Produced under the excellent guidance of
Emmylou Harris, this
album is truly incredible. Having only been introduced to the
music of legendary
Gram Parsons a few weeks before, I took a chance ordering this
CD from Amazon. And boy, did it pay off. There are nights when I throw this album in my
player, hit
repeat and let it roll, 'till the programmed timer kicks in at about 3:30 am to
silence my stereo.
Most 'tribute' albums are not worth the plastic (or
vinyl, whatever) they're printed on, but this one is worth double its weight in gold. It
features songs from throughout Gram Parsons - too short -
career, that are
performed by a mix of
artists that surprised me. Like, what the hell are
Beck and the
Cowboy Junkies doin' there?
But, it turns out this is one of the
fortes of this album. The
renditions of each and every
song are as unique and different as the artists that perform them, and this gives the album a quality unlike most other albums in my collection.
Two
quotes from the
inlay of the CD:
While the Eagles polished Parsons' country-rock to a multiplatinum sheen,
his original vision was hell-bent, haunted, and heart-wrenching.
The 13 songs chosen by the contributors include a pair from the Byrds' 1968
milestone album Sweetheart of the Rodeo, three from the Burritos' 1969
debut The Gilded Palace of Sin, one from 1970's Burrito Deluxe, a pair
from 1973's GP, and four from Grievous Angel, released in early '74, a few
months after Parsons' death. The remaining song, and lone non-original, is
"Sleepless Nights."
Songs on the album
- She by Pretenders & Emmylou Harris
- Ooh Las Vegas by Cowboy Junkies
- Sin City by Beck & Emmylou Harris
- $1,000 Wedding by Evan Dando & Julianna Hatfield
- Hot Burrito #1 by The Mavericks
- High Fashion Queen by Chris Hillman & Steve Earle
- Juanita by Sheryl Crow & Emmylou Harris
- Sleepless Nights by Elvis Costello
- Return of the Grievous Angel by Lucinda Williams & David Crosby
- One Hundred Years from Now by Wilco
- A Song For You by Whiskeytown
- Hickory Wind by Gillian Welch
- In My Hour of Darkness by The Rolling Creekdippers