Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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78 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Flying Burrito Brothers, Live in 1969, November 7, 2007
This double CD (not 1 disc as indicated in Amazon product description) documents two live performances at the Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, in April 1969. Track list:
Disc 1 (April 4th):
1. Close Up the Honky Tonks
2. Dark End of the Street
3. Undo The Right/Somebody's Back In Town
4. She Once Lived Here
5. We've Got to Get Ourselves Together
6. Lucille
7. Hot Burrito #1
8. Hot Burrito #2
9. Long Black Limousine
10. Mental Revenge
11. Sin City
12. Thousand Dollar Wedding (bonus track, not from live concert)
13. When Will I Be Loved (ditto)
Disc 2 (April 6th):
1. Undo The Right/Somebody's Back In Town
2. She Once Lived Here
3. Mental Revenge
4. We've Got to Get Ourselves Together
5. Lucille
6. Sin City
7. You Win Again
8. Hot Burrito #1
9. Hot Burrito #2
10. You're Still On My Mind
11. Train Song
12. Long Black Limousine
13. Sweet Dream Baby
14. Do Right Woman
These performances, recorded just a few weeks after FBB's groundbreaking studio album "Gilded Palace of Sin," provide a fascinating window into their live sound then. The sound quality is good, if a bit bass-heavy. As another reviewer mentioned, the guitars seem to be missing from the mix. But it's not a big issue. The resulting stripped-down, clean mix highlights Sneaky Pete Kleinow, who was a killer pedal steel guitarist. It also brings to the forefront FBB's calling card, the vocal harmonies of Gram Parsons (just 22 at the time) and Chris Hillman.
If you close your eyes during the bluesy, loose-jointed rhythms of "We've Got To Get Ourselves Together" and "Train Song" (a Parsons-Hillman composition), you might imagine that you're listening to the Grateful Dead. This is no coincidence, as the Burritos were opening for the Dead, and the tape was made by the Dead's sound engineer, Bear. But it does connect some mental dots -- the Grateful Dead certainly exemplified Gram Parsons' concept of Cosmic American music.
"Long Black Limo" and "Mental Revenge" are rousing highlights of the April 4th concert. "You Win Again" by Hank Williams, from the April 6th evening, is another standout. Both Hank and Gram were sons of the South; neither saw their 30th birthday, owing to overdoses of opiates and alcohol. As Pamela des Barres and producer Dave Prinz allude to in the liner notes, it was fairly outrageous for the Burritos to be playing such country-fried songs for the "chemically imbalanced" (Gram's words during one of the intros) flower children of San Francisco, in 1969. But history has amply validated his judgement.
Five of the songs on "Gilded Palace of Sin" appear on this live set. Curiously, "Christine's Tune" (a signature song of the Burritos) does not. It's probably just as well, as the acoustic guitar riff which opens the song is essential, and would not have been very audible on this recording.
If you're wondering about buying "Archives Volume 1," there's a reason why people dig up 38-year-old recordings of the Flying Burrito Brothers from the Grateful Dead's vault. The Burritos left a deep, indelible, original mark on American music, which will not fade away. Others followed, but they were there first. The title "Volume One" offers hope that Amoeba Records may have more to share with us.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well worth the wait!!, November 7, 2007
Like everything Gram Parsons and The Flying Burrito Brothers did, this live 2 CD set of tunes will remind fans why they loved these guys in the first place! Thanks to Amoeba records and Dave Prinz for pursuing these "lost" tapes of the band.
Both shows captured on this set are well worth the listen, but I prefer the April 4th set a bit more for some beautiful and heartbreaking takes of "She Once Lived Here" "Hot Burrito #1" "Dark End of the Street" and "Sin City" sung by Gram, and backed up by Chris Hillman. There's a somewhat funky, jazzy version of "Hot Burrito #2" and great covers of Little Richard's "Lucille" and "Sweet Mental Revenge" (Waylon Jenning's tune). One weaker track is the second set's "Do Right Woman" - not one of their best performances for sure. ....Overall an excellent addition. ...Hey Amoeba, got any more stuff?! Enjoy.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
GRAM'S LATEST: 39 YEARS IN THE MAKING . . ., November 6, 2007
The new Gram Parsons CD is actually the new Flying Burrito Brother CD. It's a double disc set, beautifully packaged with great photos and liner notes. In April of '69 the FBB opened for the Grateful Dead for 3 nights. Two of those performances are presented here after sitting in the vaults for 39 years. Hats off to Amoeba Records for a job well done!
The sound is surprisingly clear, miles better than the old bootlegs circulating of a few of these tracks. (I can't help but wonder if the guitars somehow didn't make it to the soundboard though -- plenty of tasty steel guitar, drums, bass and keyboard, but not an acoustic guitar in sight.)
Performance-wise, it's vintage Gram/FBB -- spirited, expressive, fun and a little sloppy. Great harmonies (thanks to Chris Hillman) and great songs, many not available by Gram anywhere else. Highlights include Sweet Mental Revenge, Long Black Limousine, Undo The Right and Lucille, as well as the FBB's own Sin City and Hot Burrito #1.
A great bonus is two unreleased demos: Gram alone at the piano working on Thousand Dollar Wedding with some different lyrics (the "young bride PASSED away" instead of went away!), and a very loose workout on When Will I Be Loved from '67 with Gram and other unidentified voices (the Int'l Sub Band?)
If you're a Gram fan, this is an obvious must have, five-star release. For the merely Gram-curious it probably isn't the place to start. But either way it's a look back at special time that ended way too soon. Thanks Gram.
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by The Flying Burrito Brothers 
