There's nothing in the world that I like better...

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mudshark
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There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby mudshark » 01 Aug 2021, 22:30

Back in 1978 we drove to a village 100m east of Rotterdam (NL) to attend a concert by the late great Townes Van Zandt (at the time just great). It was a magical evening in a small venue made famous by Cuby & The Blizzards a decade earlier. On the way back we spotted a tall, lanky guy with a back-pack walking along the road. We asked if he needed a ride. It was, you guessed it, Townes van Zandt heading for the train station. In his back-pack he had his guitar for playing, his records for selling and his bottle of Jack for surviving. That was it. We dropped him off at 1AM or so. Next train would arrive at least 6 hours later. It was November, of course.

This, pretty much, was my my introduction to Texas Country Blues. I got very interested in the genre and later, with the help of Tower Records and, even later, Mr. T. Berry Shuffle, virtually addicted. A seed was planted in my head: I wanted to not just visit, but be there. To experience Texas, Louisiana, the Mississippi delta, the dark side of Nashville and Memphis. When I had the chance to move to Texas I didn't hesitate. My 4 main reasons:

- Townes Van Zandt
- Lightnin' Hopkins
- Guy Clark
- The oilfield industry.

Texas Country Blues is, for me, simply the best. The lyrics, the stories, the musicians get to me. Townes is possibly the best North-American lyricist after Bob & Leonard, and Guy Clark's words ooze love & emotion. I do think 'our' music gets snowed under by what's coming out of New Orleans and Tennessee, which is probably why them Texans kept (and keep) on moving to Nashville.

I'm pretty sure Townes doesn't need no further introductions to BCBers. Songs like Pancho & Lefty, To Live Is To Fly, Tecumseh Valley and White Freight Liner are forever part of The American Songbook. Lesser known may be the late great Guy Clark. He was Townes' best frennemy. He couldn't do without his friendship but was gutted by the fact that his songs were never as good and that his wife liked Townes better. But, holy shit, did that man write some wonderful songs: L.A. Freeway, Dublin Blues, The Guitar, Stuff That Works (personal favorite), Home Grown Tomatoes, Texas Cooking, etc. etc. His songs are unique because they're completely his, I think that's proven by the fact that Steve Earle's homage to the man (a CD of covers called GUY) completely sucks. Guy Clark songs are best performed by Guy Clark, which is also proven by the horrible rendition of the lovely song Desperado's Waiting For A Train by the Highwaymen. The song is a lovely ballad but when Willie & Co, got hold of it they were sounding more like the four horsemen of the apocalypse. If there's such a thing as raping a song, that was it.

There's a lot more, of course: Jerry Jeff Walker (Mr. Bojangles!), Robert Earl Keen, Delbert McClinton, John Prine (I steal him for Texas), the incomparable Blaze Foley and, as proof that the Blues is still not dead in Texas, Hayes Carll. He's from The Woodlands, some 25 miles from where I live. I saw him play at Willie's Grill & Ice House in Conroe yesterday and the concert prompted me to write this. If you don't know him, look up "She Left Me For Jesus" on Youtube. Funniest song since Peter Seller sang George Gerschwin.
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Matt Wilson
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Re: There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby Matt Wilson » 01 Aug 2021, 23:32

I'm glad you bring up Guy Clark, he was great. Old No. 1 is a stone-cold classic, and Texas Cookin' has some cool songs. Townes was a god, of course. My nephew is only just now getting into him and it makes me proud. I'm sure you know who Joe Ely is, if not - check him out too.

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Re: There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby Charlie O. » 02 Aug 2021, 00:36

I dig Guy, too - maybe more than Townes, truthfully.

This is a wonderful later one:


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Re: There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby mudshark » 02 Aug 2021, 13:26

I love that song too. His melancholy is palpable. It's funny you say that. On average I tend to agree, but the highs of Townes are off the charts. Guy has 20-30 song I really like, while Townes has 10 I cannot live without.

Very familiar with Joe Ely. Thank you for mentioning him. Saw him play here in Houston a few years ago. The Road Goes On Forever....

Shame on me for not mentioning Doug Sahm. Quintessential Texan. Is anybody goin' to San Antone?
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Re: There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby Neige » 02 Aug 2021, 14:43

mudshark wrote: Guy Clark songs are best performed by Guy Clark, which is also proven by the horrible rendition of the lovely song Desperado's Waiting For A Train by the Highwaymen. The song is a lovely ballad but when Willie & Co, got hold of it they were sounding more like the four horsemen of the apocalypse. If there's such a thing as raping a song, that was it.


A big fan of Guy Clark.

The first of his songs I heard was Desperados in this version, and I love it so much Guy's original never managed to get ahead of it.

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Re: There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby Walk In My Shadow » 02 Aug 2021, 18:31

Not the biggest fan of Townes.

As long as we're talking Texas my prime favourite would be Joe Ely.

Kudos to James McMurtry and Ray Wylie Hubbard. And Lyle Lovett.
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Re: There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby Charlie O. » 02 Aug 2021, 18:38

mudshark wrote:Shame on me for not mentioning Doug Sahm.

