Abnormal

Townes Van Zandt | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 5, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Normal
• ASIN: B00001WRN0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #424,917 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Coo Coo

2. Shrimp Song

3. Dollar Bill Blues

4. Two Girls

5. Kathleen (Into)

6. Waiting Around to Die

7. Tecumseh Valley (Into)

8. Dead Flowers

9. Catfish Song (Into)

10. Flyin' Shoes

11. Blaze's Blues

12. Marie

13. A Song For

14. Lungs

15. Old Shep

Editorial Reviews

Recorded on several locations during Townes Van Zandt's 1995 European Tour. Besides 'Flying Shoes', 'Waiting Around To Die', 'Kathleen' and a collection of equally memorable songs, also includes studio versions of 'Coo-Coo' and 'Dollar Bill Blues' and the never-before-released 'Shrimp Song'. Normal Records. 2002. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bob Dylan Wishes, December 12, 1999

By 

Gianmarco Manzione (Tampa, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Abnormal (Audio CD)

This was the first cd I got by Van Zandt. I was feeling down that night. One of those nights when you sit by the stereo with a bottle of red wine and lose yourself in your world; the world no one else can touch. With this album, Van Zandt lets you into his world. I'm a huge folk music fan, but had only heard of Van Zandt. When I got this album that night, it fit my mood like a perfect shoe. He writes dark, sad, introspective songs that are so real it's as if he pulled then out of Appalachian soil. On "Abnormal," those qualities reach a pinnacle. I dare say he never released an album as morbid, yet powerful as "Abnormal." It helped me get through that night and many otherlike it. It offers stunning, haunting versions of "Lung," "Dollar Bill Blues," "Waitin' around To Die," "A Song For," and plenty of other classics-live. It has always amazed me to hear the power one man and his guitar can possess. Since buying this album, I've bought many other Van Zandt recordings, and this remains one of my favorites. It was released just around his death. I believe this was the last live album, or album of any kind, that he released. It's one of his best, no doubt. If you are a new fan or seasoned Van Zandt lover, this is for you. The album's first track, a cover of the legendary song of the folk circle, "Coo-Coo," pulls you right into the bleak, lonely, drunken wasteland in which he lived. But somehow, he mixes those flavors into one masterful piece of work. Many reviewers have described van Zandt as a more down to earth Leonard Cohen. That is as true as could be, and on "Abnormal," there is just no denying the comparison. Buy this album, and prepare to be taken into a new universe.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My New Favorite TVZ Album, May 26, 2011

By 

jbhikercat "outdoor guy" (Anchorage, AK United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Abnormal (Audio CD)

I love the music of Townes Van Zandt and have a bunch of his albums, studio and live. This one has great song selection, stripped-bare production and you can just hear the pain in his voice on these songs. Heart-breakingly beautiful. Highly recommended for TVZ fans, probably not so much for those new to his music. Marie, Kathleen sequeing (sp?) into Waitin'Round to Die and Flying Shoes are my favorites but every song is good.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sorry, Ernest Boehm, December 21, 2005

By 

Super Alex (On tour) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abnormal (Audio CD)

you've no clue about what 'two girls' is about but your other assessment of the album is well understood if not well said.

said track is about two different types of lovers (one you love with all your heart and one you do don't really know). the rest of the cd is similarly packed with twisted, but realistic stories, recorded live throughout europe. sound quality is really good, it's just mr. van zandt and his guitar; it's about an hour long. my first TVZ cd, still among my favorites.