Yesterday's Wine

This long-neglected 1971 concept album will surprise those who know only Nelson\'s hard-toking, hard-living outlaw persona. As the loosely unified story of one \"imperfect man\" and his journey from cradle to grave, *Yesterday\'s Wine* enacts a spiritual drama about God, faith, love, longing, and loss that shows just how far Willie could stretch when freed from the strictures of songwriting for hire and Nashville convention. It also happens to contain some of the finest examples of his early craft. In particular, the autumnal title track and the superb buddy song \"Me and Paul\" stand up to anything Nelson ever wrote, while \"Family Bible,\" written decades earlier and sold off for a desperate $50, remains as sweet and simple as a country-church hymn. In spite of its emphasis on faith and Willie\'s spiritual philosophy, *Yesterday\'s Wine* doesn\'t preach. It simply bears witness to one soul\'s progress through this vale of tears, and to another side of one of our greatest songwriters and performers.

Though mid-'70s albums like Shotgun Willie and Red Headed Stranger are often held up as the finest examples of Willie Nelson's album craft (showcasing the country legend exploring his chosen theme over the course of records that played like unified song suites), Yesterday's Wine, their 1971 predecessor, should also take its rightful place among his best-loved works.