Hear Townes Van Zandt’s “All I Need” From Unreleased Sky Blue LP

There’s a particularly memorable scene in the 1981 documentary, Heartworn Highways, where Townes Van Zandt is performing a couple of originals in a kitchen.  I couldn’t tell you have many times I’ve returned to that clip over the years, but it’s one of the most moving things I’ve ever seen.  Filmed in late 1975 to early ’76, Hartworn Highways highlights the outlaw country movement, which was fueled by a return to a rawer, grittier sound and a focus on storytelling and songwriting.  Featured were several artists artists of the era, including Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Charlie Daniels, and David Allan Coe, but among them all, Townes was a true standout.  Van Zandt was a fascinating character and the segments with him reflect that.  Among the footage is him drinking whiskey, cracking jokes, firing bb guns, and introducing the chickens outside of his trailer.  He even provides a lighthearted introduction before playing “Poncho And Lefty,” announcing that he’s going to “play a medley of [his] hit,” before picking away at the acoustic.  It’s a tune that became a massive hit when Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard teamed up to cover it, but never earned the man who penned it quite as much recognition on the mainstream front, even if others in his field couldn’t help but take notice.  The pieces with Townes hint as his complexity, showcasing a Texas jokester with a taste for the drink, stomping around on his modest property, before quickly revealing himself as a brilliant and emotional wordsmith and storyteller.  “Poncho And Lefty,” as amazing as it is, and as solid of a rendition he presented, is easily out-shined by the moment where he plays, “Waiting Around To Die,” a tune which originally appeared on his 1968 debut, For The Sake Of The Song.  With him in the kitchen was girlfriend, Kathy Tennell and his elderly neighbor, a retired blacksmith and ranch hand named Uncle Seymour Washington.  As he begins to play the song, Townes mentions that it “was the first song that [he] ever wrote,” which elicits the response of “Is it?  I had no idea,” from his lady.  It’s hard not to share her surprise; as the title implies, this tune is an incredibly deep and poignant one.  It’s so powerful and affecting that Washington — who I’ve read was, actually, born out of slavery, enduring plenty of hardships of his own — is moved to the point of tears streaming down his face.  The first song that he ever wrote…. Townes was incredible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vASFMouQwxE

In 1995, two years before Van Zandt‘s untimely passing from cardiac arrest at the age of 52, Steve Earle famously made the claim, “Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world, and I’ll stand on Bob Dylan’s coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.”  Hyperbolic as it may be, Earle was greatly inspired and influenced by his friend to the point that his son, Justin Townes Earle — now, an accomplished singer songwriter in his own right — was named after him.  Unfortunately, all three of the men also shared struggles with drugs and alcohol.  From his music alone, one might not suspect that Townes was born into a wealthy family, something that his modest lifestyle and lack of wealth as an adult would suggest even less.  But his hardships were real and his focus on the craft rather than fame and fortune as pure as anything.  The 2004 documentary on his life, Be Here To Love Me, addresses one such tragedy, involving him being forced to endure insulin shock therapy that completely erased large chunks of memory from his youth.  It’s always a shame to lose these one-of-a-kind individuals and often beckons such questions of what could have been if a life of hard living hadn’t killed them so soon, or even how things might have changed if he received the attention that he so rightly deserved within his lifetime, back when such notoriety may have provided him with enough stability to change the trajectory of his life.  Of course, it is these very hardships that often play into craft and expose the humanity that so many of us relate and connect to.  His work is timeless.  That’s why it’s so great to see a resurgence of his work, with Townes continuing to gain more and more recognition for it from a whole new fan base.  Not only has Fat Possum been doing a tremendous job of reissuing his remarkable catalog, in recent years, but the MIssissippi label has just announced a brand new album of unreleased material slated for next month, and we’re pretty fucking hyped about it.

Titled Sky Blue and scheduled to drop on what would have been Van Zandt‘s 75th birthday (March 7th), the new album consists of recently unearthed material that was originally recorded 46 years ago.  The press release elaborates:

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These tracks will sound both fresh and familiar to even the most avid fans. Sky Blue includes eleven unreleased recordings made in early 1973 with the late Bill Hedgepeth, a journalist, musician, and most crucially a close friend of Townes. The singer-songwriter was splitting his time between Texas, Colorado, and a shack outside Franklin, Tennessee: an itinerant life that informed many of his most famous and beloved tunes. Throughout his life he would often return to Hedgepeth’s home studio in Atlanta, later with family in tow, to record, re-work, and experiment with new songs as well as old favorites.

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The lion share of the content on Sky Blue consists of either stripped down early and/or alternate versions of his work — “Pancho And Lefty,” “Rex’s Blues,” “Snake Song,” etc. — or cover tunes, like a “smokey version ” of bluegrass pioneer, Bill Monroe‘s “Blue Ridge Mountain Blues,” and a rendition of the 1880s murder ballad, “Hills Of Roane County.”  What is likely to get fans most excited, however, are two previously unheard songs, one being the title track and the other a cut titled, “All I Need.”  While an album full of covers and alternate recordings may not sound like the most exciting release to a lot of people, Townes is a completely different animal than most.  It’s important to remember that one of his most celebrated releases is, LIve At The Old Quarter, largely due to it being a stripped down recording of him performing on stage without the overproduction that many could argue was a detriment to much of his studio work.  That album, with it’s banter and crowd noise included, also provided a deeper glimpse into his personality and the core of what made him such an awe-inspiring creative force.  With its ability to provide a deeper look into his process and allow the music to stand on its own masterfully carved foundation, Sky Blue promises something similar.  The fact that his wife and children are behind this project further insures that it’s something of value that they believe will only strengthen his legacy, rather than dilute it.

Sky Blue is available to preorder now via Fat Possum.  Check out the full tracklist below the official audio for “All I Need.”