WILLIE NELSON Willie Stripped (2009 UK 17-track CD album - The dozen or so original studio LPs that Willie recorded for RCA in Nashville between 1965 and 1974 were typical of the 'Nashville Sound': great songs – but more often than not, sweetenedwith lushly orchestrated arrangements and backing vocalists that could [and many times did] conflict with the actual mood or message or meaning of the composition itself. Willie and his long-time sidekick, harmonica player Mickey Raphael wondered what those RCA sides would sound like, if they could retrieve the original multi-track tapes and get back to their unmasked essence, hear them stripped back. 'Willie Stripped' lays bare his original vision of those songs for the first time, with Willie's vocals at the core, and bare-bones 'A-Team' guitars, piano, bass, and drums mixed as they were originally heard in the studio. Comes complete with extensive sleevenotes by CMT's Chet Flippo.)