VIA PRESS RELEASE | January 1st 2017 marked the twentieth anniversary of the death of the great Texan troubadour, Townes Van Zandt. The acclaimed ongoing Charly Records reissue campaign of the Townes catalogue reaches a new milestone with the FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24th release of two of his finest albums – TEXAS RAIN and FLYIN’ SHOES.
TEXAS RAIN: At the turn of the ’90s, Townes Van Zandt began recording a series of duets in Texas with a bunch of long-time admirers that included Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Jeff Walker, Freddy Fender, and Doug Sahm. The full-band sessions sought to breathe fresh air into the lungs of some of his best-known songs. Initially given a limited release in America on CD only in 2001, ‘Texas Rain’ has now been newly remastered to all physical and digital formats and repackaged with a full-colour 20-page booklet, in-depth sleeve notes, and revealing interview with original producer and manager Kevin Eggers.
The vinyl version has been pressed as a double LP limited audiophile edition, mastered by Matt Colton at Alchemy Studios. It serves as one of Van Zandt’s defining works. All formats feature a bonus track – ‘No Place To Fall’, a duet with close friend Willie Nelson.
“This was the cream of the cream. Texas Rain is a timeless record. We really felt that we’d made a huge breakthrough in terms of our creative collaboration, the level of musicianship, the quality of the tracks and the energy we had. It was a golden time in our lives.” —Kevin Eggers
FLYIN’ SHOES, from 1978, is one of Van Zandt’s most profoundly moving and introspective sets – spare arrangements providing the simplest of backdrops for his melodic and lyrical predilections to soar. Recorded in Nashville under the production auspices of Chips Moman, the title track is a rich, evocative opus showcasing Van Zandt at his most profound – the chilly, wintry imagery presenting a vista of emotional desolation that has a deeply affecting resonance. ‘
No Place To Fall’ is a song of lovelorn reflection that lingers long in the memory, but there is also a lightness of touch and moments of playfulness (his version of Bo Diddley’s ‘Who Do You Love’, for example) which also add light to the dark ruminations displayed here.
Charly Records are to release Townes Van Zandt’s High, Low and In Between and Delta Momma Blues later in 2017.
