An OG country rock classic from the late â60s California canyon scene. Story behind the band is interesting too, close proximity to all the greats in L.A. at the time (The Byrds, Crosby, Stills and Nash, The Rolling Stones, etc.) RIP Gram.
There aren't enough characters/emojis to reaffirm this rec enough. If you think you don't like country (or that it's music for hicks, etc.), give this a listen. It's actually SOUL MUSIC with steel guitar accompaniment. A++++.
I used to think I hated country music; it was for hicks.Â
Then I discovered Gram and my whole perspective changed.
The Byrdsâ âSweetheart of the Rodeo.â
The Flying Burrito Brothersâ first two albums.
The Stonesâ âWild Horsesâ and âDead Flowersâ were no doubt influenced by Gram hanging around at Nellcote.
And his solo work (especially with Emmylou Harris); âGrievous Angelâ is a masterpiece.
We probably donât have a Nudie Suit cult, âFar Away Eyesâ or alt-country without Gram.
Gone way too soon at the age of 26.Â
Cosmic American Music for the kids.Â
IYDKNYK
I grew up in Long Beach, CA thinking that country music was for hicks and rednecks.
The late, great Gram is one of the artists that changed my mind about that, could help me see that country had its own sort of soul to it.
Gram actually WAS a compulsive truth-bender so
âNo, I wouldnât lie
You know Iâm not that kinda guyâ
Is actually just another of his many fibs.
But how can you not love a dude this heartbroken and talented? đ
This song, right here, is the beginning of my lifelong love affair with pedal steel guitar. (Thanks to Sneaky Pete for the amazing playing on this Flying Burrito Bros. classic).
By the Byrds.
Sweetheart of the Rodeo gets all the well deserved love, but this album, which came out right before, is my favorite. Itâs the bandâs first time embracing country music, but they havenât quite left the psychedelic era; theyâre in a state of transition.Â
The album glides by like a series of daydreamsâ of laid back mornings and acid-eyed evenings, fading romances,  pastoral fantasies and whole lifetimes circling back on themselves.
Beautiful harmonies, unique guitar tones, strings, pedal steel and Moog synth contribute to an atmosphere not found in the work of their contemporaries. It might be one of the last great 60s psych records, but it is also the beginning of soft rock, of dream pop, and alt country.Â