Townes Van Zandt

Texas Troubadour is a four-disc box set that packages the late songwriter Townes Van Zandt's first seven studio albums for the Poppy and Tomato labels: For the Sake of the Song (1968); Our Mother the Mountain (1969); Townes Van Zandt (1970); Delta Momma Blues (1971); High, Low and In Between (1972); The Late Great Townes Van Zandt (1972), and Flyin' Shoes (1978). In addition, there are four studio outtakes from 1972-73 and a decent portion of Live at the Old Quarter, Houston issued in 1973. Charly reproduces the original cover art in miniature, two covers to each CD. Sound is the same as on the original CD issues, so fans who already own these albums will not be served by purchasing them again in this format. Musically, the work is superb, and since many of Van Zandt's recordings are out of print, this is a fine argument for getting them altogether. Another plus is Adam Komorowski's extensive biographical essay included in the 36-page color booklet that's loaded with photos.

Townes Van Zandt was a one-of-a-kind artist who blazed a new trail for singer/songwriters, conjuring a sound that combined elements of country and folk with his own artful melodic sensibility, matched with lyrics that were personal, poetic, and impressionistic while remaining firmly down to earth. A new breed of Texas singer/songwriters followed Van Zandt's example, and it's all but impossible to imagine artists like Guy Clark, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, or Steve Earle finding their voice without his guiding influence. This two-disc set features Van Zandt's first two albums, 1968's For the Sake of the Song and 1969's Our Mother the Mountain.

Townes Van Zandt - Be Here to Love Me (2005) {2CD Set Tomato TMT-3015}
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© 2005 Tomato / The EGGE Co. | TMT-3015
Country / Folk / Americana / Progressive Country / Stage & Screen

Be Here to Love Me is the official soundtrack from a docmentary film by Margaret Brown about Townes Van Zandt. The music on these two discs is largely taken from Van Zandt's catalog on Tomato, but there are a couple of live cuts and alternate versions of previously released cuts contributed by his longtime manager Harold F. Eggers. These include "Nothin'," "Black Crow Blues," and "To Live's to Fly." There are a few bits of movie audio offered by Brown.

Townes Van Zandt - Townes Van Zandt (1969) {Domino Recording REWIGCD55 rel 2009}
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© 1969, 2009 Domino Recording | REWIGCD55
Country / Folk / Blues / Americana / Progressive Country

On his third album, Townes Van Zandt recut three crucial tracks from his debut album, "For The Sake Of The Song," "Waiting Around To Die," and "I'll Be Here In The Morning." It was some indication of the obscurity in which he remained enveloped, but no indication of the quality of his work. (Actually, Van Zandt rerecorded songs from his first album on his later ones because he disliked the earlier recordings.) As usual, his closely observed lyrics touched on desperate themes, notably in tbe mining ballad "Lungs," but they were still highly poetic, especially the album-closing "None But The Rain," which reflected on a failed relationship. Van Zandt's finger-picking was augmented by spare arrangements, usually featuring one added instrument for color, such as a fiddle or flute.

Various Artists - Poet: A Tribute To Townes Van Zandt (2001) (FreeFalls FFE-7019-2 U.S. Pressing}
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© 2001 FreeFalls Ent. | FFE-7019-2
Folk / Country / Contemporary Folk / Acoustic / Progressive Country

Tribute collections – especially those dedicated to a deceased artist by a various group of performers – are usually a mixed bag by their very nature. A dedicated various-artists set of songs by the towering songwriter Townes Van Zandt is even more daunting in concept. That said, Poet: A Tribute to Townes Van Zandt, originally issued in 2001, is the exception to the rule in every case. Containing 16 cuts by a stellar cast that includes everyone from Willie Nelson and Nanci Griffith to Lucinda Williams and John Prine with lots of folks in between.

Townes Van Zandt - In Pain (1996) {Normal 225 CD}
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© 1996 Van Zandt / Eggers / Normal Records | Normal 225 CD
Folk / Country / Contemporary Folk / Acoustic / Progressive Country

Culled from the same European tour dates as Abnormal and The Highway Kind, this set of minimal live performances features a number of true Van Zandt classics, including "Snowin' on Raton," "To Live's to Fly," "Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold," and "You Are Not Needed Now." The man's in fairly decent voice, too, given how many of his later recordings betrayed the ravages of his hard-scrabble life. But even with his voice on his side, Van Zandt sounds as if he's trying to fend off death with a joke and a song – and not necessarily succeeding. Though hardly the place for neophytes to begin, In Pain is a fitting and aptly named epitaph for this beloved singer/songwriter.

Townes Van Zandt - Rain On A Conga Drum - Live In Berlin (1991) {SilenZ Records 269575 2}
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© 1991 SilenZ Records | 269575 2
Folk / Country / Folk Rock / Acoustic / Progressive Country

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' "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.