Grievous Angel

Decent country music.

Quality and wholesome classic country album. Feels comforting to listen to.

Not keen on steel guitar country music. If you are a fan of the genre, this is top drawer material.

A lot of twang in this album. The stuff that starts to lean toward “Country Rock” is pretty good. Cool to hear the original “Love Hurts”. Mid 3

I like this! Songs blur together but I enjoy this sound a lot. Pretty pleasant 3.5

You can draw a straight line from this to tons of music I love today. But this is probably still too early of a version. It's close to hitting the mark but just misses for me. Still, it's solid.

The kinda songs that are very popular in places with loose familial relations law. Can't say I live in one of those.

The music was dull but the story was interesting. Can I forgive him for being in the Byrds? I would say.... no.

Emmylou Harris makes this album great. Shame she wasn't given as much recognition as she should have at the time. Reading more about it, seems like Emmylou was the only adult in the room.

I always struggle reviewing country albums. Objectively, this isn't bad music, but at the same time, several songs feel extremely sappy and remind me of everything I dislike about the genre. I did like this guy's version of 'Love Hurts' as well as the more uptempo 'I can't dance' and the ballad duet 'Hearts on fire'. The rest of the slower tracks were okay, but then came the last two tracks, which were the worst kind of generic country and an absolute drag to get through. 3 - 3.5 stars

This felt like good classic country rock. Very easy listening and fun. Made me feel good.

Not really my cup of tea. Can’t see myself listening to this again

Enjoyable and smooth sounding country

clearly on this list because of "love hurts" - which is a good track but not enough to make the album stand out. 3 st

C&W is just not my genre. Other than the slide guitar and vocals by Emmylou this album didn't do much for me.

as vozes harmonizam muito bem. gostei das mais rockers. top3: i cant dance, love hurts, ooh las vegas

Mellow duet country classic rock. 5/10

Fine I guess

Just enough twang to not be too annoying. Pleasant country record.

Easy listen.

Songwriting isn't fully convincing, but there are some moments that click and show a depth of emotion. The harmonies are great. This album really wouldn't work without Emmylou Harris. Looking back I rated two solo albums of hers 4 stars each nearly 800 albums ago. The cover of Love Hurts was really bad. Ooh Las Vegas tries to put a rock spin on things, I'm not actually sure if it was a success or not - maybe with more inspired guitar work. All in all, just another country album. It does have some qualities, but not enough to be exciting in any way.

eiginlega of hreint köntrí fyrir minn smekk. en góð lög inn á milli. 3,5.

Not much to say. I liked when they both sang together IG

I’m slowly getting more into the country rock sound. This wasn’t a standout, but I say “good effort, lad “

It's one of the better country outings on this list

I know this is an important record in the evolution of music I very much enjoy listening to today. Unfortunately this still carries too much country for me to really enjoy.

Famous name with some famous songs. Worth a listen. Folksy Americana .

Favourite song - 1000 dollar wedding 2.5 stars

Not my cup of tea, but sounds sweet

The album is called a combination of country and rock, but I heard mostly country here. Not that there's anything wrong with it. It's a shame that Parsons died before this album could take him anywhere; there is a lot of interesting tracks. The harmonization with Emmylou Harris definitely stands out. The last track with Linda Ronstadt... you can tell it's obviously her. I'm interested in the tracks they culled from the album. I know it was mainly the wife's will, but still I am going to have to seek them out. I enjoyed it for what it was: a good , slightly quirky country album. Not something I will definitely go back to right away. Top tracks: "Love Hurts," "Medle Live From Northern Quebec"

Meh. Not a fan of Gram Parsons' voice and would've liked to hear more of Emmylou Harris' voice (not just harmonizing with his). Return of the Grievous Angel was a slow and uninteresting start, in my opinion. Hearts on Fire was okay and I didn't mind Love Hurts (but they sounded awful similar and I still prefer Nazareth's harder rock version of the latter). I Can't Dance and Ooh Las Vegas had some nice energy and the live recorded Cash on the Barrelhead / Hickory Wind was raucous - cool to hear. Not my cup of tea but 2 would seem harsh. Still, not sure what the big deal about this album is.

Better than I thought it would be and another example of why I enjoy the surprises on this list.

Top Three Songs: 1) Brass Buttons 2) In My Hour of Darkness 3) Love Hurts Bottom Three Songs: 1) $1000 Wedding 2) Cash on the Barrelhead / Hickory Wind (Live from Northern Quebec) 3) Hearts on Fire

This album cover is so dorky looking

An interesting country/rock hybrid.

Pretty smooth, happy to listen to it a couple of times

Love hurts is great cover, overall reasonably enjoyable.

A bit folky, a bit country, a bit corny, a bit fun. I kinda liked it.

Country isn't my favorite genre, but this isn't bad. Emmylou Harris adds a lot to it. I don't know if his weak voice could carry it by himself. I wouldn't mind hearing it again.

Uno de los mejores y más antiguos discos de country rock que he escuchado en esta lista. Con trabajo sumamente atrapante y entretenido, Gram Parsons juega un rol fundamental en la formación de un sonido que le daría vida a bandas tan importantes como Lynyrd Skynyrd o Wilco (por comparar a los dos espectros políticos del country estadounidense). También es agradable escuchar el inicio de la carrera de la telentosísima Emmylou Harris. Buen disco.

