The International Submarine Band - Safe At Home (1968)

The International Submarine Band were country-rock group active from 1966 to 1968.

The International Submarine Band was formed in 1966 by a young Harvard dropout called Gram Parsons, 21 years old at the time. Previously a fan of rock & roll and folk, it was with this band that Parsons first whole-heartedly embraced country music. They struggled first in Boston and then New York, before Parsons and guitarist John Neuse moved to L.A. to form a new incarnation of the ISB. They were finally signed to Lee Hazlewood's LHI Records, and in late 1967 they created what was arguably one of the first country-rock records with Safe At Home. Recorded mostly with session musicians, it fused a youthful rebel energy with a traditional honky-tonk sound. The reason this album is often overlooked is that by the time of its completion Parsons had left the International Submarine Band to join The Byrds. By the time it was finally released in '68, he had crafted a similar album with his new band in Sweetheart Of The Rodeo, and as the Byrds were already an established act their album obviously got the most attention. As a consequence, Safe At Home remains an overlooked obscurity to this day.
It consisted of four strong Parsons originals alongside covers of classic country numbers by the likes of Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. Backing Parsons and Neuse in the band were rhythm guitarist Bob Buchanan, pedal steel guitarist Jay Dee Maness, drummer John Corneal and pianist Earl Ball. Bass was shared between Joe Osborn and Chris Ethridge, of whom the latter would later re-unite with Parsons to continue the country-rock experiment in the Flying Burrito Brothers.

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