Townes Van Zandt is an icon of outlaw country, whose introspective and enigmatic songs have touched audiences for decades. His "Pancho and Lefty," first released on the 1972 album The Late Great Townes Van Zandt, remains one of the genre's best known and most beloved songs. His career spanned ten studio albums and nearly three decades and now Fat Possum Records, working alongside the Townes Van Zandt Estate and their TVZ imprint, have added another chapter with a new collection of unreleased
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Pamela Polland, Pamela Polland/Have You Heard the One About the Gas Station Attendant? (BGO) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) BGO collects the two Columbia albums of singer-songwriter Pamela Polland in one deluxe, slipcased package - her 1972 self-titled LP and 1973 follow-up which was shelved and never released...until now! Pamela Polland and Have You Heard the One About the Gas Station Attendant? are filled with enchanting pop
Here at Second Disc HQ, we know that we can count on Omnivore Recordings for some of the most colorful and fun releases for Record Store Day's Back to Black Friday shopping event! On the day after Thanksgiving, you might find yourself at your local indie record store to pick up one of Omnivore's three Black Friday collectibles. As usual, it's a diverse trio, with releases from two late troubadours - Townes Van Zandt and Gene Clark - and one legendary late comedian, Ernie Kovacs. This past
Steve Earle once famously wrote, “Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world,” adding for good measure, “and I’ll stand on Bob Dylan’s coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.” Earle later backtracked on his statement, answering in the negative whether he really believed Van Zandt was Dylan’s superior. Van Zandt was also embarrassed by the fulsome praise (“I’ve met Bob Dylan’s bodyguards and if Steve thinks he can stand on Bob Dylan’s coffee table, he’s sadly mistaken!”) but
The Beach Boys, Live: The 50th Anniversary Tour (Capitol) Brian, Mike, Al, Bruce and David may not be touring again anytime soon, but at least we now have two discs of live memories to play. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Townes Van Zandt, The Late Great Townes Van Zandt / High, Low and In Between (Omnivore) You heard the demos, now rediscover these great country albums, on CD or vinyl! Late Great CD (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.), LP (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) High, Low CD (Amazon U.S. / Amazon
Joe rightly had much words of praise for Sunshine Boy: The Unheard Studio Sessions and Demos 1971-1972, Omnivore's paean to underrated country singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt. To hear Van Zandt's works, including "Pancho & Lefty," "To Live is to Fly" and others in newly discovered alternate and stripped-down forms on two discs, was a revelation to even the most hardcore fan of the late performer. Now, Omnivore has taken the logical next step and will reissue High, Low and In Between
Taj Mahal, The Complete Columbia Albums Collection (Columbia/Legacy) Fifteen discs of the blues legend's Columbia output, including last year's The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal compilation of unreleased material. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Townes Van Zandt, Sunshine Boy: The Unheard Studio Sessions and Demos 1971-1972 (Omnivore) A new two-disc set features entirely unreleased outtakes, alternates and demos from the Texan singer-songwriter's early-'70s career. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon
Though his 1972 album was entitled The Late Great Townes Van Zandt, that description wasn’t quite true until New Year’s Day, 1997, when a life of hard living caught up with the 52-year old singer, songwriter, poet and musician. But Texas native Van Zandt left behind a rich legacy in music consisting of ten studio albums plus singles and live recordings. The country-blues-folk-rock hero also left behind some unheard material, however, and the musical archaeologists at Omnivore Recordings have