Phases and Stages (RSD) (Limited)

LPA

1. Phases And Stages (Theme) / Washing The Dishes
2. Phases And Stages (Theme) / Walkin’
3. Pretend I Never Happened
4. Sister’s Coming Home
5. Down At The Corner Beer Joint
6. (How Will I Know) I’m Falling In Love Again

LPB

1. Bloody Mary Morning
2. Phases And Stages (Theme) / No Love Around
3. I Still Can’t Believe You’re Gone
4. It’s Not Supposed To Be That Way
5. Heaven And Hell
6. Phases And Stages (Theme) / Pick Up The Tempo / Phases And Stages (Theme)

LPC

1. Phases And Stages (Theme) (Alternate Version) / Washing The Dishes (Alternate Version)
2. Sister’s Coming Home (Alternate Version)
3. Down At The Corner Beer Joint (Alternate Version)
4. Phases And Stages (Theme) (Alternate Version)
5. (How Will I Know) I’m Falling In Love Again (Alternate Version)
6. Bloody Mary Morning (Alternate Version)
7. No Love Around (Alternate Version)

LPD

1. I Still Can’t Believe You’re Gone (Alternate Version)
2. It’s Not Supposed To Be That Way (Alternate Version)
3. Heaven And Hell (Alternate Version/duet Vocal)
4. Phases And Stages (Theme) / Pick Up The Tempo
5. Phases And Stages (Theme) (Alternate Version)

Willie Nelson’s 1974 classic, celebrating its 50th Anniversary in March, just prior to RSD

 If Shotgun Willie played a bit like a concept album, Phases and Stages was a full-blown one, tracing the dissolution of a marriage and devoting one side to the wife's perspective, the second to the husband's….Phases and Stages is easily the equal of its remarkable predecessor, a wonderful set of music that resonates deeply, as deeply as the words. Make no mistake -- the deceptively relaxed arrangements, including the occasional strings, not only highlight Nelson's clever eclecticism, but they also heighten the emotional impact of the album. And this is a hell of an emotional record, where even each side's celebratory honky tonk numbers (the medley "Sister's Coming Home/Down at the Corner Beer Joint" and "Pick Up the Tempo," respectively) are muted by sadness. Then, there are the centerpieces: "Walkin'," where the woman decides it's time to move on; "Pretend I Never Happened," perhaps the coldest ending to a relationship ever written; "Bloody Mary Morning," a bleary-eyed morning-after tale that became a standard; "It's Not Supposed to Be That Way," a nearly unbearably melancholy account of a love gone wrong; and "Heaven and Hell," a waltz summary of the relationship. Any two of these would have formed a strong core for an album, but placed together in a narrative context, their impact is even more considerable. As a result, this is not just one of Willie Nelson's best records, but one of the great concept albums overall.