Browse by Artist: VAN ZANDT, TOWNES

Artist:	VAN ZANDT, TOWNES
Title:	Abnormal
Label:	NORMAL (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	NOR 216CD

1996 release. "The country and folk-blues singer and guitarist Townes Van Zandt was a native Texan and great grandson of one of the original settlers who founded Fort Worth in the mid-19th century. The son of a prominent oil family, Townes turned his back on financial security to pursue the beatnik life in Houston. First thumbing his way through cover versions, his acoustic sets later graced the Jester Lounge and other venues where his 'bawdy barroom ballads' were first performed. Although little known outside of a cult country rock following, many of his songs are better publicized by covers afford them by Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Don Gibson and Willie Nelson. This gave songs such as 'Pancho & Lefty' and 'If I Needed You' the chance to rise to the top of the country charts. Much of Van Zandt`s material was not released in Europe until the late 70s, though his recording career actually began with For The Sake Of the Song, released in the US in 1968. His media awareness belies the debt of many artists, including the Cowboy Junkies and Go Betweens, profess to owing him. Steve Earle went further: 'Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world, and I`ll stand on Bob Dylan`s table in my cowboy boots and say that.' In the 1980s Van Zandt continued to live a reclusive life in a cabin in Colorado recording occasionally purely for chance to 'get the songs down for posterity'. Since the late 80s more and more people got interested in his music. Although he has supported himself for years playing solo dates with his guitar, bookings were stronger than ever. Townes toured regularly with more and more success through Europe. And he still had a lot of plans. He compiled two records for release in 1997 (Highway Kind & Documentary) and started recording an album together with Sonic Youth. But death put an end to all these plans. Townes van Zandt died on New Years Day 1997, the anniversary of the death of Hank Williams. Abnormal was recorded on several locations during Townes Van Zandt's 1995 European Tour. Beside 'Flyin` Shoes', 'Waitin` Round To Die', 'Kathleen' and a collection of either equally memorable songs, Abnormal also includes new studio versions of 'Coo-Coo' and 'Dollar Bill Blues' and the never before released 'Shrimp Song'."

Artist:	VAN ZANDT, TOWNES
Title:	Absolutely Nothing
Label:	NORMAL (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	NOR 235CD

New 2002 release, issued for the first time worldwide on Normal. "During his lifetime only a few critics, colleagues and loyal fans knew that Townes Van Zandt was one of the finest American songwriters of all time. Five years after his death on New Years Day 1997 the 'Van Gogh of lyrics' (Billboard magazine) finally arrived in the awareness of a wide public. His complete musical work is available. All the ups und downs of his career from the 1968 debut For A Sake Of the Song to the last concerts in the mid-90's are documented. However, there are still last words of the Texas troubadour to discover like Absolutely Nothing, a compilation of unreleased studio- and live-recordings. For a long time Townes van Zandt performed the Pogues' gem 'Dirty Old Town' only on stage. In September 1996 Townes and his fellows Royann and Jim Calvin recorded, the folk classic at Flashpoint Studio in Austin, Texas. 'Recorded only on one track, the minimalist poem with mandolin und violin is nearly as touching as the unforgettable 'Kathleen'. The poet of the hopeless at the end of his life: disoriented and helpless he sings these covers as if they were his own songs.' All other five studio recordings on Absolutely Nothing are as beautiful and sad as 'Dirty Old Town', which is now for the first time available on CD. These songs reveal an introvert artist, suffering, exhausted and tired but not broken. He just could not stop writing and playing. The other 12 songs on Absolutely Nothing were recorded live in 1994 at club: 'McGrory's', location: 'Culdaff Inishowen, county Donegal, Ireland'. The concert shows Townes van Zandt at his personal best. He played his classics 'Flying Shoes', 'Marie', 'Kathleen' und the less known songs 'No Place To Fall' and 'Snowing On Raton' in an unbelievably relaxed way. At the end of the album we are witness of a good-humoured Townes van Zandt telling the 'Penguin Joke' and 'The Three Shots Of Gin Joke."

