held in high regard by other country musicians as well as the Nashville establishment. Thus, Waylon Sings Ol' Harlan can be enjoyed as an excellent compromise between Jennings' musical inclinations and what was deemed acceptable by the powers that be (were?) in Music City, USA during the 1960s.


Although some of the titles on this LP might be more familiar to readers through better-known interpretations recorded by Buck Owens (who receives co-writing credits on two cuts) and Johnny Cash, each of these dozen songs fits Waylon's performing style like a glove. The accompanying musicians (who might be either Jennings' backing band the Waylors or various Nashville studio cats; the liner notes don't specify) provide outstanding support on every track, helping to make Sings Ol' Harlan an extraordinary record even if it does clock in at only around 28 minutes. The respective singing and songwriting strengths of Jennings and Howard are on full display throughout the album, which emphasizes material that deals with the trials and tribulations of love, including "She Called Me Baby," "Woman, Let Me Sing You a Song," "She's Gone, Gone, Gone," "Beautiful Annabel Lee," "Heartaches by the Number," "Tiger by the Tail" (arguably the definitive version), "Heartaches for a Dime," "Foolin' 'Round," and "In This Very Same Room." The remaining selections - including "Sunset and Vine," "The Everglades," and the poignant "Busted" - are superb examples of Howard's expertise at crafting story-songs with a uniquely Southern flavor and assist in keeping the album's subject matter from becoming one-dimensional. Four or five additional performances of this variety (and goodness knows that there was no shortage of Harlan Howard material from which to choose) would have made this album a genuine masterpiece and given it a running time of approximately 40 minutes, but that's not the way record labels did albums back then. Nevertheless, Waylon Sings Ol' Harlan ranks as one of the best ever LPs of any genre to feature a musician exclusively covering the works of a particular songwriter.

OL' HOSS & OL' HARLAN GONE FISHIN'

1. She Called Me Baby
2. Sunset and Vine
3. Woman, Let Me Sing You a Song
4. The Everglades
5. She's Gone, Gone, Gone
6. Busted
7. Beautiful Annabel Lee
8. Heartaches by the Number
9. Tiger by the Tail
10. Heartaches for a Dime
11. Foolin' 'Round
12. In This Very Same Room