Reviews (page 3 of 8)
I really like this! Never heard it before. The good sort of classic country with great harmonies.
I've heard the name Gram Parsons before but never heard his music, on account of I'm not old. Having never seen it written down, I had always just assumed his name was Graham Parsons, and Americans were doing that stupid thing they do when pronouncing "Graham Crackers"... Today I learned it IS actually Gram, and it's short for Ingram. The more you know. Names aside, I actually really enjoyed this... I was worried it was going to be another bland, boring country album but wound up really digging it. I love finding unexpected 5's.
Another slide guitar infused garbage country album. The one classic song on the album, Love Hurts, is again ruined by annoying slide guitar. 1 star
several catchy tunes on here i’m not one for country ballads however
5/10 Second half better than the first.
Nice album with a cool 70s feel. Nice harmonies. I liked the song that gave a shout out to my favorite thing about SC. The oak trees.
Not bad but not really my thing.
I continue to hunger for country on this list, so there's no surprise that when it shows up I may overrate it. But that's not to say that I don't genuinely think this album is good. It's non-pretentious, easy-listening, country music sang by Parsons and the awfully talented Emmylou Harris, and delivered in a tight 36-minute package. It's just about everything I like in an album, even if there's nothing I really love here. Some of the classic covers like Hickory Wind and Love Hurts are at their best here, and a couple of the originals live up to the spot this album has on the list. The steel guitar is as comforting as ever, and I'll be darned if I don't recommend this album as a surprise hit. Highlights: $1000 Wedding Medley Live from Northern Quebec Love Hurts Lowlight: Hearts on Fire
Perfectly fine country album. Not going to be my first choice off the shelf.
Didn’t enjoy this.
Lovely country rock, made even better with Emmylou's presence. Definitely worth a full listen.
This was a great background listen. Just some nice pleasing country music.
This was amazing, yet another young artist taken too soon.
This a solid listen. The Emmylou Harris vocals and the quality of the musicians elevate it to above average for sure. Not quite enough for me to round up but it is a solid 7/10. 3.5/5
I forgot how young he was when he died. Dude didn’t even make it to the 27 club. That’s some hard livin’. And for someone who ate drugs for breakfast and reportedly was pretty out of it during the recording sessions, he sounds amazingly well here. Sad that his widow removed Emmylou’s name and photo from the original proposed cover and relegated her to just a back cover credit, because she clearly elevates the sound and songs. Rating a notch up for nostalgia given so many players were featured from many other bands I grew up listening to (Dillards, Country Gazette/Byron Berline, Linda Ronstadt, etc.)
Had me cracking up that the opening line for 6 out of the 9 songs is the title of the song. This was fine but $1000 wedding and the version of love hurts had me wanting to round down.
This is a solid Emmylou Harris album! 3.5/5
Awful. Twee country music sucks.
probably edges into a 3 but I gotta get my country average down as it's embarassing 5 / 10 Best track/s: Ooh Las Vegas
Where country first met rock
I HATE to have to give a country album a good rating, but unfortunately, Grievous Angel gives you everything you could want out of a country album. Great vocals and instrumentation, charming duets, songs that will have you out of your seat and dancing, a nice ballad. It’s a shame Gram Parsons didn’t live to see the release of this album.
Nice country rock album. I don’t mind being in Gram Parsons’s company at all. Very pleasant. Lovely version of “Love Hurts” too.
This record rocks. Vocals are great, orchestration is superb, production is nice, and there's some nice sentimentality on the album. "Love Hurts" is a really nice tune; even if when I hear it I think about the song being used mockingly in movies and TV shows when a character gets broken up with. The two hard-panned voices sound very intimate, and I love the chords. Nice record! Cool album cover too.
The roots of Americana
Found myself enjoying most of these tunes, with a few that were just okay that came along for the ride as well. Adding Emmylou Harris to the mix is a surefire way to guarantees happy ears, though.
The harmonies are great. Love me some Cosmic American Music. Love Hurts, Ooh Las Vegas and In My Hour of Darkness are the highlights.
I saw Parson’s embroidered suit at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Kind of fun. I hadn’t realized he died so young until I started reading about this album and saw the “posthumous release” descriptor. This solo album leans more towards the Flying Burrito Brothers side of his career than The Byrds, which I’m pleased with. It’s an earnest, solid country album that doesn’t come off as costumey. I can hear the fun they had making it. Always nice to hear Emmylou Harris’ voice. It’s kind of bananas that her credit and image was scrubbed from the original pressing - I understand being a widowed wife is complicated (I assume), but Harris’ contributions to this album are so significant that the omission is glaring.
A bit too yea haw for me. I was considering scoring this a 2, maybe even a 3. And then I read that Parsons called his music style "Cosmic American". Pretentious bullshit – and for that, combined with a needless waste of a life and talent, you get a 1
Laid-back country rock built on gentle acoustic guitars, pedal steel, steady rhythms, and warm duet vocals unfolds with relaxed, traditional ease. Listening feels like sitting on a quiet rural porch where the same slow breeze moves through the air for hours. The atmosphere is calm and sincere, but the tunes often drift by without much distinction, leaving the overall experience somewhat boring.
Esperava um álbum progressivo, a julgar pela capa e veio um baita disco de country sem firulas.
Country album with some solid vocals.
I dug this. Need to follow up with it again
Not super familiar with country music but this one was great. Brass Buttons stood out - poignant and so well done on every level. Will revisit. Not sure why but I hesitate to give a 5. This may change.
Not for me
Wel oke
good soup
Priem
Some good ol country fried rock! Good listen through and through. All the elements of good country music!
