Like a lot of country artists, Willie Nelson has made so many albums we doubt even he can remember them all anymore (though in his case, there could be other reasons for that memory loss). But like a lot of country artists, Willie's daunting catalogue can be whittled down to a handful of indisputably essential releases.

Nelson's short list has to include 1973's Shotgun Willie and its 1974 followup Phases and Stages -- both of which form the backbone of Rhino's superb three-disc box The Complete Atlantic Sessions. In fact, those two discs are the only albums Nelson released on the label. But their effect on both his career and country music is incalculable.

The semi-autobiographical Shotgun Willie, his first recordings after fleeing the stifling confines of Nashville for the hippiefied freedom of Austin, is arguably Ground Zero for the outlaw country movement.

Dispensing with the hired-gun session cats in favour of his longtime band, Nelson infuses his country with touches of jazz, rock, blues, swing and pretty much anything else he feels like. What results are classic cuts -- Whiskey River, A Song for You, Stay All Night (Stay a Little Longer) and others -- that introduced him to the masses and became mainstays of his live show to this day.

Plus the album has one of the best opening lines in music: "Shotgun Willie sits around in his underwear / Biting on a bullet and pulling out all of his hair."

Pretty hard to top. But Phases and Stages gives it a run for the money. This concept disc narrates the death of a marriage from both sides -- the first half of the set is voiced by the wife, the second half by the husband.

Cut with the Muscle Shoals band, it's naturally a more soulful and melancholy affair, as reflected in numbers like Walkin', Pretend I Never Happened and I Still Can't Believe You're Gone. But its ambitious approach, along with standouts like Sister's Coming Home and Bloody Mary Morning, mark it as one of Nelson's more memorable and inspired creations.

Having both these discs remastered would be a fine thing by itself. But here, it's only the start. The Complete Atlantic Sessions also includes nearly two dozen bonus studio tracks, most previously unreleased. Shotgun Willie is expanded with interesting alternate takes, along with first-rate leftovers like Leon Russell's My Cricket and Me and the instrumental Under the Double Eagle. Phases and Stages comes with alternate takes of nearly the entire album, played by Willie's criminally underrated combo.

To hear them at their best, though, turn to the third disc. It resurrects the rare Live at the Texas Opry House, a raucous 1974 concert recording of Nelson and co. in full flight in Austin, barrelling through a set that includes Whiskey River, Goodhearted Woman, Truck Drivin' Man and a medley of early compositions like Crazy and Night Life.

Unbelievably, this disc was shelved for decades, and only became available in the mid-'90s as part of a box. Of course, in keeping with this set, it's updated here with four extra live cuts and a hazy 13-minute studio jam called Willie After Hours. Put it all together, toss in a 44-page booklet with informative liner notes and detailed recording info, house it all in a faux-wood box with a Willie badge on the front and a magnetic clasp, and you've got a must-have collectible for country newbies and Nelson fanatics alike.

Heck, Willie himself might want to score a copy to refresh his memory.

Track Listing:

Disc 1:
1. Shotgun Willie
2. Whiskey River
3. Sad Songs And Waltzes
4. Local Memory
5. Slow Down Old World
6. Stay All Night (Stay A Little Longer)
7. Devil In A Sleeping Bag
8. She's Not For You
9. Bubbles In My Beer
10. You Look Like The Devil
11. So Much To Do
12. A Song For You
13. I Gotta Have Something I Ain't Got (Outtake) [Bonus Track]
14. I'm So Ashamed (Outtake) [Bonus Track]
15. My Cricket & Me (Solo Outtake) [Bonus Track]
16. Both Ends Of The Candle (Outtake) [Bonus Track]
17. Slowdown Old World (Alternate Version) [Bonus Track]
18. Under The Double Eagle (Outtake) [Bonus Track]
19. So Much To Do (Alternate Version) [Bonus Track]
20. My Cricket & Me (Band Outtake) [Bonus Track]
21. Save Your Tears (Outtake) [Bonus Track]
22. A Song For You (Alternate Version) [Bonus Track]
23. Whiskey River (Alternate Version) [Bonus Track]
24. I Drank All Of Our Precious Love Away (Outtake) [Bonus Track]

Disc 2:
1. Phases And Stages (Theme) Washing The Dishes
2. Phases And Stages (Theme) Walkin'
3. Pretend I Never Happened
4. Sister's Coming Home Down At The Corner Beer Joint
5. (How Will I Know) I'm Falling In Love Again
6. Bloody Mary Morning
7. Phases And Stages (Theme) No Love Around
8. I Still Can't Believe You're Gone
9. It's Not Supposed To Be That Way
10. Heaven And Hell
11. Phases And Stages (Theme) Pick Up The Tempo-Phases And Stages (Theme)
12. Phases And Stages (Theme) (Alternate Version) Washing The Dishes (Alternate Version)
13. Sister's Coming Home (Alternate Version) Down At The Corner Beer Joint (Alternate Version)
14. Phases And Stages (Theme) (Alternate Version)
15. (How Will I Know) I'm Falling In Love Again (Alternate Version)
16. Bloody Mary Morning (Alternate Version)
17. No Love Around (Alternate Version)
18. I Still Can't Believe You're Gone (Alternate Version)
19. It's Not Supposed To Be That Way (Alternate Version)
20. Heaven And Hell (Alternate Version/Duet Vocal)
21. Phases And Stages (Theme) Pick Up The Tempo
22. Phases And Stages (Theme) (Alternate Version)

Disc 3:
1. Whiskey River
2. Me And Paul
3. Medley: Funny How Time Slips Away, Crazy, Night Life
4. Stay All Night (Stay A Little Longer) [Disc 3]
5. Bloody Mary Morning/Take Me Back To Tulsa
6. The Party's Over
7. Truck Drivin' Man
8. She Thinks I Still Care
9. Good Hearted Woman
10. Sister's Comin' Home
11. Shotgun Willie
12. You Look Like The Devil
13. Bloody Mary Morning (Electric Guitar Version)
14. Medley: Funny How Time Slips Away, Crazy, Night Life
15. Willie's After Hours (Studio Track)