Island in the Sea is a studio album by the American musician Willie Nelson, released in 1987.[1][2] The album contains two singles: the title track and "Nobody There but Me", which respectively reached No. 27 and No. 82 on the Hot Country Songs charts.[3] "The Last Thing on My Mind" is a cover of the Tom Paxton song.[4]
| Island in the Sea | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1987 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer |
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| Willie Nelson chronology | ||||
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The book Willie Nelson: The Outlaw calls the album "a laid-back slice of old-time textures, including Hawaiian music, yodeling, folk, and country, with four [sic] overproduced tracks by Booker T. Jones tacked on at the end."[5]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer |   [6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
The Philadelphia Inquirer praised Nelson's original compositions.[6] The Vancouver Sun deemed the album "a trifle better than standard Willie."[8] The Orange County Register noted that the album's first side "features the spine-tingling beauty of the unadorned Nelson sound."[9] USA Today considered the title track to be the album's best song.[10]
Track listing edit
- "Island in the Sea" (W. Nelson) - 2:19
- "Wake Me When It's Over" (W. Nelson) - 3:17
- "Little Things" (W. Nelson, Shirley Collie Nelson) - 4:23
- "The Last Thing on My Mind" (Tom Paxton) - 5:17
- "There Is No Easy Way (But There Is a Way)" (W. Nelson) - 2:32
- "Nobody There but Me" (Bruce Hornsby, John Hornsby, Charlie Haden) - 2:47
- "Cold November Wind" (Phyllis Horne) - 4:18
- "Women Who Love Too Much" (Booker T. Jones, Waylon Jennings) - 4:45
- "All in the Name of Love" (Jones, Jennings) - 4:59
- "Sky Train" (Jones, Jennings) - 2:39
Personnel edit
Compiled from Island in the Sea liner notes.[11]
- Musicians
- Willie Nelson - guitar, vocals
- Paul English - drums
- Mickey Raphael - harmonica
- Bee Spears - bass guitar
- Bobbie Nelson - piano
- Grady Martin - guitar
- Jody Payne - guitar, vocals
- Billy English - percussion
- Chip Young - acoustic guitar
- Mike Leech - bass guitar
- David Briggs - keyboards
- Pete Wade - electric guitar
- Martin Parker - drums
- Bobby Ogdin - piano
- Farrell Morris - percussion, vibes
- Booker T. Jones - drums, keyboards, acoustic guitar, bass guitar
- On "Nobody There but Me"
- Bruce Hornsby - piano, synthesizer
- Peter Harris - guitar
- George Marinelli, Jr. - guitar
- John Mollo - drums
- Joe Puerta - bass guitar
- Technical
- Bobby Arnold - engineering
- Larry Greenhill - engineering
- Booker T. Jones - production (tracks 8-10), engineering
- Grady Martin - production (track 7)
- Willie Nelson - production (tracks 1-6)
- Denny Purcell - mastering
- Glenn Rieuf - engineering
- Chip Young - engineering
Chart performance edit
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 14 |
References edit
- ^ Tucker, Ken (18 June 1987). "Summer Music". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D1.
- ^ Boehm, Mike (August 3, 1987). "Willie delivers it all in strong crowd-pleaser". The Providence Journal. p. A13.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2012). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 238. ISBN 978-0-89820-203-8.
- ^ Davis, Rick (September 11, 1987). "Music". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. C2.
- ^ Thomson, Graeme (31 July 2012). Willie Nelson: The Outlaw. Random House. ISBN 9781448133413.
- ^ a b Tucker, Ken (5 July 1987). "Willie Nelson Island in the Sea". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. I5.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 499.
- ^ Mackie, John (18 July 1987). "Willie Nelson: Island in the Sea". Vancouver Sun. p. D8.
- ^ Davis, Noel (September 4, 1987). "Willie Nelson Island in the Sea". Orange County Register. p. P40.
- ^ Oermann, Robert K. (December 11, 1987). "It's Star Time". USA Today.
- ^ Island in the Sea (CD insert). Willie Nelson. Columbia Records. 1987. 40487.
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