1 Apr 2020

Hey Mark! I was drawn back to Soundblab from an e-mail and came across your review of this album. I have never heard it although I'm a fan of Parsons. I came to Gram from Keith Richards. I listened to Grievous Angel a lot (and GP a bit less) pretty frequently for a good decade or so and found the plaintive songs (and Emmylou Harris' vocals) to be about as evocative as could be. Then there are the songs I could do without. For me, Parsons was at his best when he was somber and bittersweet. $1,000 Wedding from Grievous Angel may be one of the loveliest songs I've ever heard, and his rendition of Love Hurts is sweet and innocent. On the other hand, his more honky-tonk songs simply sound derivative and lack the sincerity of the original country acts and the snark and raunch of the Stones' forays into the genre. I've been meaning to give this album a listen for a very long time. Perhaps I should. Hope all is well - Steve

13 Jul 2019

Perfect review. I agree with every word. Fucking brilliant, Kevin.

27 May 2019

Thanks, Kevin. I probably would've produced a different list every time I set out to create one, but I went with "most listened to by me" as the final decision maker. You're right on the singles collections bc they have stuff on them that wasn't released on studio albums (Through the Past, Darkly with both Jumpin' Jack Flash and Honky Tonk Women, for example). I think parts of Goats Head Soup, Tattoo You, and Emotional Rescue as essential listening. Between the Buttons is too much Stones trying to be the Beatles for me (culminating in the follow-up, Their Satanic Majesties Request). The kazoo solo, the silliness, the ugh...It's a shame, too, because BtB has some really good stuff on it to try and counter the ridiculous. If they took the best of Between the Buttons and Their Satanic Majesties Request, it'd be one excellent album.

27 May 2019

Fantastic list, Kevin! There's so much to country that most folks don't know. I grew up in rural America and on the music of these same artists, while tuning in to Saturday nights watching Hee Haw. I think the country that came out of the 60s and 70s is a tremendous legacy of music. And I hate this new, warmed-over Lynyrd Skynyrd that passes for country nowadays. Although, Margo Price has it right and her debut is a throwback of good stuff. So glad this list made it to Soundblab!

21 May 2019

I don't know how i missed this when first posted, Mark, but brilliant stuff! And of course, it's the Stones over the Who, Beatles, or anyone else. For whatever it was worth, the Rolling Stones should best be remembered for sticking to their roots. When they embraced the psychedelic era or the theatricality of the Beatles, they fell flat. But if it had four on the floor and a lifeline back to the blues, the band has been unmatched.

20 May 2019

You make a very interesting distinction, Howard. With a group like The Beatles, it's hard to downplay the greater significance of their early records, despite not necessarily being their "best." Just the same, if that rule applies across the board, then the early works of all artists would be more important than much of their latter efforts simply because of the same argument you used - without them, there wouldn't be the other works. It's an almost mind-boggling link from the originators of the many and varied musical roots of pop/rock and roll to their myriad descendants. Certainly without these influences, the music we enjoy now might never have been made, including that of The Beatles. So, how then to assign some type of hierarchy?

16 May 2019

Who needs help with "Ebony & Ivory?" :D It's funny bc his early solo stuff is pretty good. But there's some later 70s and forward stuff that is...ugh....

16 May 2019

I had a good laugh at your comment, Bob. I couldn't agree more on "Yellow Submarine" et al. McCartney is responsible for some of the greatest and worst songs of The Beatles. It seemed his penchant for saccharin crap carried into his solo career as well.

15 May 2019

Wow! What a wonderful trip down memory lane! SO many bands I'd forgotten about, yet whose music I enjoyed. I miss the cowpunk era and was a big Lone Justice fan as well as a fan of other SoCal acts (Knitters/Dave Alvin), so there's so great stuff here. Thanks for the memories, Mark!

25 Apr 2019

I'd make an argument for Chrissie Hynde as well. Even though she was in a group (The Pretenders), that first album is all about singer/songwriter/painful/confessional, etc. Just a thought