Absolutely Nothing [LIVE] [IMPORT]

Townes Van Zandt

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 12, 2002)
• Original Release Date: October 1, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live, Import
• Label: Normal Germany
• ASIN: B00006JKEY
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #88,804 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
All other five-studio recordings on Absolutely Nothing are as beautiful and sad as 'Dirty Old Town', which is now for the first time available on CD. 'Willie Boy', recorded at Terra Nova Digital studio Austin, Texas in 1991, is an outtake from the Documentary-session. 'German Mustard', 'Where I Lead Me', 'Heavenly Houseboat' and 'Nothin' were recorded on December 5th 1996, 26 days before Van Zandt died. These songs reveal an introverted artist, suffering, exhausted and tired but not broken. Normal Records. 2002.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Non-Essential Live Collection, November 1, 2003

By	M. Starr "Amneziak" (Kansas City) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Townes Van Zandt died on January 1, 1997 after leaving behind an extensive list of acoustic singer/songwriter albums. Thirty years without a major hit, Van Zandt epitomized the lonesome song writing approach to folk and country music. Although none of his songs were hits, many influential artists took the torch and covered several of them. Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and Emmylou Harris are just a few of the artists who have taken Van Zandt's songs to the public. More recently, artists such as Tindersticks and Cowboy Junkies have celebrated the likes of Van Zandt's music.

Absolutely Nothing is an album that stylistically sounds very similar to some of today's lo-fi recording artists such as Bright Eyes, Mountain Goats, and Jeff Mangum, but stays completely focused on the country and folk genres that the others simply dabble in. Younger music listeners may not find anything overly intriguing about Van Zandt's music because it's primarily geared toward a more mature audience.

For the most part, Absolutely Nothing is a live collection of songs marketed towards the collector rather than a simple introduction to Van Zandt's discography. The sad thing is that it just seems to carry on with the same sentiment throughout the entire album. Every song is burdened with mournful vocals and similar guitar riffs. Songs like "Snowin' on Raton," "Thunderbird Blues," and "Marie," enlighten us with a bit of history and humor in Van Zandt's dialogue.

Lovers of Beck's Sea Change and Springsteen's Nebraska, however, might find themselves pleasantly akin to Van Zandt's soft-spoken vocals and raw acoustic instrumentation. He has the ability to make you feel as though you are the only one hearing him sing. Additionally, the stark emptiness of the live recording gives it an almost ghostlike quality. The audience in this setting is completely quiet throughout the performance, which gives the music the salute of respect it deserves. I guess the beauty of an artist like Townes Van Zandt is that there is "absolutely nothing" offensive about his song writing. It's sort of unfortunate that he spent his career flying just under radar, but I'm sure that's the way he wanted it. All it takes is one listen to know that Townes Van Zandt was a man who sang for himself.