Product Description

By 1969, Gram Parsons had already built the foundation of the country-rock movement through his work with the International Submarine Band and the Byrds, but his first album with the Flying Burrito Brothers, The Gilded Palace of Sin, was where he revealed the full extent of his talents, and it ranks among the finest and most influential albums the genre would ever produce. As a songwriter, Parsons delivered some of his finest work on this set; "Hot Burrito No. 1" and "Hot Burrito No. 2" both blend the hurt of classic country weepers with a contemporary sense of anger, jealousy, and confusion, and "Sin City" can either be seen as a parody or a sincere meditation on a city gone mad, and it hits home in both contexts. Parsons was rarely as strong as a vocalist as he was here, and his covers of "Dark End of the Street" and "Do Right Woman" prove just how much he had been learning from R&B as well as C&W. And Parsons was fortunate enough to be working with a band who truly added to his vision, rather than simply backing him up; the distorted swoops of Sneaky Pete Kleinow's fuzztone steel guitar provides a perfect bridge between country and psychedelic rock, and Chris Hillman's strong and supportive harmony vocals blend flawlessly with Parsons' (and he also proved to be a valuable songwriting partner, collaborating on a number of great tunes with Gram). While The Gilded Palace of Sin barely registered on the pop culture radar in 1969, literally dozens of bands (the Eagles most notable among them) would find inspiration in this music and enjoy far greater success. But no one ever brought rock and country together quite like the Flying Burrito Brothers, and this album remains their greatest accomplishment. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide

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After exiting the Byrds, Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman formed the Burrito Brothers and recorded The Gilded Palace of Sin, an alternative country record before there even was such a thing. It's all thrilling: the country-ish covers of soul classics such as "Dark End of the Street," the distorted pedal-steel fills of Sneaky Pete Kleinow, and the classic country-rock compositions like the bluegrassy draft-dodger's anthem "My Uncle" and the amazingly twangy critique of capitalism, "Sin City." Along with the Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo, this is the premier example of Parsons and Hillman's prescient hippie-from-Muskogee aesthetic. Nine of Palace's 11 songs are available on the 21-track Farther Along anthology, an option bargain hunters may want to explore. But there's no replacing the full original. --David Cantwell

• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
• Language : English
• Product Dimensions : 5.63 x 5 x 0.43 inches; 3.17 ounces
• Manufacturer : Edsel Records Uk
• Date First Available : February 17, 2007
• Label : Edsel Records Uk
• Number of discs : 1