High, Low and In Between [Original recording reissued]

Townes Van Zandt | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 1, 1996)
• Original Release Date: 1973
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000002UHX
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,357 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Packaged as two albums on one disc, these are among the best of Van Zandt's erratic studio recordings. The first is often overlooked, but it has many songs of dark, marvelous realism, true and accurate as arrows. Kevin Eggers's production is never heavy or busy: he mostly lets the songs breathe beside piano and guitar. And the poetic heights of the title track and "The Highway Kind" are remarkable by any standard. Late Great is important for a little known Guy Clark song "Don't Let the Sunshine Fool You," as well as an orchestrated "Pancho and Lefty" and the sweetly simple "Heavenly Houseboat Blues." Both records show Townes's belief in the abracadabra of words, that their magic is as primary to being human as love and death and kindness and cruelty--those intense qualities that distinguish his work. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shake the dust off your wings, the sleep out of your eyes..., September 12, 2000

By 

EriKa "E" (Iceland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: High, Low and In Between (Audio CD)

How can one gauge this album? I, for one, cannot.

I had never heard of Townes Van Zandt as a 14-year-old Cowboy Junkies fan. I went to a Cowboy Junkies concert in Seattle in 1990, and Van Zandt was the opening act, and I think, even at my young and inexperienced age, I knew then I would never see a live show much more engaging than Van Zandt's opening act. He told stories between songs and connected with the audience on a very human level. I am not a fan of country music, and Van Zandt has a bit of a country feel, but his songwriting transcends the boundaries of categorisation.

I did not buy any of his albums until a few years later, just before his untimely demise. I started with this album because it included many songs I had heard and showcased Van Zandt's superior creativity and songwriting talents. The Cowboy Junkies (one of my favourite bands) had written songs with him and for him (and he for them), recording a beautiful version of his "To Live Is To Fly" on their album Black-Eyed Man. On the same album they recorded Van Zandt's "Cowboy Junkies Lament" (another stunning song, which Van Zandt recorded on one of his albums although it is not included in this compilation.)

This collection has an inherent beauty and a certain "on the road" quality to it. The album provides a variety of Townes'style with more serious ballads like'"High, Low, and in Between" and "Snow Don't Fall" (my two personal favourites) and more playful songs like "No Deal" and the very fitting closing song "Heavenly Houseboat Blues."

When I was 14 I might not have appreciated fully what I was seeing, but now that many friends, acquaintances, and music fans everywhere lament that they never saw Townes Van Zandt live (and did not necessarily give him the credit due him in his lifetime), I can feel blessed that I saw him, listened to him, and loved the experience... well, thanks to the Cowboy Junkies...

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Happy Music from the Prince of Melancountry, January 9, 2002

By 

Big Dave (Boise, Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: High, Low and In Between (Audio CD)

This CD is a bargain, with two albums' worth of fantastic songs.

It also remains, after having collected essentially all of Van Zandt's studio recordings, one of my favorites. For one thing, it contains a lot of happy songs ("No Lonesome Tune", "Greensboro Woman" and "No Deal", for starters) -- distinctively, as Van Zandt is famous for the lovely loneliness of his writing.

The CD also includes several gospel numbers (a subset of the happy songs): "Two Hands", "When He Offers His Hand" and "Heavenly Houseboat Blues".

The CD also has several covers. Though Van Zandt didn't eschew covers like certain other famous songwriters do, this CD has four, where most of his studio albums have none or one.

So the net result is that this CD, while feeling completely Van Zandt-ish, has a very upbeat, light, folky feel to it.

And of course, "If I Needed You" and "Pancho and Lefty" are on it.

Buy the album.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet writer, with a voice that grows on you..., July 2, 2005

By 

William E. Adams (Midland, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: High, Low and In Between (Audio CD)

This single-CD collection of two of Townes' early LP's should confirm for any lover of country/folk that Van Zandt's reputation is well-deserved. People such as Guy Clark, Nancy Griffith, Emmy Lou Harris, Billy Joe Shaver, Todd Snider, Willie Nelson, Steve Earle and many others who had more successful performing careers than Townes all praise his writing. I was pleased with the writing, but pleasantly surprised that TVZ could sing so well. His voice is limited, but endearing. He is one of a long line of artists who could not survive alcohol and drugs and the stress of the music business. All of the songs on here, all 22, are worth hearing, but more than half of them deserve and reward repeated listening. Those stand up to dozens of playings without getting stale. I'm speaking of songs such as "To Live is to Fly" and "No Lonesome Tune" and "Don't Let the Sunshine Fool Ya'" and "Poncho and Lefty" and "If I Needed You." While "Sunshine" was written by Guy Clark, Townes' version is almost as good as Clark's own. Eighteen of the tracks were written by Van Zandt. These performances were laid down on vinyl in the 1970's, but they hold up pretty darn well. If you have heard about TVZ, and want a good sample of his lyrics and singing, this item is a great value.