The Flying Burrito Brothers - The Flying Burrito Brothers (1971)

The Flying Burrito Brothers were a pioneering American country-rock band, founded in the late 60s.

In June 1970 founding Burrito Brother Gram Parsons was sacked due to his general lack of enthusiasm and team spirit, leaving the band as Chris Hillman (bass/mandolin/vocals), Bernie Leadon (guitar/vocals), Sneaky Pete Kleinow (pedal steel guitar) and Michael Clarke (drums). Under Hillman's leadership they toured as a foursome for the rest of the summer. They also recorded a song with Gene Clark, "Tried So Hard" (originally from Gene Clark With The Gosdin Brothers), and released this as a single. Whether or not they were actually considering Clark as a replacement for Parsons at this time is unclear, but nothing more came of the partnership.
In the end they chose a young singer-songwriter called Rick Roberts to take Parson's place as singer / rhythm guitarist. Though Hillman was undoubtedly the leader of the band at this stage, when their third album came out Roberts appeared to be the dominant musical force. He contributed three fantastic original songs, and co-wrote another four with Hillman (who did also perform a few lead vocals himself). "Tried So Hard" reappeared, with Clark's vocal track replaced by Roberts', and another two covers were included (Merle Haggard's "White Line Fever" and Dylan's "To Ramona"). Though the new album had a more polished and commercial sound compared to its predecessors, it still failed to do well commercially.

Burrito Deluxe (1970) <|> Last Of The Red Hot Burritos (1972)
More from the Flying Burrito Brothers

Download