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Topic: Return Of The Grievous Angel |
Chip Fossa
From:
Monson, MA, USA (deceased)
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Posted 2 Jun 2006 7:36 pm |
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Just listening to this tonite.
WOW!
Gram Parsons sure had a different bent on country music.
I loved and still love it.
..."Won't you scratch my itch, sweet 'Annie Rich' and welcome me back to town...
..."Out with the truckers and kickers and cowboy angels"....
...I'm 60's. I miss all that great experimentation that went down.
You can cuss and snort at me[us], but my generation created and set the tone of what we take for granted today.
The Byrds and Eagles were just incredible creative bands (yeah - even all their re-incarnations).
They were knocked, and probably still are in certain circles, but they moved-up the dice, and never thought twice about it.
And they didn't give two hoots about tuning, as much as professed here. They cranked up the strings and sang some of the most beautiful lyrical and melodic music.
After a while that I was listening to this music with Al Perkins, Sneaky Pete, Jerry G.,
Banana, Pure Prairie League, and many more greats, I said that I have to go get me one of these steel guitrs.
Then, while I was living on Cape Cod, I was fortunate to meet John Macy, who was playing with an unbelievable swing/country band called "John Lincoln Wright & The Sour Mash Boys".
John really opened my eyes to the C6 sound and swing. He was a hell of a player back then [circa 1971]. He showed me some great stuff - Doug Jernigan, Buddy E., and Herby Wallace.
I know I may have got off-topic here, but John Macy is a great friend and went out of his way to show little 'ole me at the time, really what is involved in playing this dynamic instrument. The man was really obsessed with the great players I've just mentioned. He told me, if you learn any of this, then you will truly be on your way.
Thanks, John
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 2 Jun 2006 8:11 pm
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Wow, I had forgotten about JL Wright.
I did several opening act and sound gigs with those boys over the years.
Fun band, real swing.
So now I know I must a met John Macy back then too.
Man that made my mind real back 20+ years. DANG!
Wonder what's he's up to now?
Where on Cape Cod were you?
An where the heck is Monsoon Mass???
West a Haverill I bet!  [This message was edited by David L. Donald on 02 June 2006 at 09:15 PM.] |
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Chip Fossa
From:
Monson, MA, USA (deceased)
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Posted 2 Jun 2006 8:51 pm
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GHEEZ Donald, good friend.....
John Macy is a fellow forumite here.
He actually emailed when I 1st blurted on the scene [I did not go thru the regular protcol,
and Mr b0b let me know right quick that we have rules here]....I was a dummy about computers and did not realize that there was all this protocol.
I lived at this time in Chatham. I lived over the "Chatham Squire" bar and restaurant. I know Ritchie Costello and George Payne very well. They still owe me for some plumbing work, BTW.
So I lived there sort of as a live-in plumber and MUSICIAN.
At this time, the "Squire" did not have a "FULL" entertainment license.
Which meant, places down the road , like the LIGHTSHIP, could have full blown entertainment, and that is exactly where me and John Macy met.
John, god bless you. I never heard anything like what you played.
Listen guys, this humble fellow, John Macy,
is a tremendous steeler, as well as an unbelievable studio enginneer.
Make no mistake - John knows his stuff.
Donald, as of late, me and plumbing buddies have been doing some work in the Brewster area off RTE 137.
Have not had time to get back to Chatham and bug Ritchie and George. But.....it will happen.
"gotta get back to the garden"
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 2 Jun 2006 10:09 pm
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Yep, another guy from Massachusetts here, and there's no mistaking the influence Gram and the other early cozmic cowboys had on me. To me, they made a bridge between the blues, r&b, and psychedelic rock I started out on and the harder country and rootsy things I gravitated to. To a lot of people I hung out with, it was "OK" to like Gram, the Byrds, and so on, but they had a problem with the real country music culture. The thing about Gram was is his obvious love for real country music - he just did it his way. That rubbed off on me big time, and paved the way for me to accept "the real stuff" on WCOP in Boston. I loved bluegrass from the first minute I heard it in the early 60s, but the "hard country" sound was less acceptable in the circles I hung around in the 60s - it's cultural, IMO.
