Rain on a Conga Drum: Live in Berlin

by William Ruhlmann This 18-track, 63-minute import disc was Townes Van Zandt's third live album, recorded in October 1990. It shared eight selections with his first, Live At The Old Quarter, Houston, Texas, and five with his second, Live & Obscure. Distinguishing this set were some interesting covers, including Lightnin' Hopkins's "Short-Haired Woman Blues" and the Rolling Stones' "Dead Flowers," a long, funny story concerning the composition of Van Zandt's most famous song, "Pancho & Lefty," and the otherwise unrecorded original "Catfish Song," a typically poetic and downcast Van Zandt composition. And, if you didn't have any of Van Zandt's other albums, discovering material like "If I Needed You," "To Live Is To Fly," and "Tecumseh Valley" would be a revelation.