Townes Van Zant - For the Sake of the Song (VMP blue vinyl)

Townes Van Zandt’s work, as far-reaching and as universal as it has become, begs for possessorship. It’s a love language understood by all who find it, yet one that remains acutely difficult to translate to those who haven’t.

No one understood this better than his earliest fans. It’s perhaps why his first studio album, For the Sake of the Song, remains a point of controversy among anyone who discovered Townes Van Zandt outside of these LP’s grooves. Townes Van Zandt the songwriter was the antithesis of bells and whistles, and so an album with such accoutrements, as this album has in spades, rings false — however unfairly — among purists. Taken in context, though, For the Sake of the Song is a gorgeous study in polarity. Each anchor is an artist from wildly different backgrounds, united under the profound effect of songcraft.

Tracklisting:

A1 For The Sake Of The Song
A2 Tecumseh Valley
A3 Many A Fine Lady
A4 Quick Silver Daydreams Of Maria
A5 Waitin' Around To Die
B1 I'll Be There In The Morning
B2 Sad Cinderella
B3 The Velvet Voices
B4 Talkin' Karate Blues
B5 All Your Young Servants
B6 Sixteen Summers, Fifteen Falls