It’s not the worst of its kind, but on the flip side I didn’t really find anything special about it either. It’s just a mediocre middle of the road album.

I've heard tales of the legendary pairing that is Gram and Emmylou, and was surprised to learn the story of Gram's widow having Emmylou's contributions to the album minimized. But she's all over this album, and their harmonies sound great. But beyond that...I'm sorry to say that I didn't love this one. Some fine country songs here, but the album felt a little long to me -- and at under 40 minutes, that's not a good sign. As someone who lives near the Northern Quebec border, though, it was cool to see the province referenced in a title (even if it wasn't *actually* recorded there).

- I am not overly fond of most country music, but nothing here bothered me. I found the slower tracks, such as "Brass Buttons" and "$1000 Wedding" to be more engaging than the faster ones. - I would not turn off this album. Neither would I ever seek it out again.

Great tunes and I love hearing Emmylou’s voice. The record just a bit too nice and smooth for me to go past three stars. I like a big of grit in my country.

Bien que je ne suis pas le plus grand fan de country, je peux comprendre l'attrait de cet album. C'est très entrainant, il y a une bonne influence rock qui vient rendre le tout plus intéressant. Malgré que l'album est uniquement 36min, je l'ai tout de même trouvé un peu long, mais ce doit être du à mon biais. 5/10

Annoying at times... good at times.... hard to rate. It is very 'twangy' - which I really don't like much.... 3

Toch een beetje die cowboy country smaak

Not memorable but competent

interesting country sound with a lot of steel guitar and twang. I liked it.

Starts off with heavy country but someway through gets more towards rock kinda like chuck berry guitar solos. Favorite: Brass buttons, Love hurts, Ooh Las Vegas Least favorite: None 3.5/5

It’s a weird magic trick when country songs have titles like “Death Take Me Now” or “Horrid Depressed Existence” and then the song starts with this kinda-upbeat chipper twangy guitar thing. Anyhow, that happened three times on this album. Also, Emmylou Harris sounds great.

I enjoyed listening to the album. Not sure if I'd listen to it on repeat but definitely was worth a 1 time listen.

Wasn't loving this album, it was leaning way too country without the promised rock. But then the medley came on and his cover of Charlie Louvin's Hickory Wind, with Emmy Lou Harris won me over. One of my all-time favorite albums is a band called Idha's Melody Inn, where I first was introduced to that song. Was a solid 2 until that came on but that bumped it up a star. And if you haven't heard Idha - Melody Inn, go seek it out. You'll be glad you did. And then Love Hurts. OK, Side B of this album was way better than Side A.

Þetta var kántrí en samt ekki. Ég fílaði þetta alveg en samt ekki nægilega til að muna eftir plötunni þegar að því kemur að velja plötu á fóninn þannig að þessi mun gleymast þótt hún sé samt ekkert slæm

Liked the male female vocalizing on tracks that utilized it ….. the ballads were not noteworthy as Gram’s vocal weren’t distinctive enough to carry them …. Musically, the guitar work was pretty impressive without being overused ….

Gram Parson’s Grievous Angel is calm. Most of the songs are listenable, not good but can hit sometimes. HIs voice is pretty nice on all of the tracks. Also, the strings in the background really go well with the vibes of the album. However, it sees its downsides on a bit of a droopy undertone that arises when nothing really happens on the songs. Highlights include I Can’t Dance, Hearts On Fire, and Brass Buttons. All in all, Grievous Angel is a mid album. Best Song: Brass Buttons Worst Song: Love Hurts

Not a bad sound, but nothing particularly special here

A young Emmylou! Love Hurts! In general, its a little too saccharine for me but the vocal work is excellent.

Soft Gentle Soothing I know of Gram Parsons but I had never taken time out to listen to a whole album. Lovely

It was impossible for me to get one coherent listen of this album for some reason, so I don't really have any sense of the pacing or continuity. I heard every song, and there's lots of solid material. I know Gram Parsons is something of a legend among songwriters, and I liked what I liked, but I didn't finish the album with a sense of having heard something astounding. It may be due to the disjointed sessions, but I can't go higher than a 3 without a better sense of the album as a whole.

Some beautiful tunes on this album for sure. A little too country in tone and feel for my tastes as I prefer a little less steel guitar and fiddle and more mandolin. But I still appreciate the beautiful songs, just not as much as I could with different arrangements. 3.5 stars

country rock

A little twangy but not bad

Nice folk album

Fairly standard country to my ears

Pleasant enough, but not something I see coming back to all that often.

Enjoyed more than I thought I would. Emmy Lou needs more credit for this record than she gets

Eh, this is from the end of country that I don't care too much for, but I didn't find it particularly intolerable, just left me a bit cold. It definitely benefitted from all the Emmylou Harris. Fave tracks - like the "Medley..." track. Stand out was probably "Las Vegas" overall...

Pleasant album I loved the two live numbers they had fun liveliness in contrast to the rest. It was nice sounding album

Bland but not really bad music.

