Grievous Angel

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.

Pretty cozy

Standout Track: Love Hurts

I was not sold straight off the jump but this grew on me as it continued. This was a pleasant listen and Emmylou Harris’ vocals are a nice inclusion. Good song variety. Favorite songs were I Can’t Dance, $1000 Wedding, and Love Hurts.

Pure Americana - twangy country and lush gospel, warm and laid back, a pleasantly stoned swimming hole on a sweaty afternoon of an album.

it's like a bowl of overcooked butter noodles

I think the problem with these country albums (for me at least) is that they'd be much more bearable if the guys just stopped singing

This kind of country rock blend is like nails on a chalkboard to me. I’m glad this one is behind me.

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.

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.

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.

Pretty middle of the road "no complaints from me" classic country, but nothing stands out to push the rating about three stars. Standout track: Ooh, Las Vegas

If you didn't read the Gram Parsons Wikipedia article, do so. Guy had an interesting life, death, and post-death, for sure.

On another note, Parsons was in the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and made two solo albums before he turned 27. It's amazing to me to see the monumental amount of creative productivity of some of these musicians while they're basically kids. And this one in particular was instrumental in the creation of an entire genre of music. Wild stuff. Humans are amazing

Not a weak track here and the two singers have great chemistry. Going 4 but I can see 5 one day

emmy lou is amazing; otherwise, this is a fantasy camp country album

Could have been much worse

Well it wasn't *awful* as far as Country goes........

Standout: Return Of The Grievous Angel

I'm always surprised by how much I enjoy old-school country. Emmylou Harris might be the best part of this album, but Gram Parsons has a particular sound that serves the music well, even if it's rather more nasal than I prefer. "$1000 Wedding" and "In My Hour of Darkness" were standouts for me.

Favorite track(s): Return of the Grievous Angel, Brass Buttons, In My Hour of Darkness

I didnt expect to like it but i really did!

One Gram is the correct amount of Parsons.

Disclaimer: Dosage recommendations vary based on body weight, tolerance, and several additional factors. Please consult a professional before starting Parsons.