Townes Van Zandt - In The Beginning

Townes Van Zandt – In The Beginning
Label: Fat Possum
Format: Vinyl

Originally recorded in 1966 during Townes Van Zandt’s first Nashville sessions—two years before his debut album—In The Beginning offers a fascinating glimpse into the early formation of a singular voice in American songwriting. Released now through Fat Possum as part of their reissue series in collaboration with the Van Zandt estate, these ten tracks showcase a young artist whose vision was already hauntingly clear.

Though some of the songs would later evolve into more polished versions, nearly all the trademarks of Van Zandt’s artistry are here: poetic melancholy, dusty melodies, a deep blues influence, and an uncanny lyrical weight. Eight of the tracks feature Van Zandt solo, accompanied only by his guitar—revealing not just his songwriting, but his deft flatpicking and stylistic nods to blues legend Lightnin’ Hopkins.

“Black Widow’s Blues” and “Hunger Child Blues,” the only songs with a full band, bookend the album with a moody grit and raw blues energy. “Gypsy Friday” and “Waitin’ for the Day” lean toward folk and classic country, evoking wanderlust and romantic longing with the tender touch of a songwriter twice his age. The closing pair, “Big Country Blues” and “Black Crow Blues,” feel like early blueprints for later masterpieces like “Waitin’ Around to Die” and “Marie.”

In The Beginning isn’t just a historical artifact—it’s a fully engaging, emotionally charged listen that confirms Van Zandt arrived not just with promise, but with something timeless. An essential document of a legendary artist’s genesis.