Search - Gram Parsons, Flying Burrito Brothers :: Gram Parsons Archive 1 (Dig)

Return of the Grievous Angel

Bradford Kissell | Eden Prairie, MN USA | 11/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gram and the Burritos from the "Gilded Palace of Sin" have always held a special place that no other band could quite replicate. This live recording, which follows that truly unique and groundbreaking recording, is that missing piece of country rock's formative years that was never satisfied by subsequent Burrito efforts (or those the group inspired). Only Gram's solo LPs reminded us of his unique talent and vision, captured exquisitely in his perfect exit, "Grievous Angel." These live recordings from the Avalon are especially kind to the Burrito's strengths: those wonderful vocals and the late Sneaky Pete's hot pedal steel. While the performances and recording are a bit ragged here and there, it's offers some nice and unexpected insite into this pivotal band. What an interesting song selection, even if gems like "Juanita" weren't on the set list either night. I was lucky enough to see Gram and the Burritos a month before his demons forced his bandmates to sever ties. He had it together that night in May 1970, in front of a sparse, $3-per-person crowd in a St. Paul college gymnasium. He would have been just 23 at the time, but he held himself with the kind of poise and sophistication that makes a strong case for reincarnation. (Hank? Was that you?) As these live shows remind us, Gram got it, had it, and in the end, blew it. They provide great insight into the vision of this seminal figure, even if this thing could have been titled in a way that gave the band more credit. But maybe this time, a Burritos recording will inspire a new generation--one that won't be as willing to take their lead straight down the path to Lite FM."

Essential Live Burritos, Awesome Gram

Hardy Melville | 03/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a huge Gram Parsons fan for years, and got this for Christmas. I have given it some time to let it sink in.



But this is an awesome addition to my collection of Parsons's material, and I am enjoying it immensely. Any Gram fan will want to have it and, unlike the confusing offerings of different collections of his studio material, you will know that only on this two disc collection will you be able to find the material included.



I've had the live album Gram did with Emmylou and the Fallen Angels tour for what is now a long time now, and that one is well recorded with a reasonable level of performance shown by the band. This is an earlier work by the Burritos, who by comparison were known for being more sloppy, even very sloppy, and several early studio efforts by Parsons were known for mediocre production, even the great Gilded Palace of Sin. As a result I was quite pleasantly surprised here by the production quality, which one perhaps shouldn't be given the Dead's people were involved in the recording. Equally if not more surprising is that the band's performance is reasonably tight, with some obvious mistakes still found here and there. I would have to guess the monitors were not the very best for the vocalists by contemporary standards, as some of the harmony work could have been tighter.



Despite that, Chris Hillman does a very good job here with the harmony work, as does Parsons who, after all, is the artist that really makes this collection so worth getting and listening to. While in Gram's short career he went on to do such great work with Emmylou, with the Burritos he had already found his voice and performed some of his better self written compositions, such as Sin City, the two Hot Burrito numbers, and others along with covers both included in the studio albums and some only found here.



I recently finished reading Twenty Thousand Roads, the biography on Parsons, and one thing that work makes clear is that Gram worked at actually playing gigs more than he did in preparing beforehand for them. He would frequently show up under the influence, maybe always being at least somewhat so. But he was comfortable in his skin up on stage, and he played live frequently in a great variety of venues. His performance is one here, as I think on the good nights it usually was, where you can hear a soulfullness rarely found in singers having much more well known and widespread reputations. I get the impression many who criticize his singing talent are comparing how he comes close or falls short compared to people like George Jones, who certainly set a standard. But Parsons sets his own, and his instantly recognizable voice is here evident in all it's effective and appealing glory.



Having said all that, it has always been true of Parsons that he is more appreciated by musicians and musically knowledgeable people than the more general music listening public, and I don't think there's anything in particular about this album that will change that reception. Even so this collection has some added historical significance in seeing how this LA based country rock band, which was a very new thing indeed at the time, opened a set for the Dead at the Avalon, in the heart of the San Francisco scene at the time. This was before the Dead made their own turn into a more country approach found on American Beauty, but you can hear that at least some of their fans seemed to get it and enjoy it from the crowd reaction. Maybe the casual listener will today, too.



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