Artist:	VAN ZANDT, TOWNES
Title:	Live at the Jester Lounge - Houston, Texas 1966
Label:	NORMAL (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	NOR 260CD

"This album, which may be the earliest extant recording of Townes Van Zandt at a commercial performing venue, immediately brings to mind the fabled Sun Sessions of Elvis Presley. Both recordings document young performers at the hopeful threshold of their professional music careers (Elvis age 19, Townes age 22). Their performances are fresh and unjaded, guided by instinct rather than experience or training. . . voices bursting with exhilaration at the simple thrill of letting loose and singing music they love. There is no self-consciousness, no overt stylization, no world-weariness here, and certainly no hint of the darkness and tragedy that would later consume the lives of both men. The Sun Sessions and Live at the Jester Lounge offer a fascinating portrait of two young singers on the brink of musical self-discovery, and it is a pleasure to share in the brilliance and wonder of those moments captured for posterity more by accident than design. The material on this CD is a prime example of the repertoire-influenced-by-context principle, in this case tunes that appealed to the good time-seeking, beer-drinking audiences Townes encountered at his club gigs during this period. There are topical humor pieces about sex, booze and pop culture ('Talkin' Birth Control Pill Blues', 'Talkin' Thunderbird Blues', 'Talkin' Karate Blues') and a wide range of light and dark bluesy numbers (jazzman Richard Jones' classic 'Trouble in Mind', Lightnin' Hopkins' 'Hello Central' and Townes' own 'Badly Mistreated Blues', 'Louisiana Girl Blues', 'Mustang Blues', 'Black Crow Blues'). Three country standards (Jimmie Rodgers' 'T for Texas', the Carter Family's 'Cannon Ball Blues', Hank Williams' 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry') round out the collection. Live at the Jester Lounge - Houston, Texas, 1966 shows a rarely-seen, unabashedly joyous side of a songwriter known mostly for his intense seriousness and uncompromising explorations of psychic angst. The essence of the mature artist Townes Van Zandt would become is here in all its natural, soon-to-blossom glory."

Artist:	VAN ZANDT, TOWNES
Title:	Live At The McCabe´s
Label:	RETURN TO SENDER (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	RTS 032CD

"This recording is live from McCabe's Los Angeles, Feb 10, 1995. Van Zandt on guitar and vocals, with Kelly Joe Phelps on dobro. The songs of Townes Van Zandt are destined to be for folk artists what the works of Gershwin are to saloon singers...the quintessence of troubadour music, thanks to the somber grace of the late Lone Star legend's language and the engaging simplicity of his melodies. The recently released Poet: Tribute To Townes Van Zandt album, featuring performances of his most historic tracks by the likes of Nanci Griffith, Emmylou Harris, Cowboy Junkies, Steve Earle, Guy Clark, & Willie Nelson raises the interest in Van Zandt to an all-time high. McCabe's is a fine performance from the later years; a nice, semi-rare 'Pueblo Waltz', 'Shrimp Song', and 'Snowin on Raton'. Other highlights are 'Katie Belle Blue' and 'A Song For', and 'The Hole'. This album best captures an intimate latter day concert by Townes -- sounding old, sage, funny and dear. Limited to 2000 copies."

Artist:	VAN ZANDT, TOWNES
Title:	Townes Van Zandt
Label:	SUNSPOTS (ITALY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	SPOT 551CD

"The classic 1969 recording, originally released on the Poppy label, was Texas country blues & folk singer Townes Van Zandt's third full-length release...influenced by Hank Williams, Bob Dylan and Lightnin' Hopkins, Van Zandt's unique style -- at times brooding and introspective, at times relentlessly forceful and dynamic -- spoke to the dark corners of the human soul, and has been claimed as an influence by everyone from Sonic Youth to Willie Nelson..."

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