Another Side of This Life: The Lost Recordings of Gram Parsons, 1965-1966

Performer: Gram Parsons
Producer: Jim Carlton; Bob Irwin
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: Includes liner notes by Jim Carlton and Stanley Booth. These home recordings from 1965-66 (the sound quality is surprisingly good) are, essentially, the aural baby pictures of the artist as a young man. The Gram Parsons on display here has very little in common with the country rock titan he'd become a mere two years later. At this stage, he was a conventional (if highly accomplished) folkie, with pretty much the same repertoire--Buffy St. Marie, Tim Hardin, Fred Neil, Tom Paxton, the Rev. Gary Davis--that most earnest young folkies performing at coffee houses around the nation depended on. There are a couple of early versions here of originals ("Brass Buttons" and "November Nights") that would later surface on Parsons' more accomplished solo albums. The real surprise, however, is his singing. The early Parsons possessed a genuinely pretty voice, with only hint of the ravaged soulfulness he'd later display with the original Flying Burrito Brothers.

Q (3/01, p.124) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Competent singer-strummer stuff, totally of the 1965-'66 era....notable for showing his musical roots were far from being alt.country." CMJ (1/22/01, p.19) - "...Proves just how amazing the man's raw talents were..." Dirty Linen (4-5/01, p.70) - "...Offers early demos of important and signature Parsons songs like ;Brass Buttons' and 'November Nights'..." No Depression (3-4/01, pp.103-4) - "...As a historical document, it is revealing...filling in a previously missing aspect of his musical life..." No Depression (5-6/01, p.114) - "...Offers a good opportunity to reconsider his strengths..." Mojo (Publisher) (2/01, p.99) - "...Shows a great artist drifting towards his moment of musical clarity..."

Gram Parsons was one of the prime movers of country-rock. After forming one of the first country-rock groups, the International Submarine Band, he led the Byrds down a similar path on SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO before splitting with Byrd Chris Hillman to form the Flying Burrito Brothers. The Burritos combined a 1960s stoner/rocker sensibility with country roots and a touch of soul, cutting far deeper than most of the alt-country bands they inspired. In the early 1970s Parsons became a solo artist; his two studio albums GP and GRIEVOUS ANGEL are masterpieces that also kick-started the career of another progressive-country icon, his duet partner Emmylou Harris. Unfortunately, Parsons's long-standing substance abuse finally killed him in 1973 at the age of 26, a monumental waste of talent.

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