THE BARGAIN BUY: The Sony "Original Album Classics" series: Are you ready for the country?

When I interviewed Kris Kristofferson in 2005, he said with a laugh, “I’ve recently been shown a lot of respect from the country music people. You know, there have been times they‘ve acted like they were embarrassed by me.”

Country audiences felt the same way about Willie Nelson -- loved him when he wrote Crazy which Patsy Cline had a hit with, went off when he hung out with the hippies and grew his hair. Waylon Jennings went through much the same.

The Outlaw Movement, which they helmed, in fact injected real life and character into country music which had become formulaic around the Nashville sound. These days country people in the US seem as at home with Taylor Swift as Gretchen (Redneck Woman) Wilson, and guys like Willie and Kris and Waylon are hailed as heroes.

In the Sony budget-price collections you can pick up good overviews of both Kristofferson and Jennings . . . and even head a little more the centre of the road with some country-rock lite from Poco.

And these sets are just $20 at JB Hi-Fi stores here. 

Here are some Bargain Buys for y'all. 

Kris Kristofferson; Kristofferson/The Silver Tongued Devil and I/Jesus Was a Capricorn/Spooky Lady's Sideshow /Shake Hands With the Devil

His best albums from before – then during – the period when it went south through booze and dope. Alt.country songwriting got its start here in these dusty boots. The poet of Outlaw country. There is a whole lot more on Kristoferson at Elsewhere starting here.

Poco; Picking Up the Pieces/Poco/From the Inside/A Good Feeling to Know/Crazy Eyes

Alan Partridge said Wings were the band the Beatles could have been, and this group born out of Buffalo Springfield almost could have been the Eagles with their soft-rock country-influenced sound. But line-up changes and the lack of serious drugs denied them that opportunity. Pleasant and thoughtful, but a mixed bag.

Waylon Jennings; Lonesome On'ry and Mean/This Time/The Ramblin' Man/Ol' Waylon/Waylon and Willie

The conscience of the Outlaw Movement (“are you sure Hank done it this way?), collected here on his Seventies albums. Good writer, great interpreter and a powerful voice that smacks of authenticity. Always worth discovering.

Waylon has appeared at Elsewhere a fair bit. See here. 

There seems to be some Willie Nelson sets in this series but I haven't seen them. However if Willie is of interest you could start at Elsewhere here.