» Listings for 2024

1. 2023/4 Albums Thing 268 - Gram Parsons & The Fallen Angels “Live 1973”

   Posted on 10:30am Tuesday 6th Feb 2024

   Following the release of “GP” Gram needed to tour his album. He assembled a band, The Fallen Angels, which included Emmylou Harris, pedal steel traditionalist Neil Flanz, drummer ND Smart II, bassist Kyle Tullis and guitarist Jock Bartley. Neil Flanz has said that the rehearsals, which were held at road manager Phil Kaufman's house were a disaster: "We weren't serious enough about the rehearsals. It was just wild. Everyone was playing music and having a good time but we weren't taking care of business". Kaufman said "We had a big party…We had a tour bus. Gram brought along Gretchen (his wife) and we left my house and went on our tour, and the tour was just disaster after disaster". It’s reported that it was only Emmylou Harris' determination that disciplined the band and ensured the shows even happened.

   “Live 1973” was recorded in Long Island, New York on March 13, 1973 during a live radio broadcast for WLIR-FM but wasn’t released on record until 1982. It’s 12 songs include 6 from “GP” along with “Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man” which he’d recorded with The Byrds on “Sweetheart Of the Rodeo”, Boudleaux Bryant’s gorgeous “Love Hurts” which would appear on Gram’s next album “Grievous Angel”, some Country classics in Jim Shumate’s country/gospel “Country Baptizing”, Merle Haggard’s “California Cotton Fields”, the truck drivers anthem “Six Days On The Road” and they round the set out with a rock ’n’ roll medley !

   As it is a radio broadcast it’s fairly well recorded and is a fantastic document of a period in Gram’s musical life that was thankfully captured. There are brief interactions between Gram, band, presenter and audience, band introductions etc. nothing earth shattering but an opportunity to briefly hear Gram speak. The show itself is a mostly gentle affair, although Gram is credited with being the first Country Rocker this show is far more country than rock. The duet between Gram and Emmylou on “The New Soft Shoe” is quite beautiful with great slide work by Neil Flanz. The unquestionable pearl on this album however is the take of “Love Hurts”, Gram and Emmylou at their duetting best with the band just leaning back and letting those two voices carry the load on a truly superb song.

   This isn’t by any means where you should start if you decide to investigate the world of Gram Parsons (if you decide to do that Elvis Costello complied a best of simply titled “Gram Parsons” in 1982, hunt that down). It’s another of those records for the smitten completist of which I am unashamedly one when it comes to Gram. But if, like me, you catch the bug this is somewhere you will inevitably arrive.

   Love Hurts - https://youtu.be/Tw-5dYVgUno?si=IcjyPiFW6yH_MQ_4

2. 2023/4 Albums Thing 267 - Gram Parsons “Grievous Angel”

   Posted on 9:20am Saturday 3rd Feb 2024

   Gram Parsons 2nd solo album was released in January 1974, exactly a year after his first. Even though Gram now had his own band, the Fallen Angels, who he had toured with in 1973 (we’ll get to that shortly) the only member of the Fallen Angels to appear on “Grievous Angel” is Emmylou Harris.

   Of his two solo albums this is my favourite. The first lyrics of opening song “Return Of The Grievous Angel” paint a vivid scene for me

   “Won't you scratch my itch, sweet Annie Rich, And welcome me back to town?

   Come out on your porch or step into your parlor, And I'll tell you how it all went down”

   Porches, parlours, possible tales of adventure…I’m in, let’s go. The song rolls on and as we approach a natural point for a solo or middle eight Gram laconically calls “Pick it for me James” and James Burton lays down a beauty of solo which is then picked up on by Byron Berline’s Fiddle and then Al Perkins on the Pedal Steel.

   The album is an almost equal split between uptempo thigh-slappers and gorgeous ballads. Both styles are exemplified by the “fake live” pair of “Cash On The Barrelhead/Hickory Wind”. The former a proper rollicking dance tune and tale of being arrested and offered either 40 days in the Jailhouse or “Cash on the barrelhead son”, the second part being a superb duet between Gram and Emmylou on a song that Gram wrote with Bob Buchanan for The Byrds album “Sweetheart Of the Rodeo”. I’m still not sure why it was felt it needed a fake, drunk Honky Tonk audience adding to it, but hey…

   That is followed by an utterly devastating version of Boudeleaux Bryant’s beautiful “Love Hurts”. It’s been covered so many times it almost counts as a standard these days. Roy Orbison, Jim Capaldi, Nazareth, Cher, Don McLean, Jennifer Warnes, Joan Jett, hell even The Who have had a go at it. However many versions there are you’ll find it hard to find a better one than Gram and Emmylou’s.

   The other killer ballad is “$1000 Wedding” the heartbreaking story of a groom left at the altar by his bride to be…or is it, it could easily be about a funeral and therein lies some of the wonder in Gram’s lyrics. The protagonist obviously doesn’t take either option well “I hate to tell you how he acted when the news arrived, He took some friends out drinking and it's lucky they survived” Gram and Emmylou tell us, their voices meshing perfectly, it gives me the shivers every time I hear it.

