Live at the Jester Lounge-Houston, Texas 1966 [Import]

Townes Van Zandt | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 19, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Normal Germany
• ASIN: B0002S93WG
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #176,524 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

This album, which may be the earliest extant recording of Townes Van Zandt at a commercial performing venue, immediately brings to mind the fabled Sun Sessions of Elvis Presley. Both recordings document young performers at the hopeful threshold of their professional music careers (Elvis age 19, Townes age 22). Their performances are fresh and unjaded, guided by instinct rather than experience or training. . . voices bursting with exhilaration at the simple thrill of letting loose and singing music they love. There is no self-consciousness, no overt stylization, no world-weariness here, and certainly no hint of the darkness and tragedy that would later consume the lives of both men. The Sun Sessions and Live at the Jester Lounge offer a fascinating portrait of two young singers on the brink of musical self-discovery, and it is a pleasure to share in the brilliance and wonder of those moments captured for posterity more by accident than design. The material on this CD is a prime example of the repertoire-influenced-by-context principle, in this case tunes that appealed to the good time-seeking, beer-drinking audiences Townes encountered at his club gigs during this period. There are topical humor pieces about sex, booze and pop culture ('Talkin' Birth Control Pill Blues', 'Talkin' Thunderbird Blues', 'Talkin' Karate Blues') and a wide range of light and dark bluesy numbers (jazzman Richard Jones' classic 'Trouble in Mind', Lightnin' Hopkins' 'Hello Central' and Townes' own 'Badly Mistreated Blues', 'Louisiana Girl Blues', 'Mustang Blues', 'Black Crow Blues'). Three country standards (Jimmie Rodgers' 'T for Texas', the Carter Family's 'Cannon Ball Blues', Hank Williams' 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry') round out the collection. Live at the Jester Lounge - Houston, Texas, 1966 shows a rarely-seen, unabashedly joyous side of a songwriter known mostly for his intense seriousness and uncompromising explorations of psychic angst. The essence of the mature artist Townes Van Zandt would become is here in all its natural, soon-to-blossom glory.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WISH YOU COULD HAVE BEEN THERE, July 5, 2007

By 

BILLYBOBUK (PLANO,TX) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Live at the Jester Lounge-Houston, Texas 1966 (Audio CD)

Townes recorded at the Jester Lounge, Houston, in 1966--this is the place were Townes started singing,joking,to an audience-the recording, considering the date is excellent--tunes include covers,talking blues, and some early Townes songs.If you love Townes as so many do,you need this,it is a part of Texas music history, and it gets no more better than that. Support this release--who knows what else is out there?

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Good Solid Live Documentation..."Townes", July 26, 2011

By 

R. Webb "minstrel man" (u.s.a.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Live at the Jester Lounge-Houston, Texas 1966 (Audio CD)

An early live glimpse of singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt. The audio is good with probable primitive recording sources concealed in this honky-tonk called the Jester Lounge. Van Zandt was the house band here telling his usual jokes, covering songs of The Carter Family, Hank Williams, Lightnin' Hopkins, Jimmie Rodgers, and eight Van Zandt originals are heard here on this import from Germany. Listen for the "Talkin Karate Blues", "Mustang Blues", "Black Crow Blues", some songs are accompanied with harp... not as essential as Live At The Quarter, nevertheless, a real interesting listen for Townes Van Zandt followers. It's amazing listening to this early recording of Townes, the polish of his skills are clearly evident on a high level (vocals, guitar, writing) even at this stage, at the age of 22.