You be Emmylou, and I'll be Gram
September 19, 2003 4:55 AM Subscribe
Today is the 30th anniversary of the death of Gram Parsons (famous, of course, for the corpse's subsequent adventures). Read a long bio starting here, a small interview, or page through one of his notebooks and the guestbook that sits in his last hotel room.
Gram Parsons was The Man; I never cared particularly for his solo discs - a bit too country for me - but his work (and influence on) the Byrds' "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" and in particularly the Flying Burrito Brothers' first, "The Gilded Palace of Sin," still makes all the country rock that came after look rather wan by comparison.
Thanks for the link/reminder, transient.
posted by kgasmart at 5:48 AM on September 19, 2003
Thanks for the link/reminder, transient.
posted by kgasmart at 5:48 AM on September 19, 2003
Excellent.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:38 AM on September 19, 2003
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:38 AM on September 19, 2003
Amen, kgasmart. I never get tired of either of those albums. Allow me to put in a plug for the Long Ryders, led by Gram-worshipin' Sid Griffin; if you like that style of music, I think you'll like them.
posted by languagehat at 7:03 AM on September 19, 2003
posted by languagehat at 7:03 AM on September 19, 2003
I never cared particularly for his solo discs - a bit too country for me
Let me put in a quick plea that you give them another chance... the first time I listened to GP, I went through some sort of convulsive rejection process because they were too country for me, too, at the time. But a year later, I went back and couldn't get enough of them. Not liking "Return of the Grievous Angel" and "Ooh Las Vegas" is like not liking the sun.
posted by COBRA! at 7:14 AM on September 19, 2003
Let me put in a quick plea that you give them another chance... the first time I listened to GP, I went through some sort of convulsive rejection process because they were too country for me, too, at the time. But a year later, I went back and couldn't get enough of them. Not liking "Return of the Grievous Angel" and "Ooh Las Vegas" is like not liking the sun.
posted by COBRA! at 7:14 AM on September 19, 2003
Hey Cobra. .let's tie kgasmart in a chair and play Streets of Baltimore over and over and over for him. . .. .
posted by Danf at 7:21 AM on September 19, 2003
posted by Danf at 7:21 AM on September 19, 2003
Flying Burrito Brothers' first, "The Gilded Palace of Sin," still makes all the country rock that came after look rather wan by comparison.
Amen. "Sin City" is one of the best. country. songs. ever. Not to mentioned he's the one who turned Mick and keith on to honky-tonk.
posted by jonmc at 7:42 AM on September 19, 2003
Amen. "Sin City" is one of the best. country. songs. ever. Not to mentioned he's the one who turned Mick and keith on to honky-tonk.
posted by jonmc at 7:42 AM on September 19, 2003
Too country? Is that possible?
I never get tired of listening to Gram Parsons. Thanks for the links!
posted by maurice at 7:52 AM on September 19, 2003
I never get tired of listening to Gram Parsons. Thanks for the links!
posted by maurice at 7:52 AM on September 19, 2003
"hot burrito #1" is the saddest song ever written.
posted by pxe2000 at 8:29 AM on September 19, 2003
posted by pxe2000 at 8:29 AM on September 19, 2003
Grievous Angel's Brass Buttons and GP's How Much I've Lied are just great songs regardless of genre.
posted by liam at 8:31 AM on September 19, 2003
posted by liam at 8:31 AM on September 19, 2003
"hot burrito #1" is the saddest song ever written.
And a bitch to play on guitar, to boot.
I'll give the solo discs another spin (no chair, please), but I dunno - maybe it was the moderating influence of Byrds Jim/Roger McGuinn (on "Sweetheart") and Chris Hillman (on "Sin") that might have toned down Parsons' purist jones a bit. Whatever. Burritos' cover of "To Love Somebody" (off the greatest hits disc) is one of my favorites, as is "Wild Horses" off the otherwise substandard "Burrito Deluxe." And, also off the greatest hits disc, I really would have liked to have heard a finished version of "I Shall Be Released."
posted by kgasmart at 8:42 AM on September 19, 2003
And a bitch to play on guitar, to boot.
I'll give the solo discs another spin (no chair, please), but I dunno - maybe it was the moderating influence of Byrds Jim/Roger McGuinn (on "Sweetheart") and Chris Hillman (on "Sin") that might have toned down Parsons' purist jones a bit. Whatever. Burritos' cover of "To Love Somebody" (off the greatest hits disc) is one of my favorites, as is "Wild Horses" off the otherwise substandard "Burrito Deluxe." And, also off the greatest hits disc, I really would have liked to have heard a finished version of "I Shall Be Released."
posted by kgasmart at 8:42 AM on September 19, 2003
By the way, I discovered pretty recently that the Burritos' Greatest Hits disc really rewards you if you listen to it with headphones... there's all kinds of crazy-but-really-cool stereo seperation stuff going on that's not so apparent with regular speakers. And hearing the two-part harmonies Gram sings with himself on a lot of songs is fascinating.
posted by COBRA! at 9:33 AM on September 19, 2003
posted by COBRA! at 9:33 AM on September 19, 2003
maurice: no, it's not possible.
transient: nice gillian welch reference.
posted by keswick at 9:40 AM on September 19, 2003
transient: nice gillian welch reference.
posted by keswick at 9:40 AM on September 19, 2003
Gram PARRsons...
Not to be confused with Graham Parker.
posted by jaronson at 10:22 AM on September 19, 2003
Not to be confused with Graham Parker.
posted by jaronson at 10:22 AM on September 19, 2003
BTW, GramFest is next weekend. I'm going - it should be one hell of a good time.
posted by echolalia67 at 10:37 AM on September 19, 2003
posted by echolalia67 at 10:37 AM on September 19, 2003
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