Customer Reviews

Live at Mccabe's

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Normal records, who brought us the stellar Townes Van Zandt concert record "Abnormal," follows up that record with this recording of 1995 performance at McCabe's guitar store in Santa Monica. The record is solid, and recording quality is quite satisfactory - but that said, Townes isn't having his very best outing. To be plain, this record is really not one the highlights of the TVZ catalog. Serious Townes fans will probably want this one in their collection, but first-time buyers would do better to go with one of the studio recordings (e.g. Flying Shoes, Our Mother the Mountain, At My Window), with Abnormal for a late live record, or with Live at the Old Quarter for an early one.

The song selection (and delivery) are typical of the concerts from this period:

1. The Hole
2. Pueblo Waltz
3. Pancho & Lefty
4. Short Haired Woman Blues
5. Shrimp Song
6. Snowin' On Raton
7. Katie Belle
8. Dollar Bill Blues
9. A Song For
10. Banks of The Ohio
11. Wabush Cannonball
12. Marie

Townes tells his usual reportaire of jokes, and Kelly Joe Phelps accompanies him on Dobro for tracks 10 and 11.

TVZ was a gifted and troubled soul; and you definitely hear both in this recording. Sadly, I found there was too much of the latter for me to enjoy this. When you hear this performance, it becomes obvious that this was a human being completely swamped by his pain. On this recording, it is obvious he had lost the battle to hold things together, and that robs him of his dignity. Ultimately, maybe one needs to hear this too to see where the stories he tells actually end in the real world. I am not sure. All I know is that this is too much for me.

I get mixed feelings as I listen to this late career recording of Townes Van Zandt at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, CA on February 10, 1995. His guitar skills had deteriorated considerably since his early recordings and his voice was showing the wear from years of alcohol abuse and constant touring. It saddened me that his once precise fingerpicking skills were nonexistent and that at times he seemed to be barely able to strum his guitar. His voice was also occasionally reduced to a croak. While some songs aren't exactly easy on the ear and have a somewhat sloppy feel (which is fitting I guess, considering the laid back feel of the performance), other songs do benefit from Townes' vocal style and guitar arrangements. In particular, Townes' version of "Two Girls" touches my heart each time I hear it, much moreso than the studio version. His gruff voice really adds to the wistful melody of the song. "Lungs" is another song that he really nails on this disc. Especially noteworthy is "Marie", one of his later songs, which is also one of the bleakest songs I've ever heard. When one hears Townes sing of the narrator's life on skid row, without a job and struggling with poverty, you can't help but feel that his lyrics on this song were partially autobiographical. The haunting end of the song is chilling. On a more upbeat note, "To Live's To Fly" is a song that benefits from Townes' road worn voice and the sparse guitar part included, and remains his eternal statement of hope. His duet with Barb Donovan on "I'll Be Here In The Morning" is also a standout. Overall, this CD is one that I wouldn't recommend to those unfamiliar with Townes' recorded work, but if you are a fan of TVZ this is a valuable document of his playing from the year prior to his death.

TV Zandt fans will love this pristine soundboard recording of a show from 1995, near the end of his life. I've heard several shows from this period on imports and bootlegs, and this captures perfectly what went down in these performances--his casual rapport with the audience and his stark, moving delivery. The sound quality is perfect.

Townes Van Zandt's plaintive compositions are among the most affecting ever put down by a songwriter. Their raw emotion cuts deep and thick, right to the bone. The immediacy of his lyrics has appealed to a substantial audience and a remarkable cross-section of fellow musicians. The intimate environment of McCabe's was perfect for this 1995 performance, an engaging blend of some of his best-known classics, then-recent compositions and well-chosen covers. Versions of his trademark songs "Pancho And Lefty," "To Live Is To Fly" and "Pueblo Waltz" reveal the songs aging beautifully, the years and Townes' weathered voice improving their initial power. As presented here, the raw honesty of newer songs such as "Katie Bell Blues" and "Marie" show they can stand alongside any of the standards Van Zandt has written. A special bonus studio cut included on this release is Van Zandt's "I'll Be There In The Morning," a duet with Barb Donovan, one of Austin, Texas's most renowned artists and Van Zandt's favorite female singer-songwriter. The studio track initially was recorded for a compilation CD intended to be given away with the German edition of Rolling Stone and was released on New Year's Day, 1997-the day Van Zandt passed away.

If you know Townes'work well, you should probably own this album; if not, try "Live At The Old Quarter" for glimpse of a true giant at the height of his powers...While in a state of serious deterioration at McCabe's, Townes still expressed, maybe exposed is better, in croaks & jokes the real heart of his all American low down blues.

This live recording was made at McCabe's in Santa Monica, CA, on February 10, 1995, less than two years before Townes' untimely demise. The artist was only 50 at the time, but his voice is heavy with the wear and tear of years of hard living. You really feel the passion of Townes here and the banter between songs is charming (though occasionally difficult to hear and a bit too self-deprecating). In addition to a good mix of his newer and older material, he plays some folk classics ("Banks of the Ohio" and "Wabash Cannonball"), as well as a track penned by one of his musical idols, Lightnin' Hopkins. Brent J. Brown's "Shrimp Song" provides some light moments. The contrast between Townes' weathered, deep voice and Barb Donovan's fresh, clear alto on the bonus track "I'll be here in the morning" is almost by itself worth the price of the album. This said, I would recommend "Live at McCabe's" for seasoned Townes Van Zandt fans, as the roughness of some of the cuts may turn off the first time listener. For an introduction to Townes, I highly recommend "Live at the Old Quarter", the two-CD set that was recorded in 1973, when Townes was in his late 20's. Once you've grown accustomed to the beauty of his poetry as expressed by the young, exuberant Townes, the tired, idiosyncratic sound of the mid-90's Townes will be better appreciated and more endearing.

This is a difficult one to review.....it's great for serious TVZ fans. It appears to be a complete recording at a small music shop with just a few people as audience. Very typical of TVZ concerts.
It is a funny, sad and ultimately satisfying performance. But I don't recommend this as an introduction....TVZ is frequently off-key and a first-timer is likely to get turned off. I'd recommend the outstanding live album Rear View Mirror or the 2-CD anthology. Another outstanding album is the tribute to TVZ 'Around Townes' by Jonell Mosser. Superb album in which she interprets TVZ songs in her own style of hard-hitting country blues style.

At times it's almost painful to listen to this, but in a good way. Townes near the end of his life, with his voice cracking and straining. As other reviewers have said, it's not the best place to hear him first, but all in all it's a moving way to listen to him go.