Live at the Old Quarter

Townes Van Zandt

album cover

The Poet at His Peak

Among those who love the late Texas singer and songwriter Townes Van Zandt, debates rage about which album is his best, and whether or not he was more persuasive when he was sober, drunk, or getting there. But there's general agreement on this: The best way to hear him was in a small club, where, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, he'd share devastating tales of romantic devotion and its flip side, isolation.

The scion of an aristocratic Texas oil family, Van Zandt (1944–1997) came by his poetry with difficulty. He was diagnosed with manic depression as a young man, and treated with insulin shock therapy. This damaged his longterm memory, and created problems when he consumed alcohol, which was frequently. He began recording in 1968, and despite several attempts at working within the mainstream music business—he even moved to Nashville briefly in the late '70s—he eventually became a semi-recluse, touring when he needed money and recording only occasionally. Meanwhile his stature grew as his songbook was raided by Willie Nelson and others.

This 1973 performance, taped at a small club in a rundown part of Houston, provides a vivid picture of his gifts. Van Zandt plays originals from his first several albums, mixing wry storyteller blues ("Fraternity Blues," "Talking Thunderbird Blues") with affect-free love songs ("If I Needed You") and poignant troubadour odes ("For the Sake of the Song," one of his all-time best). These compact, taciturn songs are plenty smart, and not at all pretentious—Van Zandt hides bitterness like a Texas poker champ, and delivers his lines, even the torn-up-inside confessions, in an offhand, almost deadpan way that makes them absolutely riveting.

Genre: Country
Released: 1973, Tomato (Reissued 2008, Fat Possum)
Key Tracks: “Pancho & Lefty,” “To Live Is to Fly,” “For the Sake of the Song,” “Waiting ’Round to Die”
Catalog Choice: High, Low, and In Between
Next Stop: Gram Parsons: GP/Grievous Angel
After That: Jimmie Dale Gilmore: After Awhile
Book Pages: 801–802

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#1 from romantic gifts, USA - 02/10/2010 1:32

The best way to hear him was in a small club, where, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, he’d share devastating tales of romantic devotion and its flip side, isolation.

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