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Warm Evenings, Pale Mornings, Bottled Blues: 1963-1973

Gram Parsons - Warm Evenings, Pale Mornings, Bottled Blues: 1963-1973 Audio CD

A fair review of the Gram Parsons "Warm Evenings, Pale Mornings, Bottled Blues: 1963-1973" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Gram Parsons reviews here, or go back to the Gram Parsons tabs.

Band: Gram Parsons
Title: Warm Evenings, Pale Mornings, Bottled Blues: 1963-1973
Rating:

Release Date: 1992-04-01
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Zah's Blues - Gram Parsons, , The Shilos 2: Blue Eyes - The International Submarine Band, Gram Parsons 3: Strong Boy - The International Submarine Band, Gram Parsons 4: Truck Driving Man - The International Submarine Band, Gram Parsons 5: Hickory Wind - The Byrds, Gram Parsons 6: Christian Life - The Byrds, Gram Parsons 7: Reputation - The Byrds, Gram Parsons 8: One Hundred Years from Now - The Byrds, Gram Parsons 9: Hot Burrito No. 1 - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 10: Christine's Tune (A.K.A. Devil in Disguise) - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 11: Sin City - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 12: Dark End of the Street - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 13: Wild Horses - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 14: She - Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons 15: New Soft Shoe - Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons 16: We'll Sweep out the Ashes in the Morning - Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons 17: Brass Buttons - Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons 18: Return of the Grievous Angel - Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons 19: Drug Store Truck Driving Man [Live] - Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons 20: Brand New Heartache - Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons 21: Love Hurts - Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons

Much more "country" than I expected.
Other than the opening song, his music is much more on the country side than on the pop side. I had heard about Gram Parson's influence on The Byrds, and even the Eagles. I like The Byrds, Poco, etc. But this is too country for my taste.

It covers as much as it misses.
To cover most everything that "Gram Parsons" ever did on one disc. Wow, what a task. Obviously it can't be done, but this is still a decent overview covering every era of his. A few tracks from his time with "The International Submarine Band", "The Byrds", "The Flying Burrito Brothers", and his solo work with "Emmylou Harris". There's too many great songs here to mention, and like I said, it's missing just as much. But this is a great way to introduce yourself to him, and to which era you like the most, even though it's all great. Somewhere through these ten years, a genre was born, and "Gram Parsons" fathered it. .

Lean, mean and to the point
Until the Y2K Rhino collection came along, this was the best Gram Parsons collection on the face of the planet. . It's still extremely well-focussed and possibly more fun to listen to. A few classic songs are left off, but this is an exceptionally well-programmed set of music. Highly recommended!.

Don't Ever Call It Country Rock
Though he traveled paths that had been beaten by the likes of Bob Wills and Buck Owens, Parsons followed them entirely in his own manner. The decade-long recording career of Gram Parsons was a period of growth and development. Therefore he sometimes had to feel his way along. Then, just as he was hitting his stride, hard living and a lifelong heart problem cut his career short. One can only speculate how events might have unfolded differently if he had lived to see the culmination of his vision.

This collection provides an overview of that arc of development. From his early days as a folkie with the Shilohs, through the experimental country music sound of the International Submarine Band and the Byrds, to his visionary work with the Flying Burrito Brothers and as a solo act, this album hits all the high points and creative statements of a ten-year career.

This is not to say that the effort is flawless. For example, printed right on the disc itself is a claim that Parsons lived "a life in Country Rock. " Parsons abjectly hated the term "Country Rock," and espoused the title "Cosmic American Music. " He believed, and rightly, that this title better exemplified his artistic vision of a music based on the common themes that underly American musical experience. "Country Rock" was, to him and his fans, just a slumgullion of stylistic titles, not a statement in and of itself.

The selection on this disc is stinting toward Parsons' early work, when he was still finding his vision. The Shilohs are represented in only a single track. This is partly because their sound was derivative of Chad Mitchell and the Kingston Trio, but still, they recorded enough material to fill at least two discs currently in circulation. Likewise, only three tracks represent his time with the ISB. There are four tracks of his work with the Byrds, including his timeless classic "Hickory Wind. " However, these songs are all off the "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" album, which is not only still widely available, but also strongly recommended. By popularizing country, this album changed the face of popular American music for a generation.

Heavy emphasis begins with Parsons' membership in the Flying Burrito Brothers. Classic tracks like "Hot Burrito #1," "Sin City," and "Dark End of the Street" exemplify how Parsons' vision and the skillful instrumentals of some of the most gifted musicians of his time invented a whole new form of music. Call it Cosmic American Music, if you like, or Alt-Country, or just call it the Flying Burrito Brothers. As long as you don't call it Country Rock.

The inclusion of "Wild Horses" is a statement on Parsons' influence. This song was written by Parsons' friends Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and cut for the Rolling Stones' "Sticky Fingers" album, but rush-released to album by the Flying Burrito Brothers. Though the Burritos never released it as a single (one of the conditions of permission to record), their distinctive and powerful sound wraps well around the lyrics. Parsons also influenced the Stones in other ways, incidentally - for a good example of how, listen to the "Country Honk" track on "Let It Bleed. "

It was in his solo work that Parsons came into his own. Though he cut only two solo albums before his sudden death, his choice of classic country tunes to cover, his songwriting prowess, and his haunting vocal harmonies with Emmylou Harris are here represented by no less than eight tracks on this disc. "The New Soft Shoe" and "Return of the Grievous Angel" point out well that Parsons was an intelligent and thoughtful man, while "She" exemplifies Parsons' Christian faith, and "Brass Buttons," written in memory of his late mother, demonstrates his commitment to his family.

One song is distinctly absent: his memorial to several slain friends, including guitarist Clarence White, "In My Hour of Darkness. " Though this isn't an essential track, it so well encapsulates Parsons' modes of thought and depth of faith that it should be included. Well, it's on the single-CD release of his albums "GP" and "Grievous Angel," if anybody wants it.

Covers of classic tracks, like Beaudloux Bryant's "Love Hurts," also established Parsons as part of the country music fold, even if, with his long hair and nudie suits, he was outside the mainstream. "We'll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning," an unabashedly country song, probably astounded no small number of rock fans who had initially been attracted to Parsons' music because of his affiliation with the Byrds. Well, to Parsons, that was the core of Cosmic American Music: the belief that there is no country, no rock, no blues, no jazz. There were no types of music to Parsons, there was only good music.

The liner notes in this disc have very sloppy grammar, but they give a good biography and C. V. of the artist. The author doesn't cut Parsons any slack, either; he comes right out and accuses Parsons' indolence for the Burritos' lackluster second album, and describes his personality conflicts with Roger McGuinn of the Byrds. However, sometimes honesty is more flattering than flattery. The piece offers no new information of any kind, though it does provide a good thumbnail sketch for new fans.

This collection is primarily of interest to people who are new to the music of Gram Parsons. It hits on the high points of his artistic career and sums up his creative vision. Longtime fans already have most, or all, of these songs in their collection. However, if you're new to the GP fold, this is a better-than-fair introduction. Get to know the art and vision of Gram Parsons. And don't ever call it Country Rock.

Essential, timeless, Cosmic American Music
Don't be fooled by the cheesy packaging and Australian origin . . this CD is a great primer for one of the great voices/songwriters in popular music. Gram burned too hot, burned out too fast.

BTW, Kudos to whomever gets these things together at Raven Records; I think this is the same company that put out a great Yardbirds compilation record a few years back . . . the only one in existence to span the best of Clapton-to-Page on ONE CD.

You can see a complete list of all Gram Parsons discography, or go back to the Gram Parsons tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.