I recall reading a quote from Emmylou to the effect that a lot of people profess a love for Gram's music, but one rarely hears much of it. I agree, and also wonder why. I sort of think that it just wasn't a slick enough production. I suppose that, in the modern world, slick production (think Eagles vs. Burrito Bros) wins out every time out there in radioland, nothing really new. Nothing against the Eagles - especially the first incarnation - but I always felt that Gram's branch of this tree was more authentic and honest. Just my opinion.
By '71, I was pretty much out of the loop in Mass for a while - school in Ohio, coop jobs around the country, etc. But the country, country rock scene was flourishing out there - Dayton, Columbus, Cincinatti, etc. Saw lots of stone cold country and bluegrass, changed my bent even further. The U.S. is less regionalized now, but back then, regional influences were very strong. |
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Chip Fossa
From:
Monson, MA, USA (deceased)
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Posted 3 Jun 2006 6:28 am
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That's a pretty good assessment of the scene, Dave.
I myself wasn't a real big "straight" country fan; but I sure was into folk, and eventually folk brought me closer to real roots country. Just about this same time is when the whole folk scene exploded with the Byrd's "Mr Tambourine Man" I think in January 1965.
Around about this time Jesse Colin Young and The Youngbloods started getting big and on one of their albums they did their version of "Sugarbabe", with "Banana" playing steel. Sounded like a Fender, for sure, and so this very song got my interest going for steel. "Banana's" playing [taking his 1st stab at steel, I guess] was roughly on a par with Jerry G's, but heck, it was such a gas and fit the song so well, who was to care?
Those were heady days. Almost everything coming out on anyone's next album was really something to look forward to. You really couldn't keep up; that's how much of it was going down.
I sure do miss that era. |
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Tucker Jackson
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2006 11:50 am
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Chip, you probably know this, but there is a pretty decent biography of Gram titled "Hickory Wind."
There's also a recent indie film out that covered his death and the hijacking of his body and all that. I haven't seen it yet. It's apparently of interest to "fans only," though. I think you qualify 
Also, you may like hearing the "Return of the Greivous Angel," tribute album that came out about 6 years ago (not to be confused with the concert DVD of a few years back with Keef Richards and others, which I haven't seen). The tribute album I'm talkin' about has a bunch of current acts doing studio versions of GP songs, and most are pretty good. Who knew that Beck could do such a credible "male country vocal" on Sin City? The guy's great, but I've never heard him sing in that style. It's quite good. And Emmylou sings harmony. Recommended.
[This message was edited by Tucker Jackson on 03 June 2006 at 12:52 PM.] |
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Bobby Lee
From:
Cloverdale, California, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2006 1:52 pm
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"The Byrds and the Eagles... they didn't give two hoots about tuning..."
They always sounded pretty much in tune to me! Are you saying that they weren't?
I played "Return of the Grevous Angel" on Thursday with Laughing Gravy. The crowds love that tune. And of course it's my favorite GP album.
------------------
 Bobby Lee (a.k.a. b0b) - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Williams D-12 E9, C6add9, Sierra Olympic S-12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop S-8 (E6add9), Fender Stringmaster D-8 (E13, C6 or A6) My Blog |
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Chip Fossa
From:
Monson, MA, USA (deceased)
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Posted 3 Jun 2006 4:38 pm
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Thanks Tucker...I have the very CD of which you speak. All kinds of folks on it in tribute.
Gillian Welch doing "Hickory Wind", too.
I'll try to track down that film you mentioned. Yeah, I'm a fan alright. A big one.
Thanks |
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Chip Fossa
From:
Monson, MA, USA (deceased)
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Posted 3 Jun 2006 4:54 pm
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No b0b, not at all.
Of course they were in tune. I was trying to convey that they "got-er done".