⭐️⭐️ not crazy about country so i didn't care for this album. i liked Emmylou Harris's performance i suppose
Eerste gedachte: Ojee, hier een heel album van? Maar toen bleek het een warm bad te zijn dat mijn fietstocht door de regen toch wat opfleurde met herinneringen van roadtrippen door droge gebieden in de VS. Die combi van pedalsteel, fiddle en af en toe een subtiele piano is nice. Leuk om een keer te horen, maar niet iets wat gaat blijven hangen.
Bij vlagen bijna een soort proto-Mac DeMarco, maar vooral gewoon onversneden, onironische woe-is-me country. I didn't hate it. Behalve die faux live medley halverwege, that's a naw from me dawg
boring to me. really not my kind of music. but i guess not objectively bad or anything.
Es ist ein Country-Album mit rockigen Ansätzen. "Brass Buttons" ist eine schöne Ballade. Und die Coverversion von "Love Hurts" ist hörenswert. Ich schwanke zwischen 2 und 3 Sternen...
Pretty nice!
Mid/high 3, enjoyed this more than expected, a bit samey but overall enjoyable
Good harmonies and some interesting tracks. Great as background music, however
A fave of my dad, but not of mine. It did send me to sleep on the plane though so that’s a bonus!
This is too parlour loungy for me.
competent but utterly disposable country
This is a great country album but it's Gram Parsons AND Emmylou Harris. I can't believe she's not credited on any of the songs, they're mostly duets with her!!! She makes the album and so I can't give 5 stars during Women's History month in her honor.
For a brief second, after seeing the cover, I was hopeful this might be prog or – even better – some early 70s synth ambient. Then I checked Wikipedia and saw "country". What an absolute letdown, fucking hell. …and to no one’s surprise, it’s shite. Well, not actual shite; I can tell it’s probably perfectly fine country but since this list – like all criticism in general, in the end – is subjective, I have to give it a mere one star simply because it doesn’t do anything for me and I have very, very low tolerance for country in general.
Like most country, this is absolutely gorgeous music that just does not speak to me whatsoever. I think most music obsessives go through a country phase at least once in their lives and at 43 years old, I'm beginning to think that's just not going to happen to me.
This is nice and perfect working background music, was between a 2.5 to 3 for me
Nice vibes.
Enjoy GP. Great sound.
Not really a country guy. Not at all a country guy actually. So this album was doomed from the start for me. If there's some great and amazing context I'm missing here then that sucks. I just don't like country music. I do like the Las Vegas song. Once again...I don't like country.
And then he was dead at 26. Fucking drugs and alcohol.
Thought I would get into this more. Sounded like a parody of 70s country and western albums.
I just couldn’t get into this. Didn’t love the vocals and I was abit bored.
Their voices harmonize well, but it's just samey country with some elements of rock to it. The story about his death is truly unique though, his manager stole his corpse and set it on fire because Parsons expressed that he wanted to be cremated not far from where he actually died. He failed because police caught on to it and he was later buried. Best song: In My Hour of Darkness Worst song: I Can't Dance Cover check: Might be one of the worst covers I've ever seen
Unlistenable
If you haven't seen it, go watch the Ask a Mortician video about the theft of Graham Parson's body. It's more interesting than this album, which was fine but lacked anything that particularly stood out. https://youtu.be/bYuNKbxnZDc?si=VRq6XIAOxFJ5t4IX
Gorgeous
Emmylou Harris > Gram
01) Return of the Grievous Angel - 6,5 02) Hearts on Fire - 5,5 03) I Can't Dance - 5,5 04) Brass Buttons - 6,0 05) $1000 Wedding - 5,5 06) Medley Live from Northern Quebec (Cash on the Barrelhead/Hickory Wind) - 6,0 07) Love Hurts - 9,0 08) Ooh Las Vegas - 5,5 09) In My Hour of Darkness - 7,0 TOTAL: 6,28 (63/100) Current ranking: 615/837
I liked his burrito bros stuff more.
I really enjoyed this album, I thought it was going to go into a full country vibez but it was more influenced.
Not great. But better than I thought.
Pleasant enough but nothing special
Like many other older country albums, this was pretty well down the middle for my tastes. This had less twang which was nice, and really shined with the male/female vocal dynamics with Emmylou Harris.. overall 3.25/5
I love country rock. I really enjoyed this album. And Emmy Lou Harris is the best!
There were moments I liked, but the rest is too country for me.
This is a five for me. Classic with Emmy Lou in the background. Excellent
I had a brief period 20+ years with this album. I wanted to like it so bad but it just didn't do it for me. Still the same today
Good stuff.. maybe the most sincere Nazareth cover ever
Better than average for this genre!
I can see myself listening to this again if I'm ever in the mood.
Kitch, sappy country songs that would play in a horror film about a sinister mid-Western grandmother who has kidnapped you and is forcing you to pretend to be their dead grandchild.
Pretty slow tedious folk/country.
First country album and I was kind of disappointed after seeing how well-received the album is. While the songwriting definitely shone in parts, a lot of the album was just kind of boring to me and didn't stand out enough to leave the impression it has on other people. The back half of the album saved this from being entirely negative, but just barely. Favorite Songs: "$1000 Wedding", "Love Hurts", "Ooh Las Vegas" Least Favorite Song: "Medley Live From Northern Quebec" Low 3.
Too country for me at the start, but loved I Can't Dance which was more rock, and Brass Buttons and $1000 Wedding both have a lovely wistful air. Cool to be reminded what a good song Love Hurts is; nice version too. Ooh Las Vegas is too country for me but instrumental start is amazing. In My Hour of Darkness is sweet.
