My obsession with Gram Parson comes and goes in phases. I can go without listening to him for months, but then there are times, like this morning, where I’ll sit and play every one of his albums back to back. I don’t know much about country music, but my favourites are guys like George Jones and the Louvin Brothers, singers that I can only describe as having a hint of tragic in their voices. Parsons’ voice definitely has that kind of quality. While he didn’t have the greatest of voices by any means, his singing was all about naked emotion; all the more evocative in its ordinariness, cracking and warbling in all the right places. And he was a solid songwriter to boot. Every album he contributed to has at least a couple drop-dead gorgeous Parsons-penned sad songs, which is kind of why I had a hard time picking just one or two for this post. So without further ado, here’s just about every record Gram Parsons had anything to do with.The International Submarine Band – Safe at Home (1967)
The Flying Burrito Brothers – The Gilded Palace of Sin (1969)
The Flying Burrito Brothers – Burrito Deluxe (1970)
Gram Parsons – GP (1973)
The Byrds – Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968)
The Flying Burrito Brothers – The Gilded Palace of Sin (1969)
The Flying Burrito Brothers – Burrito Deluxe (1970)
Gram Parsons – GP (1973)
Gram Parsons – Grievous Angel (1974)
