If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to sit down next to Townes in your living room and listen to him play some tunes take a listen to this. I’d be surprised if there were more than 20 people in attendance at this performance and the space must have been minuscule.
Townes Van Zandt fanatics will especially dig the intimacy of this recording because of the personal connection that he makes. I think this is because he speaks to some of the darkest places of the human psyche. If your not sure what I mean have a listen to Mr Mudd and Mr Gold or Nothin’.
This show is especially cool because of the performance of the Everly Brothers tune The Cuckoo which is the namesake for this blog.
Townes Van Zandt
Live at the Whole Coffeehouse
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN, USA
September 9, 1973
1. I’ll Be Here In The Morning
2. The Cuckoo
3. Hobo Bill
4. Where I Lead Me
5. Broke Down Engine Blues
6. For the Sake of the Song
7. Nothin’
8. Molly And Tenbrooks
9. Talkin’ Thunderbird Blues
10. Pancho and Lefty
11. Mr. Mudd & Mr. Gold
12. Tecumseh Valley
13. Ballad of Ira Hayes
14. Maria
15. Tying’ a Knot in the Devil’s Tail
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Incredible sounding document you’ve got here. Thanks for sharing this. This is one of the best live recordings I’ve heard of Townes, aside from “Live at the Old Quarter.”
Thanks again.
-chris edwards
This is an odd story I’m about to share with you. I new Townes in Junior High School in Boulder Colorado. We made a pact. I would teach him what I knew about guitar playing, and he would take me with him on his Vespa motor scooter where ever he went that summer. How we lived thru that summer is a mistery to me, Townes had no concept of braking, only go fast. After that summer my family moved to Phoenix and I lost track of Townes. Guess that might have been the summer of 1958. About 9 or 10 years ago while living and working in Florida I read in the paper his obituary. I never knew he was the song writer he aspired to be
Vern, that is an incredible story. Can’t imagine what it feels like to know that you had an influence on the guitar skills of the best songwriter of all time. Thanks for sharing!