Sweet and inoffensive

Before meddling Brussels got involved he was called Ounce Parsons

Old school country, brought back a lot of memories

okuuu 6.5/10

#121 Decent enough country rock. I didn't really love it or hate it, I just acknowledged its existence and moved on. 3/5: that'll do, pig. Song added to playlist: Love Hurts I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link

Good ol' country, not mad at it. Probably only getting a 3 because I just returned from northern AZ and romanticizing the ranch life with horses and trucks. Besides that, pretty meh. Like this better than modern pop country that gets more radio time nowadays, but who listens to radio anymore?? Not my first choice, and probably won't listen to it again by my own volition.

jukebox tunes I can hear elvis as an influence it's mellow, love hurts is familiar

A nice listen! I enjoyed a few of the songs. A very country vibe which can be quite hit or miss but this was more in the style I liked. Would listen again

3.5 I was just ranting three reviews ago about how this dude ruined The Byrds, and lo and behold, look who should show up on my doorstep again. Well, despite what I’ve said about the guy in the past, either a broken clock is right twice a day or Emmylou carried the guy on this album because it's surprisingly good. I didn’t want to admit it at first, but between Return of the Grievous Angel, I Can’t Dance, Ooh Las Vegas, and the cover of the Everly Brothers’ Love Hurts, I couldn’t help but find myself enjoying this, even making me question if the rendition of the latter was my new favorite version. Even the stuff in between those was still pretty decent though, and I appreciated that each song seemed to have a little bit more flair to it than the stuff I’ve heard previously from Parsons, like the xylophone on Hearts on Fire or the live-sounding Northern Quebec medley. The latter does contain Hickory Wind, a song I previously detested on Sweetheart of the Rodeo, and while it’s still probably my least favorite song here, how it’s incorporated bumped it up a little bit in my book. So yeah, far and away the best I’ve heard from Mr. Parsons, though I’d be lying if I said that Emmylou Harris’ involvement probably didn’t sway my opinion on it a touch. I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ve been a big fan of Emmylou’s voice ever since I got into Bright Eyes and discovered I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, so I’m sure the fondness that I have of her work with Conor there helped translate into an appreciation of what she does with Gram here (We Are Nowhere and It’s Now is one of the greatest songs ever in my books, and her involvement on the track is no small part of that). Obviously the woman is capable of standing on her own though (as Pieces of the Sky has shown us), and it’s a shame she was cut from being co-credited on this album with Gram and a space on the cover due to the dude’s jealous widow. Can you blame her though? Just listening to the two here feels like they have palpable chemistry. Third time’s the charm I guess - shoutout to Gram for finally commanding some musical respect out of me, and shoutout to his friends for perhaps the greatest corpse heist of all-time. Side note - I’ve seen this album cover before, and Gram’s image has always reminded me of the main dude from the Guitar Hero video games, Axel Steel. Does anyone else see it?

Easy listening country rock. Maybe the prototype for all easy listening country rock.

favourite song: Medley Live from Northern Québec this is the 4th gram parsons project ive had in 71 albums and im bored of it. was gonna be a 2 but a couple tracks towards the end saved it imo.

Emmylou was robbed. She’s ann amazing singer and shines through Gram’s heroin-addled performance.

3.5/5. Emmylou Harris is queen.

echli country aber nid öppis wommer speziell ufgfalle isch

han chli öppis anders erwartet aber au no nice

I would not listen to this whole album regularly, nor would I skip past a song if it came on the radio

Some occasional highlights, but nothing to keep my coming back with the exception of two songs.

70s Country - not bad but not massively into it either. Vibey here and there. 3/5.

This has some really beautiful moments, but probably didn’t click enough with me to be too memorable over time. Pretty crazy to have a whole Wikipedia article over your death, though.

It was pretty good!

I really just don't care for country.

Had some great tunes considering it's country!

Not bad, different to usual music but catchy country

I was like ooh one I've been meaning to listen to! And maybe that expectation led to underwhelm. All the better for Emmylou, but didn't enjoy as much as some other country albums. Also didn't enjoy reading about his death.

honky tonk blues. Emmylou Harris is great and also still not enough.

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Love hurts

Very nice one. Emmylou Harris sounds great. Gram Parsons was just a name to me before, this will be a re-listen for sure.

Fun country. I liked the guitar.

Solid easy listening. He and Emmylou Harris sound good together

Return of the Grievous Angel- 3.4/5 Hearts on Fire- 3/5 I Can't Dance- 3.6/5 Brass Buttons- 3.8/5 $1000 Wedding- 3.7/5 Medley Live From Northern Quebec- 3.5/5 Love Hurts- 4/5 Las Vegas- 4.1/5 In My Hour of Darkness- 4.4/5 Total- 3.7/5

Country. Ni fu ni fa.

Hit or miss. I liked the blend of Parsons and Harriss's voices, but it got genuinely boring at times; a feat for such a short record.

More moody pedal steel country. not sure I get how influential this dude is - apart from teaching Keith how to get properly stoned. Didn't mind it

There's no question that he wrote some great songs, he pioneered country rock, and was a good mate of Keef's. I want to love it but I'm not quite there.

Hmmmm. not really sure about this one. It's not unlistenable, but would I want to listen to it again? This is why we need rank order...

Seeing a country album being generated never exactly gets my adrenaline pumping. I’ve said it many times before, but I just don’t understand the appeal with a lot of this genre. There have been occasional anomalies that I’ve enjoyed, but I can’t exactly say I’m going into this album with optimism. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: I Can’t Dance, $1000 Wedding Against all odds, this was a pretty decent album. It was dynamic enough to have some softer music, whilst also have some more twangy, what I would consider to be “typical” country music. This didn’t really grate on me at all, which is quite unusual. The vocals were pleasant, and the lyrics didn’t really seem to be all about Jesus and America (the cringiest of all country music). Overall, this surprised me but I still don’t really imagine I’ll be returning to listen again.

