THE FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS & GRAM PARSONS

To quote Johnny Thunders: "I was raised in the street - a city boy, if you please". Therefore I don't much care for hicks or their music. I am willing to make an exception, however, for Gram Parsons. Indeed, it is fair to say Gram Parsons was to country rock what Johnny Thunders was to punk rock. In short, the originator, innovator and pioneer of the genre who died a tragically early (drug-induced) death without receiving the respect he deserved. The fact is I know very, very little about country music. Obviously I own Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline and many Neil Young albums but the hardcore stuff like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash et al I'm just completely in the dark about. I guess I am familiar with commercial country ("Jolene", "Achey-Breaky Heart", etc.) but we all know that stuff is as shit as excrement. Indeed, contemporary country rock is probably all down to Mr. Parsons as his main influence was to bring country music into the sphere of commercial rock and pop. No Parsons - no Eagles, no Garth Brooks, no Shania Twain. Indeed, no "Achey-Breaky Heart", and wouldn't that be just terrible? Oh alright, forgive Gram his sins - he didn't know the monster he was about to create. Besides which, the music he produced up until his premature death in 1973 was almost entirely brilliant. The fact is, a more knowledgeable man than I could wax lyrical about the great things Parsons pioneered but I really don't know, other than he was the first country singer to have long hair. My basic point is: I have no idea what country music was like before Gram Parsons but that doesn't make a difference to my overall enjoyment of his catalogue.

Gram was some rich kid from the country who went to the big city, had a fondness for Elvis, and kept moaning about how much he wished he was back in the country. He formed the International Submarine Band and released an album (which I don't own) before joining the Byrds and lent his weight to Sweetheart of the Rodeo which is generally regarded as the first country rock album (although surely the Submarine Band album was?). Many people tend to deny that Sweetheart of the Rodeo is anything other than a pure country album but I would probably refute that (although you'll have to wait for my Byrds reviews for the full story). Anyhow, Gram's next band, the Flying Burrito Brothers, formed with long-time Byrds bassist Chris Hillman, were certainly country rock and therefore Gram can still get the plaudits for his influential fusion of country and rock. Indeed, for the Flying Burrito Brothers' first album Gram fused more than just country and rock'n'roll with psychedelia and, in particular, soul having a large impact on the overall sound of the material. The Burritos released a follow-up album before Gram quit and, after hanging round with the Stones for a while, recorded two solo albums with the aid of Emmylou Harris. After getting a bit too much attached to the ol' funny stuff (well, smack) he needlessly wasted his enormous talent and died in '73 before his second solo and last album had been released. The Flying Burrito Brothers actually kept going without him and I believe are still in existence in this day and age, although probably not with any original members. They perhaps warrant their own page but I ain't going to be buying more of their albums anytime soon, so they can just go fuck 'emselves. It is worth pointing out that these days the first two Flying Burrito Brothers albums and Gram's two solo albums are available on 2for1 sets. Therefore, for little over a tenner, you could buy up all albums on this page. Personally, I recommend you do so.

