Reviews (page 7 of 8)
Would probably like it more if I was more into country, but fairly respectable. Tops tracks: Brass Buttons, In My Hour of Darkness
One of my all-time favorites. Too bad he didn’t make it past 27, can only imagine what his career would have been.
While EmmyLou is never less than stellar and I adore the verve of honky tonk piano with a good twangly guitar, this didn’t particularly resonate.
Bland album, but the story of what happened after he died was mind blowing.
a non-ideal soundtrack to Immanuel Kant's "On the miscarriage of all philosophical trials in theodicy"
Not so Country myself but looks ok
very nice
Nice folk album
Can see why country music fans would appreciate this, but I’m not one of them.
Easy listening country.
I love music so much because country really isn't my thing but this album was so enjoyable. Never know what you will get and if you just keep an open mind you and find enjoyment.
Fairly standard country to my ears
Enjoyable country rock with a light psychedelic tinge.
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
Perfect psych country
A gem of an album
Feels like The Notorious Byrd Brothers album.
7/10 not really my genre, but still a wonderful album by a very talented artist who passed too soon
This is viewed a succesful hybrid between country and rock but it sounds like any old country to me. Fave track: Return of the Grievous Angel
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...
I hate everything about this. Next.
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
This is the good shit
Should humanity be destroyed like the Martians were in the movie Mars Attacks by the song Indian Love Call by Slim Whitman? ... then keep it up!
This is a seminal country rock album. Unfortunately this was Gram Parsons’ last and was released posthumously. This album belongs to Emmylou Harris almost as much as it belongs to Parsons but his widow was uncomfortable with her late husband’s artistic relationship with Harris. That said, the harmonies between the two are sublime. Their version of Love Hurts is fantastic as well.
Here is a list of things I hate. 1. Country music. End of list. I fucking hate this Confederate flag waving, gun loving, I'm a cowboy, sister marrying, trump worshiping sonic diohrea. Your not good old boys, it's not the land of the free and god has forsaken you and your idolatry. Hickory wind is a good track but it's not on this album so bollocks to it.this isnt a bridge between country and rock it's a bridge between country and satan's arse.
Tried it, had to stop, country really is a difficult genre to listen to.
Couldn't get past song 2. I hate country.
not my thing, not terrible but not really notable in any way. 2.4.
The genre of "Rock Country" reminds me of when metalheads argue about a band being "Stoner Doom Metal" or "Drone Sludge Metal". I get the rationale of differentiating within genre but from an outsider perspective, it's really more important to let me know I'm about to start a country album. That said, this is a very good country album. Emmylou Harris is an absolute gem and Gram Parsons has excellent musicality. I want to rate this 5 stars because I had never heard of Gram before this one, and it caused me to dig into his catalogue over this weekend. However, it is weaker than the rest of his material. I'll remember this one fondly, but it probably won't go into the rotation.
Old school country, brought back a lot of memories
okuuu 6.5/10
kind of boring
Country music is not my thing. Couldn't get past the 3rd song.
Wasn't really in the mood... Sorry 🤷🏿♂️
Not sure my ear can pick out what makes this one of the best albums of all time. It's a decent country album with great harmonies by Emmylou Harris. It's all I hear and unsure why it's on the list of 1001.
#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
Ugh. I know Parsons was part of a super group, but this was not enjoyable for me.
Too twangy
Enjoyed it...country music that is mellow. Album had collaborations with other artists, Emmy Lou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. Not bad...easy listening with nice melodies.
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.
I listened to 4 songs, I like his folk country style. American music! 🇺🇸💪🏼
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
I'm not into country rock usually but this is an exceptionally great album. His and Emmy Lou's voices were so beautiful together.
R.I.P. Gram Parsons 😭
Banger!!!!
Honestly, kinda bored
Country music - lots of twanging guitars. Some nice harmonies though.
