Townes Van Zandt
wrote songs with an uncommon grace and poetic clarity, and he sang them with a voice that was at once straightforward, eloquent, and mindful of the arid beauty of his images. A decade after
Van Zandt
released his first album, there would be dozens of singer/songwriters following his example, but he was a rather unusual commodity when
For the Sake of the Song
was released in 1968, and the album's production and arrangements occasionally suggest that
Jack Clement
and
Jim Malloy
didn't always know what to make of what he brought them. The 11 songs on
's debut are all fine stuff (even the throwaway novelty
"Talkin' Karate Blues"
at least brings a chuckle), and the emotional force with which
delivers
"(Quicksilver Daydreams Of) Maria,"
"Tecumseh Valley,"
and the title tune belies the fact this was his first album. But on several tracks
Clement
Malloy
attempt to match the elusive mystery of
's music with overblown accompaniment and deeply echoey recording, especially the cheesy chorus on
"The Velvet Voices,"
the cliched
Western
accompaniment of
"I'll Be Here in the Morning,"
the tinkling keyboards on
"Sad Cinderella,"
and the rattling percussion of
"Waitin' Around to Die."
In spite of the occasionally misguided production,
remains a classic debut. These songs make clear that
's genius was already fully formed, and as both a composer and a performer he was a man of rare gifts; even when the backing threatens to drown him out, his gifts come shining through, and
was an auspicious debut offering from a talent of the first order. ~ Mark Deming