Now yer talkin'.
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Re: There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby Walk In My Shadow » 02 Aug 2021, 19:50

Charlie O. wrote:
mudshark wrote:Shame on me for not mentioning Doug Sahm.

Now yer talkin'.



At the JUOTA in Austin I visited the park where Stevie Ray has a monument. Doug only has a grassy knoll named after him there.

A bit disappointing.
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Re: There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby Charlie O. » 02 Aug 2021, 20:03

Walk In My Shadow wrote:
Charlie O. wrote:
mudshark wrote:Shame on me for not mentioning Doug Sahm.

Now yer talkin'.



At the JUOTA in Austin I visited the park where Stevie Ray has a monument. Doug only has a grassy knoll named after him there.

A bit disappointing.

I know.

That said, I'm sure Doug would have liked it. He certainly loved grass.
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Re: There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby C » 02 Aug 2021, 20:17

Neige wrote:The first of his songs I heard was Desperados in this version, and I love it so much Guy's original never managed to get ahead of it.



Beefheart's lads - Bill Harkleroad, Mark Boston and Art Tripp III et alia




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Re: There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby souphound » 02 Aug 2021, 21:34

mudshark wrote:..... John Prine ......


I fell in live with (Kentucky's) John Prine's music back when my sister married a Californian and he visited, coming with some of his favourites on cassette! The genre was practically new to me then. To a large extent, it still does as none of my friends are the least bit interested and I have very little on hand.

Townes of course is on the same train in my house of course.

Unfortunately, I am only familiar with the most out there stuff. This makes me want to dig in. And I will. I have never been one to say no to such pleasure.

Thanks.
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Re: There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby The Fish » 03 Aug 2021, 06:55

Love Townes
Love Guy

but you re missing the third member of the great Yexas troubadour triumvirate



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Re: There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby Neige » 03 Aug 2021, 07:37

Charlie O. wrote:
Walk In My Shadow wrote:
Charlie O. wrote:Now yer talkin'.



At the JUOTA in Austin I visited the park where Stevie Ray has a monument. Doug only has a grassy knoll named after him there.

A bit disappointing.

I know.

That said, I'm sure Doug would have liked it. He certainly loved grass.


:lol: :lol:

I saw him live with the Texas Tornados in 1991 - great concert!

He had a fan at eye level whirring away during the whole gig (it was REALLY hot), so his lank and stringy hair was kept dry (and hovering in mid air).

Fond memories!!
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Re: There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby Charlie O. » 03 Aug 2021, 09:07

Neige wrote:I saw him live with the Texas Tornados in 1991 - great concert!

He had a fan at eye level whirring away during the whole gig (it was REALLY hot), so his lank and stringy hair was kept dry (and hovering in mid air).

Fond memories!!

:D

The one time I got to see Doug was in the summer of 1989, playing at a small club with inadequate (if any) air conditioning in Washington, DC. Angela Strehli and Lou Ann Barton were also on the bill - it was an Antone's Records package tour - and all three singers commented/complained during their respective sets that "it never gets this hot in Texas." No fans on stage that I can recall - maybe that's where the idea came to Doug.

He played a solid if not quite transcendent set, during which he frequently hollered "Play it, Augie!" at the keyboardist, who was not Augie Meyers. Doug clearly found this hilarious; the keyboardist just as clearly did not.

His bass player on that tour was original SDQ bassist Jack Barber. After the show I got both of them to sign the back of my Crazy Cajun reissue LP of The Best Of Sir Douglas Quintet - one of the few times I ever bothered to get anyone's autograph. "Hey, lookit this, Jack - been a while since we've seen one of these," Doug said, pointing out with his index finger the Crazy Cajun logo that was amateurishly pasted not-quite-over the Tribe logo from the original LP, and Jack muttered "Oh yeah..." It later occurred to me that surely neither one of them ever saw a cent from that reissue - hell, they probably didn't from the original release, either.

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The following year they came back through town and played the same club with a version of the Sir Douglas Quintet (with Louis Ortega from Louie & The Lovers on guitar!), but I had moved south (and was probably broke) and couldn't get there. My friend who had gone to the previous show with me raved about it. Really wish I could have caught that one...
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Re: There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby mudshark » 03 Aug 2021, 15:45

Neige, thank you for that version of "Desperados'. Never heard this one and never heard of that band either. My favorite version of that song is on Nancy Griffith's "Other Voices, Too", Guy himself plays and sings on it as well. Saw The Texas Tornadoes back in May 1993 while visiting Houston for the OTC. What a great party band.

But surprised there's not more love for Townes amongst you guys. I'd figured he'd have a God-like stature round here. What is it that Steve Earle once proclaimed? Something like "Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world, and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that." And when I listen to Live At The Old Quarter I tend to agree with him.
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Re: There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby Neil Jung » 12 Aug 2021, 15:13

Interesting thread. Someone on BCB used to promote Townes’ gigs and knew him well, as I recall him telling me all about him at a Jolly Up.
Last edited by Neil Jung on 12 Aug 2021, 15:24, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: There's nothing in the world that I like better...

Postby Neil Jung » 12 Aug 2021, 15:19

It was Carlisle Wheeling. I’ll drop him a PM.
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