I’d listen to this 1,001 times before I ever listen to any of that electronic garbage that is on this list one times too many.
vaguely beige sleepy country easy listening for your grandma. it's well-produced, but I feel no desire to relisten.
i liked it but not wow
The story of the changes this album went through after Parsons' death are kind of interesting, and the music itself is fine even if it does dip deeper into the typical country territory than I would prefer. I do think this is on the weaker side of albums from this list, though there are a few good tracks. Favorite track(s): "Love Hurts," "Ooh Las Vegas"
A little over produced for my liking when it comes to country. The songs themselves are solid and well performed, mind.
Don't mind country but this was a wee bit too twee for me.
Gear: HEDD Audio HEDDphone Two Artwork: ️💇♂️📿🟦 Production (2006 Remaster): 🙄😑🆗 Music: ಠಿ_ಠ Rating: 💧/5
3-4 Love hurts is schön
Me ha gustado, y ya. Country guay de la radio del GTA
This was a really nice album. I appreciated when Parsons kept things uptempo; those were the songs that I liked the most. I can't stand the slower songs, partially because of how whiny his voice is. It's more fine when there are harmonies to go along with his voice. Most of this album was faster, so I feel like I appreciate him more now.
A little too twangy for me. Likes: Return of the Grievous Angel, In My Hour of Darkness
I'm not dead yet and I'm glad I listened. It's a great country album with some classic twang and even some yodeling. I'm no country fan, but I appreciated this one. 6/10
Boring
Takie na 3. Przyjemne country
Wel vet
Looks something like I haven't seen from an album cover. I mean it is apparently country, but I think this won't be so bad. No high expectations, since I haven't heard about this guy, but it is a bit promising. OHHH he was in Byrds, dam I didn't know anyone's name from there.. well tbh I didn't like their album that was here as much, so I guess he won't be any different(?), we'll see. First song, ohh classic country ass song huh. Not bad. Actually liked this one. The blended vocals and the instruments were all fine. Very soothing and nice to hear too, even though it's very classic and doesn't go over the top. Second song, this one's slower, but not in a bad way. The woman's voice is here too, thought only he'd sing I guess. I like this idk. Third song, omg love this kind of music, so funky and dancey. Dam I did expect this, it's probably the best one here yet, I just like upbeatness sometimes. 4th song, expected I guess, another slow one, with no woman voice this time. I guess because it's about a woman, as I'm hearing. His voice is nice, forgot to mention that, it's calming, but also not very distinct in any way. 5th song, I've been listening for half a song now and it's got better. It started of real slow, but it is a long song so I guess hitting the notes a bit later is acceptable. Better than the last song definitely, but I need more upbeat ones, they're just more nuanced for me. 6th song, oooohhh just what I needed. Them country beats coming up up up. Plus it's a medley so it'll change itself soon enough. Best if not second best song here for me. Turned into a slower one, but I guess that was expected too. 7th song, woman came back yay. This one's unusually better than other slower songs (should I call them ballads, I wonder). Also idk whether this is connected to the Cher song with the same name. 8th song, mmm good, the beat is awnnn again. Love that these kind of songs weren't only done one time and were as I remember for 3 times. I'm a simple person for liking the activeness in song more ig. 9th song, perfect for ending the album, nothing too much, just right on the spot. Lyrics are also quite connected to the genre even if I don't relate it to it as much. I would say in its own standards it is a 4 star album. It's got most of the songs to be good and I added them too. I didn't expect more than this, and actually this is better than I could foresee. Obviously has a lot to improve on, cuz it is still not the best 4 star album I've seen here, but as I said in its own genre and what it was trying to be, it's alright.
Pretty much as twangy and sappy as you'd expect from an old country act without much more to offer
Every song on this thing could have been featured on K-Rose from GTA:SA. This is genuinely all I'm after with country music. It's got the blues and the happy shit, and it doesn't just go on about beer and cars the whole time. I loved the duets, but the solo stuff was amazing too. I'm surprised that I'd never heard of Gram Parsons before. Nevermind after a quick read I note he's from The Byrds and left because of they were going to tour South Africa and he opposed apartheid - based. What a fabulous listen. I will definitely be coming back to this one. No skips at all on this thing.
The opener is one of those songs that seemed to have a much higher weighting than other songs on my spotify shuffle algorithm so I was always gonna love this album. Highlights: Return of the Grievous Angel, $1000 Wedding, Love Hurts
I like some country, but not the twangy, yankyouroverall staps, side kicks country. some lovely tracks, beautiful sweet arrangements and of course Emmylou luuuuv her! All that said, this is not my genre at all - 2 tracks were enough to last me
Enjoyed this. Not usually a fan of country, but this rocked a little and had some nice ballads. Sounds like he may have had an influence on Eagles. Great harmonies with the amazing Emmylou Harris, particularly on Love Hurts. Shame that he OD’d before this got released.
This reminds me of Thanksgiving dinner in West Texas. The food is tasty, don't get me wrong, but it's all within a very specific range of color - sepia tone. If it was another color like a rich green, it's been fried, and now that color is hidden under a thick layer of batter.
It's pretty simple really. When you find yourself with access to a generational talent - what do you do? In the modern parlance - you let her cook. While not as earthshaking as his debut - there is a lot that makes this album great. But the high point is Emmylou. She and Gram are sublime here and consistently elevate the good to great material.
When you're praying an album to end half way through the first track then you know you're in trouble. There was "rock" in this? Well I fucking didn't hear any! This twangy steel guitar country sound isn't my favourite, generally speaking, and so when he's singing half of the tracks out of tune (presumably stoned) then it's not going to make things better. Emmylou Harris is ok. She should've steered clear though.
Now THAT'S what I call country music!
Some slick guitar work throughout, but that's the only positive I took away from this.
