Lonesome, On'ry and Boxed

Back in college I, like most wannabe hipsters in the mid- and late 1990s, drew a line between the cool "new" alt-country and the Top 40 country artists that plagued the radio waves.I clearly remember telling my roommate, an open-minded mainstream country fan, as we listened to the Jayhawks' first record Blue Earth, that the music she was hearing wasn't "country." "Yes it is," she insisted. "No, it's not - it's 'alternative country,'" I said, completely ignoring the shuffling beat and pedal steel. Well, Waylon Jennings was country, too. When he began his comeback tour after a bout with hepatitis in 1973, with a slot at Max's Kansas City, the New York kids who were too cool for the room didn't know he was country. The Nashville music establishment didn't know it either. But he was.My latest acquisition is a recently released box set dedicated to Jennings called Nashville Rebel, spanning the years 1958 to 1995. It touches on his early rockabilly years while a bassist for Buddy Holly's Crickets, his 1960s projects working with the Nashville establishment, his conversion to a long-haired "outlaw" country star in the 1970s, and his collaboration with friends and fellow legends Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson in the Highwaymen during the 1980s. Sure, some of the hardcore Waylon fans will be disappointed with the lack of a deep cut here and there, but for the most part, this box hits all the high points of Jennings' career.Jennings was a true rebel in the rock 'n' roll spirit. While most Nashville "stars" were content letting the executives determine what they would sing and how they would sing it, Waylon turned around and told them to fuck off. In 1972, both he and Willie Nelson met a New York-based business manager Neil Reshen, an aggressive advocate for the two musicians who insisted that they have total creative control over their work.The first disc starts out with the Buddy Holly-produced Cajun tune "Jole Blon." Waylon infamously gave up his seat on the fatal February 1959 flight that killed Holly, J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson and Richie Valens; the Big Bopper had the flu, and the bus the band rented was without heat. After Holly told Waylon he hoped his bus would freeze, Waylon jokingly told Holly that he hoped his plane would crash. Waylon admitted years later that the remark haunted him for decades.The remainder of the first disc is a document of an artist in growth mode, with the later half showcasing what would become Waylon's rebellious, outlaw songwriting style.The next two discs, covering the 1970s, are the highlights - pure, unabashed ass-kicking Waylon Jennings from what is considered the pinnacle of his musical output. From the firestorms of "Lonesome, On'ry and Mean" and "I'm A Ramblin' Man" to "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?" and even a surprisingly good cover of a terrible song, Jimmy Webb's "MacArthur Park," Waylon showed off his range and his style.The final disc covers Waylon's years solo and with the Highwaymen, not the greatest part of his career, yet he still can sell a song. A scorching cover of Los Lobos' "Will The Wolf Survive" is a highlight of this disc.Los Lobos. Now, are they considered country? Thanks to Waylon, they probably could be.