I had never heard of this artist before. Not sure why it is described as rock country... sounds all country to me. Loved the album. I went and listened to his first album which is awesome too. 5/5
2 albums and then the continuation of the country album by the Byrds? WTF? At least it was relatively short. Heard Love Hurts and immediately thought of Nazareth Hair of the Dog album. Way underrated album with Miss Misery as the best song. Better than the title track. Beggars Day and Please Don't Judas Me a couple other great tunes. Learned something new too. Love Hurts is from the Everly Brothers, not this guy. Best thing about this album is it made want to go back and listen to Nazareth. This dude or at least this album wasn't good. Ill give 1.5 but round to 2 for Love Hurts, even though this version wasn't very good. 2
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?
Not objectively bad, but I just couldn’t get into it at all.
This is a good album, I liked it a lot. My only criticism is that it seemed like occasionally the lyrics tended to meander a bit. Having said that the music is great, and there are some really quotable lines. Some of my favorite tunes on the album were Grievous Angel, Brass Buttons (which is very reminiscent of The Eagles’ Tequila Sunrise), Cash on the Barrelhead/Hickory Wind, Love Hurts (yes THAT Love Hurts), Ooh Las Vegas and In My Hour of Darkness. The addition of Emmylou Harris’ vocals on several of the tracks really adds to the experience.
Warm, engaging, imperfectly pretty, full of heart. Grows on me more each time I hear it. The pasted together quality of this album is hard to ignore, but there are still quite a few charmers to find on here. Gram Parsons' vocals with Emmylou Harris are the best thing about this album. They have a bittersweet chemistry that is rare in music. Fave Songs: Love Hurts, Return of the Grievous Angel, In My Hour of Darkness, Hearts on Fire, Brass Buttons
Ehkä paras country-levy tähän mennessä, mutta ei tätäkään huvitä pyörittää montaa kertaa ympäri. Hetken jo ajattelin onko tässä alkuperäinen Love Hurts, mutta eipä sekään osunut.
Niin peruscountry että…
Please no country 😱
Easy listening country rock. Maybe the prototype for all easy listening country rock.
I already had a personal bias against Graham Parsons. So this album was never going to land with me. That being said, it's not without merit. However a wanna be sad cowboy is unbelievably lame. I don't believe in the stories he tells. I won't listen to this again
Recorded right before his death, Gram Parsons left behind a wonderful document of his influence on country. Truthfully, this is just as much an Emmylou Harris album as it is a Gram Parsons album. The two were close contemporaries, leading her to be invited on to provide vocals for all but one song. They are especially great on the live medley that opens side B. Truly, everything about Grievous Angel is magnificent, oftentimes seeming like the rest of country music is trying to catch up to Parsons. What an album.
glad this album is short because i didn’t like it
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.
So far really like the album. It is soothing and enjoyable. Reminds me a little bit of Dan Fogelberg and John Denver :)
Not the biggest fan of the instrumentals in any track, and the vocals didn't help much, thankfully it's a short album. 3/10
Mellow rock album with many lovers tunes. It's enjoyable
Second time listening to this record as well. Great soft-rock country music. Certainly one of the top artists that likely has his best auras when he died.
This wasn't much but the story behind was interesting. Emmylou Harris got credits wiped even though she's on every track, the cover got changed. Oh, and this is the second album on the list with a version of "Love Hurts." By logic of these being the "must hear" albums of history, does that mean that's one of the most "must hear" songs ever? And does that mean Nazareth is going to appear on the list?
I’ve never liked country music. This is a good example of why.
This was such a wonderful change from most of my recent albums -- I will definitely listen again.
Emmylou was robbed. She’s ann amazing singer and shines through Gram’s heroin-addled performance.
Generic country
3.5/5. Emmylou Harris is queen.
Great album what a voice tragic story.
Parsons' vocals are emotive and genuine, perfectly suited to the lyrical themes. The harmonies, particularly with Emmylou Harris, are a standout feature, adding depth and resonance to the tracks.
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
Tennessee country at its finest. I'm guessing this is the original love hurts song as well.
Some occasional highlights, but nothing to keep my coming back with the exception of two songs.
Enjoyable country rock with a light psychedelic tinge. I could probably write an essay on the reasons why country isn’t necessarily for me, but ultimately this was an enjoyable listening experience.
Excellent mid-century country-rock & roll.
70s Country - not bad but not massively into it either. Vibey here and there. 3/5.
