| A Far Cry from Dead | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 1999 | |||
| Genre | Country, folk | |||
| Label | Arista Austin [1] | |||
| Producer | Eric Paul | |||
| Townes Van Zandt chronology | ||||
| ||||
A Far Cry from Dead is a posthumous album by Townes Van Zandt, released two years after the singer's 1997 death. [2] [3] It contains overdubbed instrumentation added to vocal and guitar recordings made by the late singer. It was Van Zandt's first album on a major label. [4]
The recordings were constructed from DAT tapes provided to producer Eric Paul by the singer's widow, Jeanene. [5] [6] Richard Bennett played guitar on the album; Kenny Malone and Charlie McCoy also contributed to it. [7] [8]
"Squash" and "Sanitarium Blues" had never before been released. [9]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| The Des Moines Register | [11] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [12] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A [13] |
| Los Angeles Times | [14] |
| NME |  [5] |
| Rolling Stone | [15] |
Entertainment Weekly deemed the album "the best introduction yet to this master craftsman's dour magic." [13] Texas Monthly thought that "the problem is that a producer and a bunch of studio musicians are filling the spaces in Van Zandt’s barren landscape with angel bells and precision acoustic guitars; the album feels like their creation, not his." [16] The Los Angeles Times noted that "the essential track ... features the subtlest musical additions—'Waitin' 'Round to Die', written back in 1968, was spooky enough when the singer was young ... Here it sounds like a voice from beyond the grave saying, 'I told you so.'" [14]
CMJ New Music Monthly acknowledged the "best intentions" behind the album, but called it "terribly uncharacteristic" of Van Zandt's work. [17] The Des Moines Register stated that Van Zandt's "vocal performances are poignant and often chilling." [11] Rolling Stone opined: "Occasionally, the producer's enthusiasm overpowers the beauty of Van Zandt's words; 'For the Sake of the Song' is better served by the plaintive reading of the 1969 original than by the booming version here." [15]
AllMusic wrote that "the blunt reality of the aborted relationships in 'Many a Fine Lady,' for example, and the exalted freedom of 'To Live's to Fly' do more to broadcast his mastery than the magazine covers he always seemed to be overlooked for." [10]
All songs written by Townes Van Zandt
Steven Van Zandt, also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He has appeared in several television drama series, including as Silvio Dante in The Sopranos (1999–2007) and as Frank Tagliano in Lilyhammer (2012–2014). Van Zandt has his own solo band called Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, intermittently active since the 1980s.
John Townes Van Zandt was an American singer-songwriter. He wrote numerous songs, such as "Pancho and Lefty", "For the Sake of the Song", "If I Needed You", "Snake Mountain Blues", "Our Mother the Mountain", "Waitin' Round to Die", and "To Live Is to Fly". His musical style has often been described as melancholic and features rich, poetic lyrics. During his early years, Van Zandt was respected for his guitar playing and fingerpicking ability.
Miles from Our Home is the seventh studio album by Canadian alt-country band Cowboy Junkies, which was released in 1998. It was their second and final album for Geffen Records. The title track was a significant hit in their native Canada. Following this album, the Junkies were dropped from the Geffen record label. The Junkies moved to an independent label, Latent Recordings, for their subsequent albums.
Michael David Fuller, better known by his stage name Blaze Foley, was an American country music singer-songwriter, poet, and artist active in Austin, Texas.
"Dead Flowers" is a song recorded by the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it appears on their 1971 album Sticky Fingers as the fourth track of side two.
Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas is a double live album by Texas singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. The recording captures Van Zandt in a series of July 1973 performances in an intimate venue Old Quarter. There is a strong critical consensus that this recording is among the most exemplary of Van Zandt's career.
The Late Great Townes Van Zandt is a 1972 studio album by American singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. It was the second album that he recorded in 1972, and a follow-up to High, Low and In Between.
For the Sake of the Song is the debut album by country singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt, released in 1968. The majority of the songs, including the title track, "Tecumseh Valley", "(Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria", "Waitin' Around to Die", and "Sad Cinderella", were re-recorded in more stripped-down versions for subsequent studio albums.
Our Mother the Mountain is the second album by country singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt, released in 1969. It is considered to be one of his greatest recordings and features some of his best known works, including "Be Here To Love Me", "Snake Mountain Blues" and "Our Mother The Mountain".
Townes Van Zandt is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt, released in September 1969 by Poppy Records. It includes re-recordings of four songs from his 1968 debut album, including the first song he ever wrote, "Waitin' Around to Die".
Delta Momma Blues is the fourth album by the country singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt, released in 1971. Unlike his previous albums, which were influenced by Appalachian folk and country music and recorded in Nashville, this album was blues influenced and recorded in New York City.
High, Low and In Between is an album by country singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt, released in 1971. The album was recorded in L.A. and showcases what Van Zandt himself considered to be one of his most well written songs: "To Live Is To Fly".
At My Window is an album released by folk/country singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt in 1987. This was Van Zandt's first studio album in the nine years that followed 1978's Flyin' Shoes, and his only studio album recorded in the 1980s.
No Deeper Blue is a 1994 studio album by American singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. This was Van Zandt's first studio album of original songs in seven years following At My Window and the last to be widely released before his death on New Year's Day 1997.
Roadsongs is a live album of cover songs released by folk/country singer–songwriter Townes Van Zandt in 1994.
Live and Obscure is a live album released by folk/country singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt in 1987. It was recorded at Twelfth and Porter in Nashville, Tennessee in April 1985.
Townes is the 13th studio album by American singer-songwriter Steve Earle, released in 2009. It is an album on which he pays tribute to his friend and mentor, the late singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt by covering his songs. According to a New West Records press release, "The songs selected for Townes were the ones that meant the most to Earle and the ones he personally connected to. Some of the selections chosen were songs that Earle has played his entire career and others he had to learn specifically for recording.
The Nashville Sessions is an album by American singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt, recorded in 1973 but not released until 1993. The tracks were originally recorded for what would have been Van Zandt's seventh album, but was not released until twenty years later due to a dispute between producer Jack Clement and Poppy Records founder Kevin Eggers.
Sunshine Boy: The Unheard Studio Sessions & Demos 1971–1972 is an album by Townes Van Zandt. It was released posthumously in 2013.
Sky Blue is a posthumous album by Texas singer and songwriter Townes Van Zandt, recorded in 1973 but not released until 2019. All tracks were recorded in early 1973 at the Atlanta, Georgia, home studio of Bill Hedgepeth, a journalist, musician, and longtime friend of Van Zandt. Its 2019 release was conceived by Townes' surviving family—his wife and literary executor Jeanene, along with his children, J.T., Will, and Katie Bell.