Anybody else into this great songwriter? I would compare him to, obviously, Dylan, but also Leonard Cohen. Very good lyrics. Very literate. I think he's an artist that alot of people on here might not have checked out, but I would put "The Late Great Townes Van Zandt" and "High, Low, and Inbetween" in the "lost classic" category. Highly recommended. I once heard a rumor that Dylan covered "Pancho and Lefty" in concert and introduced it by saying it was written by the greatest livng American songwriter. Heavy praise, even if falsely modest. But I would agree.
Not that Steve Earle carries much weight around here, but he would defnitely agree.
If you're interested, I once did a blog post on Townes' songwriting, using Pancho and Lefty as an example: See TVZ blog post. (The mp3 links are dead, thank god, but you can read the Steve Earle quote and Townes' humorous response.)
Thanks for the link Paul. Excellent analysis. I love the part about no wasted syllables. My favorite lyric by him, and one of my favorite lyrics of all time: "We've got the sky to talk about and the world to lie upon." The imagery evoked by those few words, to me, is amazing. Everyone should hear "To Live is to Fly."
Love SAFE AS MILK and TROUT MASK REPLICA. But I dunno If I'd rank him amoungst the likes of Dylan and Choen as song writers. He had some interesting Ideas, but mostly instrumental. His work with Zappa is quite interesting as well. Good artis, not great
Townes Van Zandt was a countryish folk singer/songwriter from Texas who started recording in the late 1960s. Kind of like a cross between Nick Drake and Hank Williams. There was a recent movie made about him, but I haven't seen it yet. Good chance that Kristofferson would have been in it, but I don't know for sure. He was not very popular during his life but his music is being discovered by a new generation of fans now. If you are a fan of lyrical songwriting, he is somebody you need to check out.
Yeah...Im pretty sure I saw the movie on the tv a year or so ago. It left an impression, I just never got around to getting anything from his catalogue. I'll look into it.
If I remember correctly. He wasnt a very nice guy..lol
Paul, were you referring to that quote from Steve Earle, "Townes Van Zandt is the greatest songwriter in the world -- and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that!"?
I nearly fell off the chair laughing the first time I heard that. As people in here may be aware, I think Dylan is the son of God, but he hardly needs me to defend his status, and knowing Earles' penchant for stepping on people's toes (or coffee tables), I found that an enormously witty way of praising Van Zandt.
Earle is coming to Copenhagen soon. It'll be the second time ever I hear him live. Alas, I won't get to hear Van Zandt.
He was also the scion of a family dating back to the Republic of Texas, and apparently was being groomed for a career in politics until he...well, dropped out and became a hippie musician, basically.
Saw him perform at Zilker Park in Austin in '90 or '91. Couldn't really tell if he was drunk...I know I was.
Van Zandt's fantastic. "Tecumseh Valley" (covered by Earle, whose son is named Townes) and "I'll Be Here in the Morning" are both in my top 50. "Tower Song" is another personal favorite. I have the 4-disc box set, Texas Troubador, which contains the bulk of his recorded work, and honestly, it's a bit too much Townes and reveals that his catalogue isn't all that deep. So I second ChrisF's album recommendations. He can be a little sober at times, but I think that's much of his appeal - there's not much of Dylan's acrobatic wordplay, which can be offputting to some. Townes is simple and direct.
Michael Murphey's another Texas songwriter I wish got more attention - Geronimo's Cadillac is a great album.
"Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that." — Steve Earle.
"I've met Bob Dylan and his bodyguards, and I don't think Steve could get anywhere near his coffee table." — Townes Van Zandt.
