As the record ambles toward its inevitable end, the music naturally disintegrates. Ersatz percussion sounds clatter to a stop. A man clears his throat. A cowbell rings. A few last guitar strums. A southern-accented voice says "that's it." The needle hits the runout groove and it's all over.

"That's it" indeed. Fifty years on, it's a slightly chilling ending; one reminiscent of the closing of Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, in which you can hear Jeff Mangum set down his guitar and walk away.

But I guess that's just about where those comparisons end. Where Mangum retreated and withdrew, Willis was still out there playing to audiences, building studio after studio for his long-awaited second album, and living off of the royalties of cover versions of his songs. For a hot minute, he was a king of Texas music (at least within Texas).

That he recorded this album at the ripe old age of 20 belies the mature but good-natured feel of the writing and the music. Thanks to a combination of skill, craft, and fortunate timing, Leon Russell set Ramsey up to have free access of his home studio while he was out touring. (The finished product would be recorded at multiple studios in California and Tennessee.) By all accounts, Ramsey enjoyed the recording process, and listening to the album seems to bear this out. The performances are inspired but natural.

Willis Alan Ramsey was still a kid, but his songs would've never given that away. Literate and natural, wise beyond his years, with an easygoing charm. He is surrounded by top-notch musicians who are sympathetic to the songs, providing beautiful and suitable arrangements that respect the function of the lyrics. There isn't a note on this album that feels forced. And the passing of time has treated this album kindly. It still sounds fresh and engaging.

And honestly, to bring it back to In the Aeroplane Over the Sea…. *how* could you follow it up? When you release a record that sets that high a bar early in your career, that follow-up album will be scrutinized to death. Expectations are high; all eyes are on you.

For the half-century since his sole album, Willis Ramsey has been traveling around, playing and studying music, and being venerated by others as a songwriter's songwriter. He's also been dangling that carrot of a second album that has seen delay after delay, circumstance after circumstance. But hey, there's no rush. Not really. There's nothing wrong with the first album, after all.

Further reading - https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2018/04/09/598843883/the-follow-up