Cheap Gram Parsons - Fallen Angel (DVD) (Gandulf Hennig) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Gram Parsons - Fallen Angel

Fairly Routine Treatment of a Truly Unique Talent
This is a fairly good attempt at a Gram Parsons biography but it leaves a lot of stones unturned (or only partially turned) mainly because the documentary spends more time exploring the ill effects of Gram's sordid family history than with musical history. I think musical fans will tire pretty quickly with all the details of Gram's privileged upbringing, drug use, and chronicly poor judgement when it comes to party companions. That the family had a history of alcohol abuse is important but it doesn't ultimately tell us much about Grams importance as a musical innovator. Occasionally this documentary will shift away from Grams alcohol and drug problems and talk about the music but mostly this film is interested in Gram the user. <
> <
>Musically this documentary is very shallow. One reason for this is that Gram Parson's wife is still alive and so Emmylou Harris, out of respect for her feelings, is very discreet when discussing her musical and personal relationship with Gram. The Gram/Emmylou collaboration is one of the most intriguing male/female combos on record and we can tell that Emmylou has a lot more she could say about Gram and perhaps one day she'll say it but she doesn't say it here. He had a huge influence on her but she also had a huge influence on him and the nature of this relationship (both the personal and professional side of it) could have been explored much more thoroughly. <
> <
>Also the collaborations and jam sessions with Keith Richards could have been discussed much more thoroughly. The film makers mention Gram and Keith's friendship and how, through Keith, Gram's influence was felt on the Stones four best albums but this influence, and how small or great it was, is never explored. Do tapes exist of Gram and Keith playing together? This relationship was also both a personal and professional one but we are not given enough information to really understand it. Like the Emmylou and Gram relationship the Keith and Gram relationship remains sketchy and though a few of its details are mentioned, it is left largely unexplored. <
> <
>The same could be said of Grams personal and professional relationships with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers. Gram seems to have been a loner (he certainly sings about being lonesome) and yet from an early age he always surrounded himself with other musicians. In some cases Gram outgrew his bandmates and moved on but in other cases bandmates or friends outgrew him; Keith, for one, seems to have dropped Gram as a friend and collaborator as quickly as he adopted him. Plus he didn't leave the Flying Burrito Bros., they fired him. Even though each musican interviewed reminisces about Gram as a friend, its obvious that music can be a pretty heartless world where career moves are more important than friendships. <
> <
>Gram is certainly given credit for being an innovator in country-rock (even if it was the Stones & Eagles who made it sound a lot more listenable to rock 'n roller ears). Gram is adored by people who know a lot about music and he influenced a wide variety of musicians but instead of discussing Gram the musician most of those interviewed just discuss Gram the legend. This is annoying for those of us who are already familiar with all of the myths that surround him and want to hear the substantive side of the Gram Parsons story. Rock musicians seem to romanticize tragedy and in many respects Gram is no different than many musicians before and since. Gram's Nudie suit with its drug and flame imagery is funny when looked at as a self-conscious display of what a life in music is all about, but its just sad when looked at as a self-fulfilling prophecy. <
> <
>A really substantive documentary would speak more directly about individual songs and what they mean and reveal about Gram's troubled psyche and his vision of America (and how the two are tangled together in his songs). This documentary is fine if its your first look at Gram but it will leave those more interested in the music than in the legend hungry for a more thorough treatment of a fascinating subject.

I'll step into your parlor and I'll tell you how it all went down
"Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel" is a terrific documentary on the life and music of Gram Parsons, and only begins to scratch the surface of his impact on popular music. Alt-country mainstays like Ryan Adams, Steve Earle and Uncle Tupelo all owe a major debt to Parsons, as do supergroups like the Rolling Stones and the Eagles. <
> <
>The music here is terrific as always, and all the suspects are interviewed: Keith Richards, Emmylou Harris, Chris Hillman, James Burton, Chris Etheridge, Bernie Leadon, Gretchen Parsons, and Gram Parsons' half sister, who looks eerily like Gram. <
> <
>It's an excellent overview of his career, and the interview segments with Keith Richards in particular are great, but I would have liked to have seen more about the impact of Gram Parsons' music on country and alt-country, as well as some of the themes of his music, which were remarkably deep for a guy in his early 20s who was by many accounts a total goofball. It focused too much on his personality and the mysterious circumstances of his death. <
> <
>For example, I would have liked to have heard more about how Parsons was a major force behind the Stones' move to the country-ish sound found on Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street. That was glossed over in favor of how tight Keith and Gram were, ad nauseum. I also wanted to hear Jagger's take on Gram Parsons. <
> <
>Parsons also pretty much discovered and gave the world Emmylou Harris, who appears on GP and Grievous Angel. That is examined fairly well, with some good audio and video clips. <
> <
>Overall, if you are an alt-country fan, check this movie out. If you are a big Gram Parsons fan like me, this movie is a must.