The late singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt is a revered, nearly mythological figure among devoted fans and musicians alike, and this collection proves his reputation is well earned. Van Zandt is a defining figure in the w... more »orld of the modern Texas troubadour; his road-weary blend of country, folk, and blues sensibilities has influenced a range of likeminded artists from contemporaries such as Guy Clark and Ray Wylie Hubbard to younger disciples such as Steve Earle and Robert Earl Keen. This two-disc, 40-song set is an excellent introduction to the man's music, featuring a large selection of his most memorable songs and focusing on his peak 1971-1972 period. Covering the decade during which Van Zandt had what could almost be considered a "conventional" recording career for the Poppy and Tomato labels, Anthology may surprise those only familiar with his later live recordings--his voice is less worn, the performances are less informal. Van Zandt's searching, mysterious narratives and downhearted ballads for which he's best known have a fatalism and an utter lack of self-pity that make them especially endearing, and they're balanced with just the right amount of warmth and humor. --Marc Greilsamer« less
The late singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt is a revered, nearly mythological figure among devoted fans and musicians alike, and this collection proves his reputation is well earned. Van Zandt is a defining figure in the world of the modern Texas troubadour; his road-weary blend of country, folk, and blues sensibilities has influenced a range of likeminded artists from contemporaries such as Guy Clark and Ray Wylie Hubbard to younger disciples such as Steve Earle and Robert Earl Keen. This two-disc, 40-song set is an excellent introduction to the man's music, featuring a large selection of his most memorable songs and focusing on his peak 1971-1972 period. Covering the decade during which Van Zandt had what could almost be considered a "conventional" recording career for the Poppy and Tomato labels, Anthology may surprise those only familiar with his later live recordings--his voice is less worn, the performances are less informal. Van Zandt's searching, mysterious narratives and downhearted ballads for which he's best known have a fatalism and an utter lack of self-pity that make them especially endearing, and they're balanced with just the right amount of warmth and humor. --Marc Greilsamer
Member CD Reviews
K. K. (GAMER) Reviewed on 8/13/2023...
Nope!
CD Reviews
Essential...
Rob Damm | 09/17/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"To paraphrase the great Jack Black in the movie "High Fidelity", 'it's...ridiculous if you don't own this album.' Seriously. Don't tell anybody. Just quietly go and purchase it and slip into your puny collection before anybody notices. All kidding aside, Townes Van Zandt is one of the few "cult" figures actually deserving of the mythology that has swirled up around him. His death in '97 has only excacerbated the situation, and the truck-load of hipster-cred he has garnered threatens to reach critical mass... But, to haul out another tired proverb, "the proof is in the pudding" and what a devilishly good pudding it is! These two discs make an argument for Van Zandt as one of a handful of truly transcendent songwriters. Writers whose songs go beyond the idiom of pop music and flirt dangerously with "high art", but not in a bad way.If you're a die-hard fan, a newcomer or anywhere in between you need to own this great collection. The sound is sparkling, the package is nice and you'll have all these great songs on two convenient discs. Also be sure to check out Lyle Lovett's awesome "Step Into This House" for Lyle's interpretations of some of TVZ's best tunes. Enjoy, and keep the faith!"
The Blues and Zippedy-Doo-Dah
Gavin B. | St. Louis MO | 02/13/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Townes Van Zandt once said, "There are two kinds of music, the blues and zippedy-doo-dah." Townes stood firmly outside the zippedy-doo-dah camp and was a masterful painter of despair...the blues. When he died on the first day of Janurary, 1997, Townes didn't have much of anything, but a handful of adoring fans (Townies), who would have probably would have laid down life and limb for their cherished Townes Van Zandt albums. Such an ignoble passage for a man born into wealth, and even has a west Texas county named for his ancestors. Townes had no regrets, because he led the life he sang. "Anthology" captures that life of drinking, gambling, carousing, and tempting the devil himself. Townes always seemed saddled with well-meaning indie record labels and their miniscule distribution networks. Before the rise of internet, you could spend the day searching for his albums and come up empty handed, even in major markets like Chicago or Boston. What I like about "Anthology" is it has an equitable distribution curve of all of his career highlights, even the harder to find stuff. This is a great sample of his early seventies work with Tomato Records before his plaintive, smokey baritone was ravaged by booze and hard living. I quibble with the fact that "Nothing" and "Rake", his two most sublimely dark and introspective songs, fell off the list in favor of lighter fare. There are two "essential" Van Zandt recordings for any serious collector of country or folk music collector. One is the live recording "Rear View Mirror", and the other is this solid anthology. Gram Parsons often comes to mind when searching for a "musician's musician" of comparable stature to Townes. Both Parsons and Van Zandt were born about the same time, raised in priviliged circumstances, were notorious drinkers with dark erratic personalities, and were drawn to American roots music for inspiration. Gram's musical legacy has been brought to a broader audience by his devotees, and if there were any justice in the world, the same would happen to Townes. Townes would probably just sneer and say, "At least I got a darker hole in hell than him.""
Forever Townes
Matthew Guy Kendrick | TX | 07/24/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In this collection of the TVZ glory days, we truly get to hear the greatest singer/songwriter to date. Playing in the smokey hole-in-the-wall bars in and around Austin, Townes is truly in his element. Rarely in the live recordings is he playing in front of many people, but, nevertheless, these songs are head and shoulders above his ever so scarce studio work. What made him great was the fact he was first and foremost a songwriter, a poet. You'll never--ever--hear an over-produced Nashville puppet sing with the same conviction and feeling. No, they sing about their "trucks" and the rodeo. Townes sings about life experiences, and it is all captured in this two CD set. We miss you Townes."
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1
K. K. (GAMER)