Grievous Angel

I liked this, some good country that lent quite rock. Good vocals.

What a lovely album. Harmonies roaring through the sky, melancholy in the air.

Emmylou Harris, BARF

so no credit for emmylou who basically carried this album?

I thought it was going to be a little painful to get through the twanginess of this album, but I was pleasantly surprised. It felt like the twang really magnified the power of the vocals and lyrics and made the heartache. The harmonies were really beautiful. I had no idea Emmylou Harris was on this record. She is such a musical powerhouse as a solo artist and it was cool to hear her on these songs. “Hearts on Fire” was my favorite track by far, but it will rip your heart out so won’t necessarily be a go-to song for me on the reg. The most interesting part of this album for me was “Love Hurts” and seeing how many people have recorded it. I only knew the Nazareth version before. It turns out the Everly Brothers have the OG version 1960).

7.5/10. Despite being a country album, possibly my least favorite genre, I enjoyed this album a lot. It definitely had an alt- or rock sound to it, which was vindicated by finding out a member of Eagles played electric guitar on a few of the songs. It started with a bunch of energy and slowed down through the back half, but rightfully so, as it became more impactful in its messaging. Strong vocals throughout, especially the backing vocals by Emmylou Harris, that made for a very solid piece of work.

After yesterday's Fatboy Slim experience, this was a welcome change of pace! I'm a big Johnny Cash fan, but I have to be in the right mood for really old-school country. Fortunately, Gram Parsons delivers a wonderful blend of traditional country, honky-tonk, and country rock. One of the highlights is his chemistry with Emmylou Harris. Their harmonies are beautiful, especially on "Love Hurts," a version I already knew and loved. "I Can't Dance" and "Cash on the Barrelhead" were a lot of fun. "Brass Buttons" reminded me of the early Eagles, while "$1000 Wedding" impressed me with its heartbreaking storytelling. My favorite discovery was "Ooh Las Vegas." It has the energy of Johnny Cash and June Carter at a faster pace, with a little Elvis Presley "Viva Las Vegas" thrown in. The closing track, "In My Hour of Darkness," reminded me of John Denver, with its gentle, heartfelt sound and gorgeous harmonies. I enjoyed every song on this album. While traditional country isn't always my first choice, there's enough variety, excellent songwriting, and beautiful musicianship here to make this a record I'd happily own. Favorite Familiar: Love Hurts Favorite Discovery: Ooh Las Vegas Vinyl Verdict: BUY!

Not for me

Honestly not a fan of the twang. I looked at his Spotify profile and he's one of the origins of country music, so good for him.

Not my genre at all, but for what it was it was pleasant

lovely

too country for me

What a snoozefest.

Forgettable. Nothing wrong with it but forgot I even listened to it when I was done.

4/10

Fine...just fine

I’ve come to the conclusion that I have way more respect for Gram Parsons on paper than in my headphones. 3 - because respect, otherwise my actual enjoyment is much more a 2 Boolean: um… null

Why did I listen to this album and why am I doing this list. RYM: N Saved a song: N

Eh not my thing unfortunately. I like his voice with Emmylou but the songs don’t really hit me.

An important album, that didn't get its due upon release. So great to hear Emmylou Harris duetting with Parsons.

Not bad, the whole duet thing is a decent gimmick with some nice harmonies, but very much became background listening, not my thing Always sad to see a posthumous album

Not really what I was hoping for. I didn’t dislike any of it but seeing the genres and description got me excited 3

A pleasant listen. Nothing bothered me, but at the same time nothing too extraordinary

Not my thing, but I can still appreciate it.

My country music professor told us the story of how gram parson’s body was stolen right off the airplane and I didn’t understand why. I still don’t, but he made some good music

Inoffensive cowboy rock that manages to charm through its solid execution. There’s a reason the country formula is so beloved by some. When it all comes together, like it does on this album, the music feels romantic and homely - which, as a European, is a weird thing to note... The standout feature of "Grievous Angel" is the vocal performances. The male lead has a pleasant timbre and expresses emotion well. You can hear him solo on “Brass Buttons,” an instrumentally sparse song where his singing successfully conveys a bittersweet sense of longing. For most of the album he’s accompanied by a female support singer whose performances are every bit as impressive. Their voices harmonize like they were made for each other. On “Hearts on Fire” the duo sounds so camp and cute it genuinely impressed me. On “Love Hurts” their voices take center stage - it’s probably one of the better renditions of the song I’ve heard. The accompanying band does a good job. While everything stays safely in the realm of country, it’s done very well. I especially like the instrumental fills, which manage to feel musical even while leaning heavily into established motifs. Still, the album plays it too safe to be a real standout. There’s nothing groundbreaking here. The lyrics are clear, relatable and inoffensive. With very little adaptation this could be played on the radio today. I feel a decent 3 for this one.