I'm not a country fan but there is something warm and vulnerable about this. Will explore more.
HL: “I Can’t Dance”, “Hickory Wind”, “Love Hurts”, “In My Hour of Darkness” Idk how many versions of “Love Hurts” I’ve listened to at this point but this is easily one of the most moving. Also GP seems to be having more fun here (aside from the devastating ballads) doin his own thing than he did in Sweetheart of the Rodeo! December 21, 2023
Gave it an honest try, but couldn't make it past a few songs. Maybe there's some country out there for me, but this isn't it.
Loved this and went down a rabbit hole on his bio, then binged on Emmy Lou as a follow-up.
Meh
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.
No. No Country Music.
No. 65/1001 Return of the Grievous Angel 4/5 Hearts on Fire 2/5 I Can't Dance 3/5 Brass Buttons 4/5 1000$ Wedding 4/5 Medley 3/5 Love Hurts 3/5 Ooh Las Vegas 2/5 In My Hour of Darkness 3/5 Average: 3,11 Okay-ish country rock
It was pretty good!
Very pleasant and melodious!
This was really solid, classic country. I enjoyed it.
I really just don't care for country.
Joa 2 Sterne
Grievous on the ears.
Had some great tunes considering it's country!
This is entirety too country for me. Skip.
Ich vermute hinter dem ganzen Country-Gedudel verstecken sich mindestens 2 gute Songs. Positiv überrascht.
It's fine, but it's just boring country music. Maybe one or two of the songs I would have liked if they were a different genre. My favourite song was Brass Buttons.
Cosmic Americana. Sick.
I was surprised. I didn't expect this to be a country album. It was a great change of pace, and right in my wheelhouse. Very enjoyable!!
Not bad, different to usual music but catchy country
3.5/5
I didn’t enjoy this. But only because it’s shit.
I generally like acoustic music and was looking forward to this but it's just boring, mid tempo and beige songs. Not anything I would revisit in any mood.
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.
I started this project to expand my horizons, knowing full well there would be many albums I didn’t like, but committing to listen anyway. With one exception: I will NOT listen to any fucking country music.
A great country album. Emmylou Harris’ vocals ties it all together so beautifully.
honky tonk blues. Emmylou Harris is great and also still not enough.
Not for me
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Love hurts
Once I was at a party/bluegrass jam where someone sang Hickory Wind with the melody just a little different at that "it makes me feel better" chord change. It was one of the best things I've ever heard and I'll never hear it again. This album also rules. music: appreciated. (⌐■_■)
Loved this one
Very nice one. Emmylou Harris sounds great. Gram Parsons was just a name to me before, this will be a re-listen for sure.
Wonderful songs, sung beautifully, with a lovely cameo from Emmylou Harris. Flawless alt-country / Americana / folk-rock. Right up my street, and a huge influence on many artists I love.
Fun country. I liked the guitar.
Solid easy listening. He and Emmylou Harris sound good together
Nope, not my thing. Too whiny
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
Amazing
Cosmic Country is a lovely genre that I wish didn’t become the stomp n holler genre it is today for California slow rock. The Flying Burritos have a little more adventurous tendencies with their guitar solos, but as a stand alone project this is also great! I love Grams style, and I love the matchup with Emmylou. You could tell me this is outlaw country and I would believe it. Exceptional songwriting and exceptional attention to the detail.
5/10, didn't like this form of country that much. Inclusion of a live performance on this album was not a highlight
Ugh, mér leiðist kallaköntrí ennþá.
Country. Ni fu ni fa.
I love Gram Parsons and could listen to him as much as any musician ever, but it’s not a perfect album!