If John Denver is too spicy for you, Gram Parsons is your man. Emmylou Harris sounded great though.
there are other country albums I would rather have on here but it wasn't bad overall
Fik ikke lyttet færdig, country genren er bare ik så meget mig. minder mig om da jeg fløj i fly i gta, san andreas med fire stjerner efter mig og radioen spillede
nice enough
traditional country rock, I'm not a country person so it'll be interesting to see if I like this. Well, just realizing love hurts wasn't written by Nazareth after listening to this album lol. Eh, some songs I liked, some songs I did. prob go a 5/10
Two lovebirds singing beautiful harmonies! The style of music isn't my favorite but it's a lovely time to listen to these two, and extra salient given their eventual sad ending.
Very solid country album, enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. A bit more on the 'sappy love song' than I would've preferred, but the title track is really a standout.
folksy country noise. Its harmless but nothing special. Dull for me.
I’m not a fan of country music, steel guitar is like nails on a chalkboard
10/10
An all-time favourite
A moment captured in time. A truly glorious moment.
Nah, I'm good. It's probably fine. But there's only so many minutes in the day, and in life.
Good album, like this type of old-timey country, proper American diner vibes. Return of the Grievous Angel was my song of the album and fav first listen with $1000 Wedding and Medley Live from Nothern Quebec being other highlights
This was fine, but due to the reputation I was expecting a little more.
This all sounds terrific and Emmylou really sparkles, but Gram’s just never done that much for me as a vocalist whether here, his other solo work, or in bands. Maybe need to return to this in the future, I could see a few of these really jumping out at me on a mix or the radio, they capture such a vibe, but all at once, it’s a bit samey.
This album really surprised me, as I didn’t think I’d like this style of music ! Favorite Track : Brass Buttons 3.5/5
a pleasant little album, idk didn't do too much for me
I’m country maxing. I’m feelin’ that Honky Tonk. I year for the land of Texas. This album caught me at a very yeehaw time in my life.
This is pretty cool! Sad about Emmylou Harris. I wasn’t ever a huge fan of Gram Parsons, but I just let myself vibe to this one while I cooked breakfast for my wife, and it was really nice. Would probably listen to this again in the future when the mood strikes.
I struggled to get all the way through this one and I'm not sure if it's because I was busy or if I just couldn't get into it. The story behind it is wild, and I have to respect Mr. Parsons for being the prototype country-rock guy. Emmylou Harris I feel really shines on this album. She was the highlight here for me. I Can't Dance was probably my favorite throughout the album. It was pretty fun.
At first I found this to be a little too similar to other country-rock albums that I’ve heard, but after reading about it a bit I realized that this was THE country-rock album. As a fan of the genre, I have to award it extra stars just for that. 3.5-4
This is a very fine country album that I first heard thanks to Vinyl Me, Please (I really cannot mourn their old Essentials line enough -- their scumbag CEO really ruined a great service that introduced me to a lot of albums that have become central to my collection). After playing it a couple of times, though, I never played it again. It was nice to revisit it today. Gram's voice is great and Emmylou Harris is a queen (I, too, would be jealous if I were Gram's wife). I didn't feel like this listen revealed anything particularly special.
Gram Parsons is such a towering figure, man. If you’re into Americana music, he’s in that rarified air with the likes of John Prine as far as influence goes. Musically, aesthetically, what have you. He looked cool as shit and made awesome music. One of the all time great American songwriters and he’d be a major mainstream icon if he’d lived. This version of “Love Hurts” is so much better than the Nazareth version. Actually feels painful and not sappy. God I love Gram Parsons. The contributions of Emmylou Harris to this album must not be minimized; originally, the album was intended to be credited to both Parsons and Harris but, after Parsons’s death, his widow removed Harris’s name and face from the front cover. I learned this via a 2019 trip to the country music hall of fame in Nashville, which then featured an Emmylou Harris exhibit that featured Gram Parsons maybe a bit more than it should have, but I just love them both so much.
With more like this, I won't reach 1001.
What the hell is this. American purgatory sounds like this. I don't think I like this. It's not making it to the playlist unfortunately. I mean it's fine just kinda southern elevator music. Nothing too interesting. Like it's just there to be honest. Typa songs an indie Netflix show would play. Oh well some of this is nice. Ok perhaps I was a little harsh on you. He's redeemed himself with the second half methinks. Quebec mention. Never mind I like the middle not the other parts. Favourite: I Can't Dance Least favourite: Return of the Grievous Angel
A couple songs get a bit too countrified for my tastes, but this is special enough in other places that I can overlook my natural ag. This has that melancholy sound I like.
Odd but relaxing
The guy who gets all the credit that;s really due to Mike Nesmith.
This album is pretty unique. I like the blend of country and rock.
Ziemlich boring
I knew this one from it being a favorite of my dad and listened a year or two ago. I had fun listening again and think he has a great voice. Very Willie-esque, Eagles, Buffalo Springfield Americana sound and like the songs with Emmy Lou Harris. Lyrics hit harder when you know he overdosed around the time of the release.
It's a pretty standard country album, doesn't hit anything special for me. I'd rather listen to Emmylou on her own. Loved the fiddles though. Certainly not a bad listen but didn't grab me.
Eh
This is the kind of sound I personally do NOT enjoy in country albums, but reading the background was so interesting it makes me want to bump this album up to 2 stars. I won't, but it's crazy how that is.
Not a fan of country, this did not change that
Pleasant country. Parsons sounds rough on some of these tracks. Harris absolutely should've been credited.
