The Ramblin' Man

by Waylon Jennings

Overview

If you look at the cover of The Ramblin' Man, you would think that Waylon Jennings had been a ramblin' man, riding the top of the charts, for years, maybe decades. He looks worn out, whether it's on the close-up on the cover, or the back-cover shot of him drunkenly playing solitaire. In truth, it would be another album before he hit the top of the country charts and before outlaw country became hip. Still, this is the record where it all came home. If he had created a sketch of outlaw on Honky Tonk Heroes, he perfected the marketable version of it here, making it a little slicker, a little more commercial, and a whole lot more unstoppable. If the songs aren't the equal of Honky Tonk Heroes or even This Time, The Ramblin' Man has a wilder sound and a greater diversity of songs that make it seem more unruly than its immediate predecessor and more blatantly outlaw. This contains, after all, his first flat-out rock cover, with a good take on the Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider," plus songs that play into the image of what an outlaw country singer is. There are moments of reflection, yet even those feed into the outlaw picture. Too bad many of the album tracks wind up being agreeable filler instead of knockouts. There aren't any bad cuts, and the entire thing holds together quite well, but it doesn't add up to a moment of transcendence the way Honky Tonk Heroes or its successor would. Still, with "I'm a Ramblin' Man," "Rainy Day Woman," and the heartbreaking "Amanda" on its side, plus highlights like "Oklahoma Sunshine," this is a first-rate Waylon record. [The 1999 Buddha reissue contains three bonus tracks.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/13/2015
Label:	Music On Vinyl
UPC:	8718469536528
Rank:	26364

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Waylon Jennings   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Andrew McMahon   Organ
Fred Newell   Guitar
Bobby Thompson   Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm)
Billy Ray Reynolds   Guitar
Kyle Lehning   Piano,Trumpet,Keyboards
Joe Allen   Bass
Larrie Londin   Drums
Leon Rhodes   Guitar (Bass)
Ralph Mooney   Guitar (Steel)
Ritchie Albright   Drums,Guitar
Randy Scruggs   Guitar
Carl Gay   Guitar
Dave Kirby   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Bunky Keels   Piano
Roger Crabtree   Harmonica
Larry Whitmore   Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm)
Tommy Jackson   Fiddle
Duke Goff   Bass,Guitar
D.J. Fontana   Drums
Sherman Hayes   Bass
Joseph Allen   Bass
Shaun Jackson   Violin
John W. Wilkin   Guitar

Technical Credits

Bobby Borchers   Composer
Bob McDill   Composer
Billy Ray Reynolds   Composer
Kyle Lehning   Engineer
Jeremy Holiday   Production Coordination
Lee Clayton   Composer
Lee Fry   Composer
Waylon Jennings   Composer,Producer
Mack Vickery   Composer
Wayland Holyfield   Composer
Rob Santos   Reissue Producer
Rex Griffin   Composer
Ray Pennington   Composer,Producer
Dave Kirby   Composer
Al Pachucki   Engineer
Bud Reneau   Composer
Hal Bynum   Composer
Gregg Allman   Composer
Rich Kienzle   Liner Notes
Lem Lubin   Composer
Tom Tierney   Editorial Assistant
David Roys   Recording Technician
Mandana Eidgah   Product Manager
Michael O. Drexler   Digital Engineer