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Townes Van Zandt | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 1969 | |||
Recorded | July 1969 | |||
Studio | Bradley's Barn, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 33:59 | |||
Label | Poppy | |||
Producer |
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Townes Van Zandt chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
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".
Townes Van Zandt was recorded at Bradley's Barn in Nashville. The album consists of ten originals and showcases Van Zandt's poetic lyrics and trademark, uncluttered fingerpicking. It also includes new versions of four songs from his first album For the Sake of the Song , primarily because Van Zandt was unhappy with the lush production these compositions were treated with when they were originally recorded. The remakes include "Waiting Around to Die", "I'll Be Here in the Morning" (originally appearing as "I'll Be There in the Morning"), "For the Sake of the Song" and "(Quicksilver Day Dreams of) Maria". In the songbook For the Sake of the Song published in 1977, Van Zandt claimed "For the Sake of the Song" was inspired by "the darkness of disease and the fire of frustration." In his 2007 book To Live's To Fly: The Ballad of the Late, Great Townes Van Zandt, John Kruth writes that "(Quicksilver Day Dreams of) Maria" is a "majestic waltz that reveals Van Zandt's ultimate vision of feminine perfection" while "Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel" "relates a tale of bitter disappointment in intricate wordplay and metaphor, with a twist of spite that sounds inspired by Dylan." Kruth also speculates that "Don't You Take It Too Bad" could have been a hit on the soul charts if Ray Charles had gotten hold of it. AllMusic gives the album 4 out of 5 stars with William Ruhlmann stating, "As usual, his closely observed lyrics touched on desperate themes, notably in the mining ballad 'Lungs', but they were still highly poetic, especially the album-closing 'None But The Rain,' which reflected on a failed relationship." Regarding the use of drums on "Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel", the liner notes to the Charly Records reissue of the album observe that it "is one of only a handful of occasions in Van Zandt’s entire recorded catalogue where their sound fits comfortably within the context of the recording and also his composition."
Mark Lager, on the album's 50th anniversary in 2019, wrote that Our Mother the Mountain and Townes Van Zandt's self-titled album are "the strongest of his entire career since they contained compositions written solely by Van Zandt himself, whereas his later albums would frequently feature multiple covers of older blues and country singers. “Waiting Around to Die” is a catalog of interstate pain from the cradle to the grave: family violence in Tennessee, heartbreak in Alabama, jail in Oklahoma, and alcoholism and drug addiction. “Lungs” is a bleak, stark and tough tale about the lives of miners. “Quicksilver Daydreams of Maria” is one of the most achingly beautiful love songs ever written, a portrait of the singer’s muse that moves the listener to tears with the band’s mournful and romantic Spanish guitar and violin and some of Townes Van Zandt’s most deeply moving and powerful lyrics." [2]
The cover photograph was taken by Sol Mednick in the kitchen of Poppy Records artwork designer Milton Glaser and features Van Zandt sitting at a table with his eyes closed. Comparing the album cover to the one that adorned Van Zandt's previous album, Our Mother the Mountain, biographer John Kruth observes, "Where his black eyes once glared so hard you might've wondered if he shattered the photographer's lens, Van Zandt now appears withdrawn...Here he sits resigned, head in hand, in a perfectly painted kitchen where everything is neatly arranged, as in a doll's house." Some fans refer to Townes Van Zandt as The Kitchen Album.
Many of the compositions on Townes Van Zandt have been covered by other artists. Some notable examples include "For the Sake of the Song", which was recorded by Azure Ray on their EP November and William Boyd Chisum on his 2006 album Chasing The Wind. "Columbine" appeared on the 2000 album The Girl I Left Behind by Joyce Andersen. "Lungs" appeared on the 1995 live album Nights Between Stations by Chris & Carla and on the 2005 release Cask Strength Black Metal by black metal band Dead Raven Choir. Van Zandt's close friend and fellow troubadour Guy Clark covered "Don't You Take It Too Bad" on his 1979 On The Road Live album and again on his 1995 LP Craftsman. Van Zandt disciple Steve Earle recorded four songs from the album for his tribute Townes in 2009. Gustav Haggren covered "Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel" on the 2009 album Introducing Townes Van Zandt Via the Great Unknown. "Waiting Around to Die" is one of the singer's most covered compositions, having been recorded by The Be Good Tanyas (whose version appears in the episode "Bit by a Dead Bee" in the second season of the hit TV series Breaking Bad), Matt Cutillo, the Dead Raven Choir, Biana De Leon, Foreign Born, Frenchy Burrito, Pat Haney, Rhonda Harris and Helldorado. A duet of "Waiting Around to Die" featuring Van Zandt and Calvin Russell can be heard on The Best of Townes Van Zandt.
All tracks written by Townes Van Zandt
The track listing of Townes Van Zandt is as follows: [1]
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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.
Guy Charles Clark was an American folk and country singer-songwriter and luthier. He released more than 20 albums, and his songs have been recorded by other artists, including Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffett, Kathy Mattea, Lyle Lovett, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Nanci Griffith and Chris Stapleton. He won the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Folk Album: My Favorite Picture of You.
"Pancho and Lefty", originally "Poncho and Lefty", is a song written by American country music singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. Perhaps his most well-known song, Van Zandt recorded his original version of this song for his 1972 album The Late Great Townes Van Zandt. The song has been recorded by several artists since its composition and performance by Van Zandt, with the Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard version selling the most copies and reaching number one on the Billboard country chart. In 2021, the Townes Van Zandt version was ranked number 498 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
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".
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".
Flyin' Shoes is an album by the American musician Townes Van Zandt, released in 1978. It was his first album of original material in five years and was produced by Chips Moman.
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.
"The Ballad of Ira Hayes" is a song written by folk singer Peter La Farge. Its words tell the story of Ira Hayes, one of the six marines who became famous for having raised the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
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 Promised Land" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen from his 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town. It was released as a single in Europe, backed by another song from Darkness on the Edge of Town, "Streets of Fire", the third single from the album after "Badlands" and "Prove It All Night". "The Promised Land" was also included on the compilation album The Essential Bruce Springsteen. The song has been a staple of Springsteen's live shows since 1978, and has been included on several concert albums and videos. The live album Live/1975–85 includes a 1985 performance of "The Promised Land" from a concert in Los Angeles, California. A performance of the song from a 2003 concert in Barcelona is included on the Live in Barcelona video. A June 28, 2009 live performance in London from the Working on a Dream Tour was included on the London Calling: Live in Hyde Park DVD. The box set The Promise contains video of three live performances of "The Promised Land", a 2009 performance from the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park, New Jersey, without an audience, a 1978 performance from a concert in Phoenix, Arizona, and another 1978 performance from a concert in Houston, Texas. Darren Hanlon covered "The Promised Land" on Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool. Eddie Vedder has also covered this song live.
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.
A Far Cry from Dead is a posthumous album by Townes Van Zandt, released two years after the singer's 1997 death. 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.