Hillman’s Old John Robertson had featured some country-picking when it appeared on the Notorious Byrd Brothers LP and it fits right into the new direction here. One of these was set-opener You Ain’t Going Nowhere, although this provided a link with the past as one of many Bob Dylan songs covered by the band. Of the eleven songs played at the Piper Club, four were from the forthcoming LP, which was not released until August 30 th. Parsons had tried to persuade McGuinn to add a pedal steel player, compromising on banjoist/guitarist Doug Dillard who had recently been playing with Gene Clark. Recording sessions at Columbia Studios in Nashville and Hollywood continued up until May 27 th when the band flew to Europe for a short tour. Although Parsons would be a Byrd for less than six months he took the band in a completely new direction via the Sweetheart Of The Rodeo LP, in the process inventing country rock, Americana and The Eagles. Gram had already been exploring country music with his International Submarine Band but he jumped at the chance of promotion to the Byrds. Good God! It’s George Jones in a sequin suit!”. “ I thought I hired a piano player.“ said McGuinn “ Gram turned out to be a monster in sheep’s clothing. Enter Ingram Cecil Connor III aka Gram Parsons. A short series of early 1968 college gigs indicated that touring as a three-piece was not viable. The drum stool was quickly occupied by Hillman’s cousin Kevin Kelley. The departure of founder members Gene Clark, David Crosby and Michael Clarke had reduced the Byrds to leader McGuinn and Chris Hillman. The version of the Byrds that took the stage at the Piper Club had recently undergone a change of personnel, hardly a novelty for this most mercurial of groups. A documentary was made for the BBC but never shown. Apparently the whole event was appallingly organised and sparsely attended. After the Move had let off some pyrotechnics on the third day the festival was forcibly moved from the 20,000 capacity Palazzo dello Sport to the much smaller venue The Piper Club for the fourth and final day. Nonetheless the Pink Floyd, Captain Beefheart, Donovan and Traffic were amongst the bands who did play. It soon transpired that these were acts who had been invited to appear rather than acts that had actually confirmed their attendance. Posters for The First International European Pop Festival promised The Bee Gees, Big Brother, James Brown, Bo Diddley and Buffalo Springfield (and that’s just the B’s). Gram Parsons – Acoustic guitar, harmony vocal, lead vocal (1-11)Ĭlarence White – Guitar, harmony vocal (12 & 13) Roger McGuinn – Lead 12 string guitar, lead vocal, harmony vocal Tracks 12 & 13 recorded for Playboy After Dark, September 28 th 1968 Tracks 1-11 recorded at The Piper Club, Rome on May 7 th 1968 for VPRO radio (Holland) with assistance from RAI radio (Italy) Baby What You Want Me To Do? (Jimmy Reed) The Christian Life (Charles and Ira Louvin)ġ0. I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better (Gene Clark)ħ.Hickory Wind (Gram Parsons and Bob Buchanan).You Don’t Miss Your Water (William Bell).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |