Even in the 1990s, as he was finishing a lifelong quest to drink himself to death, Townes Van Zandt continued to write, record, and perform. After he died on New Year's Day, 1997, his last tapes started leaking out. There ... more »was The Highway Kind, a collection of live originals and studio covers, and Last Rights, a "CD documentary" of songs, stories, and interviews. All this belated work features a frail but unflinching voice haunted by its approaching rendezvous. Now comes this collection of 13 voice-and-guitar demos from 1989 through 1996 that Van Zandt's widow, Jeanene, turned over to producer Eric Paul, who tastefully fleshed them out with overdubs from a Nashville country-rock band. It's the most accessible of the man's posthumous releases, with Van Zandt revisiting some famous songs ("Pancho & Lefty," "For the Sake of the Song") and some obscure ones from a wearier but wiser perspective. He also reveals two unreleased tunes--the bouncy comic number "Squash" and the heart-shriveling "Sanitarium Blues," an autobiographical talking blues about his stay in a mental hospital. --Geoffrey Himes« less
Even in the 1990s, as he was finishing a lifelong quest to drink himself to death, Townes Van Zandt continued to write, record, and perform. After he died on New Year's Day, 1997, his last tapes started leaking out. There was The Highway Kind, a collection of live originals and studio covers, and Last Rights, a "CD documentary" of songs, stories, and interviews. All this belated work features a frail but unflinching voice haunted by its approaching rendezvous. Now comes this collection of 13 voice-and-guitar demos from 1989 through 1996 that Van Zandt's widow, Jeanene, turned over to producer Eric Paul, who tastefully fleshed them out with overdubs from a Nashville country-rock band. It's the most accessible of the man's posthumous releases, with Van Zandt revisiting some famous songs ("Pancho & Lefty," "For the Sake of the Song") and some obscure ones from a wearier but wiser perspective. He also reveals two unreleased tunes--the bouncy comic number "Squash" and the heart-shriveling "Sanitarium Blues," an autobiographical talking blues about his stay in a mental hospital. --Geoffrey Himes
James J. Lennox | Scranton, PA United States | 08/15/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is Townes at his best/worst. His vocals expose the booze in his body, while the words express the sensitive, yet sad, nature of his soul. When you listen to the lyrics, you can clearly see why Steve Earle would call out Bob Dylan. This man was truly the greatest song writer that ever drew breath. He connected with the internal sadness of the universe in ways Dylan could only have imagined. It's a shame he's never been given the respect and following that he deserve. But what he's created will always shine as a diamond. It will stand strong and hold firm. Genius is a too often used word, but for him it fits, and this collection surely exposes his rare gifts."
A wonderful bargan!
Donald Vining | Florida | 09/18/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Buy this CD if you want to find out what Townes Van Zandt was all about. While the name was familiar to me it wasn't until I saw a recent showing of the Big Lebowski on TV that I finally connected the name to the music. They played his version of Dead Flowers at the end of the credits. As soon as I found out who the artist was, I knew I would love his music.
I couldn't agree more with the other reviewers. I am not sure but I think I read somewhere these tunes were recorded solo in a studio with the accompaniment added much later, possibly after he died. Anyway the effect is really very good and it kind of highlights the occasional slip in his voice making it seem very authentic (which he certainly was) even in what is basically an artificial setting. Since then I've purchased several more CDs. They're all good but this one remains my favorite.
"
Yes as Irony Goes, a Far Cry from Dead, Nearer to Nirvana
Robert Taylor | Sydney Australia | 01/13/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have about 9 Townes albums, each one as cherishable as the others, and yet this one transcends because of a number of factors:
1. The character imbued in the songs, and more particularly the versions put down here.
2. The voice, contrary to customary notions it is wrecked (and it may be) perfectly inhabits the sadness and longing in the compositions (when I first heard Sanitarium Blues I thought, s*t he sounds heavily sedated but then, when you're singing of your personal experience locked away in a sanitarium as a child, shot full of Thorazine, it comes to you that this is pure honesty in song.
3. The arrangments are mostly fabulous, even if they were laid down after the vocals (after his death I believe, according to his biography "To Live's to Fly")
If you are like me and find poignancy and redemption through this brilliant artist, you will love this album. Townes Van Zandt, the train wreck, the errant father and partner, and the beautiful spirit who touched many lives through his artistry. He was damn funny too, read the biography mentioned."