Through his time with the International Yellow Submarines and the Byrds Gram was obviously formulating in his mind exactly what he wanted to do, namely merge country and western music with good ol' rock'n'roll. After quitting the Byrds and poaching their last original member (other than Roger McGuinn), Chris Hillman, Gram set up this band - the stupidly named Flying Burrito Brothers. And, of course, he succeeded in his grand vision and country rock was born and everyone lived happily ever after; apart from perhaps Gram who got no commercial success and became a drunk smackhead who inevitably died a few years later. Well, the Eagles benefited anyway. And thank God for that. The sleeve-notes for this two-for-one remaster (along with second album Burrito Deluxe) claim: "[this album] is quite simply indispensable to anyone serious about collecting post-WWII popular music". High praise indeed and somewhat audacious, to say the least. I guess there is some truth in the claim as this was, of course, a highly influential (in the long term) and pioneering album but it hardly quite measures up to Sgt. Pepper, Highway 61 Revisited or Kind of Blue. Still, this album does have immense influence and importance and comparisons, made in the sleeve-notes, to the Velvet Underground are probably pretty accurate. Obviously the Velvets are cooler and, now, have a far greater reputation but both this album and their debut perhaps occupy equal status, in terms of innovative albums ignored at their time of release. The main reason this album probably doesn't have such a high reputation is because, whereas the first Velvet Underground album influenced the likes of the Stooges, Television, Joy Division and so on this album influenced...well, you know who. Anyway, just forget about country rock's legacy and concentrate on this album in its own right. I don't know whether it is down to the limitations of country music but this album isn't quite an absolute masterpiece. The likes of "My Uncle" and "Sin City" are a bit hicky and don't really impress me much ("that don't impress me much", as Shania Twain might say). The album closer "Hippie Boy" ends the experience on a bit of a disappointing note, being a drawn-out narration of not much in particular. The best material on here are the songs that delve into the realms of soul, as Gram's voice is just perfect for such sincere pieces and the equal twinges of country and rock'n'roll make the pieces seem far more unique. The two covers, "Do Right Woman" and, in particular, "Dark End of the Street", are two soul ballads subject to a beautiful delivery and a lilting country arrangement. The gorgeous sincerity of Gram's vocals give the songs a far different interpretation from the huffing and puffing of someone like Otis Redding. Not that I don't like Otis but I'm merely pointing out the innovation in a middle-class farm-boy like Gram singing such songs. The best "soul" ballad on the album, though, is one of Gram's own - the inappropriately titled "Hot Burrito #1". Personally, I think someone should have heard a word in Gram's ear about choosing names for bands and songs. Anyway, it is a stupendously beautiful ballad, but not without hidden malice on Gram's part - the opening line (quoted above) basks in Dylan-esque misogyny (which also features on the second album). Not content with one great-song-with-a-shit-title Gram repeats the title for "Hot Burrito #2" which has a similar feel as #1 but with a more up-tempo delivery and arrangement. Both are easily the two best songs on the album, anyway. Given that this is the sixties, and Gram was partial for a bit of drug-taking (how else could he be mates with Keith Richards?), psychedelic elements also run through this album. The final track ain't worth bothering about but for many other numbers Hillman throws in a few fuzzed-up guitar lines. They are particularly prominent on the opening "Christine's Tune" which is also the closest any song on this album gets to pure rock'n'roll. On top of which it is also the most Byrds-like song, as most of the album manages to avoid sounding like Parsons' and Hillman's former group (other than it sharing the country influence with Sweetheart of the Rodeo). Indeed, if Sweetheart was a little too much like pure country for your liking then you can't go far wrong with this album. Apart from the rare exception country music only influences the songs, rather than dominates them, and Gram's vocals simply blow away the competition. Perhaps the first ever country rock album, but don't let that put you off, as it is also, thankfully, a top-rate, genre-bending classic.

Whereas the sleeve-notes for the remaster go on as if The Gilded Palace of Sin was the work of God himself this album is given surprisingly short shrift. At best the author stretches to saying this contains decent country rockers. Apparently Gram's mind was wandering at this point, away from visionary art, and towards nights on the lash with drugs-buddy Keith Richards and the rest of the "elegantly wasted" Rolling Stones. Personally, though, I don't see the problem. Sure, this isn't quite as good as the first album but I hardly think it qualifies as a mere rewrite of the original formula. Whereas The Gilded Palace of Sin's strength lay mainly in Gram's stupendous readings of traditional and original soul ballads, for this album the band mainly concentrated on the fusion of country and rock'n'roll. Whereas, on the first album, "Christine's Tune" was the nearest the band came to flat-out rock'n'roll on here they really roll out the barrel. The likes of "Lazy Days", "High Fashion Queen", "If You Gotta Go" and "Older Guys" are all fairly obvious rock'n'roll numbers with a strong country flavour to them. In this respect, this album isn't a whole lot less innovative than its predecessor, as aching ballads aren't that far removed from traditional country whereas long-haired, up-tempo rock'n'roll is pretty much the direct anti-thesis to the likes of Hank Williams or whoever. On the other hand, the material on here simply isn't as consistently excellent as the first album with a bit of filler thrown on (which on an album little over thirty minutes in length is less excusable). Still, for the most part, there is no reason why this album should be so vehemently dismissed in preference for the debut. "Lazy Days" is a fine rock'n'roll opener which dates back to the sessions for Sweetheart of the Rodeo (this wasn't the only time Gram looked to his immediate past for ideas, either). Similarly, the cover of Dylan's obscure "If You Gotta Go (Go Now or Else You've Got to Stay All Night)" is a great slice of country-flavoured rock'n'roll. The lyrics are pure Dylan-esque misogyny, which probably appealed to Gram, basically saying "if you ain't gonna sleep with me, piss off and stop wasting my time". Dylan's version, by the way, can be found on his Bootleg Series Vol. 1-3. The rock'n'roll numbers on here also feature some guitar solos that were, more or less, absent on the previous album. The most noticeable one is probably on "Older Guys", which is one of my favourite tracks on the album. Again, it is essentially a rock'n'roll number but with a good melody for the verses and a nice surf-influenced vocal twist for the chorus. Both "Farther Along" and "Cody, Cody" are vocal ensemble numbers, which are alright if unspectacular. If I were to pinpoint filler on this album it would probably be the accordion-dominated "Man in the Fog" which serves little purpose other than as a novelty track and the brassy rock'n'roll of "Down in the Churchyard". The ballad "God's Own Singer" is also pretty filler-ish. The other ballads suffer no such rubbishing, however. "Image of Me" is a nice ballad, with lyrical allusions to Gram's debauched lifestyle, but the real coup de grace on here and by far and away the stand-out moment is the cover of the Rolling Stones' classic "Wild Horses"; which ends the album. Apparently Keith gave it to Gram before the Stones recorded their own version, released a year later on Sticky Fingers, and therefore this version actually predates it. Not only that, but I'd say this version is also superior to the Stones' version. I mean I love Jagger as a vocalist, but he can't do sincerity full-stop, whereas Gram sounds like one of the most sincere vocalists on the planet. The actual arrangement isn't that different (there is perhaps a more prominent piano on this version) and the lyrics are changed a little but barely noticeably. The main reason this performance exceeds the Stones' version (given this was recorded first you can't refer to the latter version as the "original") is entirely down to Gram's aching vocal performance. Handily enough, it is also one of his best ever vocal performances in his career. I guess it helps that "Wild Horses" was probably the second best song he ever sung (I'd personally place "$1000 Wedding" higher). Anyway, the version of "Wild Horses" alone is worth the admission fee, but don't let that put you off the rest of the album, which contains some excellent country-tinged rock'n'roll numbers, the likes of which had never been heard before.

