Wanted - The Outlaws (RCA, 1996)

Twenty years ago, RCA released this landmark record of The Outlaws, aka Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser and Jessi Colter, thus beginning the “Outlaw” movement in country music and sending notice that the Nashville Sound was about to change forever.

The Outlaw Movement introduced country to a new group of younger, more urban fans and helped to make household names of the quartet.

This 21-song CD contains all of the original classics: “A Good Hearted Woman,” “Suspicious Minds,” “Put Another Log on the Fire,” “I’m Looking for Blue Eyes” and “Yesterday’s Wine.” There are also nine previously unreleased cuts. As icing on the cake, Steve Earle’s “Nowhere Road,” recorded last year by Waylon and Willie, is included.

This album is a collector’s item for any country fan or any fan of Waylon or Willie. The main weakness was that it did not feature enough of Glaser’s music as only two of his songs are included. The CD also has a stiff production quality. Nonetheless, it represents a real milestone in the evolution of the country music art form and is still a lot of fun to listen to.