Search - Townes Van Zandt :: In the Beginning

Laid Down With A Prayer & A Song

K. H. Orton | New York, NY USA | 04/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For longtime fans, this is essential. They're all originals. Some tunes might sound faintly reminiscent of later material, but each has a life of it's own. For beginners, REARVIEW MIRROR is the place to start. But for those who felt some of his albums occasionally suffered from dated overproduction, this is sure to please. Here the foundations are exposed. That's not to say this is some glorified bootleg. Though we're spared the production frills, these tracks were recorded live in the studio. In some cases, probably in one take.



The uncharacteristically aggressive opener, "Black Widow Blues" might take many longtime listeners by pleasant surprise. There aren't many recordings of Townes accompanied by full Rock backing. Like much on here, it's a lost gem.



The likes of "Maryetta's Song" rank up there with some of his most fragile, heartbreaking work. "Hunger Child Blues" goes to show the shadows were there from the start, with lines like,"Your battle's built on doom".



His Hank Williams influence has never been more apparent than on high & lonesome tunes like, "Waitin' For The Day" & "When Your Dream Lover's Die". As for the closer, "Black Crow Blues" is a bleak dirge in the classic Van Zandt style, delivered with startling intensity.



Throughout, Van Zandt's oft praised finger picking skills can be heard like never before. More so than on any record he later produced. Obviously, the bottle a this point was half full as opposed to chronically empty.



The fact that the gems herein never saw the light of day till now only makes this collection more precious for longtime fans. This is the sound of a talent in it's prime, confident in the sound of it's own unique voice. A big hand to Jeanne VZ & Jack Clements for rummaging through the attic. What a gift.





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Brilliant collection of TVZ's earliest studio work

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 12/06/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This collection of Van Zandt's first professional studio recordings provides a bittersweet opportunity to peer early into the artist's evolution. These 1966 demos, recorded two years before his official debut album, find Van Zandt in superb voice, flush with youthful clarity and strength, and devoid of the burnished ravages that time would eventually add. At the same time, his lyrics - at the age of 26 - are already laced with the fatalism and restlessness that would characterize his life's work.These ten previously unreleased tracks are a pristine look at the result of Van Zandt's mid-60s woodshedding in Houston's clubs, rife with his folk, blues and country influences. The segue from the Hank Williams' styled wail of "Waitin' For the Day" to the percussive blues of "Black Jack Mama" shows how early Van Zandt could masterfully handle a range of material and moods. Most of these tracks are recorded solo, with Van Zandt's flat-picked guitar providing truly impressive accompaniment. The few band tracks, such as the opener, are driven arrangements of guitar, harmonica, drums and bass - the sort of rumbling electric-folk made popular on the West Coast by Country Joe & The Fish.This is a must-have for Van Zandt fans, and an interesting introduction for the uninitiated: chronologically faithful to Van Zandt's development, but out-of-time with respect to the public disclosure of his career. Recording quality is excellent throughout, providing a very intimate experience. The tapes, having disappeared for over 35 years, retained their original vitality, and are reproduced crisply on this CD. This is a masterful collection of songs from a songwriter, who, retrospect tells us, was only at the beginning of his brilliant arc."

A real miracle!

www.MoisBenarroch.com | Israel | 06/04/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"What a surprise, I was completely unaware of this release or the intention of releasing a cd from 1966 by Townes Van zandt. I never even heard that these songs existed.
These are 10 unknown songs by Townes Van Zandt, and don't be afraid of the word demos on it, except for a place were the voice fades a bit, these are very good recordings from the 60's, as good as they come. Most songs are only played with guitars, a few have a band.
The songwriting is as good as Van Zandt always is, his voice is fuller than what we heard in his later recordings and in some cases he sounds a bit like Rodney Crowell (he was roaming with him at the time in Nashville) and you can hear that Townes is still searching for his "grove".
This cd is highly recommended for Van Zandt fans, aren't we a bit tired of new releases with old songs? only "new" songs here, but I doubt that even someone listening to him for the first time through this cd will be disappointed.Thanks Jeanene and thanks Townes."