2.5

Country AF but not a bad listen

A little more country than I usually go for, but still good tunes

Totally decent album, I can see its influence on modern music. Country isn't really my thing although I'm trying to get more into it. I found this album to be very... Johnny Cash-lite. Similar sound but not as good. The lyricism is pleasant. I’m glad I listened to this record but I don’t think this is going on the rotation

One of the better country albums on here, especially the first two songs and Brass Buttons. I Can’t Dance was a notable weak point, but on the whole it was a pretty well written record with some lovely harmonies

General Grievous Angel

Keskimääräistä parempaa kantria! 3.5/5

Not my jam.

Not exactly my style, but it was executed fairly well. Low 3

Decent classic country album, appreciated the inclusion of the live medleys to give this LP a much-needed kick in the pants tempo/energy-wise

Basically as much a Emmylou Harris album as a Parsons one, Grievous Angel has just enough variation to make the well-trodden country formula tolerable enough. The ending trio of songs ends an otherwise pretty uneven album on a high note. The fake live medley is especially bewildering.

When I read that Gram Parsons’ considered his own music Cosmic American Music I was intrigued. When I found out that it just covers country rock I was a bit let down. But then I was pulled back in when I realised that almost everything is pretty solid. A noteworthy mention of Parsons’ jealous widow who removed Emmylou Harris’ picture and name from the cover. Cause this is indeed a double album and not just a Gram Parsons record.

Kind of chill, but I don't really grasp what makes this album worthy of being in the book. Maybe is my lack of knowledge.

Parsons' lyrics are well-observed. Emmylou Harris sings sweetly. The musicianship is unimpeachable. So why doesn't this cut through?

"Love Hurts." Has anyone ever played a bad cover of this tune? I'm sure such a thing exists. But man what a song. Anywho, this didn't move my needle much but I didn't hate it. Peaceful easy feelings and relieved to see it categorized as country instead of soft rock, because I wasn't sure there before I looked. The 70s were a pretty loose time in that regard. I'd listen to more from Mr. Parsons, but would hope to hear a more memorable set of songs.

An interesting country album

Acceptable. I am the grand juror of music.

Haven’t heard of this artist, easy listening. I picture myself driving an old f150 down the interstate in KY for some reason while the sun is setting, at least that’s the mood I gather from the album.

People love Gram. Me only an ounce.

Ah, country music that was more friendly and optimistic and accepting than the current racist, right-wing nonsense parading on the charts. Some lovely tunes.

Was not expecting country music to start the week. In my mind when I saw Parsons, I was thinking Alan.... Nice selection from 74, although much of the album suffered from monotony. Last three cuts stood out favorably

Not really my bag, but fun.

2.5

Country is usually not my thing, but I enjoyed this album. I Can't Dance, Brass Buttons being up there.

Started out really fun but got kinda old. Not bad for country though, with a few rock n roll flavours in there. Dug the duet vocals. 3/5.

This one was difficult for me to score. On the one hand, I really don't like country. Especially country that's really just rock pretending to be country. On the other hand, the songwriting is really quite good as are the vocal performances. Particularly those of Emmylou Harris. She kills it here. But it's STILL just... not enjoyable. I wavered between a 2 and a 3 but, at the end of the day, I think the songwriting bumps it to a 3.

Pretty good country music but what's with the myspace photo for the cover??? Hilariously bad.

Not bad, but not very special either. Country/rock fusion sort of album, in that middle ground. Of course we know "Love Hurts," though this isn't the original version nor the most well-known cover (those titles go the Everly Brothers and Nazareth). I'm fairly sure I've heard "Brass Buttons" before too. Not too much on this album that excited me though. It's decent. Favorite tracks: Brass Buttons, In My Hour of Darkness, Love Hurts. Album art: The disembodied head of Gram just hanging out. It seems kind of lazy as far as graphic design effort goes, but the colors are nice and comforting. I like this one. 3/5

This album kind of disappointed me. I read reviews for it on RYM beforehand and considering this aligns pretty good with some of my favourite albums, I had my expectations really high, and don’t get me wrong, this album is good, it’s just not deserving of the high praise it gets from some people.

stars for emmylou tbh

A pretty country album from the ‘70s. Gram Parsons put his soul into the music and backed by the female singers he chooses to sing with, it comes out sounding very harmonious

È un country che però ha anche qualcosa di affascinante.

I ended up going down the rabbit hole of reading about Gram Parsons, as I had never heard of him before and he seems to have lived a really interesting life. I don't normally like this style of music, but it was pretty inoffensive and I quite liked the musical arrangements here and there. It felt slightly closer to a 3 than a 2, probably 4 out of 10, and it wasn't overlong, so a 3 rating seems appropriate.

He could be properly described as a musician’s musician. The album title is classic and there are some good songs but I liked Flying BBs more.

I read a bit about Gram Parsons and it helped connect the dots between all the artists that decided to get countrified at the end of the sixties including The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Emmylou Harris and to some extent, The Stones. I like the tracks where Emmylou shares the microphone and also the raunchy Louvin’ Brothers Quebec medley. I can’t help but wonder if Gram would have had second thoughts about requesting to be cremated if he knew his buddy would have to steal his body and douse it with gasoline to do it!

