Search - Flying Burrito Bros :: Farther Along: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers

Don't Buy This Album-It Ruins The Experience

Matt Coker | Davis, CA, USA | 02/02/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman were the archeitects of a new style of music. The Flying Burrito Brothers weren't only the first and perhaps best Alternative Country/Country Rock Band, but their first two albums remain the definitive statements of the genre. Which is how you need to hear them. THE GILDED PALACE OF SIN is one of the greatest albums in the history of Rock or Country music. There is no equal to Parsons in terms of songcraft and vision, and THE GILDED PALACE OF SIN is packed with classics including:"Wheels", "Sin City", "Devil In Disguise/Christine's Tune", and many more. BURRITO DELUXE was an inferior follow-up but still much better than the manufactured Nashville product of today. With so many exceptional traits to their sound, how can a compilation of Parsons-era material sound so bad? A&M completely ruins the Burritos experience with this disc. Not only is the sound quality on this disc bad, but the compiling is terrible. Nine tracks (out of eleven) from the GILDED PALACE OF SIN album may sound like an easy and less expensive place to start, wrong. The nine tracks from THE GILDED PALACE OF SIN are the best songs on the CD, but they don't sound half as good on FARTHER ALONG. The nine tracks are "Christine's Tune/Devil In Disguise", "Sin City", "Do Right Woman", "Dark End Of The Street", "Wheels", "Juanita", "Hot Burrito #1", "Hot Burrito #2" and "Do You Know How It Feels" (the version by the Gram Parsons with the International Submarine Band on the SAFE AT HOME CD is better). After the first nine comes an outtake "Break My Mind". The Flying Burrito Brothers' version is on the level of the version Linda Ronstadt recorded for her debut HAND SOWN...HOME GROWN. The four tracks pulled from BURRITO DELUXE are definitely inferior to the first nine songs. The four tracks are "Farther Along", "Cody Cody", "God's Own Singer" and "Wild Horses". The remaining seven tracks are various outtakes, none of which are written by Parsons or Hillman. Only those interested in the historical perspective will find "Dim Lights", "Just Because", "Six Days On The Road", "To Love Somebody", "Close Up Honkeytonks", "Sing Me Back Home", or the fragment of "I Shall Be Released" to be of any interest. Musically, they really aren't, since one of the Burritos' greatest strengths was the superior quality of their original material. Even Chris Hillman said this represented the "Best and the worst of the 'Parsons-era Burritos'". Most listeners will only find the first half of the disc useful. If you want to get into The Flying Burrito Brothers the best way is to order a copy of THE GILDED PALACE OF SIN. It might cost more, but it's worth it. I'm playing my copy of their first release constantly. FARTHER ALONG is no treasure chest and if I had realized then how much better the full original THE GILDED PALACE OF SIN was, I would have purchased that CD initially. I'm giving it three stars because the Parsons material and original Flying Burrito Brothers recordings are extraordinary, but this compilation is very poor."

Even 'Farther' Than Brilliant

Pratik Majumdar | India | 12/25/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As exponents of country-rock, Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman have no match, and why not, considering the genre was their creation. 'Farther Along' starts off being practically the entireity of their best work - Gilded Palace of Sin (9 of the 11 songs are here)and then proceeds to uncover many other gems, including brilliant studio outtakes and snatches of pure magic like Sing Me Back Home and cover versions like Wild Horses, To Love Somebody and I Shall Be Released. Largely ingnored (I'm still trying to figure out why), 'Farther Along' is the best 'Best Of..' album of all time. FBB did not make too many albums, but then with something like 'Farther Along' does it really matter. Its a treasure to be relished forever. You'll never get tired of this one."

Very nice single CD compilation

B. Marold | Bethlehem, PA United States | 02/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"'Farther Along, The Best of The Flying Burrito Brothers' is a good selection from this group's first two albums. To counter another reviewer's remarks, a 'best of' album is not done to replace earlier classic albums. I agree heartily that the Burrito's first album, 'The Gilded Palace of Sin' is a truly great album, but if you have that on vinyl and you want something for your walkman without buying new copies of all their albums, this issue does the job.



The Flying Burrito Brothers were a spin-off from the Byrds, after they did their classic 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo', after bringing in Gram Parsons to replace the errant David Crosby, who flew off to create 'Crosby, Stills, and Nash'.



The Burritos were primarily Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman, Chris Etheredge, and Sneaky Pete, of whom I never bothered to track down his real name.



The only thing I miss from their original releases is the 'little hippy girl' talker done by Parsons.



Recommended as a sampler or very portable version of a classic 60's group."