No Relation…

Occasional Albums Thing 062 - Steve Earle “Townes”

“Townes” is the first instalment in Steve Earle’s series of tributes to his “first-hand teachers” (the others being “Guy” and “Jerry Jeff”, coming to a browser near you real soon) this one delivering Steve’s interpretations of the songs of Townes van Zandt (If you need to know more about Townes take a look here “2023/4 OAT #437”). It was originally released in 2009 and features contributions from Earle’s then wife, Alison Moorer, his son Justin Townes Earle and Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello. It also comes on Clear vinyl and wrapped up in another wondrous Tony Fitzpatrick sleeve design.

Townes van Zandt (no relation to the “Freebird” guy) was a great songwriter and Steve Earle was an acolyte, drinking in every bit of knowledge the great man cared to impart to his young follower. This collection begins with what is, most Townes fans would agree, Townes greatest song, “Pancho & Lefty”, or as Townes initially wrote it “Poncho & Lefty”. The problem is, indeed if there even is a problem here, that it never gets any better than that. It’s been covered by Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Jason Isbell, Frank Turner, Johnny Cash, it’s become a country music “standard”. The sorry tale of the two small time outlaws is beautifully told by TvZ and delivered with all the care it deserves here by Steve Earle.

I can’t help thinking Steve missed a trick with this record. I don’t know his rationale for choosing the songs within but, to my ears, he has missed out on some TvZ classics. The likes of “Tecumsah Valley”, “Our Mother The Mountain”, “If I Needed You” and “Waiting Around To Die” are conspicuous by their absence and I for one would love to have heard Steve Earle’s take on them. Maybe he wanted to dig into the darker corners of TvZ’s catalogue and steer around the more obvious songs (obvious to Townes fans, because to most, all of Townes songs will be from the darker corners). 

This is not to say in any way that this is a bad album or that I don’t like it, I said two paragraphs back that Townes van Zandt was a great songwriter and Steve Earle, as such an avowed fan and friend, does great service to the songs and to Townes by trying to bring them to a wider audience. The songs are all great, some of them, like “To Live Is To Fly” and the song that precedes it “(Quicksilver Daydreams Of) Maria”, are verging on classics were it not for the fact that so few people know them.

Townes van Zandt was a quintessentially American songwriter. His style wasn’t Country or Folk or Blues, it was all of those. Think of him alongside Steve Earle, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Petty and their like, not quite up there with the greats like Dylan, Smokey Robinson and Springsteen, but close. If you get the urge to check him out either via this album or the comprehensive “Best Of Townes van Zandt” that’s out there, there’s a treasure trove of great tunes for you to find.

To Live Is To Fly - https://youtu.be/C6TqEsSz9qc?si=zlDBMuGy6-KlqbQL