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For the Sake of the Song

The debut, whose organs, recorders and harpsichords he later stripped away on four of its songs.
Townes Van Zandt, 1968

Released
1968
Recorded
April 1968
Studio
Bradley's Barn, Mount Juliet, Tennessee
Label
Poppy
Producer
Jack Clement and Jim Malloy
Length
34:43

The basic tracks were cut live on a three-track at Bradley's Barn in April 1968, then overdubbed with organs, recorders and harpsichords. John Kruth calls the result a wall of sound that buried the songs, Guy Clark and Mickey Newbury disliked it, and Jack Clement later admitted he may have overproduced it. Mickey Newbury wrote the liner notes and Milton Glaser designed the sleeve. Pitchfork's Matthew Blackwell says Clement turned Waiting Around to Die into a spaghetti western track and that the mention of prostitution was stripped from Tecumseh Valley, a decision that caused a rift between Clement and Kevin Eggers that never fully resolved.

Mark Deming of AllMusic praised the songs for their uncommon grace and poetic clarity. The album was reissued as First Album in 1993 and under its own title by Fat Possum in 2007.

Track listing

  1. For the Sake of the Song4:45
  2. Tecumseh Valley2:40
  3. Many a Fine Lady3:52
  4. (Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria3:41
  5. Waitin' Around to Die2:22
  6. I'll Be There in the Morning2:42
  7. Sad Cinderella4:40
  8. The Velvet Voices3:12
  9. All Your Young Servants3:04
  10. Talkin' Karate Blues3:01
  11. Sixteen Summers, Fifteen Falls2:36

Personnel

More from Townes Van Zandt

Townes Van Zandt (1969), Our Mother the Mountain (1969), The Late Great Townes Van Zandt (1972), Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas (1977), Flyin' Shoes (1978), At My Window (1987), Rear View Mirror (1993), The Nashville Sessions (1993), No Deeper Blue (1994), Sky Blue (2019), Delta Momma Blues, High, Low and In Between

Sources

  1. For the Sake of the Song, Wikipedia
  2. For the Sake of the Song, Discogs
  3. Townes Van Zandt: The Nashville Sessions, Pitchfork (2025-05-25)