For the Sake of the Song

Townes Van Zandt

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 4, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 1968
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Fat Possum [Old]
• ASIN: B000U1XIJY
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,166 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Originally released in 1968 For The Sake Of The Song is a re-issue of Townes' well known debut album. Produced by Jack Clement (Charley Pride, Chet Atkins, U2 etc.) and featuring original liner notes by Mickey Newbury, Townes Van Zandt went on to cement his status as a cult icon among gifted song writers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The First from the Songwriter's Songwriter, May 24, 2008

By	Christopher Smith (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is my second TVZ purchase, the first was the bargain 2-for-1 CD that has High, Low and In-Between and The Late Great Townes Van Zandt together. That, I believe, is a great place to begin if you want to get started on what will be a lifetime of listening pleasure. You'll soon want more though, and I'd recommend this one right along with the 2-for-one, since the same songwriting genius is here in abundance, but the production is slightly different and it will give you another perspective on the atmosphere that surrounds the stories his songs tell. On this CD, TVZ's voice seems to be set back from the microphone a bit and also seems to carry a slight echo with it. It lends a mystical kind of aura to the title track, "Many a Fine Lady," " Sad Cinderella" and "16 Summers, Fifteen Falls." There's a depth and emotional weight to these songs that you don't find in too many places or people, but he can also crack you up with something like "Talkin' Karate Blues," which is a lot like the song "No Deal" from "H,L and I-B." Also, it's great to compare his earlier version here of "Sad Cinderella" with his later interpretation of it on "The Late Great." His classic "Tecumseh Valley" offered another perspective too, because before this I'd heard versions by Steve Earle and Nanci Griffith. Townes has no trouble footing it with these two, who are no slouches when it comes to telling a story in song.

Truly this man is the reigning saint of the movement that seemed to evolve in the early to mid-seventies, with the Flatlanders, Guy Clark, and Billy Joe Shaver, and which continues with Robert Earl Keene, Steve Earle, Buddy and Julie Miller, the Cowboy Junkies and Dwight Yoakam. Nothing better than drinking from the source...