Vinyl Vault

It’s hard to imagine the musical genre known as alt-country without the contributions of the late, great Gram Parsons. Released in 1974, the year after his death by overdose, Grievous Angel is generally regarded as Parsons’ masterpiece, the culmination of his pioneering work with The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. But does it deserve those plaudits, or is it the by-product of the media romanticizing the tragically premature death of a rock star? Only a song-by-song dissection can truly tell the tale. Here is a look at the ratings system.

****- A classic
***- Deserving of a place on any mix CD
** – Worthy of a download, but not of frequent play
*-Drop it like a hot rock

“Return Of The Grievous Angel”: ****- Parsons’ enduring anthem of the road gets a boost from Emmylou Harris’ pristine backing vocals, which are prevalent throughout Grievous Angel. In an everlasting search for a “calico bonnet,” Parsons never quite gets home, but the wink in his voice lets you know that he expects to someday.

“Hearts On Fire”: *** – Parsons and Harris had real chemistry on their collaborations, meshing perfectly with the pedal steel and elevating run-of-the mill country ballads like this one into the stratosphere.

“I Can’t Dance”: ** – The lead guitar of former Elvis sideman James Burton gets a workout here, but Parsons always seemed more at home in the ballads than in the honky-tonkers.

“Brass Buttons”: *** – While it seems like this sad one about someone taking inventory of the artifacts of a lost relationship refers to romantic love, Parsons apparently was writing about his mother. Whatever the case, it’s poignant when the details give way to revelation: “It was a dream much too real/To be leaned against too long.”

“$1,000 Wedding”: **** – By revealing only fragments of the story and toying with the point of view, Parsons keeps us guessing about this wedding that wasn’t meant to be. Was it a case of cold feet or something tragic? It doesn’t matter that we don‘t quite know, because the quaver in Parsons’ voice at song’s end tells it all.

“Medley Live From Northern Quebec (a) Cash On The Barrelhead (b) Hickory Wind”: **- The faux-concert setting and obligatory honky-tonk cover obscures “Hickory Wind,” a lovely song Parsons had carried with him since his days with The Byrds.

“Love Hurts”: **** – Many have covered this classic, but Parsons and Harris bring it home in moving fashion. The harmonies are imperfect in a perfect way. If “love is just a lie,” these two certainly sound like they’ve fallen for it hard.

“Ooh Las Vegas”: ** – Some funny lines here and there, but you can see why this song was apparently deemed not good enough for Parsons first solo effort, 1973’s GP.

“In My Hour Of Darkness”: *** – The choir-like vocals (yep, that’s Linda Ronstadt in there) add to the gospel-like feel of the closer, although the lyrics bemoaning the premature deaths of friends hit almost too close to home considering Parsons’ own fate.

The verdict: The ballads on this album will absolutely break your heart in the best possible way, and you’ll walk away with no doubt that the legend of Gram Parsons was built on the amazing talent he displayed on this earth far more than on the way he left it.

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