Be Here to Love Me (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

This is the official soundtrack to Margaret Brown's documentary about the life and music of Townes Van Zandt. It features several short bits of Van Zandt speaking ("I've Designed It That Way," "Wild Crazy Things," "I Just Had to Fall"), which add a narrative quality to what's essentially a career retrospective. Manager Harold F. Eggers unearths a few live cuts and alternate versions of well-known songs ("Black Crow Blues," "Nothin'," "To Live's to Fly") that are of obvious value to hardcore fans. Most of Van Zandt's best songs are here, and it's hard to quibble with anything chosen. In fact, with this collection and a live set—like Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas (from which "Pancho and Lefty" is taken), Rear View Mirror, or Live and Obscure—most folks would have enough to understand the man's genius. However, all newcomers should be warned. This is heavy, existential stuff that dares to sing of dire situations. "Waitin' Round to Die" isn't for lightweights.