Red Headed Stranger
by Willie Nelson
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Condition: Used
Willie Nelson bestography
Red Headed Stranger is ranked as the best album by Willie Nelson.
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
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Red Headed Stranger track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 77 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Red Headed Stranger rankings
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Norman BatesRed Headed Stranger collection
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Red Headed Stranger ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 229 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 05/12/2026 20:38 | traistboar | 1,712 | 79/100 |
| ! | 02/22/2026 22:50 | AledJames | 1,595 | 69/100 |
| ! | 12/28/2025 05:35 | Exist-en-ciel | 12,627 | 70/100 |
| ! | 10/31/2025 04:21 | stangetzaway | 2,289 | 84/100 |
| ! | 10/07/2025 02:07 | JacobMullis | 757 | 88/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album is rated in the top 2% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 78.5/100, a mean average of 77.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 78.8/100. The standard deviation for this album is 16.5.
Red Headed Stranger favourites
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Red Headed Stranger comments
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Nelson uses the album to tell a story of an outlaw on the run after committing a crime of passion. The ultimate country concept album.
I much prefer his previous record Phases and Stages. That one included so many of his standards he would be remembered for, but this one is not bad at all.
Nelson doesn't write as much as much on this one, but he clearly has a knack for taking folk/country standards and putting his own twist on them. The production is so sparse that it must have sounded like demos at the very time, very unusual for a major release on Columbia.
A Side: Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain
B Side: Can I Sleep In Your Arms
Willie Nelson is maybe the most important American artist of the last century. It's a shame he doesn't rank higher on the site. It's probably because it's more his overall corpus which so impresses rather than single albums. But this is one of the best, so we should get behind it!
never forced sublime majesty flows throughout genres and regions with heartfelt genius C+W in all its majesty
VictorVale 07/18/2021 21:56 | #271709
Belíssimo e nada afetado!
Just in one word: beautiful!
A great concept album. Nelson's brilliant idea of arranging cover songs that suit his story still seems so original. Few of the songs are actually written by Nelson, and those that are mostly serve as quick vignettes that set the stage for the next chapter. I expect this album to grow on me.
planetneutral 12/13/2020 22:38 | #262658
Willie's always going to get a bit of a nostalgia bump from me, and this album has some interesting conceits, but it's ultimately not the most memorable collection of songs.
teague 09/07/2020 17:21 | #257865
Everything about this album is beautiful, even down to the way it's structured. Brief country vignettes that weave together to make a narrative. It also helps that the music is absolutely fantastic as well.
Favorite Tracks:I Couldn't Believe It Was True, Blue Rock Montana/Red Headed Stranger, Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain, Remember Me, Bandera
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