Review – Whitey Morgan Covers Van Zandt’s “Waitin’ ‘Round To Die”
“Have fun hovering above your tombstone and listening to people say ‘who the fuck is that?’ as they make they’re way to Townes’s grave.”
That was the message Texas country artist Charlie Robison had for Sony Nashville CEO Gary Overton after Gary went on record saying, “If you’re not on country radio, you don’t exist.” Saving Country Music has visited the humble grave of Townes Van Zandt in the tiny town of Dido, TX north and west of Ft. Worth, and can attest that the pilgrimage is a moving experience. And the fact that Townes’ songs continue to resonate today is testament to why Robison’s words ring so true.
When Whitey Morgan and his band the 78’s looked to release the first single from their highly-anticipated Sonic Ranch album scheduled to be released on May 19th, they chose one of Van Zandt’s most-recognizable, and most-covered songs. “Waitin’ ‘Round To Die” was the first song Townes ever wrote, and his performance of the song on the Outlaw documentary Heartworn Highways has to be the most moving moments in that legendary film.
Whitey has received some flack over the years for relying so heavily on covers in both his albums and his live performances. And maybe it’s not just that he plays so many covers, but that they tend to be recognizable tracks. But one of the reasons they’ve gotten him to where he is today is because he does them so well. He gives his renditions the “Whitey treatment” like nobody else can. Waylon Jennings, George Jones, and many other country legends didn’t write a lot of their own songs, though like Waylon, Whitey has written some of his most memorable ones.
Whitey has been telling fans to not expect the similar Waylon vibe of his last albums on Sonic Ranch, and we see this coming to fruition in this Townes cover. Expansive, epic, dynamic, and moving, Whitey Morgan and the 78’s really delve into the spirit of the song and make it sound new. And most importantly from a lead single, it gets you really excited about what Whitey has in store with the new release. It’s a great video as well, shot at Bandit Town in rural California using real folks from the surrounding area, not actors.
I think Townes is looking down and approves of this.
1 3/4 of 2 Guns Up.
March 10, 2015 @ 7:32 pm
I agree I was happy to see real rural folks not actors, excited to hear the rest of the album. May can’t come soon enough…rust belt country doing it best!
March 10, 2015 @ 7:42 pm
You pretty much nailed it when you said ” his renditions are given the Whitey treatment”. That is spot on and he has been doing it even before the 78’s and he was backed by the Waycross Georgia Farmboys with his version of Running With the Devil. Sure I’d love some great originals but as long as he pulling off what he did with this song, I am perfectly content with that.
March 10, 2015 @ 8:32 pm
I would say so Trigger, that Townes is smiling, Townes wife actually commented on the video on Youtube.
March 10, 2015 @ 9:16 pm
As a big fan of Townes and Whitey, this is an awesome cover, good video, good song. Definitely one of the best covers of any song I have heard in a good while. Townes would be proud!
March 11, 2015 @ 12:27 am
Whole album is awesome. I’ve had it on repeat for a couple weeks. Instrumentation is on point, and it has a better overall cohesiveness than some of the previous work.
Whitey’s crushing it right now. Looks like his camp is pushing, too … maybe he’ll hit radio.
…. Welp, Hell hasn’t frozen over, so maybe that’s asking too much.
March 11, 2015 @ 1:14 am
I was a kickstarter contributor for this record, so I got the digital tracks a couple of weeks ago and the cd a few days ago…this track is excellent, as is the rest of the record! I’ve read in more than one place that whitey was trying to progress (at least subtlely) on this album without altering his core sound and he has achieved that goal in my opinion. a little more 80s country influence than previous albums, but still retaining that classic, waylon-inspired, whitey morgan sound.
March 11, 2015 @ 3:27 am
Seems like Townes Van Zandt’s music is standing the test of time which is very good to see indeed. Pretty much every decent country act nowadays admits to being influenced by Van Zandt and can play at least one of his songs and long may it continue I say. Will be sure to check this guy Whitey Morgan out.
March 11, 2015 @ 6:40 am
Damn that’s cool. Too bad Justified is ending in a few weeks. This would be a great song to use in an episode.
March 11, 2015 @ 6:51 am
I always thought Matt Woods’ tune, “Jellico Mountain” would’ve been perfect on “Justified,” as well.
March 12, 2015 @ 6:16 pm
Might make for some very cool scenes in a Walking Dead episode. Either way has always been one of my favorite Townes songs and a great version here. Can’t say enough about the video either. Amazing work there.
March 11, 2015 @ 6:57 am
Well, that was effin’ cool.
I’ve heard people talk about this guy, but that’s the first thing I’ve ever heard from him. His vocals seems like an acquired taste, but I like his attitude, heh heh.
I clicked on the Youtube link and not only was there a comment from Jeanene Van Zandt, but a bunch of comments from Whitey himself thanking people and replying to fans. Seems like a real classy dude.
I gotta make it out to Dido, TX one day.
March 11, 2015 @ 8:35 am
Good song and good video. By the way, I’m a little jealous of all the folks that already have copies of the album. I must have missed the crowd funding campaign or I would have gladly contributed.
March 11, 2015 @ 9:19 am
This is an excellent cover, but my favorite version is Townes’ live one at the Old Quarter. A small, miserable performance for a small, miserable song. Like, excellent as the record is, here it almost sounds like Whitey’s celebrating going to prison and getting addicted to codeine… Hell. I’m just nitpicky.
Can’t wait for the album.
March 11, 2015 @ 3:31 pm
Thank you.
March 11, 2015 @ 4:06 pm
Whitey is the real deal. With him Sturgill and Isbell momentum building. Very Exciting time to be a SCM fan. They WILL give trigger a medal one day. Mark my words
March 11, 2015 @ 8:51 pm
Trigger mentioned it but if someone reading this has not seen the youtube cut from Heartworn Highways of Townes playing this”¦do yourself a favor and watch it.
March 16, 2015 @ 1:32 pm
That was a good listen. I’ll admit that I know next to nothing about Whitey Morgan, maybe I’ve been sleeping on him too long.
March 18, 2015 @ 8:11 am
Every time I hear this song, no matter who does it, and realize it was Townes’ first, I just think, man, the writing was on the wall.
June 3, 2015 @ 2:12 pm
Guys:
I have traveled all over the Midwest seeing Whitey perform in the last couple years, his music stirs up something in me. I grew up as a kid listening to most of the “Legend” out there, his sound is great and his stage presence is top notch as well. If you ever have the chance to see him Live. do it, you won’t be sorry!