Cosmic Cowboy
Gram Parsons
The Complete Reprise Sessions
(Rhino)
Rhino uncorks a disc of alternate takes to coincide with reissues of the little understood cosmic American’s only solo albums.
The myth of Gram Parsons is out of hand. He’s given too much credit for The Byrds’ country about-face (it was already underway), played up unbelievably in The Stones’ Exile On Main St. sessions, and the story of his burial caper has been made into a feature film starring Johnny Knoxville called Grand Theft Parsons. It’s clear he was a pivotal figure in the alignment of country and rock, though his impact is carelessly overstated by his devotees and recklessly ignored by writers who should know better.
The lessons of his two solo albums are many, but for the immediate world the most important element is the discovery of Emmylou Harris. The remastering of both GP and Grievous Angel — available for years only as a twofer in a hastily assembled package — gets behind the pair’s interlocking harmonies and manages to build some depth behind Parson’s voice, which often sounds thin on record. It also separates them as individual works once again, something that’s important considering the stories behind each. The difference between the off-the-mark “country rock” delineation and what Parsons called “cosmic American music” isn’t much more clear, because they’re both country albums at their core.
But the real gift in The Complete Reprise Sessions is Disc Three, “Alternate Takes From GP & Grievous Angel. Including a rougher ride of “She,” a super-acoustic “We’ll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning,” “Hickory Wind” without the fake crowd noise, and a solo version of “In My Hour Of Darkness,” Parson’s formative versions are just as revealing as the official line. In the hour’s worth of unheard recordings, some are only slightly different from the popular versions, but at least they get some of the “what if” out of the way.
— Steve Forstneger