Gram left the Burritos after Burrito Deluxe (although they carried on without him) and put his mind in gear over where to head next. In the end he pretty much did away with the rock'n'roll side of things and settled on a life of pure country, albeit still turning the genre on its head, with his rock-star life-style and visionary musical outlook. Emmylou Harris was recruited as a female foil for his vocals, who Dylan later used on his Desire album (although she also had a decent-ish solo career), and Parsons' Elvis fetish reached its pinnacle with his self-hiring of Elvis' session musicians. To be fair, this album is hardly a hundred times removed from the Burritos' efforts, with a balance between aching ballads and a handful of rock'n'roll numbers. This album is probably a bit more hicky overall, though, as Gram completely embraced country and western, rather than just borrowing from it, as he had done before. In my mind, the most controversial issue surrounding it is the bloody rating. 8* seems a bit too generous, given there are some pretty shitty songs and the second half as a whole is less than great, but 7* just seems a little bit too mean. Therefore I ask of you to think of this as a 7.5 rating (not that I'm going to introduce half-points into the overall rating system). The session musicians were, of course, highly professional so you could hardly fault the quality of musicianship on display here. Emmylou's contribution is also beneficial, as her vocals combine flawlessly with Gram's throughout. The great thing about the duets is the contrast between her technically superb vocals and Gram's sincere, genuine singing style. The best songs probably aren't the duets, though, but Gram's solo aching vocals. "She" is a real charmer of a song with a gospel feel and typical ballad vocals from Gram. "Streets of Baltimore" (a cover) is a bit more up-tempo but is a nice enough song with lyrical digs at city life (or at least that them country folk don't get along in the big cities). The only real classic on the album, though, is "A Song For You". Obviously you get this album with Grievous Angel anyway but if you didn't I would recommend buying it simply to hear the aforementioned number. It almost goes without saying that it is a ballad, but what a ballad it is. Probably Gram's second best ever (read the review below for numero uno) with another great vocal performance, great lyrics and a really, really great arrangement - the beginning of the third verse, with the organ, is one of the most affecting snippets of music I've ever heard. A really magical song, anyway. None of the rest comes anywhere near to matching that number (except, perhaps, "She"). Album opener "Still Feeling Blue" is decent enough, although the banjo makes it sound a little hicky, as are the duets "We'll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning" (for which Emmylou far excels Gram) and "That's All it Took". As I already intimated, the Elvis influence is also at its strongest on this album. "Kiss the Children" sounds like generic Elvis and, as such, isn't very good, whilst the brass-dominated rock'n'roll numbers "Cry One More Time" and "Big Mouth Blues" are seriously close to awful. "The New Soft Shoe" suffers from obscure lyrics and if he'd had a more productive career I'd probably be referring to it as "generic Gram Parsons". The album as a whole tails off after "She" with "How Much I've Lied" being the only tune that really matches the material on the first half. All in all, this is obviously still a pretty good album but it seems that Gram hadn't quite nailed his hard-core country approach. Either that or he was too busy getting wasted to have enough ideas to fill out the album. One truly great song, some good ones, and some poor filler would be a pretty accurate summary of this album. It's country as well, just in case you missed it.

