The Flying Burrito Brothers - The Gilded Palace of Sin/Burrito Deluxe
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Free Music Notes for The Gilded Palace of Sin/Burrito Deluxe
Free Music Review: Worth the price I payed
Hit: 3 Stars
This CD is more country than what passes for country music now days, but if your looking for honkytonk and sawdust floors this CD is not for you.Free Music Review: What extra tracks?
Hit: 5 Stars
Contrary to it's description, there are no extra tracks here. Just the songs from their first two albums.Free Music Review: Great Double CD
Hit: 4 Stars
I really enjoyed this double CD. It showed me the roots of a lot 70's California Rock groups. You also can see an evolution between the 1st and 2nd CD.Free Music Review: One of Gram's best paired with a solid release on one CD
Hit: 5 Stars
Gilded Palace of Sin is right up there with Sweetheart of the Rodeo and G.P./Grievous Angel as the best of Gram Parsons' work. This disc presents that album alongside the Bros' second, less transcendent album, Burrito Deluxe. Both albums find Gram doing his thing as usual--country rock when Parsons was the most original name in the game, with some interesting arrangements and usually upper-end songwriting.
The first album included here is a classic, and the main reason for purchasing the CD. A lot of critics say that The Gilded Palace of Sin is Gram's best work ever. It doesn't really matter to me which album of his is ranked as #1--it's pretty arbitrary. No matter which is his very best, it's a really great album. Gram's songwriting (often with the aid of Hillman) is really strong here--from uptempo songs like the opener, "Christine's Song" and the scathing draft-dodging "My Uncle" to midtempo grinders like "Sin City" and "Wheels" (a personal favorite. He's got a knack for fusing genuine country with rock elements and providing some earnest lyrics that often bear his unique, characteristic wit and charm. Covers are well-chosen too; the two R&B tunes, "Do Right Woman" and "Dark End of the Street" fit right in with the straight up country. The two "Hot Burrito" songs are also two of the best, most emotional cuts on this album.
Parsons' sometimes thin voice sounds really good here--he sounds the best when he's singing a well-written song, conjuring a lot of moving emotion (you don't have to have the best voice, as long as you can sing like you really mean it). One of the best things about this album is the arrangements--not only is there some great pedal steel for those hardcore country fans, there's some tasteful keyboards and some real gnarly fuzzed-out electric guitar that lend this album a really unique sound and add a touch of almost psychedelia to the mix. It really adds to the classic status of this one, in my opinion. I can't forget to mention the closing track, a call for peace between hippies and country squares alike, with great spoken-word in the style of many country artists. None of this would work or sound authentic if Gram Parsons didn't really have his heart in it--his genuine delivery prevents the music from seeming tongue-in-cheek. The first album alone is reason enough to buy this CD and I heartily recommend it.
Burrito Deluxe definitely flags in quality in comparison with its predecessor. The songs aren't quite as good--"Older Guys" just seems kind of like a brainless fraternity romp, and "Image of Me" and "God's Own Singer" just aren't very convincingly written or performed (Gram doesn't really sound quite into it). "Lazy Days" is much better as a bonus track on Sweetheart of the Rodeo. The covers aren't that great either; "If You Gotta Go" is awkwardly arranged and "Wild Horses," even though the Bros released it before the Stones, drags quite a bit, especially for an album closer. I don't want to rag on it too much, though--the playing is still pretty good, with skillful pedal steel and a solid rhythm section. When Gram is into it ("Farther Along" and "Cody Cody," for example) it approaches the band's superior debut. Unfortunately, the noticeably lackluster songwriting and energy, combined with marginal sound (I was surprised how different the two albums sound in quality on the same CD) makes Burrito Deluxe definitely not an essential release. Fortunately, they're both on the same CD, so Burrito Deluxe works great as a bonus for the iconic Gilded Palace. I strongly recommend this CD and hope you enjoy it!
Free Music Review: Great music at a bargain price
Hit: 5 Stars
Sometimes there is justice in this world. The fact that the Flying Burrito Brothers' music is alive and well at the beginning of the new millenium bodes well for all of us. They were not well known back in 1969 and the early 70s. Their very brief time alloted to them in the film "Gimme Shelter" is indicative of their status in the world of popular music at the time. While they still may not sell a lot of records even today, at least their reputation as great musicians and as a talented group remains intact, and, if anything has grown with time. This collection has all the songs from their first two albums, which, to be truthful, are the only essential recordings by the Burritos. These recordings coincide with the tenure of the very talented singer/songwriter Gram Parsons, who is a legend today. Chris Hillman's contribution to the Burritos are often slighted, but he was a full partern with Parsons in the creation, playing, singing, and songwriting for the group. One could argue that the ying/yang of Parsons/Hillman, trading off roles of wild-emotional/calm-restrained really made the group what it is. They had talented collaborators, too, with the late, great Sneaky Pete on steel guitar, Chris Etheridge on bass for the first album, and Bernie Leaden on guitar for the second. Michael Clarke, like Hillman and Parsons a former member of the Byrds, provided the drumming on the second album. My only complaint about this collection is that the songs are not in the original order, but that's a minor complaint for this well-price offering.