Not a huge fan of this psychedelic-country fusion stuff. A lot of just sounds a bit underwhelming and isn't really note-worthy in my opinion. It has a nice vibe to be fair, but overall this didn't really hold interest me whatsoever. Highlight Song/s: "$1000 Wedding"

meh

I find myself more than a little liking this entry. Though not usually a great fan of country, this combo of the tragic Parsons and Harris (and Elvis' band) got into my head, and I didn't dislike it.

Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: $1000 Wedding *Reads Wikipedia blurb as I put on first track* *Twangy guitar immediately ensues* First thought: Fuckkkkkkkk. Second thought: God damn it. Third thought: How long is this album? Album: 36 minutes Fourth though: Thank god. 36 minutes later... Fifth thought: Finally...

Big croon for yer nan

Very enjoyable listen, especially compared to his earlier work with The Byrds. I love Emmylou Harris' performance as a backing/duet singer.

Meh

Hey, it's the guy whose buddies stole his corpse and attempted a Very Bad Idea DIY cremation!

Don’t know why but I was digging the twang

It's a chiller of an album, but I don't get all the hype around Parsons.

The kind is music your racist uncle would like

Good

618/1089 - I can see myself returning to this. Overall a pleasant listen with some great duets. Coin toss between a 3 and 4.

Songs are well written and the album is well produced, not many complaints

Such a beautiful, heartfelt, meandering collection of songs. The duets with Emmylou Harris are simply gorgeous.

6/10

I don’t really like this. It’s more country than anything else and it takes a very specific type of country music to click for me. This isn’t it. But I can appreciate the musicianship, the songwriting, and the fact that there are people who are all about this genre. So it isn’t objectively bad, it’s just not for me.

More country. I like the rock-leaning tracks (I Can't Dance felt like it was only a change or two away from being purely a rock-and-roll song) but the slow, almost haunting country isn't for me. Ironically, the songs I liked most were not written by Parsons. I'm not entirely sure why this album made it on here. Maybe I'd get it if I liked country more? I just don't hear it. I understood Dolly being here. I didn't understand this.

Partially known. Pleasant.

Synes denne var vanskelig. Liker mye her, men denne sjangeren blir veldig fort kjedelig for meg. Synes allikevel på det beste at det nesten blir litt Fleetwood Mac-vibes. Karrer seg opp til firern med jevnt over alreite låter og et par ordentlige godlåter, særlig 1000$ Wedding og In My Hour of Darkness.

Jeg er ikke svak for country. Dette gjorde at jeg angret på albumprosjektet

Begynner å lure på hvorfor vi gjør dette. Dette ble for generisk country - helt medium

Greit nok, men litt for tamt for å fenge meg veldig

Yawn. The bit about his wife removing the other singer from the cover was more interesting than the album.

UGH! 😫

Virkelig god!

Lækkert nok, gjorde ikke vildt meget indtryk

Elevator country music

Not my jam. 2 Boolean: null

Country Rock/Singer-Songwriter/Progressive Country Favorite Songs: Return of the Grievous Angel, I Can’t Dance, Love Hurts, Las Vegas Least Favorite Song: I think I’m gonna go with Hearts on Fire So, another Country album. I was expecting to hate this one and think that, once again, country isn’t a genre for me, and how I would think that country shouldn’t have been this popular, especially when white people are using it in this current age are using it towards giving a platform for right wing beliefs or to make some really dumb songs (*cough* Bro-Country *cough*). Or I could go on and on about the twang of it all and just made me felt off-putting with the tracks. But actually…I actually like this album. There’s a couple of slower songs that I just thought that it was just good, but it’s probably not really my overall thing, but then there’s others where it mixes country and rock to make it a bit more unique. Frankly, I think those songs are the major highlights on this album for me. I also should mention about his vocals, as I really like them, and the feature towards Emmylou Harris as well. So, yeah, I think it’s actually a great album. 8/10

Nice work. Emmylou makes this record but some fine work by Gram and Elvis’ back band on at least some songs seed yhis album sreaddle country and pop with swagger and aplomb.