I never knew much about Gram Parsons other than that he was involved with the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers and was very influential in bringing a country flavor to rock. So, I took the opportunity to go down a Gram Parsons Wikipedia rabbit hole while listening to today's album. Here are a few interesting things I learned: He died at only 26 years old, after making this album but before it was released. Very sad. His wife was very jealous of Emmylou Harris, and when Parsons died, she took the opportunity to remove Harris as an equal partner on the album, relegating her to a credit on the back of the album, and removed one song (Sleepless Nights) that heavily featured Emmylou. After he died, his friends, knowing that he loved Joshua Tree and wanted his ashes scattered there, stole his body, drove it to Joshua Tree in a borrowed hearse, poured 5 gallons of gasoline in the open coffin, and threw in a lit match. They were arrested, but there was no law against stealing a dead body, so they were just fined for stealing a coffin and leaving his remains in the desert. Now those are some good friends. Okay, onto the music. I'm funny about country, because some of my favorite music is country/alternative country or whatever you want to call it. Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Wilco, The Be Good Tanyas, and others of that ilk are among my all-time favorite artists. But if the country veers too much into "traditional" country territory then I really dislike it. For me, this album falls right in the middle. I like it, but it's maybe a bit too country-ish for me. Regardless, I'm giving it 4 stars out of respect for the influence that Gram Parsons had on music in his short career.
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.
I can see the soul on display, and I get the tragic bent to it. But I do think it is maybe a notch down from 5, due to lacking a strong shine for me.
Gross.
Good stuff
Poor deity fearing Americana.
So many people and artists I respect love Gram Parsons, but sadly, I can't get past the music being a bit dull and meandering. Americana like this just always leaves me cold, sadly.
Classic country, Gram Parsons even has the authentic real life experience which makes the album that much more genuine. Country music at its core can be an excellent story told thru song of real experiences both hard or joyful. Somewhere along the timeline soft southern boys grabbed hold of it and ruined the genre and made a mockery of it. It’s coming back around but what Parsons and Emmylou Harris did here was genuine country music, boisterous Cash on the Barrelhead was a riot and the toned down twang of Hearts on Fire was beautiful. The story of Parsons death and following theft of his body only add to the lore. Great twang! 4 stars
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...
Just a bit too boring and uninteresting. It not difficult to listen too, and slightly unmelodic at times, but the track themselves, for what they are... country-folk, tend to blend together with nothing that really stands out as being enjoyable.
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
Can't do country
Sad cowboy 🤠 good
Country AF but not a bad listen
A little more country than I usually go for, but still good tunes
ok...
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
Country gówno, smuty. 2/5 może 3
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
Big no, just not my style.
is it really that hard to pronounce graham?
Fucking cuntry again. Fuck off and die, Gram. If you haven't already. Let me check.... Oh, he is dead...well great. Good. Wait..he died in 1973 and this was released in 1974. Maybe it wasn't his fault. Maybe he never meant for this dogshit to be released. I take it all back, Gram.
General Grievous Angel
Meh
Aika karmeeta countya yleismeininki, mutta noi vähän rokkaavammat raidat ihan jees 2/5
No johan onpas hyvä. Ehkä paras kuulemani kantrilevy. Voisi ostaa cd:nä autoon road trippejä varten, jos omistaisin auton.
Keskimääräistä parempaa kantria! 3.5/5
Country is always nice to me, but it's a bit plain
Not my jam.
Deze plaat vind ik nogal slaapweekend. Maar had toch 2 leuks nummers
Its country by todays standards. I did not like many country artists before and this album is a good example of why I don't like it.
A legend but not for me, songs are just to C&W for me, I live the city life.
