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Willie Nelson – Tougher Than Leather

More Willie Nelson

More Country and Country Rock

The first Hot Stamper copy of this great album to ever hit the site and it’s one for the ages. It’s taken us a long time to pull together enough clean copies to make this shootout happen. Boy, was it worth all the trouble.

The presence and immediacy here are outstanding. Turn it up and Willie is right between your speakers, putting on the performance of a lifetime. He’s clearly one of our favorite male vocalists, and this superb copy will show you why.

The sound is big, open, rich and full. The highs are extended and silky sweet. The bass is tight and punchy. And this copy gives you more life and energy than others big time.

This original Columbia LP also has the MIDRANGE MAGIC that’s missing from The Typical Modern 180 Gram Reissue. This record is dramatically more real sounding than anything that’s been remastered for the audiophile market in years.

Fresh Tapes – You Just Can’t Beat ‘Em

When this record was made the tapes were fresh. Now they’re 30+ years old. On audiophile equipment you will have no trouble appreciating the difference. Unless I miss my guess the difference in sound should be obvious and huge.

On this pressing Willie is no longer a recording — he’s a living, breathing person. We call that “the breath of life,” and this record has it in spades. His voice is so rich, sweet, and free of any artificiality, you immediately find yourself lost in the music, because there’s no “sound” to distract you.

Columbia pressings are all over the map. When you find a good one, you can be pretty sure it’s the exception, not the rule.

TRACK LISTING

Side One

My Love for the Rose
Changing Skies
Tougher Than Leather
Little Old Fashioned Karma
Somewhere in Texas (Part I)
Beer Barrel Polka

Side Two

Summer of Roses
Somewhere in Texas (Part II)
My Love for the Rose
The Convict and the Rose
Changing Skies
I Am the Forest
Nobody Slides, My Friend

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