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Sacred Hearts and Fallen Angels: The Gram Parsons Anthology

Gram Parsons - Sacred Hearts and Fallen Angels: The Gram Parsons Anthology Audio CD

A fair review of the Gram Parsons "Sacred Hearts and Fallen Angels: The Gram Parsons Anthology" 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: Sacred Hearts and Fallen Angels: The Gram Parsons Anthology
Rating:

Release Date: 2001-05-01
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Blue Eyes - The International Submarine Band, Gram Parsons 2: Luxury Liner - The International Submarine Band, Gram Parsons 3: Do You Know How It Feels (To Be Lonesome) - The International Submarine Band, Gram Parsons 4: I Must Be Somebody Else You've Known - The International Submarine Band, Gram Parsons 5: Miller's Cave - The International Submarine Band, Gram Parsons 6: Knee Deep in the Blues [#] - The International Submarine Band, Gram Parsons 7: Hickory Wind - The Byrds, Gram Parsons 8: You're Still on My Mind - The Byrds, Gram Parsons 9: Christian Life - The Byrds, Gram Parsons 10: You Don't Miss Your Water - The Byrds, Gram Parsons 11: One Hundred Years from Now - The Byrds, Gram Parsons 12: Christine's Tune (A.K.A. Devil in Disguise) - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 13: Sin City - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 14: Do Right Woman, Do Right Man - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 15: Dark End of the Street - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 16: Wheels - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 17: Juanita - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 18: Hot Burrito #1 - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 19: Hot Burrito #2 - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 20: High Fashion Queen - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 21: Older Guys - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 22: Cody, Cody - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 23: Wild Horses - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 24: Sing Me Back Home - The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 25: To Love Somebody - The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons 26: Still Feeling Blue - Gram Parsons 27: We'll Sweep out the Ashes in the Morning - Gram Parsons 28: Song for You - Gram Parsons 29: Streets of Baltimore - Gram Parsons 30: She - Gram Parsons 31: New Soft Shoe - Gram Parsons 32: Kiss the Children - Gram Parsons 33: How Much I've Lied - Gram Parsons 34: Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man [Live] - Gram Parsons 35: That's All It Took - Gram Parsons 36: California Cotton Fields - Gram Parsons 37: Return of the Grievous Angel [Remix] - Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels 38: Hearts on Fire - Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels 39: Brass Buttons - Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels 40: $1000 Wedding - Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels 41: Love Hurts - Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels 42: Ooh Las Vegas - Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels 43: In My Hour of Darkness - Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels 44: Brand New Heartache - Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels 45: Sleepless Nights - Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels 46: Angels Rejoiced Last Night - Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels

THIS ONE HAS IT ALL!
It covers his all-too-brief career from beginning to end, from International Submarine Band to Flying Burrito Brothers to his great numbers with Emmy Lou Harris. After reviewing all of the available Gram Parsons music out there, I chose this one, and am glad I did. The accompanying booklet tells the whole story of his many collaborations (he was truly a collaborative musician); hard not to be wistful about "what might have been", but it's a remarkable body of work - and lasting legacy - for someone who died at 26! If you like to sing and play Gram's music (which I do) this is a great choice, since it has mostly original arrangements so they help to learn the songs, but it's been in my car CD player a lot since it arrived. Those of you who are Gram fanatics already most likely have all of this already, but I highly recommend this collection to those who know some of Gram's work and want to know more - and know more about the musicians that were a key part of his work. An excellent Gram Parsons and Friends Primer!.

Great Music!
I was not disapppointed. I bought this after reading "Twenty Thousand Roads". Great music.
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BUY THIS NOW!.
EVERY song is awesome and it is FULL of cool stuff to read and see. This is the absolute best compilation of Gram's work. Great photos and behind-the-songs information. You will NOT be disappointed with this set. I promise you. He invented this kind of "country" - in my opinion. If youre looking for his work with the International Submarine Band and the Flying Burrito Bros. THIS is a good start. . . . or . . . just a good bunch of songs to have. God Bless Gram Parsons!.

Well-chosen and beautifully packaged anthology
There's no doubt that he changed the face of popular music, particularly at the country end of the spectrum, and if you harbour any doubt of this, then this double CD is the place to put your doubts to rest. Gram Parsons was always going to burn out rather than fade away, and when he did the sensational manner and events surrounding his demise, and his reputation as a dilettante playboy, threatened to overshadow his musical vision and legacy.

