ALBUM OF THE WEEK # 325 THE FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS - THE GILDED PALACE OF SIN (1969)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Disclaimer: All info that does not reside in my brain is gathered from wikipedia.com (mostly because Jon can't stand it) unless otherwise noted.

Let's try this again.  I don't think The Flying Burrito Brothers have been featured on Classic Rock Bottom before, so let's get that corrected this week.  Your Album of the Week is the band's debut record, The Gilded Palace of Sin. What a great title.  If you aren't familiar with the band, The Flying Burrito Brothers were formed after both Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman left The Byrds.  This band is one of the first country rock bands around, although this sounds much more country than rock to me.  Let's see:

• The Gilded Palace of Sin reached number 164 on the Billboard 200 chart.
• Needless to say, it wasn't a big seller.
• The album finds inspiration from country, folk, gospel, soul and psychedelic rock.
• Rolling Stone named the album the 192nd best album of all time.
• The band's harmony vocals recall the style of The Everly Brothers.
• The band had Nudie Suits (decorative rhinestone covered suits designed by Nudie Cohn) made for the album cover.
• Parsons' suit featured marijuana leaf designs as well as being embroidered with Seconal and Tuinal pills.  That suit now hangs in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
• The album has influenced artists such as The Eagles, Travis Tritt, Wilco and Dwight Yoakam, just to name a few.
• Sin City is my favorite track here.  I actually heard it on the Little Steven's Underground Garage a while back, which is what prompted me to pick up the album.

So what do you think?  Have you heard this one before?  Maybe you already own it.  If not, you can pick up (like I did) a double CD release of this album and Burrito Deluxe, the follow-up, for about eleven dollars.  

Side One:

1. Christine's Tune

2. Sin City

3. Do Right Woman

4. Dark End Of The Street

5. My Uncle

Side Two:

6. Wheels

7. Juanita 

8. Hot Burrito #1

9. Hot Burrito #2

10. Do You Know How It Feels

11. Hippie Boy

[Scott]

[Jon]

I wonder if the band formed today if they would be known as The Flying Burrito Brahs?

Fkying gives me gas.

Burritos give me gas.

Bros give me gas but they come before hos, of course. 

I had something from TFBB awhile ago, listened to it once, decided it wasn't up my alley and never listened to it again. Don't remember if was vinyl or cassette, but I sure as heck don't have it anymore.

This still isn't up my alley and it's proven by who they influenced since I'm not enamored with any of those artists but can slightly stand early Eagles.

It's just mellow country to me and the songs have blended into each other with very minor differences. Not a bad listen but I was waiting for it to be over. So, there's the answer to your first question.

As for an answer to your second question, I guess I can now say yes since I listened to it before I typed this?

[Niels (Mod)]

Another interesting album.

Not surprisingly, the first track sounds a bit like Rolling Stones. Gram Pasons and Keff were very good friends, I guess. I really like the first song. Very good!

Hmmm, Sin City certainy ain't as good as the AC/DC-song. This is way too slow for me. I don't care much for slow Country and Western Music. I can imagine Guns And Roses playing this song in the mid-90's. But it's still not a very good song imo.

Oh no, another slow song. Nope, don't care much for this either. Again, I can hear Stones in the song, and they've (The Stones) certainly also made some boring slow tunes on their albums.

DEOTS  - Ah, wasn't this song in the movie "The Commitments"? Yes, it was. This is an okay song, but I doubt anyone in the band wrote it. Wilson Pickett? Don't know, don't really care.

Ah, a little faster song ends side 1. I like the mandolin, no I LOVE the mandolin. The song sounds like a lot of other songs. Too ordinare. Again I hear The Stones. Seeing, that this album is from 1969, I think that it was Mick and Keef, who was inspired by Parson, and not the other way around.

Wheels is not bad...in fact it's good. I like the Tuba, or whatever it is. Good tune.

Another song, that makes me think of The Stones, but I can't remember from which album. Around the same time, I guess. Or a little later on. Okay song.

Argh, "Hot Burrito" is yet another sloooooooow song.......but it has a fine melodi. A very nice melody, in fact.

#2 has a fine speed, some fine piano. Another good song. And electric guitar!!! This is one of the best tracks.

Nice piano-intro. I'm not that fond of those slide/country-guitars. A lot of those C & W-songs sounds very similar, which can be boring for me. My mother would love this song, I'm sure. I don't think it's that bad, myself.

Ha ha...hippie Boy. That sounds like a Frank Zappa-title to a song. Talking in a song, is another thing, I'm not a big fan of. If it's a song, I want to hear many times, such talking tends to annoy the shit out of me. This is obviously only talking, so "no thanks" to this last song, that's not for me at all. Oh, a little singing at the end. But still, the weakest "song" on the album.

I can certainly hear, that this album is a classic, and it has some good songs. At times, it's too slow for me, but luckily not all the way through. A Good album, not exactly my taste, but never the less a good album.

Very interesting, Jeff :-)

[Scott]

I was listening to this when NING.com went dark the other day and so with it went my comments. Here’s my recollection of what I had typed up, and we all know how good my memory is…

• Like the first track and stuff
• Really country 
• Rick Roberts, Firefall, not on this album though, just name dropping
• Bernie Leadon, Eagles, smart move
• Gram Parsons, death, weird!
• Steel Guitar OK
• Really very country
• Nudie suits huh? Weird
• I prefer my burritos on the plate and not flying
• I also prefer them Hot
• Not a purchase, but a nice slice of Rock-Country history