Grievous Angel

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.

Found myself enjoying most of these tunes, with a few that were just okay that came along for the ride as well. Adding Emmylou Harris to the mix is a surefire way to guarantees happy ears, though.

I had a brief period 20+ years with this album. I wanted to like it so bad but it just didn't do it for me. Still the same today

When you're praying an album to end half way through the first track then you know you're in trouble. There was "rock" in this? Well I fucking didn't hear any!

This twangy steel guitar country sound isn't my favourite, generally speaking, and so when he's singing half of the tracks out of tune (presumably stoned) then it's not going to make things better. Emmylou Harris is ok. She should've steered clear though.

Now THAT'S what I call country music!

Thought this was fine, no big impact on me either way. I'm not a big country fan, enjoyed the harmonies though.

I dig the instrumentals but the overall sound is a little too James Taylor California soft rock for me. It’s like that but a little more country leaning, more fiddle and stuff which is cool. The lady singer who does harmonies was really good too.

Did not want to start a new year by listening to country

This is one of those albums where my immediate reaction was not good, but quickly found myself enjoying it. His singing honestly isn't great, but it works, and having Emmylou Harris backing is fantastic. Some of the more honky tonk stuff I'm not a fan of but songs like Brass Buttons are great.

Overall, decent record.

I will not stand for Emmylou Harris erasure, Gretchen!

Just not a huge fan of storytime country I suppose. Parsons doesn't scratch an itch I have.

De eerste 10 zinnen van dit album bevatten de woorden: back to town, porch, parlor, cowboy angels en saloon. Yep, dit is full frontal country. Inclusief het bijbehorende accent. Om het te breken wordt er af en toe nog wat gegrold. Met bijvoorbeeld een jodel tussendoor. Daarbuiten voegt het weinig toe aan het country oeuvre wat we al door moesten worstelen.

Was für ein hässliches Cover, aber die Geschichte dahinter auf Wikipedia zum schmunzeln.
Ich dachte immer Country wäre ganz schrecklich, aber dazwischen gibt es auch vereinzelt gute Perlen. Fands nicht schlecht.

First time listening to this album.

I was a teenager in the 90s, and at the time, I thought I hated country. It turns out I just hated 90s country.This album is some real high quality classic country. And for as much as this is a Gram Parsons album, it really feels like Emmylou Harris is regularly stealing the spotlight. I'm not complaining about that. And this album also has one of the better versions of "Love Hurts."

I'd listen to this one again.

A nice enough album on the whole. Was a bit boring though and forgettable

3 ⭐️

Few gems especially the Love Hurts cover.

Another day, another good album. A few wonderful songs on here. This version of Love Hurts sounds great and Las Vegas is one of the best country songs of this time. Not all the songs quite hit this level of greatness, but it's an overall enjoyable listen.

Really great album, and Harris’s duet take it to the next level.

Better than Coldplay

I was not familiar with Gram Parsons before. Apparently, he was a member of groups like the Flying Burrito Brothers and, more notably, the Byrds. In fact, his contributions to the latter led to the stylistic shift in the Byrds' music from psychedelia to country rock. After time spent in those groups, he pursued a solo career, working alongside singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris and Elvis Presley's "Taking Care of Business" backing band. However, after finishing the mixing for his second solo album, Parsons went on vacation in Joshua Tree, California, where he died after a fatal overdose of drugs and alcohol. For all intents and purposes, Grievous Angel ended up a posthumous release.

I will say, this was a decent slice of country rock from Gram, Emmylou, and company. The twanging guitar work, vocal harmonies, and tight rhythm section come together for a mostly solid listen alongside heartfelt lyrics that reflect on relationships that have faltered and musings on death. Even if the lyrics could have afforded more finer details, and that they didn't bother with the trite take on Everly Brothers' "Love Hurts" or the fake live medley with canned applause sounds, there was enough musicianship and personality here to leave me wondering how Gram's musical career would have turned out if he were still alive.

At the end of the day, Grievous Angel was a good record, one that I can only assume Gram would have been proud of.