In 1968, the Flying Burrito Brothers released The Gilded Palace of Sin
on A&M Records, selling a disappointing 400,000 copies. Almost 40 years
later, front man Gram Parsons is still spoken of with almost messianic
reverence. Patron saint of alt-country, emblazoned with a shining cross,
dead at 26.
Overshadowed by Parsons, this album remains an anomaly in the country
rock genre, a map in miniature of a moment in music, and warrants
discussion as more than part of the Gram Parsons legacy.