Gram Parsons Album: “Safe At Home”

This is an interesting record, to say the least: I can't think of any other group that played Country Rock in 1967, the "Summer of Love" season. Even though this is one of the earliest published examples of a Gram Parsons performance on record, his voice sounds already very mature here and carries a lot of emotion. Furthermore it features some early examples of his now classic song material such as "Luxury Liner", "Blue Eyes", "Strong Boy" and "Do You Know How It Feels To Be Lonesome", later re-recorded with the Flying Burrito Brothers. "Luxury Liner" has even more punch than the version covered later by Emmylou Harris. The real treat of the album though is a cooking rhythm section along with some great soloists, including John Nuese on lead guitar, J.D. Maness on pedal steel and Earle Poole Ball on piano. If you like pedal steel guitar, you're gonna hear some of the most sophisticated and progressive sounds on that instrument ever recorded. "A Satisfied Mind", "I Still Miss Someone" and "Folsom Prison Blues" remain as Country standards, but they are presented here in a fresh, unusual fashion. Try to get the mono version, the master is recorded on three-track!

this is not G.P.s greatest work but its still a very good cd.it is better than some of the later burritos work.DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO BE LONESOME is just as good as the burritos if not better.the song BLUE EYES alone is worth geting this cd.it a solid cd all the way thought.FOLSOM PRISON BLUES is kind of a let down.eveything else is great. you also get the great g.p. song LUXURY LINER on here. MILLERS CAVE is a song i think gram worte in his first band the shilohs. its great to get the chance to hear kind of where he started.if your a g.p. fan get this cd while its still around.

Grams first "official" album and of course one of the very first "Country Rock" albums that started the whole thing.

"Luxury Liner" is the standout song here for me.

Gram would go on to more adventurous and even less adventurous styles over the next few years but this remains our very first taste of the future of LA Country Rock - forget the Eagles, buy this instead.

If there had been no Gram Parsons, the Eagles would have never happened.