Disc one begins with half a dozen examples of his work with the International Submarine Band, mostly singles from the album Safe at Home, made for Lee Hazlewood's LHI label, released in 1967, and one previously unheard rehearsal take from the album sessions. Already his template of "Cosmic American Music" was in place, crucially adding a strong helping of deeply unfashionable country music to a hybrid of southern soul, R&B, gospel and rock. This was the year of Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, Strawberry Fields Forever, A Whiter Shade Of Pale, I Had Too Much Too Dream Last Night, We Love You, Purple Haze and Abba Zaba; and Gram was singing Merle Haggard, Hank Williams and Bobby Bare.

Shortly afterwards he had joined and completely transformed the Byrds, who had reduced to a trio at the time of their last album and were in need of direction. Their last single had been a middle of the road cover of Carole King's Goin' Back, but with Gram on board they soon released a country version of You Ain't Going Nowhere and followed with the ground-breaking country album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Much derided at the time it is now acknowledged as a great classic. By the time the album came out, Gram had already moved on, and because of an injunction since he was still under contract to Lee Hazlewood most of his lead vocals were replaced on the released version. Two of the three that survived are represented here, the sublime Hickory Wind, co-written by Gram, and You're Still On My Mind. They recorded sixty takes of George Jones' You're Still On My Mind, before choosing Take One as the master.

Also included are the original masters with Gram's vocals on (I Like) The Christian Life, his own One Hundred Years From Now and the southern soul song written by William Bell, You Don't Miss Your Water (Till The Well Runs Dry), all obviously Gram's choices for the album, though replaced on the record by Roger McGuinn, who sounded especially embarrassed on the Louvin Brothers tune, The Christian Life. Its sentiment sat awkwardly with his involvement with the Subud religion that had led to his name change from Jim the year before. Gram's version, on the other hand, is sung with absolute conviction. His contributions to this album alone would afford him a place in rock history, but he was to carve out a bigger name for himself with his next band, the Flying Burrito Brothers (in which he enlisted former Byrd member Chris Hillman and Sneaky Pete Kleinow who had also guested with the Byrds); and his two solo flawless albums, GP and Grievous Angel.

Incredibly, Burritos songs like Wheels and Christine's Tune (Devil In Disguise), with its buzz-saw pedal steel, now considered standards, were never released as singles, though Hot Burrito No. 1 was the flipside of the non-album single The Train Song (not included). They are among eight selections from the eleven-track 1969 Burritos debut album The Gilded Palace of Sin rightly included, along with four from its inferior 1970 sequel, Burrito Deluxe. By this time Gram was fully embracing the rock lifestyle and hanging out with the Rolling Stones, even getting first dibs on the song Wild Horses, which appeared on Burrito Deluxe some months before Sticky Fingers. A third album was abandoned in 1970 when Gram was fired from the band although some rehearsal tracks subsequently appeared on a compilation called Close Up The Honky Tonks, and two of the best re-surface here: Merle Haggard's Sing Me Back Home and the Bee-Gees' To Love Somebody.

The second disc is devoted almost entirely to his solo repertoire found on G. P. and Grievous Angel (both on G. P. /Grievous Angel), albums no one should be without, especially since both feature Emmylou Harris providing the perfect foil with her duet vocals. Many of the players on these records were to feature in her own Hot Band after Gram's passing, when she carried the flame for his music, including musical director Glen D Hardin and guitarist James Burton, both fresh from a stint in Elvis Presley's band. It is worth noting, though, that the song Return Of The Grievous Angel appears in a remix prepared for a 1982 British single. Additionally there are three live recordings made with his touring band the Fallen Angels and Emmylou, including a nod to his old band the Byrds with Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man, a song he had written with Roger McGuinn. The collection is completed with three outtakes from Grievous Angel which are among the most sublime recordings he and Emmylou ever made: Brand New Heartache, Sleepless Nights and The Angels Rejoiced Last Night. Fabulous.

Although some of the selections are relatively rare, only one track is previously unreleased, a factor to take into account for those whose collection already includes some of this invaluable material, but a beautifully compiled bargain for those whose doesn't.

Incomplete
He moved fast, and that makes it hard to put together a compilation. For a guy who died so young, Gram made a lot of music and was an incalculable influence on future musicians. This one is a good effort, but like most comps it skips my favorite song (in this case, Big Mouth Blues).
The great bulk of this 2-disc set is available on 4 discs: The 2fer edition of Gram Parsons Solo Records GP and Grievous Angel; Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo, The International Submarine Band's album, and Flying Burrito Bros' Gilded Palace of Sin.
I personally think it makes more sense to just go out and buy those discs than another (quite fine) comp. That way, you get (almost) everything, the way it meant to be heard. .

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.