Outpost Record Shop

This is another album that I buy whenever I see it. This is my third copy of this album and for many reasons I can’t bring myself to let them go. I got turned on to Gram Parsons sometime in the mid ’90s. He referred to his style of music as “Cosmic American Music”, a blend of country, folk, R&B, soul and rock. Even in the 90’s I could tell that it was different-Different in the 70’s and stood the test of time to now. Electrified country, with soulful lyrics and Emmylou Harris… What’s not to like?

At first I noticed the song “Love Hurts” I was familiar with the versions done by the Everly Brothers and Nazareth-but was hooked on this version with the duet between Gram and Emmylou Harris…It was if they were singing to each other. The next song that got me was Return of the Grievous Angel…

Won’t you scratch my itch, sweet Annie Rich
And welcome me back to town?
Come out on your porch or step into your parlor
And I’ll tell you how it all went down
Out with the truckers and the kickers and the cowboy angels
And a good saloon in every single town

Coming home to tell his tale of his cross country adventures. Like Kerouac’s “On the Road” and “Dharma Bums”

This album led me down a path to find more from Gram Parsons. A path that led to the Byrds, Emmylou Harris, Chris Hillman, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. I also discovered his association with Keith Richards and his influence on the Rolling Stones with songs like “Far Away Eyes” “Dead Flowers” and “Wild Horses”

I spent the summer of 90′ in California. This was before I’d every heard of Gram Parsons or Joshua Tree. I spent most of that summer in the San Joaquine Valley. Before leaving California I drove to LA to Visit a lifelong friend. We spend a few days around Venice Beach before she took me to a place called Joshua Tree. Heading East and out The 10, you gradually escape the LA Basin and endless suburbs, Mt San Jacinto beckons, drawing you towards palm springs and into the desert we went. We arrived at Joshua Tree and spent the day hiking, climbing boulders, hanging out, and simply enjoying our time together. I was leaving in a few days and heading East. This was my first encounter with Joshua Tree.

I moved to Southern California in the late 90’s and spend a few years there. Since my last time in California 8 years prior I’d learned about Gram Parsons and his love for Joshua Tree Nation Park. I knew that he died at the Joshua Tree Inn, and an old hippy friend told me the tale of Grams corps being stolen from LAX Airport by his friends and taken back to Joshua Tree where they burned his body at Cap Rock in the park…See the Movie “Gram Theft Parsons”.

Joshua tree became my favorite place to hike when I lived in that area. The rough terrain, boulders, and the trees praying to the heavens became my sanctuary. A place to escape and a place to reflect.

An album is sometimes so much more than a bunch of songs. This album connected the dots of artists collaborating and influencing one another. It led me to a place that I could relate to, a desolate barren land that was so beautiful. A place where I took every visitor for a hike. A place where I spent time with one of my dearest friends, who unexpectedly passed a few years later…Now when I hear Emmylou Sing “Boulder to Birmingham” , her farewell song to Gram, I can’t help but to think of my time in Joshua Tree with friends, family, and all of the memories that it holds.