Townes Van Zandt - At My Window

The first and best album the late Texas singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt made for Sugar Hill Records, this 1987 set mixes older material ("For the Sake of the Song") with fresh material (the instant classic "Buckskin Stallion Blues"). As is usually the case with Van Zandt albums, the originals shine. The funky "Ain't Leavin' Your Love" comes complete with an unlikely saxophone solo, while "Catfish Song" boasts the kind of gospel melody that marked this gentle, hard-living man as one of the finest songwriters to have ever worked in a country-folk vein. His voice--never the acquired taste of a Jimmie Dale Gilmore or Bob Dylan--had lost some of its certainty and range by this time. Fortunately, what's absent in reach is more than offset by a very appealing world-weary hue. This set features a raft of first-class supporting players, including bassist Roy Huskey Jr., fiddler Mark O'Connor, and guitarist Mickey White. Horn accents abound in the arrangements, and the whole session hangs together in a warm, rewarding way. Van Zandt's last studio album stands as his final bona fide classic. --Robert Baird Amazon.com essential recording

Instantly Recognisable Classic Folk Sound With Something Different

When I first heard this in the eighties I felt delight at the purity of the songwriting, mixed with some sense of something being oddly different about this album from the others of his that I owned. It wasn't simply the flute, as I'd heard that on Live And Obscure, but something else.
I had no idea at the time that it was the first of his two post-seventies studio albums made after a decade or so long break from recording either, although this of course now explains it.
It was on CD, not vinyl like the earlier records, and seemed to be more consciously written and produced. Townes said in an interview, that can be watched on the fascinating documentary Be Here To Love Me, that he only wrote a new song (in his later period) when he really felt he had something to say and he was never satisfied until he had perfected every single note and word of that song. Consequently he produced very little compared to what he did in his earlier days, which are generally acknowledged to be his greatest recordings, at least in terms of consistency.
And, ultimately, consistency seems to be the one really noticeable flaw. It is kind of consistent in that they all sound quite conservatively crafted, like a finely wrought Guy Clark album (not a terrible thing in itself) and yet only the first five or six songs really take off. One is a remake (For The Sake Of The Song), another has the exact same tune as a song released earlier (Buckskin Stallion Blues, which sounds just like Brother Flower off Flying Shoes) and two were recorded in earlier versions during the seventies (Buckskin Stallion Blues and At My Window). That leaves possibly only three songs worth getting. Out of these three tracks the best are Snowing On Raton (a true beauty) and Ain't Leaving Your Love (similar in sound to Where I Lead Me off Delta Momma Blues).
Compared to anything else made during the eighties though, this CD easily rates four out of five stars. May 2, 2008

Worth buying

Alternate version of "At My Window" is excellent and "Buckskin Stallion Blues" is classic. "Snowin on Raton" is always good and it features some nice mandolin playing. Overall a pretty good album for Townes and worth the small price. Not mandatory but a nice addition to your TVZ collection. October 11, 2007

Darn near his finest

This is darn near Townes' finest, and that's saying a lot. Mellow, easygoing folk/country music coupled with Townes' lyrical magic and terrific recording quality - the result is beautiful music that deepens with each listen, possibly his most consistent recording. Get this and "Texas Troubadour" and "Live at the Old Quarter" from Amazon UK (www.amazon.co.uk), and you'll have a TVZ collection to be envied. September 8, 2006

This album just isn't getting enough reviews...

This is one of my favorite albums of all time. It's a mellow one to be certain, but highly invigorating nonetheless.
Having heard Townes Van Zandt at length by chance - I had a friend with all original vinyl albums from the 70's and I sat and listened to all of them during a weekend stay - I went and got this, which I hadn't heard yet. While other reviewers are entitled to their opinion, I don't think the production on this album is marred - I think it's very restrained and quite well done. It's all acoustic instruments with some tasteful horn and string arrangements in a few spots, far more understated than they had been on the early Townes records (including For The Sake of The Song). This album is class, and practically every song is a mini masterpiece. While the amazon review mentions that Townes re-recorded old songs for the album, only one song is actually re-recorded - For The Sake Of The Song - and I think it's an improvement over the original, which suffered from overproduction in its original form.
Townes was one of the most gifted songwriters the USA has ever produced, and his catalogue is well worth investigating. This album (or perhaps Live at the Old Quarter) would not be a bad place to begin your foray into this man's career. Thanks Townes, for writing such excellent material and treating it right. June 16, 2005

Jack Clement at it again...

Well, tarnishing Townes' first album, For the Sake of the Song, with overproduction and inappropriate arrangements was not enough for Cowboy Jack. No, he had to do the same thing, although in a little different manner, with different instruments, to At My Window. Before, it was mostly drums and percussion. This time Clement enlists the aide of the sax and flute and uses them in very distasteful arrangements. Almost every song after track 3 is marred. Clement should have learned his lesson the first time-Townes's songs should stand on their own. However, the poor production does not completely destroy the album and Townes songs still shine, albeit with just a little less lustre. While I wouldn't use this album to initate a new TVZ fan, it is still a welcome addition to the TVZ catalogue. June 12, 2002

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