Sweetheart of the Rodeo: Remastered

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
After Chris Hillman dragged new friend Gram Parsons into the Byrds, they made an album as close to a country masterpiece as a rock act could ever make. In fact, the only tunes better than the definitive covers here of songs by Bob Dylan ("You Ain't Going Nowhere"), Guthrie ("Pretty Boy Floyd") and the Louvin Brothers ("The Christian Life") are Parsons's originals, especially the incomparable "Hickory Wind". Sweetheart wasn't the first country-rock album, but with its gorgeous three-way harmonies and sweet pedal steel, it remains the best. --David Cantwell

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Customer reviews

review by: Ray Burns date: 2005-01-26 rating:
A real Sweetheart
I've had this album since it was first released. I would say that it has got to be one of the dozen or so essential albums in any popular music lovers collection, and in this expanded version is a must buy.
My fellow reviewers have given you the details, I just advise you to do yourselves a big favour & add this to your collection, I promise you won't be disappointed.

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review by: date: 2004-11-08 rating:
Unfulfilled promise
With an album such as Sweetheart there is one great pitfall to avoid. Gram Parsons has been hailed as a country-rock genius, but he only played on this one Byrds album. He then left the band, formed the Burittos, left them and formed his own band, then died young. So how do you avoid going over the top about the contribution of one dissipated young man?

The answer is not to try. This is a beautiful album, lifted above the Byrd's mainstream pop noodlings by Gram's influence. It is a mix of new songs, old country standards, and the usual bit of Dylan, but all made into a gorgeous and seamless whole. This album probably did invent country-rock. The musicianship is outstanding, usually understated and embellishing the songs rather than standing out from them. The lead vocals and harmonies are all expressive and note perfect. The bonus tracks really are a bonus too - listening to several of the songs with Gram's alternative lead vocal takes remind us again what we're missing.

Why only four stars? Because, however much I love the albums he made after it, Sweetheart of the Rodeo always makes me ask what Gram Parsons would have recorded if he'd stayed with the Byrds just a bit longer.

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review by: date: 2003-10-26 rating:
SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO
I purchased this album when first released and it remains one of my favourites.Undoubtedly now elevated to a 'super status' category( partly because of its immense influence on modern alternate country and bands such as The Eagles), the Sweetheart is a timeless classic which loses none of its charm and potency. The musicianship is superb and history will place this as one of the all time classics of the country-rock genre.As an exteded CD, we have the advantage of extra material which is a compliment to the original; with alternate takes and newly released songs, which sit alongside the others seamlessly.I personally have a fine CD to replace a well scratched piece of vinyl!
Previous reviewers have already eloquently written much of this album's history. 'nuff said. Buy a piece of history for yourself and enjoy. It won't be difficult.

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review by: Pete the music fan date: 2003-05-31 rating:
Landmark album
This album was considered revolutionary when it was originally recorded - a rock band recording a country album with a rock edge - but it was so influential that nobody hearing it now will think there is anything revolutionary about it.

Bob Dylan wrote two of the songs - You ain't going nowhere and Nothing was delivered - while there are also covers of songs by soul singer William Bell (You don't miss your water) and Woody Guthrie (Pretty boy Floyd).

Gram Parsons contributed two songs - One hundred years from now and Hickory wind. He also wrote Lazy days, which was recorded for the original album but not included on it. This is added as one of several bonus tracks, some of which feature Gram as lead singer instead of Roger McGuinn.

The remaining tracks are covers of country songs that had previously been recorded by (among others) George Jones and Merle Haggard.

Not long after this album was recorded, Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons left and formed the Flying Burrito brothers. The music here set the pattern for that band and other country-rock bands such as Poco and the early Eagles music. But in the new millennium, mainstream pop, rock and country music all seem far removed from this album. Modern singers and bands doing music of this type are classified as alt-country. Although the term alt-country covers many different styles, the influence of this album is obvious in many alt-country singers and bands.

The music here is excellent on its own merit. It was not very successful at the time but has grown in status with the passage of time.


review by: freidun date: 2002-07-06 rating:
you dont miss your waters....
wow this album has good flow to it yeah man
this is the sort of album you might have to listen to a couple of times before you get in to it
it,s a album that might not seem to get anywhere a first
but it certainly has lots of feeling into it
it was an experiments but they where very cserious with it
gram parson sings very well he is new in the byrds but finds his place in the band very fast clearce white among other helps them out too gram is the only one who writes songs for this album the rest are covers, but then again whats wrong with doing covers when you do them good this was a breaktrough in music even if it didiny make it big commercially
rickenbecker banjo instead of tvelve string this time but still fantastic
a very deep album with lots of feeling i am a pilgrim you don,t miss your waters two swinging dylan covers gram parson sings your still on my mind with touch togheter with a honky tonk peiono new drummer kevin kelly mostly plays a lot of simple stuff but still with lots of touch hillman sings on a good few on this album and really comming forward on this album
cheif byrd roger is controling thi all the way
it has lots of touch just check it out pette boy floyd its swinging some good pickin and forward moving singing a good song and there is more where this came from

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