My impression of those cats is that they just tuned up and went to town. They had so much to get out, that tuning had to get done quick and now. They had more pressing things to do, rather than jiggle over + or - cents, or 440.
Those guys have great ears and excellent instruments, and tuned them right up.
b0b, I'm glad to hear that you are performing ROTGA. I would love to hear your version. Do you happen to have recorded any performances?
Do you still have a female vocalist? Is she doing the lead or backup?
I just love ROTGA. That one song alone, defined Gram Parsons, I feel, as the original "Cosmic Cowboy". That song just paints a picture of the West. Kinda like Jim Morrison of the Doors, like him or not, transcended the music. The words said MORE in a way, than the actual sentence structure they were formed in. Just all these incredible visions coming at you. It was always, I thought, a bit better to sit and listen with your eyes closed. Crank it up, have a few tokes, and take it all in.
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Henry Nagle
From:
Santa Rosa, California
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Posted 3 Jun 2006 6:14 pm
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I read somewhere that Gram didn't write the lyrics to that tune. Not that he didn't write some great stuff.
I've always felt like we never got to hear the best he had to offer. You can hear his voice fall apart over the years. It just makes me sad. He had talent and some luck, but not much discipline. His two solo albums are great, but the first Burrito's album has always been my favorite. Not as clean sounding, but very inspired. |
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Chip Fossa
From:
Monson, MA, USA (deceased)
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Posted 3 Jun 2006 7:00 pm
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YES...Henry,
Great observation. He was gone before he really blossomed.
You hit me pretty well with that.
Spooky.
Henry, if you do have more insight, and it looks like you do, about GP and the FBB's,
by all means, let's here it. PLEASE!
Thanks.....Chipper
OH YEAH! - Who did write those lyrics? He should re-name himself, Gram, then.
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Pat Burns
From:
Branchville, N.J. USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2006 7:09 pm
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| Quote: |
| I recall reading a quote from Emmylou to the effect that a lot of people profess a love for Gram's music, but one rarely hears much of it. I agree, and also wonder why. |
...GP's music was great in it's time and still is now, but his singing voice IMHO is almost unlistenable. I can't take too much of his singing, great songs aside. |
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Mike Winter
From:
Portland, OR
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Posted 3 Jun 2006 7:16 pm
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The song is often credited to Gram Parsons only, or Gram Parsons and Thomas O Brown.
I dig that stuff too...a lot.
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Mike
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Blue Moon Highway
(Country Music...and then some.)
www.bluemoonhighway.com
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 3 Jun 2006 8:51 pm
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| Quote: |
| ... but his singing voice IMHO is almost unlistenable. |
De gustibus non disputandum, I guess.
I've also heard lots of people complain about the voices of some of my favorite country singers - I won't name names, but you can probably guess some of them. They're not polished, but they have heart, IMO.[This message was edited by Dave Mudgett on 03 June 2006 at 09:52 PM.] |
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Chris LeDrew
From:
Canada
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Posted 3 Jun 2006 10:25 pm
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| I heard that a fan gave him those lyrics on the first Fallen Angels tour. they're some fine lyrics. All I know is that he didn't write them. He didn't seem to write much great stuff, actually. What he did write did not overly impress me. Hickory Wind is not great, yet it's one of his signature tunes. He had a trust fund that basically paid for anything he wanted to do, like go on the road with the Stones and hire the Elvis band for his sessions. Don't get me wrong; I have everything that's available on disc. I just think he might have been a bit of a poser, and time has somehow shaped him into an icon. His greatest assest, IMHO, is his voice. That's the only reason I listen to Gram Parsons and own his stuff. He had feeling. No one can dispute that. But a great songwriter? I beg to differ. |
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Henry Nagle
From:
Santa Rosa, California
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Posted 4 Jun 2006 2:12 am
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Opinions..... are like..... fingerprints
I think he could have been a great songwriter. Early on he was a great singer.
He was prepared to be the frontman of something great. He tried a bit. Worked with and inspired some really good people. He was influential. He could have been so much more if he hadn't taken his talent for granted.
