Gram Parsons - Complete Reprise Sessions
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Free Music Notes for Complete Reprise Sessions
Free Music Review: Almost Complete, Ethereal Beauties
Hit: 5 Stars
First of all, this is an amazing issue. The first album, GP, is so well mastered the entire album sounds like an alternate version, but not in some jarring way, it's just that the wonderful musicians are so well articulated on this that the music seems new even if you know it very well. It also reveals how shaky Gram's vocals were on a couple of cuts, but Gram shaky is like Billie Holiday shaky. The second LP is more familiar, but for instance the steel pedal guitar on "Love Hurts" is subtly augmented without in any way stepping on the duet, which has never sounded so ethereal, the voice of a fallen angel merged with a soaring angel. So just to have the two LPs like this is worth the money.
The bonus material - the interviews are to the point and fine. You get a sense of how oddly shy Gram was, and extremely sensitive, fragile. The acoustic radio session with a very spare "Love Hurts" and Emmylou, Gram and N.D. Smart on a wonderful "Sin City" is not great sound, but a treat all the same. And the third CD alternate takes, which are simpler and sometimes fresher, are like the Rolling Stones' outtakes, arguably superior to the issued cuts on a few songs.
Complaints? Why are the three cuts left off "Grievous" stuck on the third disk instead of extending what is acknowledged in the booklet as a short LP? Why only one of what are obviously several wonderful instrumental backing tracks from one of the greatest backup bands ever assembled, since this issue is obviously for Gram devotees. There is at least an hour of unused CD space available. And most grievously, why not issue the two cuts that were tricked up with fake audience sounds 'naked' as bonus tracks? Lastly, why not put the two cuts remixed in the 80s on, rather than a tiny note that they were excluded? The CDs, issued in LP repro cardboard covers, should also have inner sleeves to protect them, a good idea in the vinyl era and now.
Kivetch, kivetch, kivetch. It's a wonderful collection, hope something like this turns up soon on the Flying Burritos. Judging from the bootlegs, there is still a lot of Gram to unearth. But it will have to go some to be as choice as what is here. These recordings reach a level of ethereal beauty that is unique in this genre.
Free Music Review: The Best-Sounding Gram Reissue yet!
Hit: 5 Stars
I was extremely excited about this set when it was rumored to be released, and then I was annoyed at the format. We know that the two albums here fit on one disc, so why separate them and make us pay for 3 discs instead of 2? This kept me from buying it straightaway (coupled with the fact that if you have the two-fer disc already, you have the bulk & best of this set already). I, of course, broke down and bought it like any true fan and I was not disappointed in the slightest. Although I have most of these songs already, these mixes are superb -- better than perfect almost -- it's easily the best-sounding Gram Parsons related reissue of the CD era & some of the alternate takes are amazingly good, if in tentative arrangements -- "Hickory Wind", "She", "Love Hurts" & "Ooh Las Vegas" all rival the master takes & "Return of the Grevious Angel #1" is a revelation if for no other reason than to hear another cut of this fantastic song (albeit with Gram flubbing the words a bit and EmmyLou not really opening up on the harmony part). The format is questionable and as one reviewer mentioned, since the albums are kept separated, it would've been nice to marry the SLEEPLESS NIGHTS tracks back up with the Grevious Angel album instead of tacking them on at the end. Similarly, the interviews and radio tracks (while pleasing) are simply fluff: why do we need an instrumental (karaoke) version of a Gram Parsons song? I would like to have seen the two records on one CD, the outtakes on another and all the radio stuff on a third, abbreviated "Bonus Disc" or something. Ultimately this really means nothing, though, since the music in this package is all fantastically performed & remastered & the price tag is reasonable. We can only hope for the same treatment of the Flying Burrito Brothers' first two records & eliminate the SLEEPLESS NIGHTS album altogether, get "Bonie Moronie" on CD and purge the vaults, there's no reason to hold back at this point.Free Music Review: Great collection with wonderful alternate takes!
Hit: 5 Stars
The two regular LP's ("GP" and "Grievous Angel") re-released in this collection have been released together (and more inexpensively) on a single CD elsewhere. So why buy this collection? Well, the most immediately obvious reason is that it's nicely presented: a sturdy box and with a nice booklet with lots of cool and rare photos.
The best reason, though is the third disc of alternate takes. I know lots of folks will say, "Yeah, sure, I've heard THAT before!" What I'll share is that, almost alone amongst all the thousands of reissues promising "revealing" alternate takes, this one really delivers the goods! The primary reason is that the alternate takes allow you to hear Gram and Emmylou working on their harmonies and, in some amazing instances, the alternate takes are better.
The very best example is "Return of the Grievous Angel #1." As the "#1" would suggest, it's an early take and Gram and Emmylou are still working on the harmonies and remembering the words. Their performance, however, is full of daring harmony ideas they left off the final version and is so utterly charming that it makes the "final" version sound mannered and stiff by comparison. After a listen or two, it'll be your favorite version.
Of course, the opportunity to hear some of the greatest backing musicians in the world working up their parts and going through the same type of discovery is also awesome to hear. Don't miss this collection!
Free Music Review: the veil is lifted
Hit: 5 Stars
Nice. A long time ago I had the vinyl, and more recently picked up the double disc of GP and Grievious Angel and although I thoroughly enjoyed their spirit, still secretly wished that the quality of the recorded sounds could be magically updated to reflect the quality of today's studio techniques, -especially in the tonality and separation of instruments that may have been somewhat cloudy in the original mastering. I'm a steel guitar player so I'm particularly picky about recorded steel guitar tones. Happily, in this 3 disc set, it's as if a veil has been lifted from the original sounds to reveal the sparkle of those sounds as they were originally performed in the studio sessions. Steel guitar, dobro, and acoustic guitars shimmer and the voices have a newly revealed intimacy in them that, to my ears, had not been previously present and now informs the songs in ever more poetically musical ways. The alternate take/additional tracks on disc three are a treasure that reveal a distilled presentation of the Emmy Lou/Gram vocal harmonies. All 3 of these discs are enjoyable top to bottom and the newly exposed clarity on GP and Grievous Angel is a gift to those of us who appreciated their original forms.Free Music Review: Start as a novice, end as a die-hard.
Hit: 5 Stars
I've read in some other reviews that if you're a novice fan that this collection might be too much for you and if you're a die-hard that it's not enough. Well, I bought this as a novice and I'm quickly becoming a die-hard. When I first bought this I wasn't sure if I liked it but I knew that I didn't dislike it. Maybe it was more country than rock which I didn't expect. But like all great music there's something there that pulls you in whether you realize it or not. Gram Parsons was just an excellent songwriter and what he lacked in voice he made up for in charisma and authenticity, or at least he seemed authentic. His heart was clearly in the right place and his love of the music shines through. His and Emmylou Harris's vocals blend together so well the songs are basically duets even if they weren't intended to be. The packaging is nice with the LP-style sleeves and for around $30 the price is pretty good. This is a nice collection for anyone that's interested in Parsons. If you even have a fleeting interest in this mans work I'd buy this and you won't be disappointed.