PUBLISHED IN THE LONG ISLAND VOICE MAY 1, 1997
By Nick Krewen
It's improbable that the 50 or so listeners gathered at Ultra Sonic Recording Studios in Hempstead, Long Island for a WLIR live radio broadcast back on March 13, 1973, truly grasped the significance of the event they were about to witness.
To them, it was an opportunity to throw back a few free cold ones and enjoy a fine night of country rock courtesy of WLIR and a performer who had already defined his legacy through THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINE BAND, THE FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS, and later THE BYRDS.
For GRAM PARSONS and his band THE FALLEN ANGELS, which included a fledgling talent named EMMYLOU HARRIS whose own destiny has been well documented, the sweet melodious sound that poured from the quintet over the next 65 minutes was a sublime evening of aural chemistry that he would rave about for weeks afterward.
"When Gram returned to Los Angeles, he called MARLEY BRANT and told her it was the best thing he ever did," recalls JOHN DELGATTO, who co-produced with Brant the fly-on-the-wall recording of the original WLIR Broadcast of Parsons and The Fallen Angels called Live 1973. First released on vinyl in 1982 on Delgatto's Sierra imprint, Live 1973 has been remastered for CD release in all its restored, unedited glory for nationwide distribution by Rhino.
The set list that night leaned a bit more towards country than the hybrid for which
Parsons was renowned. Opening with the obscure CARL BUTLER AND PEARL shuffle "We'll
Sweep Out The Ashes", Parsons, Harris and the remainder of the Fallen Angels --
former RUNT drummer N.D. SMART II, electric guitarist JOCK BARTLEY, bassist KYLE TULLIS
and pedal steel guitarist NEIL FLANZ -- simply played their asses off for a dozen tunes
ranging from Parsons originals through gems by MERLE HAGGARD and GEORGE JONES. Harris'
radiant harmonies shone continuously and brightly throughout the hour, especially during
the George Jones-GENE PITNEY classic "That's All It Took", while Flanz'
heartfelt wails transported The Byrds' "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man" to a new
emotional plateau. Smart and Tullis heightened their telepathic synchronicity, and Bartley
offered tasteful solos and accompaniment as the music dictated.
A powerful reminder of the night's magic occurred ten years later, when Gram was honored posthumously with a Grammy nomination for his brilliant duet with Emmylou of the BOUDLEAUX BRYANT classic `Love Hurts'.
Neil Flanz, whose warm tones of pedal steel added an authentic country feel to the occasion, recalled the memorable evening from his home in Hollywood, Florida, where he's hung up music professionally for a telemarketing gig.
"I remember we enjoyed a fabulous meal in a Chinese restaurant across the street from the studio," recalls Flanz, a Montreal native who emigrated to Nashville to play with CHARLIE LOUVIN, and had never heard of Parsons when he got the call to join him in L.A.
"Following this great Chinese dinner and much drink, we realized we were late for the show and ran across the street, where the audience was happily being plied by beer.
"For the entire hour, Gram placed his bottle of Jack Daniels near my pedal steel, a big mistake on his part."
The tour, a seven-gig, six-week jaunt that involved traversing the country by bus, was nearly over, and eventually Parsons returned to L.A. to record his second solo album, Grievous Angel.
Within six months of his WLIR appearance, Gram Parsons was dead, a victim of his own excesses.
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DISCOGRAPHY
1967 -- Safe At Home
1968 -- Sweetheart Of The Rodeo (with The Byrds)
1969 -- The Gilded Palace Of Sin (with The Flying Burrito Bros.)
1972 -- Burrito Deluxe (with The Flying Burrito Bros.)
1972 -- Grievous Angel
1973 -- The Early Years (1963-1965)
1975 -- Sleepless Nights (with The Flying Burrito Bros.)
1976 -- Cosmic American Music
1977 -- GP
1982 -- Live 1973
1990 -- The Byrds (with The Byrds)
1999 -- Various Artists, Return Of The Grevious Angel --A Tribute To Gram Parsons (promo only bonus disc called Gram Originals )
©1998, 1999 Nick Krewen, Octopus Media Ink