Celebrating Gram Parsons, Amoeba Music, and RSD Black Friday
Celebrating Gram Parsons, Amoeba Music, and RSD Black Friday
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56m
"The GRAMMY Museum spotlighted the release of Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels-The Last Roundup: Live from Bijou Café in Philadelphia March 16th 1973 with a panel moderated by Variety's Chris Willman featuring Polly Parsons (Daughter of Gram Parsons) and David Prinz (Co-Founder of Amoeba Music). A performance from Sierra Ferrell followed. This release is a highlight of the titles that came to record stores as part of RSD Black Friday on November 24, 2023, an event from the organizers of Record Store Day to shine a light on record stores during the holiday shopping season.
In early 1973 Gram Parsons embarked on a tour to promote his recently released first solo album, GP. Gram put together a pretty great band, including the then-unknown Emmylou Harris as his singing partner. The shows were somewhat uneven at first, but by midtour the band started to find its groove.
One show stood out to pedal steel player Neil Flanz: the third night at the Bijou Cafe in Philadelphia. Neil felt that this was the best show of the tour and requested a copy of the soundboard recording. He saved it for almost forty years, and then it was acquired by Amoeba Music for a future Gram release. It then disappeared in the Amoeba vault for another ten years before it was rediscovered when Amoeba moved to a new location in LA.
It turns out Neil was right. This is Gram and Emmylou at their finest. And it’s one of the last performances ever of Gram and the Fallen Angels. A 50-year-old soundboard cassette offers some unique challenges, but thanks to the efforts of some of the world’s best archival sound restoration engineers, the beauty and energy of Gram, Emmylou, and the band shine through on Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels-The Last Roundup:Live from the Bijou Café in Philadelphia March 16th 1973, from Amoeba Records, that came to record stores for RSD Black Friday for the first time. For all of those who never got to experience Gram live, this is the closest we’ll ever get to being there. "