"TVZ was a gifted and troubled soul; and you definitely hear both in this recording. Sadly, I found there was too much of the latter for me to enjoy this. When you hear this performance, it becomes obvious that this was a human being completely swamped by his pain. On this recording, it is obvious he had lost the battle to hold things together, and that robs him of his dignity. Ultimately, maybe one needs to hear this too to see where the stories he tells actually end in the real world. I am not sure. All I know is that this is too much for me."
Solid (but not outstanding) late-era Townes concert
rainbowcrow | 02/18/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Normal records, who brought us the stellar Townes Van Zandt concert record "Abnormal," follows up that record with this recording of 1995 performance at McCabe's guitar store in Santa Monica. The record is solid, and recording quality is quite satisfactory - but that said, Townes isn't having his very best outing. To be plain, this record is really not one the highlights of the TVZ catalog. Serious Townes fans will probably want this one in their collection, but first-time buyers would do better to go with one of the studio recordings (e.g. Flying Shoes, Our Mother the Mountain, At My Window), with Abnormal for a late live record, or with Live at the Old Quarter for an early one.The song selection (and delivery) are typical of the concerts from this period: 1. The Hole
2. Pueblo Waltz
3. Pancho & Lefty
4. Short Haired Woman Blues
5. Shrimp Song
6. Snowin' On Raton
7. Katie Belle
8. Dollar Bill Blues
9. A Song For
10. Banks of The Ohio
11. Wabush Cannonball
12. MarieTownes tells his usual reportaire of jokes, and Kelly Joe Phelps accompanies him on Dobro for tracks 10 and 11."
Great live show at end of career
rainbowcrow | 03/05/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"TV Zandt fans will love this pristine soundboard recording of a show from 1995, near the end of his life. I've heard several shows from this period on imports and bootlegs, and this captures perfectly what went down in these performances--his casual rapport with the audience and his stark, moving delivery. The sound quality is perfect."
Near the end...
Bob Saunders | San Diego, CA USA | 05/01/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you know Townes'work well, you should probably own this album; if not, try "Live At The Old Quarter" for glimpse of a true giant at the height of his powers...While in a state of serious deterioration at McCabe's, Townes still expressed, maybe exposed is better, in croaks & jokes the real heart of his all American low down blues."
Not for first timers
99point94 | East Setauket, New York United States | 02/22/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a difficult one to review.....it's great for serious TVZ fans. It appears to be a complete recording at a small music shop with just a few people as audience. Very typical of TVZ concerts.
It is a funny, sad and ultimately satisfying performance. But I don't recommend this as an introduction....TVZ is frequently off-key and a first-timer is likely to get turned off. I'd recommend the outstanding live album Rear View Mirror or the 2-CD anthology. Another outstanding album is the tribute to TVZ 'Around Townes' by Jonell Mosser. Superb album in which she interprets TVZ songs in her own style of hard-hitting country blues style."