Teatro is the 45th studio album by Willie Nelson, released in September 1998 via Island Records. Filmmaker Wim Wenders produced a documentary feature-length film of the recording sessions and live performances.

Background

The recording sessions for the album were held in the old movie theater named Teatro in Oxnard, California and were produced by Daniel Lanois. The album features backing vocals by Emmylou Harris, as well as backing by regular Nelson harmonicist Mickey Raphael and Nelson's sister, Bobbie Nelson, on piano. The majority of the songs are composed by Nelson, and most are re-recordings of songs he wrote and first recorded in the 1960s: "Darkness on the Face of the Earth" (1961), "My Own Peculiar Way" (1964), "Home Motel" (1962), "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye" (1968), "I've Just Destroyed the World (1962) and "Three Days" (1962). Lanois contributes one of his songs, "The Maker" (originally released on his album Acadie), and plays electric guitar and bass, and also took the photograph for the album cover. Mark Howard recorded and mixed the record. Teatro is noted for its spare, yet drum-heavy and atmospheric sound, credited to Lanois, who had also produced Harris's alternative country album, Wrecking Ball. Teatro was reissued in 2017 by Light in the Attic Records with seven bonus tracks and the DVD of the documentary by Wim Wenders.

Track listing

All songs written by Willie Nelson, except where noted.

Personnel

Chart performance