Gram died in September 1973 (I think of a smack overdose), although small mercy to him at least this album was completely finished and ready to go (it was released in January 1974). For whatever reason Gram had obviously focused himself up a bit for this album and concentrated properly on what he wanted to achieve. And, boy, did he achieve it. The likes of "Cry One More Time" and "Kiss the Children" seem a million miles away from the pure gold-dust on here. There are perhaps a couple of mediocre numbers but, really, the rest is absolutely top-notch. Furthermore, three songs on here (not counting his self-cover) are absolutely brilliant, classics no less, and one I sincerely regard as one of the greatest songs ever. But first, an aside: why do people choose cover art with unflattering photos of themselves. You could say because they are not vain (and I'd probably make a sarcastic face at you) but the cover for this album really does suck. It is almost as if Gram wanted to emphasise how dopey-looking he was. Well, cover aside, for the rest of this album Gram hardly puts a foot wrong. At best, "Ooh Las Vegas" is a stupid continuation of his Elvis obsession ("Viva Las Vegas" anyone?) and the first half of the "live" medley, "Cash on the Barrelhead" is a bit hicky. Actually, the medley is also a bit silly as Gram tries to dress up two studio renditions as live by adding fake crowds and breaking glasses effects, as if he was playing some redneck dive. It certainly isn't convincing and is utterly inappropriate on an album of this magnitude. The rest of this album is simply brilliant, though. Everything that Gram must have intended his interpretation of country to sound like comes across superbly. Indeed, this is sometimes regarded as the greatest country album of all-time (although I'd imagine mostly by rock fans, like me, whose knowledge of country music begins and ends with Gram Parsons). So anyway, the arrangements are top-notch, the duets with Emmylou are superior to the previous efforts, and the level of songwriting, on Gram's part, is at an all-time high. The opening near-title track, "Return of the Grievous Angel", is as perfect a country song as you are likely to hear. It starts out well enough but Gram twice ups it a notch with an even superior hook to what came before. Straight away this is a superior album to his first solo album. The other two classic numbers are the infamous "Brass Buttons" and the superlative "$1000 Wedding". "Brass Buttons" is perhaps Gram's most famous original composition, and deservedly so. Obviously his vocals ache sincerity like nobody's business but the song itself is just brilliant. Even better is the tragic epic "$1000 Wedding" about a girl dying the day before her wedding. The line where the priest says the fiercest beasts all go to sleep the same silly way I think is a sign that he loses his faith due to the famous atheist catchphrase "we all die the same, like beasts". A lyrical analysis from me there. Anyway, as I said earlier, "$1000 Wedding", along with Otis Redding's rendition of "A Change is Gonna Come", is a real favourite song of mine at present. You. Must. Hear. That. Song. Just buy this 2for1 set, I can't see any conceivable reason not to (apart from having "Cry One More Time" in your collection). Another great original on the album is "Hickory Wind" which, of course, he originally sang on the Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo. The version on here probably surpasses the original, presumably thanks to Emmylou's backing vocals, but it does seem a little filler-ish, to repeat an old song without any noticeable changes. Also filler-ish is the cover "I Can't Dance" which, along with "Viva (sorry, Ooh) Las Vegas", is the only attempt to revisit country rock'n'roll. Still, I ain't complaining as I find it to be an immensely enjoyable number with the brilliant, throwaway line "I can't dance, I never could, I guess my feet don't match". I actually probably prefer it to the more critically acclaimed duet "Love Hurts", although that ain't saying the latter is bad. The other main duet is "Hearts on Fire" which seems to me to be the superior effort. The final "In My Hour of Darkness" again has a religious feel and is tragically prophetic in that it mourns the deaths of Gram's friends. Soon after the recording of this album Gram himself had followed their lead and this thus became his swansong and final statement to the world. Thankfully musical statements do not get much better, although isn't it always the way that artists die just as they reach their peak? Well, it's a real shame any day of the week. If Prince's chilling "Sign O the Times" wasn't enough to put you off drugs, then Gram's waste of talent and life should do the trick.

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Email me at: jackfeeny@yahoo.co.uk