Emotive, warm, genuine. Maybe it's the addition of Emmylou Harris's voice or just Gram's energy having her around, this is the best part of his "cosmic American music."
i had no idea this was secretly an emmylou harris album (which was apparently an intentional choice by parsons' wife, yikes)! there was a guy there too i guess. a pleasant surprise. i love u emmylou.
this was a nice, enjoyable album. emmylou harris' presence really elevates this out of potentially boring country-rock territory. what the heck is this album cover though favorites: return of the grievous angel, i can't dance, love hurts, ooh las vegas
There are some real masterpieces from Gram on this album, and I get that early 70's country rock is not for everyone, but Gram definitely laid the groundwork for a lot of alt country groups. His duets with Emmylou Harris on this are beautiful. Hearts on Fire is an amazing song. His cover of Love Hurts is beautiful too. Emmylou's harmony is perfect. I still prefer the Nazareth version but this one is gorgeous. 4.11 stars out of 5
Ok, but nothing special
Standard country rock album with no real stand out tracks. Best part was Emmylou.
It's twangy country, which I hate. But something about this was...good? Did I actually like this? I think so. Who am I?
BORING
This was interesting and not something I'd heard before. High 2s.
1. angel - 1.5 2. heartz - 1.5 3. dance - 1 4. brazz - 1.5 5. uuedding - 1 6. medley - 2 7. love - 0 8. vegaz - 2 9. hour - 1.5
My thoughts upon hitting play on the first track went something like this: “oh slide guitar, I wasn’t expecting this to be so country, wasn’t this guy in the byrds? Holy shit is that Emmylou Harris?!?” Upon quick googling, it sure is! I had no idea she was involved in this project so extensively, which I guess was the intention of Gram Parsons’ wife when putting this record together after his death. I have to admit I’m not entirely in love with parsons’ vocals, he’s got the style down for this rock n’ country style, but something about the timbre in his voice doesn’t do a lot for me. Emmylou Harris is definitely the bright spot vocally on this record, along with a pretty bitchin’ appearance by Linda Ronstadt. Instrumentally I liked this album a fair bit, but it’s definitely bog standard through a lens of both country and rock n’ roll. No boundaries pushed here, aside from maybe the fusion in the first place? Fun record, likely won’t be rushing to play it again, but it wasn’t at all unenjoyable.
I love this album dearly. I think in his “cosmic American music” Gram Parsons unites American folk, country, rock and blues not just by some geographic ties that bind but striking right into the heart of their place in the tapestry of American music, myth and culture. If I had to convey America to aliens or an uncontacted civilization in one album, this would be a strong contender. The imagery and the poetry of “Return of the Grievous Angel” may be enough all on its own for that goal. What’s more, the sound of this album is truly timeless. It sounds both older than it is—songs like “Hickory Wind” and “In My Hour of Darkness” sound like traditional folk songs despite being written by Parsons—and also sounds perfectly at home in the world of contemporary americana 53 years later. The vocal harmonies between Parsons and Emmylou Harris are largely responsible for this I think. They sing with full emotion and completely without pretense, and their voices go from a complementary high and low to an inseparable high lonesome-style sound with such softness and ease. The pedal steel playing on this album also stands out as both excellent and transcending 1973 or any other year. It’s such a shame that Gram died so young. I think his concept of “cosmic American music” really becomes something special with this album and had he lived a longer life I can’t imagine what he might’ve done with it.
You can always tell its the last track when the theme switches from drugs and women to salvation. The duets were nice, but not my bag. 2.5
that's a nice twangy country album, not major complaints. $1000 wedding is one of the all time weird ass haunting sad country songs.
No
it's not his fault but I was really not in the mood for sleepy sad country music today and I was absolutely clawing my way through this album
1/10
Coming right off a Waylon Jennings country album, we jump straight back into the genre with a take on country that's a little bit better in most ways. Still, banjos and lutes abound. The style is too intensely proud of itself and too consistent. And yes, that is a flaw. The best albums and artists are those that can showcase a wide variety of styles and musical ideas. Gram Parsons does neither in this instance. All of the tracks are the same brand of sweet, warm, but ultimately bog-standard, country rock with possible nods to blues. Finding anything particularly outstanding here is an impossible feat. Also, the year is goshdarn 1974. The Dark Side Of The Moon had come out the year before, Queen were releasing their incredible second and third records, and Steely Dan were ratcheting up their musical complexity with Countdown To Ecstasy and Pretzel Logic, and Joni Mitchell put out the sublime Court and Spark. If their competition is Grievous Angel, then I'm not surprised they took off (and Parsons didn't). The female vocal is noticeably easier to listen to than the male one. I wish her (aptly) angelic voice would get some time in the spotlight without Parsons blurring the experience. Isn't this record meant to be about angels? (Maybe Parsons himself is the reason why the angel is grievous.) Ooh Las Vegas is the clear frontrunner on the album for having energetic guitar, drums, and vocal parts. Not that there's a single bad track. All nine songs shine in some capacity, but Ooh Las Vegas vastly outshines them. Well, the opening track does too. Return of the Grievous Angel is a positive, hopeful way to start off the record. Of course, that's before you listen to all of the extremely similar songs after that point. 3/5 Key tracks: Return of the Grievous Angel, Ooh Las Vegas
Not my type of music… was quite the folk music album mixed country. Just didn’t like the album.
it was a fine country album nothing special tbh
Pretty good country/ rock and roll mixture. Love hurts is a classic and Oooooh Las Vegas has lots of energy. Great guitar twang. Man, this guy has a hell of a story about his death.
Pretty good country album. I enjoyed this one. Not much else to say, other than this is a good pick for some good ol' country.
This reminded me of a $1000 Wedding.
Very enjoyable 70’s country alt rock with Emmylou Harris in support stealing the show.
Meh
Eh
Gone too soon.
I love return of the grievous angel, but after I used to sort of drift off with this. I have to say though that properly listening to it - it is so great - heartbreaking and classic.
