Pop Rick Nelson or country Rick Nelson

and this. This video has a great James Burton solo. Though James does not appear in the video.

 

I like this one!

 

I love Rick's 50s stuff. I hesitate to describe it as 'pop'. It's simply has a sort of authority and authenticity...stemming naturally from the excellent song selection and backing--but very much too from his marvelous unaffected vocals. A friend produced some of his work, and I opined that I thought for a stretch of years Rick was better than Elvis. He didn't disagree with me.

A very underrated singer. And from what I heard a really nice guy, too.

 

His 50's and early 60's stuff with James Burton was the greatest, but he was really good with the later country stuff too. Man, I would have liked to have seen him at the Troubadour though. The Rick Nelson In Concert album is just a wonderful album all the way through. One of the best versions of I Shall Be Released I have ever heard.

 

That Decca contract must have been a doozy. After 1963, pretty much 10 years went by and he had like 1 and a half hits out of more than 25 singles.

 

Rick doing a psychedelic tune (with sitar and everything) like this is so weird!

 

Agreed!
I don't think that his version is very well known. It is one of those rare songs that I cannot listen to just once: I need to play it multiple times before I can go on to the next song.

 

I was just listening to a cd The Best of the Later Years 1963-65 and the first 6 tracks sounded like they could all be from the same session, very similar. But I remember them as hits that caught my ear back then.

However, next time I should play it on shuffle.

 

It's all good. He always had country/rockabilly roots, even in the '50s. His more overtly country and folk flavored music of the early '70s was basically an evolution of those roots. Rather than milk the nostalgia circuit, he chose to reinvent himself. He made some excellent albums with the Stone Canyon Band before he had that comeback hit with "Garden Party" which stated his position on artistic integrity quite clearly. "If memories were all I sang, I'd rather drive a truck." He had some lean years commercially but he never became what Paul Simon would call "a cartoon in a cartoon graveyard."

 

Darryl

 

I like Rick Nelson both ways. He made superb records both ways, and his Country sides, were pioneering Country/Rock.

 

The 50's music

 

Sometimes I prefer Ricky Nelson, other times I prefer Rick Nelson

 

I like a lot more of his earlier music, although there's certainly some gems scattered throughout his career.

 

It's hard to believe that the studio version of such a great song didn't make it onto an album until decades later.
Brumley and Meisner (bass and vocals) sound especially good.

 

it's ricky / rick that's all i need to know

 

Actually I like both periods. I have all the Bear Family box sets and I think he was a bit underrated.

 

'50s rockabilly/rock-n-roll Ricky backed by James Burton of course.

 

I am in synch with this sentiment as well. Of course I absolutely dig Garden Party, but my favorite are those late 50's sides with James Burton playing lead guitar. I got to see him perform in the 1970's at the Orange County Fair in Southern California and I do recall the crowd being a little miffed that he did not do more of his older stuff, but nonetheless he put on a very fine show.

 

I'd say early Ricky or Pop Ricky=Full-Nelson
Later Rick=Half-Nelson

I wrestle with this all the time.

 

A little dis, a little dat.

 

I like everything I've heard from both eras. He's a relatively recent discovery of mine.

 

Rick Nelson on December 30, 1985

 

Rick Nelson-Four You 10" EP
Check this one out from 1981, a really fine release. More the Rockabilly side of things, including a cool take on, That's Alright. One every RN fan needs. The vinyl also sounds incredible, in your room type stuff.

 

"Garden Party" is certainly one of his later gems. I also really like his cover of "She Belongs to Me". Once in a while, I enjoy his cover of "Mystery Train". However , his late '50/early '60s work have so many classics that to me there's no comparison overall. I think it's fantastic that you saw him in person!