After his work on the Byrds' classic, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Gram Parsons left the group and took Chris Hillman with him. Together they formed the songwriting team that was at the center of one of my favourite groups of all time, The Flying Burrito Brothers. Their first album, the sublimely-named, The Gilded Palace of Sin (1969) is a perfectly proportioned blend of country, rock, soul and fun. Because Parsons' singing, writing and performing is based on a kind of naive exuberance, the listener can't help but feel a part of things and root for him. This song and video, "Christine's Tune" with Hillman and then Parsons alternating lead vocal duties and then combining to provide an Everly Brothers-influenced harmony, is a good example. It's the album's first track and features some psychedelic pedal steel from the virtuosic Sneaky Pete Kleinow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BITiY8M_oDo. More on this record tomorrow.