Time To Get Manly 2: Willie Nelson - Phases And Stages

I randomly ran across a list of what Esquire magazine claims are "The 75 Albums Every Man Should Own." In this series of posts, I'll explore these manly, manly sounds.

Willie Nelson - Phases And Stages.

What's more manly than a divorce record... right? Phases And Stages tells the story of a divorce from both sides of the relationship. It came out in 1974, so it's smack dab in the middle of my favorite period for classic country, and I love sad bastard music, so it's no surprise I immediately liked this. The record is solid and heartbreaking and, like Marvin Gay's Here My Dear and Richard & Linda Thompson's Shoot Out the Lights, probably not something a dude should put on the record player if he's trying to get lucky.