Salt Lake City gets milder summers, and its bowl world makes the air uniquely visible. It was there I remember hearing First Aid Kit, another mild element with their explicit connection to Emmylou. Softness aside, though, summer gives plenty of reasons to rest in the stream of songs like these. Parsons captures in light strokes country's adoption of other idioms: His rhythmic foundations are not quite straight out of pop and rock. Unfortunately, the sequencing of Grievous Angel is a weak link, ending on a focus on the predominant ballads.

Starts a bit nondescript but gets a bit more interesting towards the end. Side B’s medley, cover and penultimate song are the highlights but as such not a record I’ll remember.

Country. Ni fu ni fa.

Country. Sin más.

Ok

Decent country album, but a bit too conventional for me. Some of the songs are beautiful, Emmylou Harris provides excellent backing vocals, but there are also songs where I get slightly off-putting hillbilly vibes.

Vivement la fin de ce générateur, qu'on puisse definitivement oublier que la country existe.

La semaine démarre sur les chapeaux de roue, avec un superbe enchaîenment Hüsker Dü - Gram Parsons, qui n'aurait rien à envier à un cours de français de lycée de 2h.

Easy listening.

Country. Sin más.

I cringed when I heard the opening with it's country twangs, but I kept an open mind while listening. This is a lot better than the garbage contemporary country that my neighbor's listen to. I like the piano at the beginning of I Can't Dance and I like it's more rock sound. Brass Buttons is kind of nice. I do like their rendition of Love Hurts. Emmylou has a lovely voice. The live medley was painful and I couldn't get through it. It's a shame to read he died so young. While this isn't something I would normally listen to, I can understand the appeal.

I prefer his other album GP. The fake live stuff is a bit of an odd choice. Why was that necessary? I do enjoy the constant presence of Emmylou Harris supporting him, especially on "Love Hurts." They sound really natural together.

It's straight up OK for me. Definitely not my style of country.

Country

Another album that's been lurking in the background of this list, Parsons and his depressing end coming up repeatedly in the background reading. It pretty much seemed like late 20th century modern country to me.

Eerste country plaat die ik zonder te kokhalzen binnen heb gehouden.

A nice country pop album to listen to.

Enjoyable country with Emmylou Harris as the secret star but ultimately not enough to give more than 3 stars

Yeeeehaaaa

PREFS : Return of the Grievous Angel, Hearts on Fire, $1000 Wedding, Love Hurts, In My Hour of Darkness MOINS PREF : Medley Live From Northern Quebec

Not my kind of music, sure, but I cannot deny this is very pleasant music - especially when Emmylou Harris joins.

3.5

I’m really hoping there’s a couple more great albums waiting in the wings as we round the 250 or so left mark. This was some alright country. 6/10

I’m one ear and out the other

Good for its genre. I just don't seem to get a lot from this genre, sadly 3/5

Rather charming. Quite nice background music. Nothing does jump out at you to be fair, so can't go higher than 3 stars.

Pretty good! I probably wouldn’t listen again but I don’t mind some quality country every now and then.

I've ridden this train a number of times in an attempt to understand what other people hear in this guy's music, but it just sounds decidedly average to me. The songs are just okay, and his singing is nothing special. Just ok. Also, this will be the last time I ride the Gram Parsons train. Not all music suits all people.

Nice sounding but forgettable songs

Yeehaw

Gram Parsons (of the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers) and Emmylou Harris come together to produce a fine country rock record, released shortly after Parsons' death. These songs are much softer, more intimate, and folkier than his previous releases. It's very polished, with several highlights, but the songs are a bit forgettable and melodically uninteresting. Hearing the live rendition of "Hickory Wind" just makes me wants to listen to the Byrds version.

Pretty good country. I prefer this version of love hurts.

One of the best country albums I’ve ever heard. Track 2 is crazy good.

This is a good album, and it's very cool to hear a young Emmylou Harris, who to my ear has made some spectacular music over the decades be featured so prominently on this record. Nice stuff.

Never heard of Gram Parsons prior to getting this album from the 1001 albums generator. I have listened to a little bit of The Byrds, but mostly their hits. This was a surprise to get, and I'm so happy I got to experience it. The 2nd side is better than the first, but this is good stuff. I love the harmonizing with Emmy-Lou, just angelic. He definitely crosses between country and rock and I understand why people say that he was the originator of that. It's a beautiful 38 minutes, and I'd gladly listen to it again.

Few solid tracks on here, overall not really my scene though

Music exceeded my expectations for country. And cool to learn about Gram Parsons. His life was wild

3.5 - A cross-section of many trends of the early-70's - both good and bad. There's some Cash/Carter-type duets ("Ohh Las Vegas"), Waylon Jennings-sounding ballads ("Return of the Grievous Angel"), blue-tinged Fleetwood Mac-y shakedowns ("I Can't Dance"). Also some Carpenters-styled easy listening tripe ("Brass Buttons", "Hearts on Fire").

Reading the story of this artist passing away weeks after the album was finished definitely put a new kind of weight on this album. In a vacuum, I'd probably score this a 2.

I liked reading about the artist more than the album.

A bit boring but it still has it swing to it, however the swing and better part are mostly after you have already listened to half of the song. I can understand that it is a good album, however I won’t listen to it again.

It’s fine isn’t it? Just fine.

