Various Artists
Return of the Grievous
Angel: A Tribute to Gram
Parsons
Label: Almo Sounds
Genre: Roots, Country, Blues
File Under: A song for you
Rating: 88
Twenty-five years after he died from hard living
and his casket was stolen and set aflame in the
California desert, Gram Parsons is as alive as
he ever was in the imagination of country-rock
aficionados everywhere. It was Parsons, after all,
who did more than most to introduce the pop
scene of the late '60s to country music, first with
the Byrds on the spectacular Sweetheart of the
Rodeo, then with the Flying Burrito Brothers,
who perhaps came closest to Parsons' vision of
a brand of country music that embraced hippie
culture 霠check out those psychedelic Nudie
suits they wore 霠and finally on a couple of fine
solo albums, GP and Grievous Angel. These
days, his name is still spoken in reverent tones
by members of the alt-country set, and the
simple truth is, there'd have been no Uncle
Tupelo, no Whiskeytown, and no Wilco had
Parsons not created an electrifying and deeply
influential body of work before martyring himself
in a haze of alcohol and smack.
The problem, of course, is that, even as his
legend has grown, his music 霠which never sold
much during the short span of his career, has
grown even more obscure. Return of the
Grievous Angel may go a long way toward
rectifying that, revivifying some of Parson's
songs with fresh versions by artists who clearly
admire him and understand what he was doing.
The Cowboy Junkies turn in an appropriately
schizy performance on "Ooh Las Vegas," the
edgy and feedback-laden guitars undercutting
vocalist Margo Timmins gorgeous, gossamer
vocals that describe hapless, dissolute behavior.
Other songs offer a roiling mix of emotions as
well, such as Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield's
raw take on "$1000 Wedding" and the
Mavericks' forlorn version of "Hot Burrito #1."
Elvis Costello croons "Sleepless Nights," while
Whiskeytown's "A Song for You" comes as
close as any of these performances to capturing
Parson's weary ghost. Other performers on the
album include Parsons' former bandmates Chris
Hillman and David Crosby teamed with Steve
Earle and Lucinda Williams, respectively; Wilco;
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings; and the
Rolling Creekdippers (Victoria Williams and
former Jayhawk Mark Olsen).
Hanging over this set like a sweet, sad angel is
Parson's protege and paramour Emmylou Harris,
who turns up at various points on the album,
performing with the Pretenders ("She"), Beck
("Sin City"), and Sheryl Crow ("Juanita"). Harris
served as executive producer for the album, and
she's assembled a cast that's sympathetic to
Parson's work and ready to carry it on into the
next millennium. Most albums such as this are
a mixed blessing, both for the artist being
honored and those involved in the project. Return
of the Grievous Angel is that rare tribute on
which everyone's a winner.
--
稍稍聽過 Gram Parsons 的專輯，
覺得是蠻草根的民謠之類的
--
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