Grievous Angel

Kind of just posthumous thrown-together county slop. Some ok ditties mixed in. 2/5

cantri

I ordered a tasty and nourishing Flying Burrito but I was served an underwhelming taco.

😭😇 / 5

I can't stand country

Pre Listen:
Another lad I'm entirely unfamiliar with. I always assume that artists who include just themselves on the album cover, and minimal else, have a bit of an ego. Sometimes it's earned, other times (most of the time) it's not. Unsure of what genre this could be, but judging off of Gram's appearance (who I assume is the guy on the cover) probably some sort of singer-song writer rock.

Notable Tracks:
Love Hurts - Oh, I actually know a song on this thing. I like this one a lot, I can't recall where I first heard it, but it's certainly the highlight of the album, and my favorite. Those vocal harmonies are simply superb.

Post Listen:
Didn't think I recognize a song on here. Neat.

I think I'm country'd out having got this album. It's a genre I'm normally quite bleh on, don't hate it, don't love it. I've gotten like 3 country albums just before this one, and this one was alright. Gram's voice is alright, the female vocalist he's got with him is a little more talented I think, but both are fine overall. Instrumental work is fine as well, no notes there. The overall sound of the album is a little generic, if you're a country lover though, this is likely one of the most classic ones out there. Didn't dislike anything, but nothing stuck out except for the mentioned song.

It alright. I need a break from country music though. 3/5

lovely

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

3

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

Elevator country music

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

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

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

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.

countryzinho normal, hein.
nada demais, mas tbm nada que seja ruim. foi de boa!

Cosmic. If only it was credited to Emmylou, too.

Country rock flourished in the 70’s largely because of Gram Parsons, the later Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and their diaspora. Jot entirely my cup of tea, and the next wave even less so, but important and innovative music.

Grievous Angel by Gram Parsons is a really enjoyable listen, which surprised me slightly considering this is predominantly a country album! This is definitely the type of country music I can get on board with. It's less twangy and banjo-heavy than a lot of the country albums I've struggled with during this challenge and has much more going on musically.

The real star of the show for me, though, is Emmylou Harris. I completely agree with the reviewer who said her name should have been on the album alongside Gram Parsons. Her voice is absolutely stunning and works beautifully with his. Whenever they sing together, the album seems to go up another level.

There are some genuinely beautiful songs on here as well. Their version of "Love Hurts" is lovely, and the whole album has a warm, relaxed sound that makes it incredibly easy to listen to. It's country music, but with enough folk and rock mixed in to make it much more interesting to me.

Overall, this was a really pleasant surprise and another country album from this challenge that I'd happily listen to again.

Favourite track: "Love Hurts" is beautiful, largely because Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris sound so good together. "Return of the Grievous Angel" is also a great tune and a brilliant way to open the album.

Least favourite track: Everything on here is worth a listen. There wasn't anything I particularly disliked.

Album artwork: Really cool album cover. Simple and effective.

As someone who owns this album, I was genuinely surprised that this is rated so low. I'll concede that Hearts on Fire and I Can't Dance are skippable, but don't the rest of you find those Emmylou Harris harmonies on Love Hurts, $1000 Wedding and the title track truly spine tingling? No? Just me? Ok.

Nice country album

A fantastic album with a hearty bit of lore to it. Released a couple of months after Parsons’ untimely death due to a morphine overdose, this album is the accidental swansong of the man who made some of the more acclaimed country-psych of the late 60s, with The Byrds and Flying Burrito Bros, and the introductory work for fledgling Emmylou Harris, who would go on to have her own beautiful and illustrious career in the genre. The slower, sadder songs on here, such as opener “Return of the Grievous Angel,” “Hearts On Fire,” “Brass Buttons,” “$1000 Wedding,” the list goes on, are all incredible. Harris provides frequent harmonies, all of which add a lot to the songs, and Parson’s vocals are quite great, with a wonderful range of passion and sensitivity. The songs are frequently multi-parted, in a way that feels like every single section is the chorus in some way. “In My Hour Of Darkness” is a beautiful send-off to Parsons, even if no one knew it was that. Awesome album.
8.6/10
DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES
REASON: send-off to a minor legend of country, as well as introduction to another legend, as well as immense quality.