Live at The Old Quarter, Houston, Texas...

[stereo71]

Any Townes Van Zandt fans out there might be
interested to know that Tomato has reissued this
live album on a double CD, released sometime last
month. Finally filled this hole in my Townes
collection! Great live club sound.

[Angel]

Good news!

[Burningfool]

Yeah, this is a great album. I have a French issue on a single CD that came out many years ago. I got Townes to sign it for me when I saw him play about 10 years ago. He was a good one...

[stereo71]

This new release has 2 discs, total program
is almost 93 minutes. I have never seen the
LP version (1977) so I can't say if the song
lineup is the same, but this is a great
presentation! The Old Quarter was in downtown
Houston, near the bus station, and on some of
the tracks you can hear buses passing by the
door, squeaky fans from the bad air conditioning,
bar phone ringing...and through all of this,
Townes' honest, soulful vocals and lone guitar.
The mastering favors his voice, and most of his
singing is quite good, while the guitar can appear
somewhat soft. Classic Townes Van Zandt from
1973! What a trip back in time.

Okay, I'll get off my soap box now...

[Burningfool]

--the bottom's low, and the treble's clear...

I like your signature, stereo71!

To live is to fly...indeed!

[Craig]

I recently ordered Townes' A Gentle Evening At Carnegie Hall 1969 from Razor and Tie, but haven't received it yet. I was at their web page looking for the SH mastered Gary Across The Missouri when I noticed the TVZ. Razor and Tie has The Waterboys' Fisherman's Blues Part II coming out in July. I love the original and am interested in hearing the "leftovers".

[dwmann]

If it is a double CD it probably contains all the tracks from the original album. Tomato originally released this on CD as a single, and three or four songs were omitted. I can't remember exactly what they cut out, but I'm sure that either "Talking Thunderbird Blues" or "Fraternity Blues" was left of the original CD release, and I don't think "White Freightliner Blues" was on there either. Does the new disc have both of those songs? I have both the LP and the original Tomato CD. I'll try to post the songs that were left off the original CD tonight.

I've always been a big TVZ fan, and I've never understood why he didn't get more popular. (His version of Song of the Shrimp could have been a great novelty hit.)Even after others had hits with his songs, and Willie Nelson had a huge hit with "Pancho and Lefty" TVZ was still playing little, obscure clubs. I saw him a number of times in rooms not much larger than my living room, and I don't have a large living room. I know he was a heavy drinker, but he always seemed to show up for his shows, and he was always excellent, even when it seemed he could hardly stand. I must have seen him play 25 or 30 times, and I never saw him cut a show short because of intoxication, although I did write down the lyrics to one of his songs for him once. The only time I EVER saw him in what could be called a "concert" setting was at a special "Poet Songwriters" show in Houston with Mickey Newbury, Guy Clark, and Jerry Jeff Walker, and TVZ was GREAT.

For those of you who like TVZ: Check out Mickey Newbury, the guy is INCREDIBLE. (He arranged American Trilogy) You don't even have to worry about what title to buy. Every song he ever recorded has something to be said for it.

Are there any other Newbury fans out there?

[Joseph]

Originally posted by dwmann
If it is a double CD it probably contains all the tracks from the original album. Tomato originally released this on CD as a single, and three or four songs were omitted. I can't remember exactly what they cut out, but I'm sure that either "Talking Thunderbird Blues" or "Fraternity Blues" was left of the original CD release, and I don't think "White Freightliner Blues" was on there either. Does the new disc have both of those songs? I have both the LP and the original Tomato CD. I'll try to post the songs that were left off the original CD tonight.

I've always been a big TVZ fan, and I've never understood why he didn't get more popular. (His version of Song of the Shrimp could have been a great novelty hit.)Even after others had hits with his songs, and Willie Nelson had a huge hit with "Pancho and Lefty" TVZ was still playing little, obscure clubs. I saw him a number of times in rooms not much larger than my living room, and I don't have a large living room. I know he was a heavy drinker, but he always seemed to show up for his shows, and he was always excellent, even when it seemed he could hardly stand. I must have seen him play 25 or 30 times, and I never saw him cut a show short because of intoxication, although I did write down the lyrics to one of his songs for him once. The only time I EVER saw him in what could be called a "concert" setting was at a special "Poet Songwriters" show in Houston with Mickey Newbury, Guy Clark, and Jerry Jeff Walker, and TVZ was GREAT.

For those of you who like TVZ: Check out Mickey Newbury, the guy is INCREDIBLE. (He arranged American Trilogy) You don't even have to worry about what title to buy. Every song he ever recorded has something to be said for it.

Are there any other Newbury fans out there?

Yes, Newbury never got the acclaim his music deserved.

Recently picked up Together At The Bluebird Cafe - a live recording from September 13, 1995 with Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark. Love those guys!

[stereo71]

Live at The Old Quarter, Houston, Texas
Tomato TOM-3011

Disk One:

1. Announcement (0:43)
2. Pancho & Lefty (4:00)
3. Mr. Mudd & Mr. Gold (3:40)
4. Don't You Take It Too Bad (2:50)
5. Two Girls (3:40)
6. Fraternity Blues (3:00)
7. If I Needed You (3:30)
8. Brand New Companion (4:26)
9. White Freight Liner Blues (3:10)
10. To Live Is To Fly (3:12)
11. She Came Around and She Touched Me (4:03)
12. Talking Thunderbird Blues (2:21)
13. Rex's Blues (2:55)
14. Nine Pound Hammer (3:20)

Disk Two:

1. For The Sake of The Song (3:26)
2. Chauffeur's Blues (4:31)
3. No Place To Fall (3:03)
4. Loretta (2:17)
5. Kathleen (2:52)
6. Why She's Acting This Way (5:40)
7. Cocaine Blues (3:28)
8. Who Do You Love (3:10)
9. Tower Song (4:08)
10. Waiting 'Round To Die (2:25)
11. Tecumseh Valley (4:30)
12. Lungs (2:22)
13. Only Him Or Me (2:57)

Insert has the original album notes, followed by
a new intro by Chet Flippo, and song lyrics.
Remastering is credited to Paul Zinman at Soundbyte.

As I mentioned earlier, I haven't heard the original
vinyl--but this issue doesn't sound no-noised or
smiley EQ'd to me, it's a live mono recording and
it sounds like it!

dwmann, does this look like the complete album?
Wish I could hear the vinyl version for comparison...

[dwmann]

Looks like the complete album with the ADDITION of Chauffeur's Blues and Cocaine Blues. If it's on Tomato, it's probably either a straight transfer or an almost straight transfer from the original tapes with maybe a slight treble reduction to reduce hiss.