Sky Blue (Townes Van Zandt album)
Sky Blue is a posthumous album by Texas singer and songwriter Townes Van Zandt, recorded in 1973 but not released until 2019.[1] All tracks were recorded in early 1973 at the Atlanta, Georgia, home studio of Bill Hedgespeth, a journalist, musician, and longtime friend of Van Zandt.[2] Its 2019 release was conceived by Townes’ surviving family—his wife and literary executor Jeanene, along with his children, J.T., Will, and Katie Bell.[1]
Sky Blue | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 7, 2019 | |||
Recorded | Atlanta, Georgia, 1973 | |||
Genre | Country, folk | |||
Label | TVZ Records, Fat Possum Records | |||
Townes Van Zandt chronology | ||||
|
Tracks
Sky Blue consists of 11 previously unreleased recordings, including two tracks which had never been released, "All I Need" and "Sky Blue."[3] The album also features three covers, the traditional folk song "Hills of Roane County", Richard Dobson's "Forever For Always For Certain", and Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind".[4] There are three original tracks which had been released on previous albums, a version of "Blue Ridge Mountains Blues (Smokey Version)" titled simply "Blue Ridge Mountains" first appeared on Townes' 1972 album High, Low, and in Between.[5] Recordings of "Pancho and Lefty" and "Silver Ships of Andilar" had initially appeared on his 1972 album The Late Great Townes Van Zandt. A recording of "Rex's Blues" was included in Van Zandt's 1977 live album Live at the Old Quarter[6] and on 1978's Flyin' Shoes.[7] "Snake Song" was also released on Flyin' Shoes. "Dream Spider" (as "The Spider Song") would not be released until 1993 as part of The Nashville Sessions, a collection of recordings intended to be on his seventh album, Seven Come Eleven.[4]
Track listing
All lyrics and music by Townes Van Zandt except where noted.
- "All I Need"
- "Rex's Blues"
- "Hills of Roane County" (traditional)
- "Sky Blue"
- "Forever, For Always, For Certain" (Richard Dobson)
- "Blue Ridge Mountain Blues (Smoky Version)"
- "Pancho and Lefty"
- "Snake Song"
- "Silver Ships of Andilar"
- "Dream Spider"
- "The Last Thing on My Mind" (Tom Paxton)
References
- "Townes Van Zandt 'Sky Blue' – Previously Unreleased Recordings – Will Be Released on March 7, 2019". Fat Possum Records. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- "Townes Van Zandt: Sky Blue". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- Nast, Condé. "New Townes Van Zandt Album Sky Blue Announced". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- "Townes Van Zandt's 'Sky Blue' Offers Insight into A Mercurial Mind at His Prime". NPR. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- "High, Low and in Between – Townes Van Zandt | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- "Live at the Old Quarter – Townes Van Zandt | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- "Flyin' Shoes – Townes Van Zandt | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 13, 2019.