Favorite tracks: I Can't Dance, Return of the Grievous Angel, Ooh Las Vegas Country will never be my cup of tea, but I am finding 60s-70s country to be way better than today's. I also love the high energy in some of these songs! I'm probably lowballing this a little bit more than I should, but I liked Emmylou Harris way more than Gram Parsons and she's not actually credited for the album which is a bit of a travesty imo.
I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. Not bad, but not great.
3.5
Even the presence of a young Emmylou Harris can't save this from being nothing more than a weak 70s country album. An overabundance of slide guitar and mediocre to downright cringe lyrics did nothing for me. I have a hard time understanding why people put this up as one of the great albums of the era.
Yet another album that made the list because its surrounded by tragedy. First you have Elliott Smith who stabbed himself, then Jeff Buckley who decided to wander into a lake fully clothed, and now Gram Parsons who drank a lot of alcohol and did a lot of drugs in the desert and never woke up. These incidents dont make people legendary artists, or memorable albums, these are just people who made bad decisions. Only highlight of this album is Emmylou Harris.
imagine hating someone so much you change the album cover so their face isn’t on it? that’s dedication!
3.5/5
Not really for me
This album feels very standard. Kind of vanilla country. I think everyone will agree Emmylou the standout here. Some decent songs on here. Nothing mind blowing. Love Hurts is good hard to not have the Nazareth version in your head though.
Added a star for the influence in the sound
A little twangy to get a 5, otherwise excellent. A young Emmylou Harris really shines.
Respectfully not for me
Thought this was fine, no big impact on me either way. I'm not a big country fan, enjoyed the harmonies though.
I dig the instrumentals but the overall sound is a little too James Taylor California soft rock for me. It’s like that but a little more country leaning, more fiddle and stuff which is cool. The lady singer who does harmonies was really good too.
Would this album be on this list if he didn't die as young? Because it felt pretty unremarkable to me.
Not at all what I was expecting but pretty fun
A little too country for me.
2/3. I hear so much Emmylou Harris on this album and that alone makes it great. But the songwriting and lyrics, particularly on Grievous Angel and $1000 Wedding are fantastic. Cool chilled out country sound, and I like the upbeat live track too. Pleasant surprise overall.
The lyrics were good. The music was solid.
I sure do love Emmy Lou Harris.
country, egal in welcher form.
Nice aber für mich einfach Country
Heavy on the Country this one. Which doesn't make it good, just oh-so-predictable. 2/5
... Uy, perdón, me dormí 2/10
Nicht meine Musik.
It was a good mix of rock with country music. He has a good voice.
There was some familiarity to it that made it even better
Fine, he sounded fine, Emmylou Harris was good, songwriting was fine. Everything was just fine.
since we've had 2 days of back to back looooooong electronica 90's music, this gets a bump up just because it's got actual lyrics, and music (not a few notes on a constant loop).
I think this is my second album from the project that Gram Parsons is attached to in one way or another. I was totally shocked that I loved The Flying Burrito Brothers, so I had high hopes for one of his solo records. I also was pleasantly surprised with the Emmylou Harris album I listened to a few weeks back, so that added to those high hopes. I didn't like the first couple of songs on this, however. I'm not much of a fan of country music, and I think it takes me a few songs to adjust. But less than midway through I think there was less twang and more straight singing, so I enjoyed Brass Buttons and $1000 Wedding. The medley got me turned off again, but Love Hurts (wonderful) and In My Hour of Darkness were both absolute plusses. All of that said, I'm not sure exactly how I feel about the album. I will let it stew for a bit and figure that out.
Not my genre but ok for what it is.
More American nonsense
Too twangy for my taste, but I did enjoy I Can’t Dance. The rest I had to skip through.
Did not want to start a new year by listening to country
$1000 Wedding is a song for the ages, but the rest didn’t really stand out to me. Song added to the playlist: $1000 Wedding
Horrendous album cover. Ruined the vibe of the whole album
Didn't like the last Gram Parsons suggestion
Country music, not my cup of tea, although I occasionally like a sponge here and there. Not bad for having on the background, but it didn't make me go and discover other albums. 2,5/5.
Kjedelig køntri. Den tamme versjonen av Love Hurts sier alt. Stemmen til Emmylou skjærer i ørene.
This is one of those albums where my immediate reaction was not good, but quickly found myself enjoying it. His singing honestly isn't great, but it works, and having Emmylou Harris backing is fantastic. Some of the more honky tonk stuff I'm not a fan of but songs like Brass Buttons are great. Overall, decent record.
Surely some will hate this, but this is peak GP. Amazing record.
Good country background music, but I struggle to see what makes this unique, or why they opted to just slap a live track right in the middle? Good, but not exceptional. 3*
Ah, this guy was in The Byrds. This is some pretty chill country. Almost an easy listnin' country. I love the guy/girl harmonies. Ooh Las Vegas was a favorite for being upbeat. This was a good album, but I don't think it needed to be on this list. 3
Pleasant enough but mostly boring (2.5)
Dig it.
I don't like country, and this didn't convince me. Some good moments in a pile of mid.
Dull
Passed me by
Much better than the ratings.
Greatest thing was Emmylou Harris. I liked the live medley song.
This was great. Such a bummer that he died before the album came out. Loved the songs with Emmylou Harris. Also he wrote "Love Hurts"?! Wild
When someone accidentally spills a drop of rock into your glass of classic country music. Its fine Emmylou Harris sounds good here, but overall its not really a standout album anywhere. I suppose it paves the way for acts to follow, if anything.
Fine if forgettable country music with a slight rock tinge. I don’t think I’ll be returning to this one
Just a real easy album to listen to.
