By 1978
Waylon Jennings had been through the wringer with his position as one of the most visible "outlaw" country stars: he'd been busted for drugs and was addicted to both cocaine and alcohol and was tired of the hype surrounding Nashville's co-opting what he,
Willie Nelson, and a handful of others started in the name of greater artistic control.
I've Always Been Crazy is his first "political" statement about his feelings. And while it may not be as great an album as
Ol' Waylon or
Dreaming My Dreams, it's still a fine one. With a cast of players that includes the great
Tony Joe White,
Ralph Mooney,
Carter Robertson,
Reggie Young, and
Bee Spears, the band assembled here smokes. In addition to the title track, this set also features the classic "Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Outta Hand." But even though these two cuts would have been worth the purchase of the album, the rest is nothing to dismiss. There are fine covers of a medley of
Buddy Holly hits, a poignant, barely disguised ode to old friend and rambling mate
Billy Joe Shaver, the glorious "A Long Time Ago," and the outlaw shuffle "As the 'Billy World Turns." There are also fine, heartfelt covers of
Merle Haggard's "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down" and
Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line." The set closes with a pair of ballads, which is uncharacteristic of
Jennings during this period; there's "Girl I Can Tell (You're Trying to Work It Out)," with its folk song melody and country music bridge. And finally, the four-and-a-half-minute "Whistlers and Jugglers," a broken love song by
Shel Silverstein that talks of surrender and loss so poignant and sharp, it numbers among
Jennings' finer performances of the late '70s. In all,
I've Always Been Crazy is a solid recording, still possessing the piss and vinegar of
Jennings' best work with a deeper lyrical edge on most tracks. In fact, despite its obvious origins, the
Holly medley is the only thing that keeps the album from being as stellar as the aforementioned ones. Nonetheless, this is necessary for any fan of outlaw country in general and
Jennings in particular. As a perverse side note, it inexplicably took BMG until 2004 to issue this record on CD. ~ Thom Jurek