Reviews
Christian Parker, Patrick Cleary and Earl Poole Ball Album: American Cosmic Revival Vol 2: Miles From Nowhere
Label: Subcat
Tracks: 12
Website: https://www.christianparker.com
Once more joined by International Submarine Band/Gram Parsons pianist Poole alongside guitarist Cleary and Jay Dee Maness another Parsons alumni, Gary Jacob and Tracer James on pedal steel, bassist Michael Rinne, drummer Ron Keck, Joe Thomas on piano and Jennifer Kealer on backing vocal, Parker again dives into the cosmic Americana waters with this second volume of covers by the genre's pioneers.
Fittingly it opens with one of Gram's classics, 'Wheels' before turning to the Everlys with a honky tonk waltz through Boudleaux and Felice Bryant's 'Brand New Heartache', the Evs revisited for a twangy, steel-soaked take on their self-penned 'So Sad'. Written by Autry Inman and recorded by Parsons (as well as George Jones), Steele and Poole's piano anchor the swayalong 'She Once Lived Here' while Gene Clark gets two nods, first up being his Bernie Leadon co-write 'Train Leaves Here This Morning' which appeared on the Eagles' debut album but was first recorded by Clark and Doug Dillard on The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark, though this leans more towards the country feel of the former. The second is the keening ballad 'Hear The Wind' which featured on his 1977 'Two Sides To Every Story'.
Penned by the Gosdins who released it in 1968. 'There Must Be Someone' keeps The Byrds link having been recorded on 'The Ballad Of Easy Rider', this though following the original with its spoken passage.
Country icon Merle Haggard recorded If We Make It Through December' for his 1977 Christmas album, the frisky country version here bizarrely having Parker sounding not unlike UK legend Gerry Colvin. Then comes ''Hangin' On', (better known from its Just Enough To Keep Me…refrain ), written by Buddy Mixe and Ira Allen and first recorded by The Gosdin Bros. in 1967 but perhaps best known via the Waylon Jennings version.
Dylan gets a look in with a more countrified working of 'I Threw It All Away' off Nashville Skyline while country royalty Roseanne Cash recorded Rodney Crowell's tears in the beer 'No Memories Hangin' Round' with Bobby Bare back in 1979, though Lee & Chrstine Conway were the first a couple of months earlier, Crowell not getting round to it himself until his 2015 duet with Emmylou Harris. This version though hews to the solo vocal recording by Gene Clark that surfaced on his Lost Studio Sessions album.
It ends with a choice not as unexpected as it first appears in a five-minute plus piano and steel-based perfectly faithful take on the slow, aching country ballad 'Wild Horses' by The Rolling Stones which, of course, brings the wheel full circle as the first version, a year prior to the Stones, was by The Flying Burrito Brothers on 'Burrito Deluxe' with Parsons on vocals having been given a demo of the song by Keith Richards. Terrific stuff, roll on Vol 3.
Mike Davies
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