In 1990,
Townes Van Zandt
was working on a three-CD retrospective for which he was re-recording much of his repertoire. That album never appeared, but in 1993, the tiny Austin-based
Sundown
label released
Rear View Mirror
, a 17-track album running nearly 58 minutes and containing newly recorded versions of
Van Zandt
songs dating back to 1968. Though a cover note claims "unique instrumentation," that seems to consist of only of an occasional second guitar and a fiddle. (Sparse applause indicates the recording had been made in a club.) Many of
's best-known songs are included --
"Pancho & Lefty,"
"If I Needed You,"
"To Live Is to Fly,"
"Tecumseh Valley,"
and others -- and while this is not the best set of recordings of those songs, the tendency of
's albums to go out of print might mean this is the only one you would find in your nearest record bin, in which case the album is highly recommended. ~ William Ruhlmann