Sacred Hearts and Fallen Angels: The Gram Parsons Anthology

Disc 1
1	Blue Eyes / The International Submarine Band
2	Luxury Liner / The International Submarine Band
3	Do You Know How It Feels to Be Lonesome? / The International Submarine Band
4	I Must Be Somebody Else You've Known / The International Submarine Band
5	Miller's Cave / The International Submarine Band
6	Knee Deep in the Blues / The International Submarine Band
7	Hickory Wind / The Byrds
8	You're Still on My Mind / The Byrds
9	The Christian Life / The Byrds
10	You Don't Miss Your Water / The Byrds
11	One Hundred Years from Now / The Byrds
12	Christine's Tune (Devil in Disguise) / The Flying Burrito Brothers
13	Sin City / The Flying Burrito Brothers
14	Do Right Woman / The Flying Burrito Brothers
15	The Dark End of the Street / The Flying Burrito Brothers
16	Wheels / The Flying Burrito Brothers
17	Juanita / The Flying Burrito Brothers
18	Hot Burrito #1 / The Flying Burrito Brothers
19	Hot Burrito #2 / The Flying Burrito Brothers
20	High Fashion Queen / The Flying Burrito Brothers
21	Older Guys / The Flying Burrito Brothers
22	Cody, Cody / The Flying Burrito Brothers
23	Wild Horses / The Flying Burrito Brothers
24	Sing Me Back Home / The Flying Burrito Brothers
Disc 2
1	To Love Somebody / The Flying Burrito Brothers
2	Still Feeling Blue / Gram Parsons
3	We'll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning / Gram Parsons
4	A Song for You / Gram Parsons
5	Streets of Baltimore / Gram Parsons
6	She / Gram Parsons
7	The New Soft Shoe / Gram Parsons
8	Kiss the Children / Gram Parsons
9	How Much I've Lied / Gram Parsons
10	Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man / Gram Parsons
11	That's All It Took / Gram Parsons
12	California Cotton Fields / Gram Parsons
13	Return of the Grievous Angel (Remix) / Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels
14	Hearts on Fire / Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels
15	Brass Buttons / Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels
16	$1000 Dollar Wedding / Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels
17	Love Hurts / Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels
18	Ooh Las Vegas / Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels
19	In My Hour of Darkness / Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels
20	Brand New Heartache / Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels
21	Sleepless Nights / Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels
22	The Angels Rejoiced Last Night / Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels

Barnes & Noble

Gram Parsons is the practical and spiritual godfather of country-rock music. Sacred Hearts and Fallen Angels, the first collection to compile songs from the various stages of Parsons' short but remarkably productive career, offers a road map to his musical vision -- a hybrid that helped shape the sounds of the Eagles, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, and others. The two-CD set begins with six International Submarine Band songs, five from their one studio album, Safe at Home, plus a previously unheard, live-to-four-track recording of "Knee Deep in the Blues," the collection's only otherwise unavailable song. Parsons's short stint with the Byrds produced the stellar album Sweetheart of the Rodeo, which included the reflective ballad "Hickory Wind" and a cover of the Louvin Brothers' gospel number "The Christian Life" (the rehearsal recording that appears here has Parsons on lead vocals, whereas the album version had Roger McGuinn). With the Flying Burrito Brothers -- which he formed with Byrdsman Chris Hillman -- Parsons further explored the fusion he dubbed "cosmic American music," leaving The Gilded Palace of Sin as its blueprint. Parsons' vocals now oozed soul on the biting "Sin City," the melancholy "Hot Burrito #1," and the rousing but aching "Hot Burrito #2." The Burritos' only other studio album, Burrito Deluxe, is represented here by four tracks, including the Byrds-y, harmony-driven single "Cody, Cody" and their take on the Stones' country-inspired tune "Wild Horses." Two additional Burrito cuts, covers of Merle Haggard's "Sing Me Back Home" and the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody," may have been recorded on a lark, but they sound resonant today. For the rest of his short-lived career -- he died of an overdose in 1973, at the age of 26 -- Parsons went solo, generating two landmark albums, GP and Grievous Angel. He drafted into his band a young singer named Emmylou Harris, and the pair's harmonies on the twangy "We'll Sweep out the Ashes in the Morning," the easy-feelin' "The New Soft Shoe," "Hearts on Fire," the heartbreaking "$1000 Wedding," and "Love Hurts" are among country's most gorgeous. Add to that Parsons' solo turns on "She" and "Brass Buttons," and his legacy as a top-notch soul singer is sealed. Sacred Hearts is fleshed out by three songs lifted from a live radio broadcast in 1973 (the entire session is available as Live 1973). Though musically it offers only one new nugget to collectors, Sacred Hearts and Fallen Angels is nicely packaged, with extensive liner notes, track-by-track commentary (with input from Hillman and McGuinn), rare photos, and personal essays by Harris and Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes. It's a can't-miss introduction to a major American talent. Lydia Vanderloo

All Music Guide

Gram Parsons' legend is so great that it's easy for the neophyte to be skeptical about his music, wondering if it really is deserving of such effusive praise. Simply put, it is, and if you question the veracity of that statement, turn to Rhino's peerless double-disc set, Sacred Hearts and Fallen Angels: The Gram Parsons Anthology. This is the first truly comprehensive overview of Parsons' work, running from the International Submarine Band, through the Byrds, to the Flying Burrito Brothers and his two solo albums, scattering appropriate rarities or non-LP tracks along the way. This is no small feat, since it depends on extensive cross-licensing between record labels, plus concentration from the compilers, who won't allow personal biases to get in the way of telling the story. Miraculously, this happens, and the result is a lean, yet thorough, utterly addictive set that summarizes the brilliance of Gram Parsons, capturing his magnificent songwriting abilities and how he made country sound like rock & roll, while giving rock a sense of country's history. It's possible to complain about the handful of omissions -- "Break My Mind" is one of the greatest recordings he did with the Byrds, the version of "Do You Know How It Feels" is better with the Burritos, the barroom anthems of his solo records ("Cry One More Time," "Big Mouth Blues," "I Can't Dance," "Cash on the Barrellhead") gave the weepers context -- but this still hits every major point. After all, counting the early version of "Do You Know," only two songs are missing from The Gilded Palace of Sin and only four songs are missing from the two-fer of GP/Grievous Angel, plus this has the best of the ISB, Byrds, and songs that didn't make the solo album. So, even if there may be a personal favorite or two missing, nothing major is missing, which means this is a perfect, irresistible summation of Parsons' career, containing every great moment from all of his bands. His genius has never seemed purer than it does here, since it conveys the true scope of his talents and his career. If you are a fan of Parsons, this isn't necessary, even if it is an excellent listen (there's only one unreleased track, the ISB's "Knee Deep in the Blues"). If you haven't fallen in love with him, skip every other disc -- this is what you need. Once you hear it, there's no way that you won't become a life-long fan. Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Blender

Parsons’s theory of a pop, soul and country–fused “cosmic American music” is one of rock’s killer apps. Joe Gross