Gram Parsons - Sacred Hearts & Fallen Angels: Anthology
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Free Music Notes for Sacred Hearts & Fallen Angels: Anthology
Free Music Review: Hiram's Crown
Hit: 5 Stars
Here's a little consumer advice. Parsons' work is scattered through various labels and bands. In the end, you'll be saving yourself a buck if you just pick this up. It's all here. The complete picture. His work with The Byrds, Burritos and posthumous solo releases.
As an interpreter of other people's work, his "Sleepless Nights" with Emmylou Harris is nearly definitive. Where Roy Orbison's original hit, "Love Hurts" was masterly understated, Parsons' take burns you close. He also manages to out do The Stones on a particularly gut-wrenching version of "Wild Horses". Speaking of Emmylou, Parsons was the guy who gave her her start. Something she never forgot. Throughout most of her career, there was atleast one Gram Parsons tune on each of her albums.
All eulogies aside, Parsons wrote some fine songs. If the likes of "Hot Burritos #1 & 2" and "$1000 Wedding" don't tug at your heart, consult your physician. Even after repeated listens, the song "She" never fails to send shivers down my spine. His Byrds era classic, "Hickory Wind" is also included. For fans of SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO, here's your chance to hear some of Parsons' original vocal takes, before being replaced by Roger McGuinn's on the official release.
Troubled as he was, Parsons was a man with a vision. He called it "Cosmic American Music". Taking sundry Country & Gospel influences such as George Jones & The Louvin Brothers, he filtered that through the Psychedelic Rock of the 60's. With a mock Hippie pose & a nod to redneck culture, Parsons sought to unify both sides of the spectrum. Though credited with creating "Country Rock", Parsons merely followed the blueprint Hank Williams & Elvis laid out before him. By creating a melting pot of influences, he made it all sound fresh & new for his generation. The fact that they weren't listening, was just the price one pays to be ahead of one's time.
His influence is undeniable. From insipid "Soft Rock" acts like The Eagles onto the likes of today's Wilco & Ryan Adams. As far as his Country legacy is concerned, I'd go so far as to say he's the illegitimate heir to ol' Hiram "Hank" Williams' crown.
Free Music Review: It's About Time!
Hit: 5 Stars
Finally. I did it the hard way. Saw Gram thrice, met him once, bought everthing on vinyl, tried to find it again on CD and now the folks at Rhino Records had the good sense to offer his legacy to a new generation with a simple grasping motion that will secure 48 of his best songs in a handy 6x5x1" double CD that includes a comprehensive 51 page booklet. For the Gram Parsons die-hards, there is only one previously unreleased song in the set: "Knee Deep In The Blues" from his ISB sessions. For the uninitiated, Grams'Cosmic American Music is offered to the listener in chronological order. Starting with his seminal International Submarine Band's best cuts segueing into the vocal remixed songs with the Byrds heretofore unavailable except on their boxed set, and sliding into his Flying Burritos Brothers stint which culminated into his tragically curtailed days with the Fallen Angels,Gram's best recordings are here.
Some of the gems include "Blue Eyes"(ISB); "Hickory Wind", "The Christian Life", "100 Years From Now(Byrds); "Do Right Woman", "Hot Burrito #1"--his most soulful song, "Dark End of the Street"(FBB);"Streets of Baltimore", "Love Hurts", "In My Hour of Darkness"--written in part for Clarence White, and "The Angels Rejoiced Last Night" (with a young Emmy Lou Harris backed by Elvis' band.
I invite any reader of this review to pick up this CD and share in the wonderful aural legacy of a voice that disappeared much too soon but is generating new listeners each year.
Enjoy!
Free Music Review: An August Sunday morning
Hit: 5 Stars
I could rattle on about how important Gram Parsons was and still is -- father of country rock, partner and nurturer of Emmylou Harris, grandfather of alt-country, etc., etc., etc. -- and how this is an important and far-reaching anthology and that everyone should have a copy. Instead, let me tell you about a gorgeous mid-August Sunday morning, 2005, driving into Yosemite Valley.
While my girlfriend drove the rental, I was in charge of the entertainment -- popping the CDs in and out. I decided on Gram, front-to-back, both discs -- from the boyish, sunny enthusiasm of the International Submarine Band to the sadly premature weariness of his last recordings. Maybe it was the gorgeous scenery as we snaked the hour or so toward the floor of the valley from the south gate. Or maybe it was the weather (perfect). Maybe it was a hyperactive rock'n'roller taking time to take it easy and give the songs a longer and better listen than before. Maybe it was just the notion of listening to Gram in California. But his music was the absolutely perfect soundtrack to an absolutely perfect Sunday morning. Simply beautiful music.
The only thing I can compare it to was the August Sunday morning my father drove us through North Carolina en route to Florida when I was 13, and the sun was just right, and every station on the radio was broadcasting some preacher or another. Except that listening to Gram in the cathedral of John Muir was a much more religious experience.
If you're not into history, at least listen to this collection if you love a sunny Sunday morning.
Free Music Review: It's all here!
Hit: 5 Stars
I'm going to put it simply: This is the single most essential Gram Parsons release. It's also the only GP compilation to ever span his entire career (with the exception of some early folk recordings).For those unwilling to buy multiple compilations featuring Gram's music(including a pricey Byrds box set), this is the best place to get the cream of the crop.
First, the oft-neglected 1967 International Submarine recordings and his 1970's solo recordings are presented in sparkling remastered splendor. Second, most of the tracks that were recorded with the Byrds are present in their original Gram-sung mixes (instead of the inferior rehearsals and alternate takes which plagued the reissue of Sweethearts of the Rodeo)
A problem this reviewer often has with multi-disc compilations is that perfectly worthy tracks often neglected. That's not the case with this collection. All the best of Gram Parsons is here, including the highlights of his work with the ISB, the Byrds, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Not a single great Parsons song was left off.
Finally, the package includes a stylishly put-together booklet stuffed with rare photos, a brief biography, and track-by-track information.
Whether you're a casual listener wanting to introduce yourself to the birth of so-called "country-rock" or a fan of Parsons, this compilation is an essential addition to your music library.
Free Music Review: A Lovingly Packaged Anthology
Hit: 5 Stars
The biggest tragedy of Gram Parson's untimely death at age 26 in 1973 would be if his music died with him. This lovingly packaged two-disc anthology should go a long way toward reminding the public what an innovator he was during his all-too brief career. It begins with his 1968 recordings with the International Submarine Band through his posthumously released solo album Sleepless Nights in 1976, with stops along the way for his work with the Byrds on the classic Sweethearts of the Rodeo and his ground-breaking work with the Flying Burrito Brothers. [The only recordings that are missing are the Kingston Trio-styled songs Parsons did with the Shilohs in 1965.] The only new track here is a previously unissued out take, "Knee Deep in the Blues," from the Safe at Home sessions. What you get are 46 tracks of what Parsons liked to call "Cosmic American Music." His influence would later be heard in artists as diverse as Poco (Richie Furay "Crazy Eyes" as a tribute) to Elvis Costello (who included "I'm Your Toy" on Almost Blue). Parsons speaks from the heart on these songs. You can't listen to this music without being emotionally affected. This is powerfull stuff. ESSENTIAL