***"Van Zandt's subject matter had not changed much in the seven years between recordings, as was apparent only a few lines into the leadoff track, 'A Song For,' when Van Zandt spoke-sang, 'I'm weak and I'm weary of sorrow.' In fact, he wasn't weary of enumerating the causes of sorrow, as was proven especially in 'Marie,' sung in the voice of a derelict whose life gets worse and worse until his pregnant girlfriend dies. Songs like that were typical of Van Zandt, but this time he also displayed an unusual range, from the scary, calypso-like song of temptation 'The Hole' to the weird tall tale of 'Billy, Boney and Ma' in which a man and a skeleton turn to a life of crime, demonstrating Van Zandt's humorous side. Van Zandt even found room for two lullabies. Musically, the album, which was recorded in Ireland and produced by Philip Donnelly, who also played guitar, benefited from an unusually varied group of styles, from the Chicago blues of 'Goin' Down to Memphis' to the Memphis rockabilly of 'Gone Too Long,' with a strong complement of Irish-flavored tunes played on such traditional instruments as uilleann pipes and tin whistle. The diverse musical styles made the album Van Zandt's most listenable, even when the lyrics were at their most desperate. By 1994, after a stream of live re-recordings of his older material, Van Zandt had begun to seem like a songwriter whose best songs, good as they were, were behind him. No Deeper Blue...
LP $30.75
11/29/2024
***For the first time ever, Townes Van Zandt’s Grammy-nominated posthumous 1999 release A Far Cry From Dead will see a vinyl release. Van Zandt recorded the vocal and guitar takes for the album from the late '80s through the early '90s at Texhoma Music Group Studio, the late singer's next door neighbor’s home studio in Nashville, and Jack Clement's Cowboy Arms Hotel and Recording Spa. Townes left the tapes to his widow, Jeanene Van Zandt, who worked with producer Eric Paul to bring the songs to life with a full band including guitarist Richard Bennet (Mark Knopfler, Billy Joel, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell), percussionist Kenny Malone (Ray Charles, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, etc.), and Charlie McCoy (Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings) among others.
LP $32.25
04/28/2023
***Limited edition reissue pressed on 180-gram vinyl. “This is another strong collection from TOWNES VAN ZANDT, and not a dud in the bunch. The melodies here are strong, the lyrics full of Van Zandt's razor-sharp insight, and the production is sparse and to the point, bringing to mind the inconspicuous polish of High, Low and in Between. The feel here is a balance between folk and country, with Van Zandt's voice and guitar up front, letting the songs speak for themselves. The tunes are full of heartbreak and hopelessness, making it a great album to put on during, or right after, the breakup of an affair.”
CD $16.35
05/21/2007
LP $26.95
04/14/2023
***BACK IN STOCK!!! A double-album best of collection featuring sixteen classic TOWNES VAN ZANDT songs. Housed in custom chipboard gatefold jackets and pressed on 140-gram black vinyl.
2XLP $33.95
10/11/2019
***BACK IN STOCK!!! Sky Blue, a collection of unreleased songs by one of the most celebrated songwriters of the twentieth century, is a time capsule that TOWNES VAN ZANDT created forty-six years ago, and we’re only now just unearthing and opening it to find the treasures inside. Scheduled for release on March 7, 2019—which would have been his 75th birthday—this album shows the artist working out some of his most iconic songs in an intimate, comfortable setting with one of his lifelong confidantes.
LP $28.85
03/08/2019
CD $16.35
03/08/2019
***BACK IN STOCK!!! “Originally released by Sundown, a tiny Austin indie with limited distribution, the 17-song set finds Van Zandt in fine form -- upbeat, gracious, apparently sober -- and in good company, with fiddler Owen Cody and guitarist Danny Rowland adding a dimension of musical enhancement that never overwhelms the nuances of the material. As anyone who ever saw Van Zandt fall off a stool recognizes, there was no such thing as a typical Townes performance, but when he was good, no one working in the Texas troubadour tradition has ever been better.”—No Depression
CD $14.25
02/18/2008
2XLP $33.95
11/24/2017
***BACK IN STOCK!!! Widely considered one of the greatest songwriters of his generation, TOWNES VAN ZANDT has been hailed by such singers as Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, and Willie Nelson. Fat Possum is proud to reissue In The Beginning, a collection of ten recordings produced by JACK CLEMENT (Johnny Cash, U2, Waylon Jennings) in 1966. Recorded almost two years before the original release of For the Sake of the Song, this is Townes in his original element and already writing about drifters, losers and gamblers. (STREET DATE - 6/25/2013)
LP $26.95
06/25/2013
CD $14.25
11/24/2009
***BACK IN STOCK!!! Originally released in 1968 For The Sake Of The Song is a reissue of TOWNES VAN ZANDT’s well-known debut album. Produced by JACK CLEMENT (Charley Pride, Chet Atkins, U2, etc.) and featuring original liner notes by MICKEY NEWBURY, Van Zandt went on to cement his status as a cult icon among gifted songwriters such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Emmylou Harris who eventually recorded their own covers of Towne’s songs. Eleven tracks.
LP $26.95
05/01/2012
CD $14.25
09/24/2007
***BACK IN STOCK!!! Barely five years into his recording career in 1973, TOWNES VAN ZANDT classics like "Pancho and Lefty," "Rex's Blues" and "Lungs" helped carve out the man's folk hero status among luminaries like Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Steve Earle. Live at the Old Quarter, a set recorded in 1973 and first released in 1977, helped seal his critical reputation—while perhaps simultaneously driving yet another nail into the coffin of Van Zandt's cult status.
2XLP $33.95
04/14/2009
***BACK IN STOCK!!! Limited edition reissue pressed on 180-gram vinyl. “This is another strong collection from TOWNES VAN ZANDT, and not a dud in the bunch. The melodies here are strong, the lyrics full of Van Zandt's razor-sharp insight, and the production is sparse and to the point, bringing to mind the inconspicuous polish of High, Low and in Between. The feel here is a balance between folk and country, with Van Zandt's voice and guitar up front, letting the songs speak for themselves. The tunes are full of heartbreak and hopelessness, making it a great album to put on during, or right after, the breakup of an affair.”
LP $26.95
03/16/2009
***BACK IN STOCK!!! One of four new CD reissues of the early albums of renowned songwriter TOWNES VAN ZANDT. Recorded between 1969 and 1978, these albums are the heart of any serious consideration of Van Zandt’s brilliant career. Features some of the most iconic cover art in album history, each designed by MILTON GLASER.
CD $16.35
05/21/2007
LP $26.95
10/20/2008
***BACK IN STOCK!!! One of four new CD reissues of the early albums of renowned songwriter TOWNES VAN ZANDT. Recorded between 1969 and 1978, these albums are the heart of any serious consideration of Van Zandt’s brilliant career. Features some of the most iconic cover art in album history, each designed by MILTON GLASER.
CD $16.35
05/21/2007
LP $26.95
10/20/2008
***BACK IN STOCK!!! Limited edition vinyl reissue pressed on 180-gram vinyl. “One of the new vinyl reissues of the early albums of renowned songwriter Townes Van Zandt. Recorded between 1969 and 1978, these albums are the heart of any serious consideration of Van Zandt's brilliant career. Features some of the most iconic cover art in album history, each designed by Milton Glaser.”
CD $16.35
05/21/2007
LP $26.95
03/16/2009