Journey Through The Past : A Far Cry From Dead : Townes Van Zandt

Far Cry from Dead was the first CD or record I bought by Townes Van Zandt.  I am not sure how he had passed me by - but I am reminded by a story I was told by an old friend of my brother Jon's. How they went to a concert in Auckland to see someone and were impressed by the opening act and it was not until years later he realised it was Townes.

Anyway this is not a bad place to start with Townes' - yes it is the end - an almost posthumous album - I guess he was in a similar condition at this stage as Warren Zevon when he was when he recorded The Wind.  However while Zevon wrote a new batch of songs that dealt with his predicament, Townes picks through his catalogue and does much the same thing.  Hence we get great, grave-like versions of Waiting Around to Die, Sanitarium Blues, Dollar Bill Blues, Tower Song and For the Sake of A Song.

Much like considering Johnny Cash's version of In My Life rather than The Beatles'  both good but one is sung with life's full experience whereas the other by someone with an understanding of life before it is lived.

Of course Townes also does Pancho and Lefty but the songs above are what we need to look for in this instance.