   We finish on two more Gram and Emmylou masterclasses. “Las Vegas” is a song we’ve talked about before here because Emmylou recorded a version on her album “Elite Hotel”. The story of a gamblers life on the Vegas strip takes on another dimension sung by Gram. Last song “In My Hour Of Darkness” was written by Gram and Emmylou and is a modern day hymn sung in chorus with added Linda Ronstadt.  

   “Grievous Angel” is a collection of fantastic songs performed wonderfully by some very skilled musicians. It was Grams’ last record, released posthumously in January 1974. Gram was declared dead at Yucca Valley Hospital, California at 15 minutes past midnight on 19th September 1973, aged 26. The official cause of death was an overdose of morphine and alcohol. Without Gram Parsons The Byrds don’t make “Sweetheart Of the Rodeo”, there is no Flying Buritto Brothers, the Rolling Stones likely don’t have their dalliances with Country Music or write “Wild Horses”. He shall always be another of those “what could have been” stories for me…sadly we’ll never know.

   Return Of The Grievous Angel - https://youtu.be/h_Iz0iVvhEc?si=k6SbMGq3teCVQFeN

3. 2023/4 Albums Thing 266 - Gram Parsons “GP”

   Posted on 9:35am Friday 2nd Feb 2024

   We’ve talked about Gram Parsons a lot here already while talking about records by The Byrds and Emmylou Harris. As a refresher, he was the grandson of Florida Orange growing magnates who developed a love of Country Music (Gram, not the orange growing magnates, although they too may have been fans) when he heard Merle Haggard while at Harvard! Not yer usual Country stars path, granted. He converted The Byrds to Country on “Sweetheart Of The Rodeo”, hung out with the Rolling Stones and helped them write “Wild Horses”. He then discovered Emmylou Harris, made two of the greatest Country Rock (or as he called it Cosmic American Music) albums to date and died of a drug overdose aged 26 and his Road manager then kidnapped his body and burned it under a Joshua Tree in the desert…Phew!

   I was already a fan of The Byrds and one day while on tour in the US I asked Martin “Fiddley” Bell “If I like The Byrds will I like Gram Parsons ?”. He told me I would so I went to the record store directly opposite the venue we were at in Boulder, Colorado (Nanu Nanu !) and bought a double CD feauturing “GP” and “Grievous Angel”. For once “Fiddley” Bell was right, I did like Gram Parsons. The band on “GP” are quite the players. There is a big chunk of Elvis Presley’s Las Vegas band, guitarist James Burton, drummer Ronnie Tutt, keyboards by Glen D Hardin. Then there’s the Flying Burrito Brothers fiddle player Byron Berline and banjo player Alan Munde and not one but two legendary pedal steel players in Al Perkins and Buddy Emmons. Oh and Blind Faith/Traffic bass player Ric Grech. Add to that Gram and harmony vocals by Emmylou Harris and you have quite the lineup.

   The album was originally scheduled to be produced by one of Gram’s great heroes, Merle Haggard. But after a meeting with Gram that seemed to go well, Haggard pulled out of the job. He had his own demons to deal with and it has been suggested he saw some of the same things in Gram. Parsons was reportedly crushed by Haggard’s vacating the production chair.

   “GP” starts out quite traditionally with the Bluegrass hoedown that is “Still Feeling Blue”. Fiddles and pedal steels gallop through the song with swooping, interlocking lines whilst Emmylou adds perfect harmonies on the chorus. Emmylou is back on next song "We'll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning”. This one isn’t so much her singing harmony as duetting with Gram, which is really how their musical relationship works. She even gets a verse to herself.

   Toward the end of Side one is one of Gram’s finest performances. “Streets Of Baltimore” was written by Tompall Glaser and Harlan Howard in 1966. It’s been recorded by many people over the years (Willie Nelson, The Lemonheads, Uncle Tupelo, John Prine the list goes on) but it was Gram’s version that made the song famous. It tells of a young married couple who sell their farm so the husband can take his wife where she really wanted to be, Baltimore. Eventually he realises that his wife likes the city and its nightlife more than him and he returns to Tennessee while his “baby walks the streets of Baltimore”, make of that last line what you will. The song was also heard in the soundtrack of TV series The Wire, set in Baltimore. That’s followed by “She”, a beautiful ballad written by Gram and Chris Ethridge which I’ve always thought was about Emmylou (“oh but she sure could sing”) who also covered it.

   “GP” set the template for what would come to be called Country Rock. The likes of the Eagles and Poco took the template and ran with it, members of both bands had orbited around the scene that Gram was part of (Byrds, Burrito’s etc.) and his hand in all of that should never be underestimated.

   Streets Of Baltimore - https://youtu.be/Xi0c2clOqp0?si=EOkOOldcquxgOc2w