A fairly okay country pop album from the 70s. The first song on this album is the best and from there it slowly decreases in quality. I felt that the love hurts cover was not that great. The country pop style in the 70s was different than it is now leaning more on the pop than country twang. But overall it’s an okay album with a few songs that are worth revisiting. 6.0/10

I confused this guy with Alan Parsons. Oops. So I was a bit surprised to hear country when I was expecting something in the prog-rock genre. Emmylou Harris certainly added a welcome voice to the songs. I like this kind of country music. However, if not for Emmylou's vocals, this wouldn't be anything of note. The songwriting is okay, but his voice and singing style is pretty meh.

You know it was alright - nice country harmonies. It sounded like you were listening to the radio in a big car in Alabama or something. Otherwise ungripped but maybe worth a second listen

10th February 2023 Listened during the day while picking up the new car, builders and dad in, poker in the evening. Nice bit of country with a swing, 3.5 if I could.

There ain't nothing worse than being completely indifferent to what I just listened to. I would much rather hate it or even love it. But to feel little to nothing either way is the worst feeling. Just mediocre country music. 2

Wasnt keen. Im not the greatest country fan and thought it was a waste of his talent.

Inoffensive. He can play and their voices go together, but it's not for me. This sort of tweeness is what I'd have associated America with, before it became known for its fat stupid people and being a laughing stock.

Gotta confess that when I first saw this album I thought, “awesome! the guy from Gram Parsons Project!” Can’t say I wasn’t a little disappointed when this started and I realized I was thinking of ALAN Parsons Project. Anyway this is a nice non-mainstream alt country-ish album with fine tunes. Nothing to write home about. I was happy to hear his original version of Brass Buttons after admiring the Lemonheads cover for years, but I found the lyrics more than a little pedo-y. It’s seems to obviously be a love song to an underage girl. Some of the lyrics that really gave that impression were unfamiliar to me, like Evan Dando realized how problematic it was even 35 years ago and he made his version less rape-y. I like that idea, but I’m not rushing to revisit theirs in case I find I have just forgotten how inappropriate it all is.

Nie, szkoda mi czasu na country, w dodatku ballady country, skoro wiem, że w tym gatunku nic dobrego się dla mnie nie wydarzy. Buźka, pa.

06/09/2026 I am done with country music. Boring, boring, boring. Spotify listeners: 211.6k

Inte dåligt men tråkigt. Gränsar mellan 2a och 3a.

Nä, för tråkigt och emellanåt lite för larvig dansbandscountry.

Not my genre, though was an interesting version of "Love Hurts"

Great talent, not my style

I got nothing from this. Really run of the mill country easy listening western music. Totally skippable. Have heard the name Gram Parsons frequently so I am happy to put a sound to the name. Regrettably it did not live up to expectations. 2 / 5

I don't mind the twang as much as other reviewer here. The country music part of this is fine. It's the songs themselves I don't really care for, I find them uninspiring. I Can't Dance is good though

Ok 2/5

I went college in a city with a thriving local music scene and many of my favorite bands sounded just like this. The first song reminded me of Emmett Otters Jugband

Not for me.

70s album equally feature both a man and a woman, but it's just the blokes name of the jacket. Indicative of how backwards this record is - they were making music like this in the 50s, Gram!! Maybe try something new!!

I don't think I was sad enough to appreciate this mid country music.

Just bad country ha. Not into it at all.

This is too kitchy for me.

Awful

Een country album, of nee sorry: een country rock album. Wat is het verschil tussen country en countryrock? Ik heb geen idee, maar deze man word genoemd als de uitvinder van countryrock! En dat zal zeker de reden zijn dat hij hier op staat, ik bedoel countryrock!!! Kun je je een wereld voorstellen waar country en rock elkaar nooit hadden ontmoet!? Nou gelukkig hoeven we ons dat niet voor te stellen, want dit album bevat zowel country als rock!! Ik word hier heel cynisch van, maar moet toegeven dat de latere nummers inderdaad meer rocken, het tempo gaat iets omhoog, maar het klinkt voor een behoorlijk deel meer als een rock album met misschien country onderwerpen dan een echte samensmelting van de twee. Nee toch niet, dit album rockt echt totaaaaal niet. Het is een ontzettend saai country album, zelfs Emmylou Harris, die toch een meer dan prima stem heeft, kan dit album niet redden. Ik verveel me echt dood. Love hurts is een bekend nummer, maar het pakt me totaal niet eigenlijk. Ooh Las Vegas is dan eindelijk een beetje uptempo, maar jezus de lyrics zijn niet best. Ik merk dat ik me gewoon nogal irriteer aan dit album. Het is niet tranentrekkend slecht, sowieso klinkt EmmyLou gewoon meer dan prima en is Gram niet de slechtste zanger. Maar dit is gewoon een nietszeggend countryalbum, althans ik haal er niets bijzonders uit. FAVO:

Not doing much for me, just straight ahead twangy country. Best part is emmylou Harris’ singing. “Love hurts” is recognizable and my fave track.

Perfectly lovely music… which I slept through much of.

Yup that’s definitely country. Not the worst thing ever, but there’s a lot more I’d rather put on. Also, I just listened to Red Dirt Girl so I wasn’t in the mood.