Not exactly my style, but it was executed fairly well. Low 3
an album I've put on about 6 or so times, so I can try to get it under the skin, to see what I'm missing. All I've come away with was that our other Gram Parsons album was better. The Emmylou Harris features are the highlight for me– she's been a surprising find on this list. I just don't think I remember a single song on repeated listens, except for Love Hurts. It's all a blur. Pleasant listen, but then again, we have enough of that. 2/5
one of these names I know but don't know his work. Definitely had its moments but I think I prefer other offerings from the genre he helped develop
Force me to listen to this a few more times I might start liking it! Standouts: Love Hurts 3.5
Don't mind me while I go cut something in the carpark
Really great album and I largely hate Country music (mostly contemporary Country). That it was a nice listen and even more impressive considering he died at 26. 7/10
I try to be as open as I can when it comes to listening to music. I enjoy lots of different genres and I want to enjoy as many different kinds of music as I can. That is really the whole reason I'm doing this 1001 albums thing in the first place. But one genre I've always stayed away from was country. I think I've realized after listening to this that I just don't like modern 21st century country music. Country music that is designed entirely to top charts. They all sing about the same things. Their voices all sound the same, and the music all sounds the same. It is just drab to me. I couldn't care less for it. But thankfully, I can say that this Gram Parsons album displays none of those characteristics. It does pretty much the opposite of everything I just said, and I love it for that. Gram has a wonderful voice that still has a country twang to it. And his guitar work along with James Burton is fantastic. Each song on this has plenty of heart to it, and you can tell there is real passion behind these songs. Although he may be singing about similar topics to those in modern country music, like love, religion, and heartbreak, the grace and soul he puts into it makes it far better. "$1000 Wedding", for example, is a beautiful song led by the piano. Also, can I just say that the pedal steel guitar is one of the coolest instruments ever, and it sounds awesome. Gram Parsons and this album give me hope there is more country music out there I can enjoy, because there is truly something great here, and I would love to hear more of it.
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
Some good songs, Emmylou Harris deserves as much credit as Gram though.
Excellent
They say this is an important country album as it takes in some rock and roll influences. I’ll have to take their word for it since I’m not an expert but it’s not too remarkable for me.
Just more boring white dude prog crap.
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.
Well, I didn't like Flying Burrito Brothers, so it's not a surprise I don't like Gram Parsons' album. It sounds like a classic country album, which means it is mediocre at best. Struggled to finish it, and I'm happy I stopped trying.
Gram Parsons va brillar més en els seus discos en solitari que amb els seus treballs amb bandes tan documentades i reivindicades com The Byrds i The Flying Burrito Brothers. En aquest segon -i últim- disc sota el seu nom deixa bona mostra del seu talent en temes com el que dona títol, 'Brass Buttons', 'Hearts on Fire', 'In My Hour of Darkness', o en la bonica versió de 'Love Hurts'. Country, però variat i divers, un molt bon disc de música
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.
This never broke through for me aside from good musicianship? Are we rating things on that level? Nothing against Gram Parsons but I like his brother's project better.
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.
Influential artist in his time and after, but not my cup of tea.
An interesting country album
Acceptable. I am the grand juror of music.
Weird country shit
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.
Not my cuppa but p easy on the ears
Short and sweet
Leans very country. $1000 Wedding: good ballad. Also liked Ooh Las Vegas. ** 1/2
VMP
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.
I don’t know what you’d call Grahams sound. Well, besides fantastic. Mixing country, blues, bluegrass and folk with a little help from friend Emmylou Harris he crafts one of the 1970s first country releases. A simply produced expertly executed melange of sound and feeling. A true artist gone far too soon.
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
Everything I’ve read makes me think I would like this, but I don’t.
Such a depressing album-it’s quite literally the classic sad stereotypical country music. Listen again: no Purchase for my collection: no Favourite Song: none
Great harmonies from Emmylou Harris, clean production. I'm a sucker for a slide guitar. Favorite tracks: "Return of the Grievous Angel", "I Can't Dance", "Medley Live from Nothern Quebec"
But too country for my tastes
Not really my bag, but fun.
Apparently a cut above the rest of the C+W crowd, but, in reality, much the same. Feel sorry for the unthanked vocalist who backs him up considerably on this
I am not a country fan but I think I have developed some appreciation for Gram Parsons, what he represents and all the lore surrounding him: what’s true, what’s not, the times he delighted his audience, the times he embarrassed himself. Grievous Angel is a great album, full of energy, heart, and passion. The voices arrangements are charming and the instrumentation is outstanding. In general, it’s a unpretentious record that doesn’t take a lot of time from your life and makes you happy.
Not my thang. Is this the OG Love Hurts? (2.5/5)
I enjoyed this quite a bit. An Emmylou Harris guest spot is always appreciated ttoo.its too bad Gram passed away so young.
Typical country album.
Emmylou makes everything better, yeah?
Sue Perb
2.5
Country is usually not my thing, but I enjoyed this album. I Can't Dance, Brass Buttons being up there.
