In Pain

Yet another heartbreaking live album from a man who was destined for heartbreak from the moment he strapped on his guitar. These recordings are said to be from the same European shows that provided the material for Abnormal and The Highway Kind, and his voice is in the same shape: weathered but not yet destroyed, aged prematurely but in line with the body of man destined to die at age 52. There are better live albums—Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas and Rear View Mirror, for starters—but for anyone interested in the soul of Townes Van Zandt, this is a truthful look at a life spent on the road performing for a living. There are plenty of first-rate choices ("Snowin' on Raton," "Nothin'," "To Live's to Fly") and some unusual ones ("Gone Too Long," "Lover's Lullabye," "Stopping Off Place"). The cover of his hero Hank Williams' "Alone & Forsaken" is chilling, with Van Zandt's voice unable to navigate the melody's nuances; it took on added resonance after he died on New Year's Day, just like Hank himself.