Just okay
My first thought was, "I remember Gram Parsons and the Rumor. This might be a fun throwback." Boy, was I wrong. My apologies to the country fans. This was not for me. It gets my lowest rating, for what is good music, that I just don't dig.
this was good, i liked it
In a word: ~ Meh ~ Didnt hate it but didnt love it and more than likely wont listen to it again.
It's fine. I don't particularly care for the dual singers at the same time on nearly every song. It's not an offensive album, but also not particularly gripping. Sort of going for that Neil Young/John Denver vibes, but doesn't quite have the same staying power as either of those. It feels dated, and not something I would particularly enjoy listening to for longer than now.
Ikke fælt å høre på, men føles som hjernecellene mine gifter seg med søskenbarn og stemmer donald.
Great songs, classic sound
OK easy listening country album I guess. Did not live up to its reputation. Did I miss something?
Not really my cup of tea
I’m a big fan of Emmylou and the songs with her contributions were my favorite. Parsons seems like he had a fascinating career/life so I’m excited to dig deeper. Rating: 3.7
Not bad, just not my daily vibe, 2.5 ish
GRAMM PERSON. emmylou harris singt mit ja :) es isch voll voll köntry hä. hearts on fire au sehr cute. jaa vibraphon :) hey isch das herzig. supersüessi songs. au herzschmerz medley super d emmylou harry isch soo guet. love hurts isch sooo en guete soooong. lamsami kuschligi version. woooow schön. grammperson chan öpis. sehr guet. aber mengmol au afoch generisch bitz. drum VIAAAA.
I'M BACK de brüeder vom alan?? komisch, dass the flying burrito brothers kein erfolg gha hend hmmm s erste lied hetmi jz nöd so umghaue, cute aber böö dito für die nächste paar lieder, eifach chli langwilig? d sängerin erinneretmi mengisch chli ah abba hahaha AHAAA er isch bi the byrds gsi jaa ok. easy, aber langwilig und zumindest für mich absoluuut nüt speziells. aber I guess damals ischs öppis speziells gsi? weg dem es 3
Globally boring. Too country for me. Could probably give it another go in the future 2.5
Easier to listen to than Flying Burrito Band but not my favourite country album on the list.
I’ve never heard him because I thought he was basically Neil Young. So… I guess he isn’t.
Just not my personal cup of tea, but interesting backstory.
I will not stand for Emmylou Harris erasure, Gretchen!
Not for me at all. I've said it so many times now, I'm not a fan of Country (yes, there are exceptions but Gram isn't one of them) and mixing it with rock is blasphemous. Didn't listen to it all, I couldn't.
Weird album with some countrified covers. I’d heard the name but not the music. Overall it was alright.
No idea who this guy is (maybe i've heard his name before?) but I liked it ! Sort of along the lines of Eagles + Ronstadt (esp with the Emmylou Harris feature)
Just not a huge fan of storytime country I suppose. Parsons doesn't scratch an itch I have.
Sad because of what could have been. Happy because of what we have.
Was $1000 for a wedding a lot in 1974? Inflation’s a bitch. I did a bit of reading after listening and apparently Parsons is very well respected and influential in fusing country with rock but I sure didn’t get that impression from my listen. The faster songs are definitely the better songs, but weren’t the stones already doing this 1000x better? Parsons has all the charisma of a cardboard box and the slow songs didn’t hit for me at all. Maybe his influence/talent is overblown because he died young and there’s an awesome story about his friends stealing his corpse and lighting it on fire at Joshua tree. For that I’ll give it a 2
3.3 Ive never listned to GP, although I always knew the name. Im a sucker for Emmylou.
It was fine. Nice title.
Generisk country. Man hör, när covern kommer, skillnaden. Tycker country är mer än gimmick än musik. Njuter inte alls.
För mig lät detta som hyfsat generisk countryrock från den här tiden. Var ändå rätt trevlig lyssning, även om inte så mycket står ut. Stabil trea.
Sorry Gram Parsons, I really should give you another go but this was all pretty boring for a lord of country music. Nice but boring. I reckon he has more interesting work. The lowest of 3s.
There were a few points were it picked up tempo and I thought it was ok, but for the most part it was just not something I wanted to listen to. I didn't really listen to the lyrics so maybe they were good. But I don't really care. Love hurts is a good track I guess, but I prefer other versions.
59/100. A decent country record with some solid songwriting. A few strong moments, but overall not something I’d return to often.
Nagu kuulaksin K-Rose'i San Andreast mängides. Sellist kraami saaksin päris pikalt mängida, täiega siiras kõla ja ilus seade lauludel. 4/5
This felt very country - enjoyed Brass Buttons.
Gram Parsons (geen familie van Alan, die van het gelijknamige Project) was kennelijk nogal veelzijdig, combineerde bij de Byrds en de Flying Burrito Brothers country met rock, maar hier levert hij gewoon een slome, gezapige countryplaat af. Warm en kraakhelder geproduceerd, de zoetgevooisde Emmylou Harris mag ook meedoen, maar al met al had ik mijn countrytaks wel een beetje bereikt ondertussen.
De eerste 10 zinnen van dit album bevatten de woorden: back to town, porch, parlor, cowboy angels en saloon. Yep, dit is full frontal country. Inclusief het bijbehorende accent. Om het te breken wordt er af en toe nog wat gegrold. Met bijvoorbeeld een jodel tussendoor. Daarbuiten voegt het weinig toe aan het country oeuvre wat we al door moesten worstelen.