With the album title of Grievous Angel and songs such as In My Hour of Darkness and Return of the Grievous Angel I was expecting some Melodic Doom Metal or some Prog Rock. Perhaps I was thinking of the ‘other Parsons’ and his project. This was not it.
Fucking incredible.
ahoo
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.
Cosmic American music as described
Pretty good country music but what's with the myspace photo for the cover??? Hilariously bad.
I have to think this is the OG Love Hurts song on here. Hate to say it but I like Def Leppards better. This was a fine album, but not sure what makes it on this list besides the wild story about this guy's passing.
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.
Not all harmonies are good harmonies. 2/5
stars for emmylou tbh
Listened through a few times. Didn't move me. The live track in the middle seemed like a strange choice. Generic middle of the road country.
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
Always liked this sound from the 70’s with the melding of country and soft rock.
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.
Its the most *country* country album I've heard. The opening to the first track made me cringe so much I couldn't do it
Basic bitch country. Skuffa over at I Can't Dance ikkje va samme sang som den Genesis-sangen. Og skuffa over at han skreiv Love Hurts
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!
Thank God I never have to listen to this again
i liked it a lot more than i expected to. i went in expecting modern country, which i find absolutely intolerable, but i found this a lot more pleasant and folksy. it's not really exciting, but it's nice enough that i can't give it a three, which i wanna reserve for really 'ok' stuff. sounded a lot like fallout new vegas music (which makes me want to play it again). pretty nostalgic-sounding, it reminded me of hawaiian music. this is pretty much the only form of country music i can tolerate; four stars.
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.
I still refuse to believe that Country is a popular enough genre to justify having about 50 entries on this list. Imagine all the cool Asian, African and Eastern European albums they could have put on there instead. Not the worst album I've ever heard, but.. come on man. Imagine dying and your last words being "My only regret in life is that I never got to hear that 1974 Gram Parsons album". You're banished from the omniverse, old man. Also negative points for making me think that this was going to be something cool, because the title "Grievous Angel" is metal as fuck. Foiled again.
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.
I had to pop an extra Lipitor this morning from consuming all the cheese in this album.
Blurgh. I had a friend in high school we called him Dime Bag because he always had weed. He followed to the Grateful Dead. If he wasn't in class, he was probably getting high in some VW bus in his Birkenstocks in between shows. Anyhow, Dime Bag was really chill and flew under the radar. He had an older sister named Nicki and she was amazing. Their parents were alcoholics. Dime Bag's real name was Graham. This Gram Parsons album sucked. I was really disappointed in it.I'd heard a lot about this Gram Parsons guy and was excited about listening to him, but the boring twang and slow roll had me looking at the clock after the first two tracks.
After the first two tracks, I was about to say that "Grievous Angel" should be taken out to the California desert, doused with gasoline, and set ablaze. But then it got a little better, with some decent bluegrass moments, and I found out that the desert cremation routine was actually undertaken when a couple of Parsons' confidants stole his body from the Los Angeles airport following his death. So maybe that joke would be in poor taste? Parsons' story is certainly a turbulent one, and not just the events that followed his death. If he'd succumbed to his demons just two months later, Parsons would be a member of the infamous 27 Club. But listening to "Grievous Angel," I never would have guessed that his youth included his father's suicide two days before Christmas or his mother's death from cirrhosis on the day of his high school graduation. I never would have guessed that he was a trust-fund kid who's grandfather owned 1/3 of the citrus farms in Florida. I never would have guessed that he went to Harvard (well, only for a few months and likely only on his family's connections). I never would have guessed that he did many, many drugs with Keith Richards. Because there is no sign of that darkness and turmoil on "Grievous Angel." It's a pretty boring country and bluegrass album. Nothing particularly stands out. Nothing feels like "cosmic American music," as he dubbed his style that was allegedly a hybrid of country and rock.
This album displays some of the down home, aww shucks-ness that I hate about traditional country. I Can’t Dance, Love Hurts, and Ooh Las Vegas are the only tracks worth a hoot.
Best part was when the album ended and Spotify played Nick Drake after
Country. Ni fu ni fa.
