GP [LP]

by Gram Parsons

Overview

Given Gram Parsons' habit of taking control of the bands he played with (and his disinclination towards staying with them for very long), it was inevitable that he would eventually strike out on his own, and his first solo album, 1973's G.P., is probably the best realized expression of his musical personality. Working with a crack band of L.A. and Nashville's finest (including James Burton on guitar, Ronnie Tutt on drums, Byron Berline on fiddle, and Glen D. Hardin on piano), he drew from them a sound that merged breezy confidence with deeply felt Southern soul, and he in turn pulled off some of his most subtle and finely detailed vocal performances; "She" and "A Song for You," in particular, are masterful examples of passion finding balance with understatement. Parsons also discovered that rare artist with whom he can be said to have genuinely collaborated (rather than played beside), Emmylou Harris; Gram and Harris' spot-on harmonies and exchanged verses on "We'll Sweep out the Ashes in the Morning" and "That's All It Took" are achingly beautiful and instantly established her as one country music's most gifted vocalists. On G.P., Parsons' ambitious vision encompassed hard-country weepers, wistful ballads, uptempo dance tunes, and even horn-driven rhythm and blues. He managed to make them all work, both as individual tunes and as a unified whole. If it falls just short of being his greatest work (an honor that goes to the Flying Burrito Brothers' The Gilded Palace of Sin) thanks to a couple songs that are a bit too oblique for their own good ("The New Soft Shoe" may be beautiful, but who knows just what it's supposed to be about), this album remains a haunting reminder of Parsons' talent and influence, and has only gotten better with the passing years. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	06/24/2014
Label:	Reprise / Rhino
UPC:	0081227959531

Tracks

1. Still Feeling Blue
2. We'll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning
3. A Song For You
4. Streets of Baltimore
5. She
6. That's All It Took
7. The New Soft Shoe
8. Kiss the Children
9. Cry One More Time
10. How Much I've Lied
11. Big Mouth Blues

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Gram Parsons   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Lead Vocals
James Burton   Dobro,Guitar
Barry Tashian   Guitar,Vocals
Emmylou Harris   Vocals
Ronnie Tutt   Drums
Buddy Emmons   Guitar (Steel)
Alan Munde   Banjo
Tom Bahler   Vocals (Background)
Glen D. Hardin   Organ,Piano
Hal Battiste   Sax (Baritone)
John Guerin   Drums
Ron Hicklin   Vocals (Background)
Al Perkins   Guitar (Steel)
Byron Berline   Fiddle
Sam Goldstein   Drums
Lewis Morford   Vocals (Background)
Mitch Gordon   Vocals (Background)
John Conrad   Bass

Technical Credits

Chris Hillman   Composer
Ed Barton   Engineer
Rifkin   Composer
Joyce Ann Allsup   Composer
Darrell Edwards   Composer
Tompall Glaser   Composer
Harlan Howard   Composer
Glaser   Composer
Glen D. Hardin   Leader
Peter Wolf   Composer,Composer
Pam Rifkin   Composer
Seth Justman   Composer
Chris Ethridge   Composer
Rick Grech   Composer,Producer
George Jones   Composer
Gram Parsons   Composer,Producer
Carlos Grier   Composer
Vicki Hodgetts   Design
Hugh Davies   Engineer,Remix Engineer
Joyce Allsup   Composer
Barry Feinstein   Photography
Shawn R. Britton   Mastering
John A. Beck   Design