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Americana
News
Gram Parsons Rediscovered
The
enduring legacy of Gram Parsons will soon be illustrated by the
release of several recordings which shed new light on Parson's brief
- but influential - contribution to the development of Americana. As
the founder of a musical style he termed "Cosmic American
Music," Parsons is universally regarded as one of the
forefathers of country-rock and alt-country.
On
June 20, Rhino Records will release Gram Parsons: The Complete
Reprise Sessions. The 3-CD set features re-mastered versions of
Parsons' two solo albums - G.P. and Grievous Angel.
The re-mastered versions include several bonus tracks and interview
clips which provide additional insight into the recordings. A third
disk features alternate versions of many of the classic songs from
the two solo albums.
Also
on June 20, Fontana International will re-release the 1976
posthumous collection of Parsons material entitled Sleepless
Nights. The original recording was assembled by A&M Records
in an effort to release what remained of an uncompleted Flying
Burritos Brothers album. The seven Burritos tracks were
combined with several solo outtakes (some of which feature Emmylou
Harris on background vocals) to produce the collection of material
credited to both Gram Parsons and The Flying Burrito Brothers.
This long out-of-print collection of outtakes and demos will once
again be available to Parsons' fans.
In
addition to the above CDs, June 20 is also the DVD release date for
the Gram Parsons documentary Fallen Angel. The documentary
actually aired on British television a couple of years ago, but it
will now be available to U.S. consumers for the first time on DVD.
The documentary is a retrospective of Parsons' life and musical
career and features interviews with contemporaries such as Emmylou
Harris, Keith Richards and Chris HIllman. The documentary was
co-written by Sid Griffin who founded the Long Ryders and the Coal
Porters, and who wrote a biography of Gram Parsons in 1985.
It
was also recently announced that 15 unreleased songs featuring Gram
Parsons with the Grateful Dead will be released in early 2007.
The recordings will mark the debut release from Ameoba Records - a
new label founded by Dave Prinz who started the Amoeba music store
chain. Most of the songs were recorded as part of a 1969
concert featuring Parsons and the Dead. Prinz also indicated
that other unreleased Parsons material may find its way to CD in the
near future.
As
if the above releases were not enough to quench the thirst of
Parsons' fans, Columbia/Legacy is planning to release a Byrds box
set on August 29 which will also include several songs featuring
Gram Parsons. The 4-CD box set includes 99 studio and live tracks
from the influential 60s folk-rock band. The set will also feature a
DVD which includes several of the band's performances on U.S. and
U.K. television. It is unclear at this time if Parsons is featured
in any of the video performances.
On
June 20, Rhino Records will release Gram Parsons: The Complete
Reprise Sessions. The 3-CD set features re-mastered versions of
Parsons' two solo albums - G.P. and Grievous Angel.
The re-mastered versions include several bonus tracks and interview
clips which provide additional insight into the recordings. A third
disk features alternate versions of many of the classic songs from
the two solo albums.
Also
on June 20, Fontana International will re-release the 1976
posthumous collection of Parsons material entitled Sleepless
Nights. The original recording was assembled by A&M Records
in an effort to release what remained of an uncompleted Flying
Burritos Brothers album. The seven Burritos tracks were
combined with several solo outtakes (some of which feature Emmylou
Harris on background vocals) to produce the collection of material
credited to both Gram Parsons and The Flying Burrito Brothers.
This long out-of-print collection of outtakes and demos will once
again be available to Parsons' fans.
In
addition to the above CDs, June 20 is also the DVD release date for
the Gram Parsons documentary Fallen Angel. The documentary
actually aired on British television a couple of years ago, but it
will now be available to U.S. consumers for the first time on DVD.
The documentary is a retrospective of Parsons' life and musical
career and features interviews with contemporaries such as Emmylou
Harris, Keith Richards and Chris HIllman. The documentary was
co-written by Sid Griffin who founded the Long Ryders and the Coal
Porters, and who wrote a biography of Gram Parsons in 1985.
