#462 The Flying Burrito Brothers, 'The Gilded Palace of Sin' (1969)

Previously #192

This understated album, is one of the most influential albums of all time. It’s likely you’ve never heard it or even heard of it, but you’d know its influence. In 1968, The Byrds member, Gram Parsons, left the band after refusing to accompany them on a tour of South Africa (after some convincing by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger). Two months later The Byrds bassist, Chris Hillman joined him. The two formed The Flying Burrito Brothers (geddit? Byrds / Flying?). The band fused tradition country with rock, soul and psychedelic rock and the result was this, their debut album. It flopped. To this day it hasn’t even been certified gold yet. 

Gram Parsons became a very close friend of Keith Richards around this time and he became a massive inspiration on his guitar playing & songwriting, most prominently ‘Wild Horses.’ Anyone who’s anyone in the alt.country world cites this album as a major influence. It’s not for everyone, but if you get it then you really get it. My favourite tracks are ‘Do Right Woman’ (featuring another ex-The Byrds member, David Crosby harmonising), ‘My Uncle,’ such a song of the time,’ and their version of ‘Dark End Of The Street.’ The album actually gets better as it progresses. It’s a real gem. Sadly Parsons landed up dying a few years later of a morphine overdose at the age of 26.

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