There was a blog I wanted to link to, but then I forgot which one it was, and now I just remembered, so I thought I'd link to it right away. It's called "laura Holder not com" and the main reason I'm linking to it is that she asked if one could possible need anything else than the 2-disc anthology Sacred Hearts and Fallen Angels, which features a wide variety of songs by Gram Parsons. I'm not a big fan of Best Of records, so a couple of albums come to mind, but the one that I wanted to mention is the Gram Parsons tribute album called Return of the Grievous Angel. It's an amazing record with a pretty amazing line up. My favourites are Wilco's version of One Hundred Years From Now and Ooh Las Vegas performed by Cowboy Junkies, but the real treat is the Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield duet on $1.000 Wedding. I've heard that song a hundred times and it still gets to me every time. It's a good song, but their version is just incredible.

I think most critics agreed that this is a fantastic album, but at the same time I think it can serve as a great way of getting to know the Parsons songbook for people, who aren’t necessarily into country music. Personally, I think his work both with The Byrds, the other bands, and his solo work is amazing, but a lot of people (especially Europeans) get turned off by the pedal steel, the violins, and the rest of it. So hearing Beck or Chrissie Hynde taking on a Parsons song in a new context might make the songs seem more accessible. And then you just might be ready to pick up the reissue of Sweetheart of the Rodeo or the GP/Grievous Angel CD and get with the real thing. I’ll bet you won’t be sorry that you did.