Cultural archaeology is not always its subject’s friend. Gram Parsons left behind a concise, tantalizing body of work: the Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo, the Flying Burrito Brothers’ Gilded Palace of Sin, and his two solo albums, GP and The Return of the Grievous Angel. They demonstrated an aesthetic that bridged country, folk, soul and rock ’n’ roll, and he was central to the development of country rock in California in the 1970s.A generation later, he’s as the patron saint of Americana music, so it’s no surprise that a new biography (Twenty Thousand Roads), documentary (Fallen Angel) and Live at the Avalon Ballroom 1969 find their way into the market.

 

The set lists on these recently excavated tapes are promising, combining Burritos songs such as “Sin City” and “Hot Burrito #1” with Waylon Jennings’ “Mental Revenge” and James Carr’s “Dark End of the Street.” Unfortunately, the versions here, like so much of the recent Parsonalia, diminish the artist lined out by the albums released in his lifetime. The Flying Burrito Brothers were a notably erratic live band, and on these shows opening for the Grateful Dead in San Francisco, bassist Chris Etheridge is distractingly in front of the beat, making songs feel like they’re racing. Parsons sings with vulnerability and soul, but he’s following his muse on each vocal, leaving Chris Hillman to flounder raggedly on the harmonies.

 

What’s here is hardly lousy; more accurately, it documents a couple of gigs by a band that was better in the studio than it was live. If you already are predisposed to love Parsons, you’ll hear the magic here. If you want to really hear the magic, though, listen to the studio albums.