Live At The Old Quarter

Legendary Texas singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt was just 29 years old when he recorded Live at the Old Quarter. The result of a five-night stand at a tiny club in Houston, what is arguably his best album was originally released on vinyl as a two-album set, and later on compact disc in a slightly abbreviated version. Tomato's reissue, however, restores the album to its full glory, complete with remastered sound and insightful liner notes by music writer Chet Flippo. Van Zandt, who died of a heart attack in 1997, sings of love and loss in a world-weary voice that begs you to pay close attention. After apologizing for the club's broken air conditioner, he kicks things off with a stirring version of "Pancho and Lefty," perhaps his most famous song. But that's just one gem among many, such as the longing "If I Needed You," the fatalistic "Don't You Take It Too Bad," the bleak "Kathleen," the bitter "Tower Song," and the touching "Tecumseh Valley." Unlike his studio albums, some of which suffer from overly busy arrangements, Live at the Old Quarter finds Van Zandt performing solo and acoustic, which only makes his emotionally honest music all the more powerful. --David Hill

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