Excellent find, Alex. Graham Parsons is today largely overlooked, but the Flying Buritto Bros. album remains one of my favorites, as does his connection with Emmylou Harris. I think there's a huge influence on CS&N, and also on Neil Young.
Thanks! (you made me change the song list on my Ipod today).
I don't know that you can say that Parsons is overlooked anymore. He certainly was in the years following his death and in the 80s, but he's achieved a pretty huge "cult hero" status among music geeks. The resurgence in interest in the Byrds in the last 20 years and of course his association with the Rolling Stones have certainly helped get his name to a new generation of fans, too.
I actually had a conversation with a musician friend about how Gram manages to be "underrated" and "overrated" at the same time (I hate those terms, however), because the general public doesn't know his music, which is a shame, but in certain music-nerd circles he's sometimes elevated to a ridiculous level by people who've never heard the records that influenced him (and probably will never be curious enough to seek them out). Gram was a great songwriter and singer, but the idea that he single-handedly invented "country-rock" is fiction.
I first heard about Gram Parsons through the Fall of the Grievous Angel tribute album. Really liked that stuff. Hard to listen to his originals afterwards. I like the covers better. I wouldn't say they are better all in all, just my preference. Great song writer though.
Excellent find, Alex. Graham Parsons is today largely overlooked, but the Flying Buritto Bros. album remains one of my favorites, as does his connection with Emmylou Harris. I think there's a huge influence on CS&N, and also on Neil Young.
Thanks! (you made me change the song list on my Ipod today).
I don't know that you can say that Parsons is overlooked anymore. He certainly was in the years following his death and in the 80s, but he's achieved a pretty huge "cult hero" status among music geeks. The resurgence in interest in the Byrds in the last 20 years and of course his association with the Rolling Stones have certainly helped get his name to a new generation of fans, too.
I actually had a conversation with a musician friend about how Gram manages to be "underrated" and "overrated" at the same time (I hate those terms, however), because the general public doesn't know his music, which is a shame, but in certain music-nerd circles he's sometimes elevated to a ridiculous level by people who've never heard the records that influenced him (and probably will never be curious enough to seek them out). Gram was a great songwriter and singer, but the idea that he single-handedly invented "country-rock" is fiction.
I first heard about Gram Parsons through the Fall of the Grievous Angel tribute album. Really liked that stuff. Hard to listen to his originals afterwards. I like the covers better. I wouldn't say they are better all in all, just my preference. Great song writer though.
[4] That's always a danger when you hear cover versions first!
[3] I've given him several tries but..what's the single best entry into his world? In general 'country-rock' doesn't do too much for me..