Often overlooked for his part in the evolution of country rock, Parsons was best known for his membership of The Byrds between 1968-72. A multi-instrumentalist Parsons had previously been serving his apprenticeship in the Southern California folk-rock scene alongside virtuoso guitarist Clarence White. When they were not playing sessions White and Parsons were gigging together fusing folk, bluegrass and Cajun music which led them to becoming house band at the famous Nashville West club, often joined on stage by other musicians including Roger McGuinn and Gram Parsons of the Byrds.
Their performances undoubtedly led to McGuinn being impressed enough to recruit White and Gene Parsons into a revamped version of the Byrds after a power struggle that led to Gram Parsons (no relation to Gene ) leaving the band.
The newly reconstructed Byrds appeared in 1968 and included the 12 string genius McGuinn, White and the versatile Gene Parsons now on drums. This line-up proved to be a more stable entity and in the ensuing years the band forged a reputation as a formidable live act augmented by intermittent chart success.
Never prolific writers, by 1972 the Byrds constant touring had taken its toll. Musically the band was moving away from its country-rock sound, and wrangles over money (McGuinn apart the band were all hired hands) resulted in spokesman Gene Parsons being fired.
After relocating to Northern California Gene received a phone call from an old friend – producer/song-writer Russ Titleman (Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood etc ) whose connections at Warner Brothers led to the offer of a recording contract.
Released in 1973 ‘Kindling’ reflected Parsons formative roots mixing bluegrass, folk and rock in a style redolent of the Dillards. It’s been feted in some quarters as a minor classic and being aided and abetted by top notch players like Clarence White and Vassar Clements definitely gave the album a certain gravitas. Never one to produce songs quickly, the album is thus a mixture of seven originals and four covers. Best of the covers is a reflective reading of the Little Feat classic ‘Willin’. Gene’s own contributions show much promise with the dreamy ‘Long Way Back’ reveals him to be a more than capable vocalist and on ‘I Must Be A Tree’ having an imaginative allegorical style. Certainly the press saw its merits at the time with the influential Rolling Stone giving this debut solo high praise.
On the back of such positivity plans were made to tour the album on two continents. Sadly these were torn asunder due to the death of buddy Clarence White who died in a traffic accident. The incident knocked Gene for six and he was badly affected by the sudden passing of his friend. Taking time out he returned his advance to Warner Brothers and withdrew from the music scene until he returned in 1975 in the reincarnated Flying Burrito Brothers who released two uninspired albums before CBS pulled the plug.
1979 saw the resumption of his solo career with the release of ‘Melodies.’ Closer in tone to the Eagles it was a polished outing and an indication as to how far his versatility as a musician and writer had grown. Alas it was probably 5 years too late to catch a substantial audience but it remains an enjoyable listen for aficionados of 70s west-coast rock.
The balance of this 5 CD set comprises of unissued studio recordings and live performances by his solo band. While not exactly buried treasure these tunes will resonate with Byrds fans as Parsons trawls through his back pages in an engaging and entertaining manner.
Lyndon Noon
www.cherryred.co.uk
