[Today: Gram Parsons invents the sound of 70's FM radio...]
A trust fund kid who attended Harvard and hobknobbed with the Rolling Stones, Gram Parsons had an enormous influence on the formation of country rock. He recorded one album with the pioneering International Submarine Band before joining The Byrds. Parsons steered the group towards the full country sound of 1968′s Sweetheart Of The Rodeo, although his vocals had to be removed because of a contractual dispute, and he left the band before the year was up.
Parsons coaxed Chris Hillman from The Byrds, added pedal steel guitarist ‘Sneaky’ Pete Kleinow and bassist Chris Etheridge and formed the Flying Burrito Brothers. Their debut sowed the seeds of country rock, but Parsons didn’t live to enjoy its fruits. Instead, groups like The Eagles and Poco made big money throughout the 70′s playing a watered down version of the music Parsons created.
The lyrics here reflect Parsons’ state of mind at setting out on his own: “This old earthquake’s gonna leave me in the poorhouse/It seems like this whole town’s insane.” Indeed, LA was pretty insane at that time, and its booze-n-pills culture eventually swallowed Parsons whole. He died of a drug overdose in 1973, and his body was famously stolen by an associate and burned in Joshua Tree national park. But neither that story (nor the dazzling Nudie suits) should overshadow his formidable musical legacy.
Tags: Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons, International Submarine Band, The Guilded Palace Of Sin
