Bucking the rhinestone-studded trends of mid-‘70s Nashville, Nelson’s sparsely arranged conceptual masterpiece—the tale of preacher on the run for murdering his adulterous wife and her lover—was a multi-platinum blockbuster that cemented his status as an outlaw icon. Accompanied by little more than guitar, harmonica, and saloon piano, Nelson’s reedy, remorseful howl gives fiery intensity to the mysterious, murderous stranger “with eyes like thunder." Recurrent motifs hold the loose narrative together, while the hypnotic ballads stand alone among Nelson’s most enduring songs (“Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” “Red Headed Stranger,” and “Can I Sleep In Your Arms”).