Country. Sin más.
country meh
Ok
Had not listened to Grievious Angel for a long time (usually prefer to go for Sweetheart of the Rodeo or so) but GA is an excellent album of course: perfect vocals, best version of Love Hurst, several other 5-star songs such as 1000 dollar wedding, in my hour of darkness. The other songs are obviously strong as well, but I care less about them. Overall score: 8/10 (mainly 3-star and 4-star songs and three absolute 5-star songs)
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.
This is really Parsons & Harris, their voices combine excellently with each other.
Cosmic American Music. It's great revisiting Parsons who was easily the best known of this genre of 70s country music that has spawned so much interest in mining compilations from he likes of archival labels like Numero Group. This record is beautiful and sound such a part of the fabric of American music. An absolute pleasure to listen to.
Really didn’t like this at the start. Came around on it by the end tho.
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.
Not a fan of this style at all.
I thought this was a very good country album-- I love Emmylou Harris-- but not something I see myself revisiting
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.
These songs are smooth and frictionless, it's hard to find anything wrong with them - does that mean they're perfect, or does it mean they're boring? The only real moment of confusion for me was the random live track. Ok, I'm reading now that the live track was fake, with canned applause, which actually makes it even more confusing. Overall though, really solid songs and performances.
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
I’ll fight y’all.
Was ok to listen to kinda had a country blues kinda funk to it.
One star for country. Another for not being the trashy country that exists today. I didn't really enjoy this.
Pedal steel was cool. Nothing groundbreaking. Vocals SUCKED. Kara wanted to give a 1.
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.
Kort plaatje, maar goed ook want echt boeiend was het niet.
Eerste country plaat die ik zonder te kokhalzen binnen heb gehouden.
Waarom moet een countryplaat doorgaans meestal uitmonden in gezapige, jengelende bleh-muziek?
The swan song for Gram Parsons is also the coming out party for one Emmylou Harris. Their version of "Love Hurts" is the standard. You can't help but imagine the sort of future they would have had together, nevermind the fact that the great Emmylou went on to a legendary country music career that Gram Parsons could have enjoyed had not had so many demons frighten him. As it is, we have Parsons to thank for giving us the best Byrds album, The Flying Burrito Brothers, the Nudie Suit, and Emmylou Harris.
too much country for my own good
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
Country-rock suave con voces muy logradas. Agradable de escuchar. Algún tema muy reconocible.
Wonderful to hear Emmylou Harris unveiled on this album which is enjoyable in parts but ultimately a little frivolous to be truly meaningful. The loss of Parsons too sad, thought, as this showed much promise - much more would have followed, much more to give.
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
Country aaaahhhh
Almost as terrible as the album cover.
Not for me
Not my kind of music, sure, but I cannot deny this is very pleasant music - especially when Emmylou Harris joins.
Late, great Gram Parsons!
3.5
7/10. Solid country
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
Taken too soon, he's a country rock genius and this album is fantastic. Great Emmylou Harris vocals as well. 5 stars.
love it
Nigh worthless
"Out with the truckers, the kickers and the cowboys" ... *skip* Nope. It picks up a little bit after that first atrocious song, but I haven't found too many redeeming factors on this album. A lot of it is stockstandard country, with a little interesting step-outs to bluegrass and Rock&Roll. Gram Parsons life was a lot more interesting than his music.
I’m one ear and out the other
Pretty decent old school country. I'm a sucker for a lap steel guitar, so that bumps it up for me too.
Good for its genre. I just don't seem to get a lot from this genre, sadly 3/5
Pretty nice country, and I like how Parsons’ back-up singer compliments him. Maybe not the most exciting sound out there, but it works pretty well together. B-
A bit too twangy country for me. I do like Emmylou, 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.
Never liked country music and I don’t think I ever will. I’m sure this is a belter if you like this sort of thing, but its not for me.
With a name like grievous angel I thought this might be a Scandinavian doom metal concept album but it's a largely schmaltzy country thing. There was something about it that was slightly more interesting than similar albums but I couldn't tell you what.
Rather charming. Quite nice background music. Nothing does jump out at you to be fair, so can't go higher than 3 stars.