The Late Great Townes Van Zandt

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The Late Great Townes Van Zandt
The Late Great Townes Van Zandt cover
Studio album by Townes Van Zandt
Released 1972
Recorded Jack Clement Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre country, folk, singer-songwriter
Length 38:31
Label Tomato
Producer Kevin Eggers, Jack Clement
Professional reviews
Townes Van Zandt chronology
High, Low, and in Between
(1972)		 The Late Great Townes Van Zandt
(1972)		 Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas
(1977)

The Late Great Townes Van Zandt was the second 1972 studio album by Texas singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt and a follow-up to High, Low and In Between. The album includes the earliest recorded version of two of his best-known songs, "Pancho and Lefty" and "If I Needed You". The album also included several cover songs and a re-recorded version of "Sad Cinderella" from his 1968 debut album. Some reviewers point to this as an indication that Van Zandt's prolific writing was beginning to slow,[1] however, this was his sixth studio album in five years. The cover songs included one song by his close friend, Guy Clark ("Don't Let the Sunshine Fool Ya'"), one by a major influence, Hank Williams ("Honky Tonkin'"), and the Lawton Williams song "Fraulein". As a boy Van Zandt's father only agreed to buy him his first guitar after Van Zandt promised to learn to play "Fraulein".

The album has been reissued many times over the years. In 1996, just before Van Zandt's death, Capitol released a single disk that compiled High, Low and In Between and The Late Great Townes Van Zandt onto a single disk.

Contents

[edit] Critical acclaim

The album has made several critical "best of all-time" lists. Stereophile included it as one of 94 honorable mentions that just missed their list of "The 40 Essential Albums".[4]

[edit] Track listing

All lyrics and music by Townes Van Zandt unless noted otherwise:

  1. "No Lonesome Tune" – 4:21
  2. "Sad Cinderella" – 4:15
  3. "German Mustard" (A. Clapalong, Van Zandt) – 2:55
  4. "Don't Let the Sunshine Fool Ya'" (Guy Clark) – 2:25
  5. "Honky Tonkin'" (Hank Williams) – 3:44
  6. "Snow Don't Fall" – 2:27
  7. "Fraulein" (Lawton Williams) – 2:42
  8. "Pancho & Lefty" – 3:40
  9. "If I Needed You" – 3:44
  10. "Silver Ships of Andilar" – 5:07
  11. "Heavenly Houseboat Blues" – 2:51

Arranged by Chuck Cochran

[edit] Release history

year format label catalog #
1971? LP Tomato 7011
CD Tomato 269627
1994 CD Rhino 71242
1996 CD Capitol 53930B[5]
2003 CD Tomato 2010
2003 CD Charly 138
2001 CD Charly 215

[edit] Credits

[edit] Musicians

[edit] Production

[edit] Artwork

[edit] Notes & sources

  1. ^ a b William Ruhlmann, Review for the Capitol reissue of High Low and in Between/The Late Great Townes Van Zandt, All Music Guide ' The AMG does not have an individual rating on their page for the individual album, The Late Great Townes Van Zandt (link)
  2. ^ Al Riess, "Recordings", (Review of Rear View Mirror, The Highway Kind, and the High, Low, and In Between/The Late Great Townes Van Zandt reissue), Dirty Linen, 72, October-November 1997, p. 49
  3. ^ Tyson Schuetze, "CD Reviews: The Late Great Townes Van Zandt", (favorable review of reissued Tomato Records catalog), Relix - Music for the Mind, 29:4, August-September 2002, p. 80
  4. ^ Robert Baird, Richard Lehnert and Robert Levine, "40 Years of Stereophile: The 40 Essential Albums", Stereophile November, 2002 (main article, "honorable mentions")
  5. ^ The October 1, 1996 Capitol reissue combined High, Low and In Between & The Late Great Townes Van Zandt onto a single disk.