Superb early RCA Waylon Jennings two-fer

Much is made of Waylon Jennings’ declaration of artistic independence and the outlaw country movement that flowed from it, but his company-produced pre-outlaw albums for RCA hold many charms of their own. Recording with both his own band and Nashville studio pros, and often backed by a female chorus, the music hasn’t the earthier charms of his later work, but his voice held a youthful innocence yet to be tinged by rebellion, and his songs, from Nashville songwriters and his own pen, are often memorable. Collectors’ Choice’s two-fer pairs his 1966 RCA debut Folk Country with his fourth RCA album, 1967’s Waylon Sings Ol’ Harlan.

The first of the two includes the chart hits, “Stop the World (and Let Me Off)” and Jennings’ original “That’s the Chance I’ll Have to Take.” Harlan Howard and Don Bowman provide the bulk of the album’s non-originals, with Jennings crooning through a broken heart on the former’s “Another Bridge to Burn” and stridently demanding attention on the latter’s “I Don’t Mind.” Producer Atkins gives the country a folky edge with touches of 12-string, tambourine and harmonica. Jennings may have come to feel that Nashville’s studio productions were a straightjacket, but at this early point in his career he really digs in and makes the best of what’s offered to him.

The two-fer’s second album highlights Jennings’ affinity for the works of Harlan Howard with a dozen works from the legendary songwriter’s catalog. A few of these songs were already iconic hits for Ray Price, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles and Buck Owens, but Howard’s writing is sufficiently rich to warrant multiple interpretations. Jennings takes “Heartaches by the Number” upbeat with twangy guitars that provide a more bemused outlook than Price’s sorrowful 1959 single. His take on “Busted” is not as spare as Cash’s nor as jazzy as Charles’ versions, “Foolin’ Around” is fuller than Buck Owens’ 1962 version, and “Tiger by the Tail” crosses Owens’ original with the rhythm of Johnny Rivers’ cover of “Memphis.” Waylon Sings Ol’ Harlan didn’t launch any hits, though Charlie Rich would score with “She Called Me Baby” seven years later and other tunes were recorded by everyone from Wynn Stewart to the Kingston Trio.

Both albums feature enthusiastic vocals by Jennings and the high-fidelity recording of RCA’s Nashville studio. Folk Country was reissued in 1998 by Razor & Tie but has been out of print for several years. Waylon Sings Ol’ Harlan makes its domestic CD debut here. Collectors’ Choice’s two-fer includes an eight-page booklet with full-panel reproductions of both album covers – front and back – and new liner notes by Colin Escott. You can find this same material (and a whole lot more) on Bear Family’s The Journey: Destiny’s Child, but unless you’re planning to soak up Jennings’ entire catalog, this domestic two-fer is the best way to introduce yourself to Jennings’ pre-outlaw years. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]