Townes Van Zandt – Eugene, OR (02/20/95)

Townes Van Zandt
02/20/95
John Henry’s
Eugene, OR

1. Intro
2. Intro continued>Katie Belle Blue
3. Blaze’s Blues
4. Song intro
5. Short Haired Woman Blues
6. The Hole
7. Panch and Lefty
8. Talkin’ Fraternity Blues
9. Dollar Bill Blues
10. Loretta
11. To Live is to Fly
12. A Song For
13. Ballad of Ira Hayes
14. Hey Willie Boy
15. Nothin’
16. Between-song-chatter
17. Don’t You Take it Too Bad
18. Snowin’ on Raton

I believe it was Guy Clark that said he’d gladly stand on Bob Dylan’s coffee table (in his boots) and declare that Townes Van Zandt was the greatest singer-songwriter around. Well, I’d still give props to Dylan, but Townes is definitely one of the best. This show was recorded only a few years before his death and while he still sounds good, you can feel the years of abuse creeping up on him. But ah, man it is still Townes and you can’t hardly get better than Townes.

This show finds Townes a little less talkative than some of my other shows I have of his, but when he does talk he’s still dry and witty. The songs, though, are of course what we come to hear and they are well represented. The sound quality is good, but a little soft. I find I have to turn it up when Townes is talking and then it is still a little difficult to hear what he’s talking about.