Yup, dit is onvervalste cuntry. Het heeft vaak wat trage songs, waarbij er vrij veel omlijsting zit qua muziek. Strijkers, tingeltangels, pianootje, pedal-steel. En Emmylou Harris, die ik als ze harmonieen zingt een stuk beter aankan, dan op het moment dat ze zelf gaat lopen krijsen. Bij I cant Dance krijgen we tussendoor een fijn nummertje dansbare countryrock. Het beklijft verder ook niet echt, dit zag je zeker in die tijd in elke dorpskroeg lijkt me, maar ik vermaak me er wel mee. Het is allemaal vrij gedateerd, het is niet slecht, maar het doet me niet zoveel. De versie van de tranentrekker Love Hurts is overigens wel een stuk beter te pruimen dan de bekendste versie van Nazareth. Gram Parsons is op zich wel een bekende naam, of ik moet hem verwarren met Alan Parsons en zijn project. Wat dan wel weer interessant is om te lezen, dat hij de 27club niet gehaald heeft, want hij ging al naar de kloten door een overdosis op zijn 26e. Maar ja, daar scoor je geen extra punten mee in onze lijst. Ik kom op een degelijke 3 sterren uit.
Parempi :D
Not for me
I still need to work on properly respecting The Flying Burrito Brothers Band and the members of it. This is really good, kind of classic, country. The supporting instrumentation is honestly really impressive, steel guitar and also vibraphone! But the vocals definitely carry the album, and more credit should go to Emmylou Harris for her vocal contributions to this album. Favorite Song(s): Return of the Greivous Angel, $1000 Wedding
Surprised by this one! More country than I expected.
Not a big fan of country, but this is good!
Thoughts before listening: I know that at the time, it was probably very revolutionary for a long haired hippie from California to be making country music. However, this is pretty standard in today's music business...both with underground artists and with the mainstream. I say this because if you listen to this album through a modern lens, I don't know that it necessarily stands out. It's certainly good, but many Gram Parsons indebted musicians have released albums over the past 50 years, diluting the impact that he made. Review: I think the most surprising thing about Gram Parsons is that the lore around him would make you think this is going to be some sort of cosmic country, LSD trip with banjos...and its not that at all. This is pretty straightforward country music reminiscent of the Bakersfield sound of Merle Haggard and Buck Owens. I think its pretty good although some of the slower songs drag a bit for my taste. Emmylou Harris is a huge part of this album, and her voice floating below Gram's throughout is one of the biggest draws here. My favorite songs include: "Return of the Grievous Angel", "Love Hurts", "Ooh Las Vegas", and "In My Hour of Darkness". In general, I enjoy this quite a bit and I'll give it 4-stars.
Not my thing personally. Love hurts is a beautiful song and this record has an excellent version. The couple of tracks at the start are pleasant enough also, but in general this record doesn't thrill me and I'd just so much rather spend my time with something else.
Better than expected.
Shit
Cooles Country Album
Was für ein hässliches Cover, aber die Geschichte dahinter auf Wikipedia zum schmunzeln. Ich dachte immer Country wäre ganz schrecklich, aber dazwischen gibt es auch vereinzelt gute Perlen. Fands nicht schlecht.
I'm a metalhead, I don't like this album
Decent listen.
I didn't really listen while this was playing but it was nice enough
Cool, I was hoping my grandma's favorite album would be on this list.
Parsons' cosmic country doesn't entirely connect with me, but the lap steel shimmers throughout, and Emmylou Harris' harmonies hint at the luminous career she'd build after his untimely death.
First time listening to this album. I was a teenager in the 90s, and at the time, I thought I hated country. It turns out I just hated 90s country.This album is some real high quality classic country. And for as much as this is a Gram Parsons album, it really feels like Emmylou Harris is regularly stealing the spotlight. I'm not complaining about that. And this album also has one of the better versions of "Love Hurts." I'd listen to this one again.
Love hurts er en fin låt, men her blir innpakningen kjedelig. Det gjelder også resten av låtene. Blir lite spenning og dynamikk.
Mais um típico disco de country, desta vez com alguns momentos de pop/rock. Trás uma única faixa interessante, "$ 1,0000 Wedding", e uma versão horrorosa do sucesso "Love Hurts" da banda Nazareth. Dispensável!
sad album, but it is very americana and interesting if not my type of daily jam
Great Classic country, Some tracks seems to have some really cool sounding gospel influence.
A nice enough album on the whole. Was a bit boring though and forgettable 3 ⭐️
Eine angenehme Art von Country in meinen Ohren. Das Live-Medley in der Mitte des Albums fand ich stark. Gefällt mir deutlich besser als neulich das Album von Willie Nelson, ist jetzt aber nichts, was ich gezielt wieder hören würde.
For a long time I would never remember between Alan Parsons and Gram Parsons which I didnt really like. And its Gram. For sure Gram.
Too country for me, but some beautiful songs.
11/10/25. Solid album, just not my genre so couldn't get into it too much. Will need more listens to deepen my understanding, and if anything my music history expands.
Few gems especially the Love Hurts cover.
I’m not usually a huge country fan, but this was pretty great!
Talented ass songwriter, with an interesting dream. And emmylou singing alongside. Can't lose. I've stayed at the Joshua Tree in a couple doors down from the room he died in.
enjoyed! then this inspired david to listen to The Flying Burrito Brothers
Hell yes
Fine, a little boring. I think I would enjoy this artist live.
An ok country album, which instantly makes it a very boring experience for me. 2.5/5
Creative, funny, heartbreaking, and real.
Best Song: Love Hurts. A classic song, and Emmylou Harris is a great contribution to the track. Worst Song: In My Hour of Darkness. I have no interest in listening to this kind of folksy hymn. Overall: Totally not my genre, and didn't do anything to overcome my initial prejudices.
1/5
Good
Una pena su suicidio. Podría haber sido mejor, pero el disco se beneficia de la voz de Emmylou Harris. Gram parsons se merece estar en la selección. Es agradable el country.