I don't mean to be too hard on the guy. It's just too bad that he wasn't more focused and less dead.
edited to say:
$1000 Wedding is a great song... and sung well.[This message was edited by Henry Nagle on 04 June 2006 at 03:15 AM.] |
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Don Sulesky
From:
Citrus County, FL, Orig. from MA & NH
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Posted 4 Jun 2006 3:18 am
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Nice to read some of the good ole times we had back in Massachusettes from you guys. Also another band at the time was Wheatstraw with Eddie Steeves on steel and I notice on my Last Straw LP that John Macy did a couple of cuts on there also. Then you had the Cabin Fever Band with Jeoff Paterson on steel.Wow!Could that band play.
It was local Bands like them and Poco with Rusty Young and Gram Parsons with Sneaky Pete and Neil Flanz that got me started on steel.
Don |
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Chip Fossa
From:
Monson, MA, USA (deceased)
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Posted 4 Jun 2006 6:38 am
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Yeah..Eddie Steves.
When I lived in Leadville, CO back in 1977
I ran into John Macy and Eddie Steves playing dueling steels at the "Little Bear" in Evergreen.
That was quite the country bar at that time.
Also, Eddie and John too [I think] helped to get the "Big E" to come and put on a seminar in the Pembroke, MA area back then. Wheatstraw, featuring Rocky Stone on guitar, was the back up band. It was held in a local hockey arena. Since that fabulous show, I haven't been quite the same. There was like a steel pickers club in Pembroke at the time, called "The Pembroke Picking Parlour".
Not sure whatever became of Eddie Steves, tho.[This message was edited by CHIP FOSSA on 04 June 2006 at 07:40 AM.] |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 4 Jun 2006 7:05 am
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"And they didn't give two hoots about tuning"
I saw the Byrds on The Tonight Show. When they came on stage Jim (not yet Roger, I think) and Crosby bumped guitars, and went out of tune. Right there on national, coast-to-coast tv, they tuned up! Jim/Roger stepped up to the mic and said, "We tune because we care." Then went back to tuning up. It was hilarious! |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 4 Jun 2006 7:31 am
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There was very little Gram content in that indie film about carting his corpse around-it was kinda weird, I didn't think it was so great.
No one bothered to mention in this thread is the heiress apparent to the whole Gram thing was his singing partner Emmylou. Her Hot Band helped further the careers of just to name a couple, Rodney Crowell and Vince Gill.
Her song "Boulder To Birmingham" is reputedly about Gram.
b0b and the band did a fine job on Return of the Grievous Angel the other night!
As far as "Hickory Wind" I have to disagree-I think it's a great song, with a killer melody.
But I also I have to agree that even though I was a big fan, it seems in some circles Gram has been elevated to the level of someone like, say, Johnny Cash, and I don't think he belongs there.
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Mark
[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 04 June 2006 at 09:18 AM.] |
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Mike Winter
From:
Portland, OR
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Posted 4 Jun 2006 10:27 am
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As a slight aside, time and an early death do tend to elevate people to legendary status. I think that Gram has received a lot of credit historically, and that to some degree others like Chris Hillman, Gene Clark, Mike Nesmith, etc., have been overlooked. Not to take anything away from Gram...just an opinion.
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Mike
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Blue Moon Highway
(Country Music...and then some.)
www.bluemoonhighway.com
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Henry Nagle
From:
Santa Rosa, California
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Posted 4 Jun 2006 10:42 am
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I keep hearing about Nesmith. If I were to track down a recording, what album should I be looking for?
Sorry for the drift.... |
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Archie Nicol R.I.P.
From:
Ayrshire, Scotland
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Bobby Lee
From:
Cloverdale, California, USA
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Chip Fossa
From:
Monson, MA, USA (deceased)
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Posted 4 Jun 2006 12:52 pm
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Thanks b0b,
Laughing Gravy sounds just great. They nailed ROTGA pretty darned well. |
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