Casual live performance from an old documentary. A few minor lyrical tweaks for those who know the song well, but a lovely performance from probably the iconic Texas troubadour.

  • wjrii@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
    3·
    6 months ago

    Yeah, that old west Texas warble (from when Fort Worth was still west Texas) is not for everybody. If you want to go with it for just one full session, do the Live at the Old Quarter album. Good sound, good point in his career, and enough patter and announcements that it feels like an organic experience, which it was, just a bit more curated than the final experience implies.

    For Pancho and Lefty, there’s always Merle and Willie (with a TVZ cameo in the saloon), though I find Townes Van Zandt songs tend not to benefit from “luxurious” production. If you just want the same song, or indeed, a lot of TVZ songs, through a traditionally beautiful voice but one who knew Townes and his sensibilities, Emmylou Harris is always there.

    A little poking around spotify/youtube/etc., you can usually find some decent cross-genre covers too, to the extent you consider the originals country at all.

    Some other good TVZ songs, maybe more outside the Western milieu:

    • If I needed you (as you rightly pointed out)
    • To Live is to Fly
    • Dead Flowers
    • Flyin’ Shoes
    • lemonmelon@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      6 months ago

      If you’re a fan of Townes Van Zandt in any capacity, Steve Earle released an excellent tribute album titled Townes in 2009. Steve dropped out of high school to seek out Townes, eventually meeting him and kindling both a mentor/protégé relationship and a friendship. Van Zandt’s influence is easy to find in Earle’s style, though the latter definitely went his own way. There’s an authenticity to Earle’s interpretation of TVZ, despite providing a markedly different listening experience.

      • wjrii@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
        3·
        6 months ago

        “Townes Van Zandt’s the best songwriter in the world, and I’ll stand on Bob Dylan’s coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.” — Steve Earle

        Townes yesterday, Guy Clark today, Steve tomorrow…

        I have a twangy plan. :-)