When worlds collide, they often have explosive results. Two huge Country Music stars, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson who although weren’t always on perfect terms with each other socially, were solid friends who met each other in the early days of their prospective careers, ironically to part ways location wise. They had toured and worked with each other before this album’s release, however, but this is their big moment of collaboration that simply worked, and spent many weeks at #1 on the Country Music charts in the USA. That says a lot. In any case, let’s take a listen to this slice of history and hear what it sounds like.

Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys begins with some multitracked acoustic and wah-wah guitars, followed by some deep and decent singing which is very Country. Both Waylon and Willie sing wonderfully here, and there is some gorgeous slide guitar present as well. A really awesome listening experience, this is about preventing children from growing up to be Country Music loving bad boys, basically. Regardless, a classic and good song to hear and this sounds spectacular. A really adventurous and lovely listen, this is a great sample track from this album. It’s fantastic as well. Sweet effort.

The Year 2003 Minus 25 begins with crisp acoustic guitar and launches into a lovely and beautiful ballad that sounds majestic. A nice tune about the future, way back in the past. It launches into an extremely lovely and pretty tune that sounds really awesome and excellent. The guitar playing and performances here are really fantastic to listen to. The mixture of vocal performances by the two legends are refreshing as well, and this is a great listen. This is really excellent Country Music from the heart that simply works. The singing, playing and overall vibe are creative and really fantastic. In short, this tale is amazingly great and listenable. Worth your ears and time, an excellent tune. Waylon Jennings didn’t make it past 2002, sadly passing away in that year, so this song is somewhat prophetic in nature.

Pick Up The Tempo begins with some gorgeous acoustic guitar and electric guitar arpeggios, some gentle singing and enters into a fantastic tune with dual vocals from the legends of this music. The slide guitar present is just wonderfully gorgeous and superb, and the whole tune sounds sweet and lovely. An awesome and adventurous listening experience with some killer lyrics, such as: “Well…I’m good and I’m bad, I’m happy and I’m sad, and I’m lazy…” which is very much part of the human condition. A tremendously awesome and pleasant tune to listen to, this is already a Country Music classic album by this point. It delivers where needed, and sounds amazingly awesome. A great piece of two-and-a-half-minute-long Country Music.

If You Can Touch Her At All begins with some more strummed acoustic guitar and gorgeous Fender Telecaster playing, along with singing and piano which sounds lovely. This is a song about love and lust for a particular lady. Soon enough, slide guitars enter and this tune gets going nicely here. Another truly sweet, awesome and Country Music listening experience that sounds fantastic. A really cool and pleasant listening experience, this is a love letter to a lady in mind. The sounds here are amongst some of the best you will hear in popular music. Great and romantic music that takes one by surprise, this is absolutely awesome. Some hummed harmonies are present towards the end, just to top things all off. Excellent. It fades out gently.

Lookin’ For A Feeling begins with some nice mid-position Fender Telecaster sounds, launching into an extremely pretty and gorgeous Country Music ballad that sounds fantastic. This is about heartbreak and feeling blue, which is a typical Country tale topic. The breakdown near the middle is sad and tragic, and the lyrics here are intelligent, romantic and spot-on. For anyone who needs a song to relate to about long-lost love, even if it is many years in the future, then this is for you. Another classic Country Music effort that sounds gorgeous, complete with piano and a mid-position Fender Telecaster guitar solo that has a flanger effect on it and sounds very quacky indeed. All in all, an amazing song, once again. Fantastic.

It’s Not Supposed To Be That Way begins with some nice acoustic guitar picking and launches right into it with just acoustic guitars and vocals. An awesome and interesting listening experience and this still sounds amazingly great to this day. Eventually, this has some electric guitar overdubs enter and features singing about dreams that could never eventuate. Harmonica enters here, too. This eventually has drum beats enter, and this slow and romantic ballad sounds really awesome, original and fantastic. This is a bit of a tear-jerker tune, being the more depressing and deep side of Country Music. The chorus is lovely, and this tune is another solid gold winner of a listen. A pleasant but unsettling lyrical listen, this works very well. Bittersweet.

I Can Get Off On You surely is an upfront sexual reference? It launches right into a good piece of music with strummed acoustic guitars, and excellent drums and launches into a tune about trading in drugs and alcohol for a lover. Sensibly, this is a great statement and many grown men normally go through drug and alcohol abuse until they find their one true love. So, in many areas, this song makes sense. A pretty, awesome and very Southern USA Country Music vibe is present here. The tag team of vocals is also super cool. Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson both were excellent musicians who worked well together on this album. A very good listen.

Don’t Cuss The Fiddle launches into another acoustic guitar led ballad, and some singing emerges about one’s brother and his tensions with oneself. In fact, this likely would refer to the patchy (at times) relationship between Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. This is another short and excellent song with a pretty slide guitar section, harmonica and other traditional Country Music instrumentation. Again, this is a very wonderful listening experience. The music present is really awesome, passionate and perfectly played. The chorus is uplifting, and the combination of both the stars singing here does this song justice. Towards the end, this has a great climax and fades out gently afterwards. Another awesome song by the Country stars.

Gold Dust Woman begins with some 1970s styled organ, and wah-wah guitar parts and launches into a quirky, but excellent tune. Again, this is an excellent tune, even if it strays from the Country Music roots of the rest of the album. Eventually, strummed acoustic guitars and piano parts enter. This album sounds like a million dollars. When the chorus kicks in, we are in the glorious Country roads of yesteryear. A really fantastic listening experience, this sounds extremely decent and professional for what the music here is. An awesome listen, this is extremely underrated music from the 1970s. The extended solo section here is divine, and the wah-wah guitar in particular is worth giving attention to. A pleasant and enjoyable tune to listen to, this is a winner. The hammer on electric guitar parts and playing are very good here, all the way through to the fade out.

A Couple More Years is next and begins with some lush acoustic guitar and some deep singing. Again, this is a wonderful and excellent listening experience that is moving and soulful. The wah-wah guitars and playing here are nothing but spectacular and interesting. The music is really pretty, interesting and relaxing to hear, and this is surely one of the greatest Country Music albums ever. The slide guitar solo present here is really magical and captivating, quickly returning to the verses at hand. A tremendous and fantastic piece of music that quite simply is emotional and moving, and the chorus is a great singalong piece of tuneage. All in all, a really gentle and moving tune that sounds top-notch. Fantastic. The fade-out is sweet.

The Wurlitzer Prize (I Don’t Want To Get Over You) is the last tune here at over two minutes long. It begins with some gentle acoustic strumming and launches into a great piece sung by Waylon Jennings about not wanting to lose one’s love. It is a great ballad with some unique musical characteristics, such as organ, guitars galore and deep and meaningful singing. An awesome and fine listen, this sounds incredibly enjoyable. A great finish to a great Country Music album.

This album is a huge milestone for Country Music. It is so good that you don’t even need to be asked if you should hear this musical masterpiece. In actual fact, you should hear it. Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson put together an awesome album filled with musical treats to listen to. Yes, please do give this a spin, even if you are not a big fan of Country Music. You will not be disappointed. Waylon Jennings sadly passed on in 2002, but his legacy lives on, especially given that Fender has made a Fender Custom Shop guitar in his memory.

Excellence in music.

9/10