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Townes Van Zandt was a poet of intimate, gentle, tormented, emotional ballads.His mostly acoustic art borrowed elements from country, blues and tex-mex,and initiated the great Texas singer-songwriter school of the 1970s.

His debut album, For the Sake of the Song (Poppy, 1968), was anamazing collection of dejected and heartbreaking compositions, but,deliberately conceived as country music’s answer to , was over-arranged withorgans, flutes and harpsichords, sometimes pushing it into the territory ofBob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde.Nonetheless,the stately For the Sake of the Song (with romantic tex-mex strumming and a melody that evokes Barry McGuire's Eve Of Destruction),the Dylan-esque Tecumseh Valley,,the desolate and waltzing Quicksilver Daydreams of Maria,the funereal, Lee Hazlewood-influenced and quasi-Morricone-ian Waitin’ Around to Die,the honkytonking country-pop lullaby I'll Be There in the Morning,the anemic elegy Sad Cinderella, with baroque harsichord and camp harmonica,would remain staples of his canon andwould reapper on later releases in starker and sparer formats.Van Zandt didn't like the arrangements and almost repudiated it (thegospel organ and military drumming of Velvet Voices andthe rocking Sixteen Summers Fifteen Fallsare certainly unbecoming).

Van Zandt's lyrics found the appropriate musical setting onOur Mother the Mountain (Poppy, 1969), which remains his masterpiece.Be Here to Love Me (with a jazzy flute) and Kathleen (which sounds like Nick Drake backed by an orchestra) are the unlikely songs that lead a parade of desolate vignettes that recast universal themes as private stories.His voice often recalls country-pop star Glen Campbell, and the accompanimentsare often limited to guitar and harmonica, but the melodies and the lyricspropel the songs to another dimension.The Donovan-esque She Came and She Touched Me and the gentleLike a Summer Thursday (a sort of calmer cousin ofLee Hazlewood's Some Velvet Morning) hardly prepare for thedarkest nadir of the album, Our Mother the Mountain (with funereal flute and martial guitar).A flute that seems to rise from the canyon of an "Indian" reservation introducesthe orchestral Second Lover’s Song, whose melody sounds like a neoclassical aria.The ferocious, jazzy and almost dissonant Snake Mountain Blues (the standout) even evokes Tim Buckley.The yodeling tradition of country music is reborn in My Proud Mountainsand closer Why She’s Acting This Way is the ultimate losing-themed country song.

A few months later Van Zandt released a sort of compilation with additional new material, Townes Van Zandt (Poppy, 1969).The albumbegins with a spartan and slower version of For the Sake of the Song and includes new and more plaintive versions ofWaiting Around To Die,I'll Be There in the Morning,and Quicksilver Daydreams of Maria (which becomes an oddly crooned pop song).The album is played and sung in a way that increases the similarities with Nick Drake (whose debut had been released in July, two months earlier).The problem is that the new material sounds like leftovers, with the exceptionof Lungs, another "violent" and syncopated blues number (and the standout), and of the vibrant, Dylan-esque Fare Thee Well Miss Carousel.

The following albums,Delta Momma Blues (Poppy, 1971)and the piano-drivenHigh Low and In Between (Poppy, 1971 - Rhino, 1972), were also inferior, although eachboasted one of his sad masterpieces, respectively Tower Song andTo Live's to Fly(plus close seconds like Rake and Nothing on the former).He was clearly moving towards a more lively sound(Delta Momma Blues and Turnstyled Junkpiled on the former album,You are not needed now and the rocking gospel-ish Too Hands on the latter).

The Late Great Townes Van Zandt (Poppy, 1972) is possibly his mosteclectic collection and contains two of hisclassics, Pancho And Lefty(perhaps influenced by Arlo Guthrie)and the catchy and foot-tapping If I Needed You,besideselegant country lullabys like If I Needed You and No Lonesome Tune,but overall isuneven (four covers, one old song).The strangest songs arethe orchestral and stately mystical vision of Silver Ships of Andilar (perhaps the real standout) and the piano elegy Snow Don't Fall.It became his most famous album.

The double album Live At Old Quarter (Tomato, 1977) was the first ofmany live albums that constitute most of his discography.

It took six years before Van Zandt released another collection of new material,Flyin' Shoes (Rhino, 1978), which was basically a "best of"the last six years. It includes the gentle No Place To Fall and Rex's Blues,the more lively Loretta,the singalong Dollar Bill Blues

Nine more elapsed between this one and At My Window (Sugar Hill, 1987), which contains Snowin' On Raton, and seven more beforeNo Deeper Blue (Sugar Hill, 1994) saw the light, a confused hodgepodgeof styles (with Niles River Blues).

Townes Van Zandt died in january 1997 at 52.

(Translation by/ Tradotto da Pierfrancesco Zanata)

Townes Van Zandt fu un poeta di ballate intime, gentili, tormentate ed emozionali. La sua arte prevelentemente acustica prendeva elementi di country, blues e tex-mex, avviando la grande scuola di cantautori texani degli anni '70.

