Are You Ready For The Country
If the heavy-hitters of outlaw country were acting like rock stars during their mid-'70s peak, then perhaps it was inevitable that the outlaws would start singing rock songs -- which is precisely what Waylon Jennings did on 1976's Are You Ready for the Country Although the title is taken from Neil Young s song -- which provides an absolutely storming opener for this ten-song record -- there is a bit of a jibe to its sentiment as well, since Waylon not only sings Young but also the Marshall Tucker Band and Dr. Hook along with reviving Jimmy Webb s "MacArthur Park." That selection of material indicates not just the increasing rock isms of Waylon and the outlaws, it also indicates that Jennings focus was beginning to blur slightly as he lost the sense of purpose that propelled his records of the first half the '70s, from The Taker/Tulsa to Dreaming My Dreams Here, the music hasn't really changed, but the flow is no longer seamless and the shifting tones can be a little jarring. Also, Jennings songwriting starts to slip a little bit here; none of his originals are bad, and "I'll Go Back to Her" is quite good, but they're all decidedly second tier. All things considered, though, most of the individual moments hold up quite well, with "Are You Ready for the Country" and a wonderful, surging take on Marshall Tucker s "Can't You See" ranking among Waylon s best music of the era. There are other very good moments, such as the cracking "Jack a Diamonds," and the entire record is entertaining, but more for a collection of moments than a cohesive whole. That's the first time since the late '60s that one of Jennings albums felt like less than the sum of its parts, and if it didn't necessarily mark the end of the era, it did mark the point when he started to ease back from his startling peak of creativity. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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Credits »
Waylon Jennings - Arranger
Waylon Jennings - Producer
Waylon Jennings - Main Performer
Graham Nash - Guest Appearance
John Hudson - Product Manager
Ken Mansfield - Arranger
Ken Mansfield - Producer
John Sands - Assistant Engineer
Vic Anesini - Mastering
Ron Jaramillo - Design
Ron Jaramillo - Reissue Art Director
Chuck White - Photography
David Hogan - Art Direction
Rich Kienzle - Liner Notes
Linda Tyler - Assistant Engineer
Barney Robertson - String Arrangements
Mike Reese - Mastering
Barry Rudolph - Engineer
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