Nelson’s ‘lost’ years emerge in 3-disc set

Second Chance, a new bimonthly feature, highlights CD reissues with special attention to artists or albums deserving of greater attention than they received originally.

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If you think the re-release of Doors albums on CD is endless, try typing “Willie Nelson” into the search slot of a website retailer. I stopped counting when the collections reached 117.

So how does Rhino Records, the primary reissue arm of the Warner Music Group, possibly hope to tempt us with another Nelson package?

The answer is by focusing on Nelson’s “lost” years on Atlantic Records -- and supplementing the brilliant country singer-songwriter’s original Atlantic albums with all sorts of bonus features in a three-disc set.

Labels made millions in the ‘80s and ‘90s by getting baby boomers to buy their favorite old vinyl albums again in the new CD format. Now that almost every album of note has been reissued in CD, record execs are hoping the extra features prompt fans to buy some of those same albums a second -- or third or, in some cases, even a fourth -- time on CD. (Many of Elvis Costello’s albums have been reissued on CD several times, each successively with more bonus material.)

It’s working. According to Nielsen SoundScan, 62% of all albums sold last year were not those that topped the charts, but CDs originally released in 2004 or earlier.

Capitol Records’ re-release of Al Green’s “The Belle Album/ Expanded Edition” is another example of a new-and-improved CD edition. The Nelson and Green packages highlight this kickoff edition of Second Chance, a guide to the most rewarding offerings in the active world of CD reissues.

Willie Nelson

“Willie Nelson The Complete Atlantic Sessions” (Atlantic/Rhino)

The back story: Nelson had written lots of hits, including “Crazy” and “Funny How Time Slips Away,” when record exec Jerry Wexler asked him to join Atlantic’s new country division in the early ‘70s.

The Texan jumped at the chance because Wexler promised him total freedom in the studio, which Nelson hadn’t had previously at RCA Records.

The relationship started off well with “Shotgun Willie,” a 1973 album that previewed some of the harder-edged, maverick tendencies that Nelson and Waylon Jennings would later use to popularize country music’s celebrated “outlaw” movement.

The real breakthrough, however, was “Phases and Stages,” a 1974 concept album that looked at the breakup of a marriage from the viewpoints of the man and woman. Stylish and deeply moving, “Phases and Stages” is among the most finely crafted country albums ever.

Despite its excellence, “Phases” wasn’t a hit, and Nelson moved on to Columbia Records, where another concept album, “Red Headed Stranger,” made him a bestseller.

Special features: Atlantic re-released “Phases and Stages” in its original form in 1991. This time, the two discs devoted to “Shotgun Willie” and “Phases and Stages” contain more than an hour of outtakes and alternate tracks from the period.

Disc three is from a live 1974 concert that was intended to be Nelson’s third album with Atlantic. It contains the outlaw anthem that Nelson wrote with Jennings, “Good Hearted Woman.”

Further listening: Nelson’s early concept albums on Columbia -- “Red Headed Stranger” and the much underrated “Tougher Than Leather” -- are both available in CD packages from Columbia Legacy that feature one or more bonus tracks.

Al Green

“The Belle Album/Expanded Edition” (Capitol/Hi)

The back story: There are moments when I’d place Green above both Ray Charles and Sam Cooke as our greatest male soul singer, and his version of the title tune of this album is one of them.

Part of Green’s appeal is how he surprises us with sudden shifts in vocal phrasing and tone -- moving in a single song from bursts of falsetto to teasing growls to almost a whisper.

“The Belle Album” marked Green’s turn to gospel music in the 1977, and a lot was at stake for Green, who had broken with longtime producer Willie Mitchell and Mitchell’s band, to assert more control over his work.

The tension of that move adds to the power of the music. “It was the most important release of my life,” Green says in the liner notes. “I had to leave the sensual for the spiritual.”

The key line in the title song is directed at a woman, but he could also have been speaking to his old pop fans, explaining why he would sacrifice his massive commercial standing to sing about God: “Belle, the Lord and I have been friends for a mighty long time ... /Belle, it’s you that I want/ But it’s Him that I need.”

Whereas Green’s earlier pop albums regularly broke into the national Top 20, “Belle” failed to crack the Top 100. But it remains a stirring document of faith and commitment.

Special features: Capitol released “The Belle Album” in its original eight-song version in 1995. This expanded version contains three previously unreleased tracks, one of which (“Running Out of Time”) outshines several of the tunes on “Belle.”

Tom Paxton

“Live at McCabe’s”

Freedy Johnston

“Live at McCabe’s”

(both Shout! Factory)

The back story: Here’s something from the vaults that is available on CD for the first time, and it may be the start of a series of albums based on acoustic concerts at McCabe’s in Santa Monica.

Paxton was one of the most promising of the songwriters who came up through the ‘60s folk scene in New York -- not on a level with Bob Dylan, of course, but still impressive.

His far-reaching tunes ranged from the wanderlust “The Last Thing on My Mind” to the sharply satiric “Forest Lawn.” This recording of a 1991 concert reflects the intimacy that makes McCabe’s such a wonderful place to hear music.

The other McCabe’s collection features Freedy Johnston, a hauntingly original writer who was in peak form during this 1998 concert.

The material ranges from “Western Sky,” an exquisite love song from Johnston’s excellent 1997 album “Never Home,” to a tender rendition of Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman.” Again, the mood is relaxed -- as pure a celebration of music as you can find on disc.