Il suo primo album,For the Sake of the Song(Poppy, 1968), era una splendida collezione di canzoni tristi e addolorate, ma, volontariamente concepito come la risposta della musica country a Simon & Garfunkel, fu eccessivamente arrangiato con organi, flauti e clavicembali, talvolta sconfinando nel territorio diBlonde on Blondedi Bob Dylan. Tuttavia, la maestosaFor the Sake of the Song(con una romantica strimpellata tex-mex e una melodia che ricordaEve Of DestructiondiBarry McGuire), la dylanianaTecumseh Valley, il valzer desolato diQuicksilver Daydreams of Maria, la funurea, quasi morriconianaWaitin’ Around to Die, influenzata da Lee Hazlewood, la ninna nanna honky-tonk del country popI'll Be There in the Morning, l'anemica elegia diSad Cinderella, con clavicembalo barocco e armonica, rimarranno punti fermi del suo canone e riappariranno in pubblicazioni successive in un format più scarno e spartano. A Van Zandt non piacquero gli arrangiamenti e arrivò quasi a rinnegarlo (l'organo gospel e il tamburo militare inVelvet Voicese il pezzo rockSixteen Summers Fifteen Fallssono sicuramente inopportune).

La lirica di Van Zandt trovò uno sfondo musicale più appropriato inOur Mother the Mountain(Poppy, 1969), che rimane il suo capolavoro.Be Here to Love Me(accompagnata da un flauto brioso) eKathleen(che suona come Nick Drake con un accompagnamento orchestrale) sono le improbabili canzoni che guidano una parata di vignette desolate che reinterpretano temi universali come storie private. La sua voce spesso richiama quella della star country-pop Glen Campbell, e gli accompagnamenti spesso si limitano a chitarra e armonica, ma le melodie e la lirica proiettano i brani in un'altra dimensione. La donovanianaShe Came and She Touched Mee la teneraLike a Summer Thursday(una sorta di cugina più tranquilla diSome Velvet Morningdi Lee Hazlewood) preparano a malapena per la parte più buia dell'album,Our Mother the Mountain(accompagnata da flauto funereo e chitarra marziale). Un flauto che sembra salire dal canyon di una riserva indiana, introduce l'orchestraleSecond Lover’s Song, la cui melodia sembra un'aria neoclassica. La feroce, sgargiante e quasi dissonanteSnake Mountain Blues(il pezzo migliore) evoca persino Tim Buckley. La tradizione jodel della musica country si ripresenta inMy Proud Mountainse l'ultima tracciaWhy She’s Acting This Wayrappresenta la quintessenza della canzone country dedicata ai perdenti.

Pochi mesi dopo Van Zandt pubblicò una sorta di compilation con l'aggiunta di materiale nuovo,Townes Van Zandt(Poppy, 1969). L'album inizia con una versione più lenta e spartana diFor The Sake of the Songe include una nuova e più lamentosa versione diWaiting Around To Die,I'll Be There in the Morning, eQuicksilver Daydreams of Maria(che stranamente nel tempo fu reinterpretata da diversi crooner). L'album è suonato e cantato in un modo che aumenta le similirità con Nick Drake (il cui primo album era stato pubblicato due mesi prima). Il problema è che i nuovi brani sembrano scarti, con l'eccezione diLungs, un altro pezzo blues "violento" e sincopato (il migliore dell'album), e della vibrante, dylanianaFare Thee Well Miss Carousel.

Anche gli album seguenti,Delta Momma Blues(Poppy, 1971) eHigh Low and In Between(Poppy, 1971 - Rhino, 1972), più orientato al piano, erano inferiori, anche se entrambi contengono uno dei suoi tristi capolavori, rispettivamenteTower SongeTo Live's to Fly(Rakenel primo eNothingnel secondo, sono validi concorrenti). Van Zandt si stava chiaramente muovendo verso un sound più allegro (Delta Momma BlueseTurnstyled Junkpilednel primo album,You Are Not Needed Nowe il rock gospel diToo Handsnel secondo).

The Late Great Townes Van Zandt(Poppy, 1972) è forse la sua collezione più eclettica e contiene due dei suoi classici,Pancho And Lefty(forse influenzato da Arlo Guthrie) e l'orecchiabileIf I Needed You, oltre ad eleganti ninna nanne country comeIf I Needed YoueNo Lonesome Tune, ma nel complesso è incostante (quattro cover, un brano tradizionale). Le canzoni più strane sono la mistica e orchestraleSilver Ships of Andilar(forse il vero capolavoro) e l'elegia di piano diSnow Don't Fall. Diventò il suo album più famoso.

L'album doppioLive At Old Quarter(Tomato, 1977) fu il primo di diversi album live che costituiscono gran parte della sua discografia.

Passarono sei anni prima che Van Zandt pubblicasse un'altra raccolta di materiale originale,Flyin' Shoes(Rhino, 1978), che era praticamente una collezione del meglio degli ultimi sei anni. Include la gentileNo Place To FalleRex's Blues, la più vivaceLoretta, il singalongDollar Bill Blues.

Altri nove anni passarono tra questo eAt My Window(Sugar Hill, 1987), che contieneSnowin' On Raton, e altri sette prima cheNo Deeper Blue(Sugar Hill, 1994), un confuso miscuglio di stili (tra cuiNiles River Blues), vide la luce.

Townes Van Zandt morì nel gennaio 1997 a 52 anni.

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