TOWNES VAN ZANDT's first album came about through the singer's frienship with fellow Lone Star state songwriter MICKEY NEWBURY (from Houston). Newbury himself had a colourful pre-Townes background, having once worked in the US Air Traffic Control in England and fished for shrimps on a boat out of Galveston before being signed by Acuff-Rose in 1964 and moving to Nashville. Later on, Newbury's "American Trilogy" would hit paydirt for ELVIS PRESLEY in 1972, but in 1968 he persuaded TOWNES to come to Nashville to cut a record for the Poppy label.
Prior to this, TOWNES' own story is intriguing enough. Rather like GRAM PARSONS, he was born into a wealthy background in 1944 with his father John Townes 1st a big name lawyer. Despite young TOWNES' own academic capabilities, he suffered a disillusioning 2 years at military college in Chicago, subsequently dropping out of Colorado University after taking a shine to both alcohol and early BOB DYLAN.
"For The Sake Of The Song" comprises material VAN ZANDT had worked up during the three years of playing clubs and bars in Texas up to 1968 and was produced by legendary Sun Studios engineer/producer "Cowboy" Jack Clement. TOWNES later admitted he just "sat there and sang when I was told", but Clement's elegant, country-rock backdrops suited his material to a T and the album is a notable debut by anyone's standards.
Really, there's not a duffer here. The opening title track has a romantic, Dylan-ish veneer, while songs like the lush "Velvet Voices" and the riches-to-rags tale "All Your Young Servants" are lush and gospel-tinged.
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Elsewhere, TOWNES attempts an amusing,Johnny Cash-style take on "Talking Karate Blues", although this is an isolated experiment here, witty and unadorned, unlike Clement's subtle usage of strings, woodwind and the occasional Mock Tudor touch with the use of harpsichord on the gracious "Sad Cinderella", one of several songs here TOWNES would re-work on later albums.
Infused with style, delicacy and way above average lyrical insight, "For The Sake Of The Song" also features "Waitin' Around To Die", unofficially TOWNES' theme song when related to his wayward lifestyle. This tale of prison and redemption features an atmospheric backing with touches of Ennio Morricone, but can't disguise the nihilistic thread that would feature again in several of TOWNES' most affecting songs.
Offering a fuller group sound than any of his albums until 1972's "High,Low And In Between", "For The Sake Of The Song" introduces us to a special talent with a remarkably mature first effort. Happily, at this stage, there was still far more brilliance to come.
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