Townes Van Zandt - Self-titled

Townes Van Zandt's third recording is an early guitar-and-voice singer-songwriter classic laden with memorable originals. Start with "For the Sake of the Song," an oft-recorded classic here enlivened by tasteful percussion. Move on to a couple of Van Zandt's gritty, death's door laments--"Waiting Around to Die" (where the ex-con protagonist finds a friend in codeine) and a miner's sad tale, "Lungs." "Colorado Girl" is another in a career-long series of paeans to Colorado, where Van Zandt went to college. "I'll Be Here in the Morning" is a tender love song, while the Dylanesque "Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel" is almost playful. Like most Van Zandt albums, this one has the obligatory buried-but-beautiful small masterpiece, in this case the undeniably gorgeous "(Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria." The closer is another oft-covered piece of scrimshawed tunesmithery, "None but the Rain." This 1969 effort is the first of several essential Van Zandt albums. --Robert Baird

1. For the Sake of the Song
2. Columbine
3. Waiting Around to Die
4. Don't You Take It Too Bad
5. Colorado Girl
6. Lungs
7. I'll Be Here in the Morning
8. Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel
9. (Quicksilver Daydreams Of) Maria
10. None But the Rain