Townes Van Zandt – Last Rights
More a documentary project than a musical recording, Last Rights features 10 Townes Van Zandt songs rendered solo acoustic, primarily as part of an interview session with Larry Monroe, a longtime DJ at KUT-FM in Austin. Interspersed between the musical performances are quotes from Van Zandt explaining the background and origins of the songs; at the end of the disc is another half-hour or so consisting solely of dialogue.
Though the liner notes don’t list the date of the recording, the context of Van Zandt’s comments (as well as the rough edge to his vocals) suggest it was likely made around 1991. As such, the musical selections not surprisingly focus largely on Van Zandt’s latter-day compositions, among them such dark portraits as “Marie” and “The Hole”, though a handful of his best-known numbers also are included (“Pancho & Lefty”, “Tecumseh Valley”, “If I Needed You”).
Though the versions here are reasonably sound, none really demand to be taken home by anyone who owns them in various other incarnations from Van Zandt live and studio albums. “I’ll Be Here In The Morning” is delivered as a duet with largely unknown (and relatively unremarkable) Austin singer-songwriter Barb Donovan; the take is nothing particularly special, but it serves as a kind reminder that Van Zandt didn’t care about star status when he collaborated with others; he was happy to play with those he considered friends, simply for the sake of the song.
The dialogue, however, is the real treat here. A story about “Pancho & Lefty” involving a couple of Texas highway patrolmen is priceless, while an intro to “Brand New Companion” reveals some of Van Zandt’s thoughts about Lightnin’ Hopkins. The extended conversations at the end of the disc are even more rewarding, shedding a good deal of light on both the basic facts and the inner truths of Van Zandt’s 52 years on this earth.
Though in his dying days his between-song patter onstage often sadly degenerated into aimless rambling, in his prime Van Zandt was almost as entertaining a storyteller as he was a songwriter. In that regard, Last Rights is both a valuable historical document and simply a joy to listen to — especially now that Townes is no longer around to tell the stories himself.