Teatro (Willie Nelson album)

Teatro
Studio album by Willie Nelson
Released	September 1, 1998
Genre	Alternative country, country music
Length	50:30
Label	Island
Producer	Daniel Lanois
Willie Nelson chronology
How Great Thou Art (1996) Teatro (1998) Night and Day (1999)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	(B+)[2]
Rolling Stone	[3]
The Guardian	[4]

Teatro is a studio album by Willie Nelson, released in September 1998 via Island Records.

Background

The recording sessions for the album were held in an old movie theater in Oxnard, California and were produced by Daniel Lanois. The album features backing vocals by Emmylou Harris, as well as backing by regular Nelson harmonicist Mickey Raphael and Nelson's sister, Bobbie Nelson, on piano. The majority of the songs are composed by Nelson, and most are re-recordings of some songs he wrote and first recorded in the 1960s: "Darkness on the Face of the Earth" (1961), "My Own Peculiar Way" (1964), "Home Motel" (1962), "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye" (1968), "I've Just Destroyed the World (1962) and "Three Days" (1962).

Lanois contributes one of his songs, "The Maker" (originally released on his album Acadie), and plays electric guitar and bass, and also took the photograph for the album cover. Mark Howard recorded and mixed the record. Jeffrey Green contributed the drums and omnichord tracks for "The Maker". Jeffrey Green was not featured in the music video for the song, although his character was portrayed roughly by a man dressed like him. Willie Nelson never publicly accredited Jeffrey Green for his contributions to the song.

Teatro is noted for its spare, yet drum-heavy and atmospheric sound, credited to Lanois, who'd also produced Harris' breakthrough alternative country album, Wrecking Ball.

Track listing

All songs written by Willie Nelson, except where noted.

1. "Ou Es-Tu, Mon Amour? (Where Are You, My Love?)" (Emile Stehn/Henri LeMarchand) – 2:43
2. "I Never Cared for You" – 2:18
3. "Everywhere I Go" – 3:50
4. "Darkness on the Face of the Earth" – 2:33
5. "My Own Peculiar Way" – 3:37
6. "These Lonely Nights" (Chester Odom) – 3:29
7. "Home Motel" – 3:15
8. "The Maker" (Daniel Lanois) – 5:08
9. "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye" – 4:38
10. "I've Just Destroyed the World (I'm Living In)" (Nelson/Ray Price) – 2:52
11. "Somebody Pick Up My Pieces" – 4:39
12. "Three Days" – 3:07
13. "I've Loved You All Over the World" – 4:18
14. "Annie" – 3:51

Personnel

• Willie Nelson – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Emmylou Harris – background vocals on all tracks except 1, 6, 7 & 14
• Daniel Lanois – producer, gibson les paul, bass guitar
• Tony Mangurian – drums, percussion
• Victor Indrizzo – drums, percussion
• Bobbie Nelson – wurlitzer electric piano, organ
• Brian Griffiths – guitars, slide guitar, mandolin
• Mickey Raphael – harmonica, bass harmonica
• Brad Mehldau – vibraphone, piano
• Malcolm Burn – organ
• Jeffrey Green – drums, omnichord, keyboard
• Cyril Neville – congas

Chart performance

Chart (1998)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums	17
U.S. Billboard 200	104
Canadian RPM Country Albums	15

See also

• The Monsanto Years – a 2015 Neil Young album featuring Nelson's sons and also recorded at the Teatro theater

References

1. Jurek, Thom. "Review: Teatro - Willie Nelson". Allmusic. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
2. Scherman, Tony (31 August 1998). "Teatro (1998)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
3. Sheffield, Rob (August 25, 1998). "Review: Willie Nelson - Teatro". Jann Wenner. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
4. Sullivan, Caroline. "Review: Willie Nelson - Teatro (Island)". Friday Review (September 11, 1998): 26.