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Randy's Girl
12-28-2006, 05:02 PM
I wasn't sure of the right place for this. This is Gram Parsons, formerly of Flying Burrito Brothers (with our Bernie). I've just posted some screencaps for you all to see, by the way.

But this is the beautiful Gram.

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k259/JANGO-1968/gram2.jpg

Any Gram fans out there?

sodascouts
12-28-2006, 05:09 PM
I know of Gram through Bernie. My interest in Bernie led me to get some FBB bootlegs as well as the Gram Parsons tribute. What a pity his life was cut short - he obviously had a lot of talent.

Randy's Girl
12-28-2006, 05:17 PM
I love his songs, I have Sin City CD (which I think is an FBB Best of) plus GP and Grievous Angel. Beautiful songs on there. One of those CDs that I loved as soon as I heard it. Strongly recommend it.

Brooke
12-28-2006, 05:38 PM
I don't know much about him, but he sure was good looking. He almost looks like a girl in that shot.

I read a bit about him in the latest books out: Hotel California and Laurel Canyon.

Freypower
12-28-2006, 06:23 PM
I recommend the GP/Grievous Angel double CD. It contains some wonderful songs, in particular Return of the Grievous Angel and The New Soft Shoe. Parsons was very talented but was on record as calling the Eagles 'bubblegum'. Also I have always had a problem with a musician being deified just because he died young and in tragic circumstances (other examples are Kurt Cobain and Jeff Buckley). It makes it easy for critics, though. They can say the man was a genius and never have to reassess their opinion.

Randy's Girl
12-28-2006, 07:02 PM
I love "The New Soft Shoe", and Kiss The Children, and I Can't Dance. I love the whole thing. And he does a beautiful version of the Rolling Stones "Wild Horses" (on the Sin City CD).

Agree with all your comments, FP! Ditto Jim Morrison (I'm drunk, I'm nobody, I'm drunk, I'm famous, I'm drunk, I'm dead - as spoken by Denis Leary :D )

sodascouts
12-28-2006, 09:18 PM
I recommend the GP/Grievous Angel double CD. It contains some wonderful songs, in particular Return of the Grievous Angel and The New Soft Shoe. Parsons was very talented but was on record as calling the Eagles 'bubblegum'. Also I have always had a problem with a musician being deified just because he died young and in tragic circumstances (other examples are Kurt Cobain and Jeff Buckley). It makes it easy for critics, though. They can say the man was a genius and never have to reassess their opinion.

I see what you're saying, although I haven't heard of Jeff Buckley. Sometimes the "genius" label is deserved, sometimes not.

Freypower
12-28-2006, 11:29 PM
I love "The New Soft Shoe", and Kiss The Children, and I Can't Dance. I love the whole thing. And he does a beautiful version of the Rolling Stones "Wild Horses" (on the Sin City CD).

Agree with all your comments, FP! Ditto Jim Morrison (I'm drunk, I'm nobody, I'm drunk, I'm famous, I'm drunk, I'm dead - as spoken by Denis Leary :D )

Hear hear about Denis Leary. Spot on.

That is a nice version of Wild Horses but it doesn't come close to the original.

Soda, Jeff Buckley was the son of 60s singer-songwriter Tim Buckley, who also died young of a drug overdose. Jeff Buckley did one acclaimed album called Grace (including what is supposed to be a beautiful version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah - I have the original & I don't need to hear a cover version - see above). One day he went swimming in the Mississippi River and drowned. Cue the usual stuff about 'genius' and 'if only' and 'more talented than anyone living', etc, etc, etc. Call me cynical but as I said, they do it all the time.

Randy's Girl
12-29-2006, 06:02 PM
What I'd like to know is, who decides what is "genius". Different people hear the same music differently, so what makes any one singer etc a "genius"?

I'll stop there, otherwise I'll be ranting all night. What do you all think?

sodascouts
12-29-2006, 07:53 PM
What I'd like to know is, who decides what is "genius". Different people hear the same music differently, so what makes any one singer etc a "genius"?

I'll stop there, otherwise I'll be ranting all night. What do you all think?

I think it's pretty much all subjective. I think there can be some agreement on what is quality music (although even that is debatable), but when it comes to the "genius" aspect -what surpasses quality and becomes brilliant - it's almost impossible to really define it. Some people get the label early and folks just seem to accept it - Dylan, for instance. I think he's a great lyricist but I cringe when I hear him sing and I find many of his tunes boring, but that's blasphemous to some. Who is "right"? Both opinions are just as valid, IMHO.

On the other hand, there is the occasional consensus - it's hard to find someone who refers to Kevin Federline as a musical genius, for instance. lol

Freypower
12-29-2006, 11:31 PM
A genius to a rock critic is normally a 'cult' or someone who hasn't sold a lot of records. If you've sold a lot of records you can't be any good. Hence the obsession of rock critics with people like the Velvet Underground and all British punk/new wave music. Or you are a genius if you died young and were tragically prevented from selling records. Your songs, if you have sold records, have to be either about drugs or 'living on the street' or being working class, or at least sound 'grungy' and 'back to basics'. Hence Bruce Springsteen is a genius. Neil Young's best album is Tonight's The Night. The Rolling Stones' best album is Exile On Main Street. Etc.