| Phases and Stages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1973 | |||
| Studio | Muscle Shoals (Sheffield, Alabama) | |||
| Genre | Country, Outlaw Country | |||
| Length | 34:12 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Jerry Wexler | |||
| Willie Nelson chronology | ||||
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Phases and Stages is the 17th studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, released in March 1974. It followed the moderate success of his first Atlantic Records release, Shotgun Willie. Nelson met producer Jerry Wexler at a party where Nelson sang songs from an album he planned to record. The single "Phases and Stages" was originally recorded the same year. Nelson recorded the album at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in two days and Wexler produced it.
The album narrates the story of a divorce. Side one tells the woman's story and side two the man's. The album peaked at number 34 on Billboard's Top Country Albums and the single "Bloody Mary Morning" reached number 17 on Billboard's Country singles. Despite the chart positions attained by the album, and its singles, Atlantic Records closed their Country music division in September 1974.