It's a short record, I don't doubt its influence, but it was pretty painful for me to work through. It starts off with insane guitar twang and by the end of it there's more Emmylou than I've ever needed.There's an occasional classic rock air that works alright, which is then followed by some pretty intense country. The fusion part? Not bad, honestly, I can respect it. It's well done, and if you appreciate the genres, the odds are the experience amplifies. Maybe a little dated by today's standards, especially the rock aspect, but for '74 this would make sense as a banger. If for nothing else, I'm glad I can now put a sound to the name. 2/5

I kiss ma baby with ma fist

Though I was going to hate this after 20 seconds, actually worth a listen. Won't ever listen again though.

I used to like this stuff a lot more when I was younger. Now less so. the arrangements are jsut so dull. A fake live track too. Maybe on a different day, I'd like it more. Who knows. 2.5 rounded down Heard before? Yes Owned: No, 93/351 (26%) Will I get: No

A bit too twangy country for me. I do like Emmylou Harris, but have never been able to enjoy country Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers or solo Gram Parsons. Nothing wrong with this, I just don’t care for the style. 2⭐️

Not my thing. I’m sure in the right ears it is great.

I liked the Emmylou Harris bits, the rest was a bit blancmange - ok but bland country

Found it funny that Emmy Lou featured on pretty much every single song, and was only mentioned as a feature once. Apparently Grams wife was pissed that she was on the album cover after he died and removed her and put her only as a feature on the back of the cover, the opening song also scratched. Maybe she did care about their relationship all along... Anyways, Emmy carries a lot of weight on here and is given almost no credit.. which kinda stinks. The album cover is also kinda strange, I dont like the rendering of his face... it gives me the heebie jeebies.

I preferred the woman’s voice. It was fine but nothing too special. Sort of sounded like it could be a musical.

I strongly dislike country. This is just very boring, and nothing is special about it. At least some tracks weren't that bad. I guess just not for me.

I liked the first song and Brass Buttons $1000 wedding's lyrics man... I THINK I HAVE HEARD LOVE HURTS BEFORE. mkaaay, some songs were screaming country (although I don't even know if they count as country) but I'd say it was a okay album.

Light 70s. Not for me

The best song on this album is the cover of “Love Hurts” that doesn’t even show up as a notable cover in the Wikipedia article housing the song itself. That says a lot about this album. That song is fine, it’s very peaceful and easy to listen to. Not my favorite cover of that song by any means, but it’s fine. It’s also Gram Parson’s most well known song. However, as previously mentioned, it’s not even a Gram Parsons song. A rule of thumb I have for artists is that if a remix made by someone else, or a cover that doesn’t surpass the original is your number one song, we might have a bit of a problem. This album is more Country nonsense through and through that I don’t really care for. On top of that, it’s yet another member of The Byrds getting a solo album on the list. That means there’s at least 8 on here, with potentially more if a third band member also has a solo album on here. Jesus Christ. That’s way WAY too many. Ridiculous to have even 2 of them on here to be honest. Boring album art as well. Very uninspired and lame. Call it a very weird bias, but with songs like “Return of the Grievous Angel”, I always get the feeling that they’re going to say something very… outdated. I’ll leave it at that. Interpret that the way you will. Even if it’s perfectly fine, it just rubs me the wrong way. Man, I just do not enjoy Country music in the slightest, and as usual, this selection is not helping. If this bot was meant to get me to appreciate Country music, it has epically failed a grand majority of the time. Furthermore, the 7+ other Byrds albums are really starting to irk me, and I roll my eyes at this point whenever I roll one, just like the copious amounts of Elvis Costello. So many other deserving artists are left out in exchange for this. The 3 Byrds and Byrds adjacent albums I’ve listened to so far got a 3, but I might start giving them 2’s going forward. This is the worst one so far. I’m just really sick of them and get no enjoyment whatsoever out of any of them. It’s just boring. It brings nothing to the table and it’s utterly forgettable. Every one of their albums I’ve listened to so far are the same, solo artist or not. Nothing against them personally, but they’re just not for me. If there’s anything I’m thankful for, it’s that this wasn’t my weekend album. Whether or not that becomes a monkeys paw in a second when I roll the next album remains to be seen. This is yet another album that wasn’t terrible, but man was it not good either, which situationally can be worse, as I’m going to forget about it in its entirety before the end of this review. Next please!! Let’s end the week off with some heat. If I don’t have to listen to this generic Country drivel for at least another week I’ll be happy. Either that or just get the rest out of the way consecutively. Either of those options would be fine by me at this point. Sorry Gram, not a fan.

muy country, demasiado.

Amazing blend of both Country and Western. I don't think the cowboy life is for me though...

Get this man out of the way of that actual legend.

Not really my kind of music. This is the kind of stuff my aunt and uncles loved to listen to at family gatherings, Parsons and Emmylou Harris and the like. Not for me. "Love Hurts" is fantastic, but I don't care for the rest of it. The rest just kind of blends together for me.

180. ok

I don’t have much love for country Byrds. I sure don’t have any more for this. Painful 70’s stuff which has radically pared away from my sweet spot

It’s funny, normally when I get to an album that I just don’t enjoy in any way I don’t have any remorse about giving it a bad review. This is probably the only album I felt guilty about not liking. I don’t know what is making me feel that way. It’s boring country production with a singer that doesn’t blow me away in any way. Honestly if it wasn’t for the Emmylou Harris song (which is much more of a southern rock song which helps a lot) I’d probably given this album an immediate 1. Actually I also liked the song “I can’t dance” but that’s what really hurt this album the most, is that I could see a southern rock album I’d like to hear, but the most of the album is mopey slow and sad country album which I just couldn’t find more boring if I tried.

