Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel

Gram Parsons' Grievous Angel, released in 1974 just months after his death, returns on 180-gram vinyl, a heartbreaking high point of what he called Cosmic American Music.

Recorded in Hollywood in the summer of 1973 with Parsons producing, the sessions reunited him with his singing partner Emmylou Harris and members of Elvis Presley's band, including James Burton and Glen Hardin, with Bernie Leadon and Linda Ronstadt dropping by. Many of the arrangements had already been worked out on the road, and the playing has an easy, lived-in grace that belies the turmoil around Parsons at the time.

"Return of the Grievous Angel" opens with a road-weary epic of highways and longing, Harris's harmonies wrapping around his voice like a second heartbeat. Their duet on "Love Hurts" is one of the most aching performances either singer ever recorded, while "Brass Buttons" is a fragile, tender reflection on loss. Closing hymn "In My Hour of Darkness" feels almost impossibly poignant given what came next.

The record sold modestly at first, but its blend of country heart and rock and roll spirit has inspired generations of songwriters since. Heard on heavy vinyl, Parsons and Harris sound close enough to touch, a partnership that shaped everything from country rock to modern Americana.