Townes Van Zandt

[holyzombiejesus]

Recently bought a 'best of' by this piping hot new artist. Absolutely love it. Can anyone recommend which of his albums are worth buying?

[Twit 2]

No.

[PeasOnSticks]

Townes Van Zandt, Flyin' Shoes, High, Low, and In Between for some classic Townes. No Deeper Blue ('94) for a good later album - this one includes 'The Hole,' an extraordinary, pitch-black song.

[LynnBenfield69]

Live at the Old Quarter is all you really need, his studio records suck some major bumhole.

[poodlefaker]

The Best of Townes Van Zandt.

[chveik]

my favourite studio album of his is Our Mother the Moutain. Flyin' Shoes, the self-titled one, The Late Great, The Nashville Sessions are pretty good.

but the live albums are where it's at IMO: Live at the Old Quarter, A Gentle Evening, Rear View Mirror. I'm quite fond of Acoustic Blue for the (only?) version of 'A Song For'.

[kngen]

Yep, Live at the Old Quarter.

And get Heartworn Highways (or watch it on Youtube) for some great TVZ footage (and almost unbearable pathos for Waitin' Round to Die). The whole documentary is great (as are the extras), but the TVZ stuff is gold!

[holyzombiejesus]

Thanks everyone. Got Live At the Old Quarter on order from Norman and will gradually get most the ones mentioned upthread. Is the documentary, Here To Love Me(?), available anywhere?

[wosl]

Only a casual fan, but chipping in to recommend a viewing of Be Here To Love Me - chock-full of archive footage and reminiscences from all the usual suspects (Kristofferson, Earle, Lovett, Harris, Nelson, etc); a sweetly sad, finely-crafted watch.

Edit: appears to be here, HZJ.

[holyzombiejesus]

Ah, brilliant! That's tonight sorted.

[pigamus]

Live at the Old Quarter is all you really need, his studio records suck some major bumhole.

I must admit, when I went off and investigated him back in the day - Steve Earle, Bob Dylan, coffee table, cowboy boots etc. etc. etc. - I was a bit baffled. Didn't really get it.

Maybe he's their Tony Hancock.

[DukeDeMondo]

Is the documentary, Here To Love Me(?), available anywhere?

Be Here To Love Me is brilliant, but Jesus it is rough going at times. I can't remember if it's in there or in the similarly excellent biography To Live's To Fly, but the story about him tying himself to a tree so that he can't go get any booze is absolutely heartbreaking. Unlike the story of him phoning a bomb threat into an overly busy pub from a payphone just outside so that he could creep in after everyone else had evacuated the place to drink himself done in peace. 

I would also recommend watching what there is of the tribute concert in memory of our man on YouTube, although it is proper wrenching. Steve Earle performing Fort Worth Blues, a song he wrote in memory of Townes, whilst Nancy Griffith sits crying beside him, just completely wrecks me.

Alas, Townes, the record of TVZ covers Steve Earle put out some time later never really worked for me at all. Some bold decisions made so far as the arrangements and the like go, but I dunno, I found it a bit trying. Maybe it's time to give it another go.

[Gulftastic]

Nanci.

[DukeDeMondo]

Nanci.

Gah! Yes, indeed. My apologies.