Live at The Old Quarter, Houston, Texas

 (19 customer reviews)

Last May Steve Earle released an album of Townes Van Zandt covers. He came to Seattle and did a free solo gig at an independent record store to promote his new album. I talked my brother-in-law into going. Earle played for about forty minutes or so, some of Townes' songs and his own tunes, one in particular called the Fort Worth Blues. Then he went behind the cashier counter to sign stuff. The
store had been packed with people and the autograph line was really too
long. Instead of waiting in line my bother-in-law and I went across the street and into a pub.
While we were having a beer I was thinking about whether to get a Townes Van Zandt CD instead of Earle's new one. During the show I had noticed that the store had stocked up on a lot of Townes' CD reissues. I remembered talking to Jerry, an old high school friend, once about Townes Van Zandt and he had recommended Live at the Old Quarter, saying that it was a classic. I decided I would pick up the Townes' Live...Read more

I didn't buy this from amazon (got it at a bargain CD place in my area), but I wanted to post a review somewhere, especially on a site I respect.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that Townes is now officially one of my favorite musical artists, ever. I'm a guy from NYC, born and raised, by the way, relatively young for a fan of his: 29, but this music translates to any mind or heart that appreciates the heartfelt experiences that Townes communicates through his music. His work is timeless, in my opinion. And it draws you into a feeling of being out west somewhere, living the life of a desperado or some other character, even if you're from NYC, like me.

I've listened to a lot of country, by the way, believe it or not, and I know Van Zandt isn't pure country, but he deserves a lot more recognition than some of the guys considered the greatest country artists in the genre, e.g, George Jones, Hank Williams (father and son), Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, etc.

For...Read more

This CD is a must for anyone even casually interested in the singer songwriter genre. Unfortunately, much of Townes music is woefully misrepresented by the misguided efforts of producers attempting to package his sound for the masses. All he needs is the acoustic guitar and a willing audience which is what Live at the Quarter is all about. The recordings are surprisely clear and offer a great testimony on why he is so revered. His idle chatter and off-kilter humor is priceless.

The set-list is amazing. The intimate setting allows you to really appreciate his songwriting gift. The man had his demons but has very few peers. To paraphrase the great Townes, "We all got holes to fill and them holes are all that's real".. Do yourself a favor and get this CD.