This was formulaic, twangy country that was all pretty much the same tempo throughout. I'm not a country fan, so I didn't much like this. However, "Love Hurts" was a decent song that I've heard before and can appreciate.

This wasn't bad, country just isn't really my style. There was good stuff here, but just not my favorite. It doesn't overstay its welcome. It just could do more I think. Emmylou Harris was GREAT in her feature. Actual rating...2.5 Liked Songs: "Return of the Grievous Angel" , "I Can't Dance" , "$1000 Wedding" , "Love Hurts" , "Ooh Las Vegas"

Painful to be honest

Really mid

Too much twangy country for me. Not hearing the alt-country, bluegrass or country-rock attributed to it.

OK. 2/5

I knew Gram Parsons as a country rock pioneer, even though I’d never actually heard any of his music. Aside from “I Can’t Dance,” however, the rock elements on *Grievous Angel* are very limited—it’s actually a pretty standard country album. If you like that dreamy “end-of-the-day on the farm” sound, it’s certainly quite nice - the album is extremely well-produced and will bring a lot of joy to fans of that style. Personally, though, I find it mostly boring - the best song is “Love Hurts,” and that’s a cover version, even though there are at least five better renditions (and probably hundreds more that take their cue from Nazareth). Nice to know, but you can do without it.

Ok so ta emmy lou and this being released after his death might be carrying here... It's held as "a perfect fusion of rock and country" - it's all slow country ballad's except 1.5 songs (one rock a Billy mess), so like nah. The rest of it I also found rather unremarkable, underwhelming. Biggest song in the whole thing is a cover.... Like I'm sorry, this is a nothing burger without the context around it. Sounds harsh but if he was alive when it was released and Emmie Lou had a lesser career, would anyone know about this album? 2 covers......like honestly what is groundbreaking about this album?

Just a country snoozefest. Salvages a star for Emmylou Harris and the aesthetically pleasing colour palette of the cover. Will never listen to this again. Update: listened to it again. Still feel the same. Country just doesn't do it for me.

The band is good but his voice is awful, no wonder he let EmmyLou sing on every track

Another bad day for this project

2/5 - Too much twang for me

I'm trying to get through the album but it's a challenge. I don't mind country music but the only thing that's keeping me listening is Emmylou Harris.

blaaaand

Soul(?) Country is boring

meh

horrible slow boring country music without any reason to listen too. Especially the live track is so annoying.

This didn't do it for me. I like a lot of older country, but this sounded like an amateur imitation of 60's country. I suspect that people like the idea of Gram Parsons as much as they like his music. There were a few songs that were decent near the end of the album, but this whole thing seemed incredibly formulaic. Also some lyrics that made me roll my eyes which, I get it, he was in his early-mid 20s when he wrote them, but still.

5/02 Just sounds like generic country music to me

Country was hard to listen to.

Vanilla as it comes. Have just listened to the The Band / The Band alot and found that variety of country rock much more interesting than this wet fart of an album. Struggling for any postives other than I did not hate it. How could a guy so full of heroin make such a dull album.

This is out the blocks with a song more country than a fiddle solo played on a porch-swing by a cowboy who's just learned he's lost custody of a horse. It's that country. It actually feels like a pastiche, or comedy song in delivery, if not lyrics, down to the voice crack on the word "parlour" which has big Cletus vibes. I always assumed Gram had a bit more country-rock about him, especially given he self-classifies his music as Cosmic Americana or some such nonsense. But as far as I can tell by this and 'The Gilded Palace of Sin', he's fully ensconced in country and western traditions, with little variety or innovation. At the risk of blaspheming, I also think his voice is a little feeble in places, not least on the pitchy 'Hearts on Fire' on which Emmylou does a lot of the heavy-lifting. Her presence here is certainly a grace, if not a saving one. The Flying Burrito Bros was a disappointment and this is too. I'd much rather listen to the Stones' country. Aside from a cool story surrounding his death, I really don't understand what the fuss is about.

Twang town

Just fine, could be much worse

I will be real, I forgot about this as soon as I finished it. It left very little of an impression, just your usual folky fare, although I did like the opener a lot.

There is simply too much country on the list

Well it wasn't *awful* as far as Country goes........ Standout: Return Of The Grievous Angel

Thought it was OK, not really for me

Fine, but not my thing

This is a pedestrian album at best. Some good tunes but all in all it’s mid

A bit too boring for my liking Best Song: Love Hurts Rating: 4.0/10 Stars: 2

several catchy tunes on here i’m not one for country ballads however

5/10 Second half better than the first.

Didn’t enjoy this.

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

Not for me

⭐️⭐️ not crazy about country so i didn't care for this album. i liked Emmylou Harris's performance i suppose

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.

Thought I would get into this more. Sounded like a parody of 70s country and western albums.

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

There were moments I liked, but the rest is too country for me.

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

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.

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"

Don't mind country but this was a wee bit too twee for me.

A little too twangy for me. Likes: Return of the Grievous Angel, In My Hour of Darkness

Pretty much as twangy and sappy as you'd expect from an old country act without much more to offer

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.

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.

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

folksy country noise. Its harmless but nothing special. Dull for me.

Nah, I'm good. It's probably fine. But there's only so many minutes in the day, and in life.

This was fine, but due to the reputation I was expecting a little more.

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

Ziemlich boring

Eh

Ok, but nothing special

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

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

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

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

Meh