A little research told me that this was a very innovative album for the time because it was one of the first pop country albums. And that would be great if I wasn’t the kind of person who can’t stand country.

Good, but overall not my vibe - classic country

Enjoyable album.

Country pop. Not what I expected. The dancier stuff I could see dancing too slightly drunk at a country bar. The am radio stuff is dull. Ok

Can't get into it.

Eh, this was fine. Nothing groundbreaking but there were a few good songs here.

Country-Schmalz

So sad that GP died so young and of something so avoidable. His voice was just sublime and the songs are so beautiful.

I thought I would like this album more than I do. 3 stars or C+.

This is a great Emmylou Harris record.

i like any genre and most of the timme blame the artist. but it seems llike its very hard to make good music with this genre

There are some cringeworthy moments, typically when Parsons lends a heavy "twang" to his voice.

Uh, just some pleasant, inoffensive country? Without knowing additional context about this (and I'd argue it is not self-evident) I don't see what the big deal is. Absolutely just OK, but really not exciting or noteworthy. At as I am on today's day, I feel as if 3/5 is too much, since I am utterly not impressed in any specific way, even if giving it a 2/5 feels far too harsh for what appears to be a set of lovely country tunes. Other similar records were more fun or moving emotionally, this one isn't, and then it's just kinda... There.

Good old country by itself is always very pleasing to the ears, that's never surprising. Despite liking it however, I found myself, especially towards the end after the live medley, thinking I've already listened to this exact style, delivery, and instrumentation elsewhere and liking it more. The live medley was a great addition though and makes me think if I would've enjoyed this more as a live album; something to ponder I guess.

Emmylou makes anything better

I liked Emmylou's vocals a lot more than Gram Parsons. Interesting story behind this album.

Delightful album of love songs and country rock. Emmylou shines and should be a co-title author.

Generally not a fan of country and western. I'm wondering if there's any better examples

I'm so tired of this guy and the whole Byrds Burritos Americana sphere on this list, nobody needs to hear that much of it.

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

Okay, wow. I liked that so much more than I thought I would. I do not like country, no sir. But I could hang with this for 36 minutes and change.

I’ve never had sex with a relative - maybe that’s why I just can’t get into country. This is a particularly awful example of that - one only the yanks could enjoy.

Ei

One of the better country albums I’ve listened to. Very pleasant

First country album i really liked. Good job Gram

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

Unfortunately some terrible singing

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.

Cosmic American music, from a trust fund kid who dreamed big and burned the candle at both ends. Emmylou Harris is the real star here - every time she comes in with a harmony, everything is lifted. Docked one star for the terrible pretend-live medley.

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.

It appears that everything, even country music, was better during the 70s.

Grievous Angel is a very basic country album. I don't know much about this guy but he seems to have lived a short but very interesting life seeing as he has a whole Wikipedia page about his death. One of the few interesting things about this album is that it features a young Emmylou Harris and i will very confidently say that her vocals are easily the highlight of this album. The other aspects are just very typical for a country album. The guitars and Gram's vocals sound exactly like you would expect in an album like this. The album did thankfully go at a brisk pace like most other country albums do so that's nice. This is a perfectly fine country album but nothing super special. Best Song: $1000 Wedding Worst Song: Medley Live from Northern Quebec

Is Emmylou Harris the most prominently featured artist in this list? Not even female artist, but overall. This is my fifth album she’s featured on before I hit 200 (very cool!)

I have this album and listen to it a lot, as well as the tribute album. I go through phases on fave songs. Sometimes opening number, “Return if the Grevioys Angel,” other times “Hickory Wind” or “I Can’t Dance.” Gram Parsona did well when selecting Emmy Lou Harris as a duet partner.

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

Decent.

Mycket fint men också mycket bös. GP, heart at the rodeo och gilded palace of sin mycket bättre parsons-material

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

Nä, för tråkigt och emellanåt lite för larvig dansbandscountry.

Emmylouuuuuuu och Gram är en bra kombo alltså. Påminner om Eagles på ett bra sätt! Stark trea, kanske fyra

Försökt "fatta" GP förr, då svenska kulturskribenter blev country. Innan alla andra. Då var det ett jäkla tjat om GP. Men det är ju rätt trist och kanske är ännu ett körsbär på glassen för de som menar att rika aldrig kan skapa intressant konst