Widely considered one of the greatest songwriters of his generation and of music in general, Townes Van Zandt has been hailed by music luminaries far and wide and championed by such singers as Steve Earlie, Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson among many others. 

Fat Possum is proud to reissue In The Beginning on vinyl for the very first time, a collection of ten demo recordings produced by Jack Clement (Johnny Cash, U2, Waylon Jennings) in 1966 and originally issued in 2003. Recorded almost two years before the release of his debut album For The Sake of the Song in 1968, this is Townes in his original element and already writing eloquently about drifters, misfits and gamblers. 

"We tend to picture Townes in troubadour mode, which is how he performed his songs live and how he often committed them to tape. Yet a handful of these ten demos, all of them produced by Jack Clement, find him in the company of a rhythm section that’s as sympathetic as any that backed him on record. Producers at times saddled Townes with stiff, cluttered arrangements that got in the way of the songs; the playing here, however, is loose, unobtrusive, and in the pocket." -  Bill Friskics-Warren, No Depression

1.  Black Widow Blues

2.  Maryetta's Song

3.  Hunger Child Blues

4.  Gypsy Friday

5.  Waitin' for the Day

6.  Black Jack Mama

7.  When Your Dream Lovers Die

8.  Colorado Bound

9.  Big Country Blues

10. Black Crow Blues