The Flying Burrito Brothers - Burrito Deluxe (1970) [UICY-94244 Japan SHM]

Gram Parsons had a habit of taking over whatever band he happened to be working with, and on the first three albums on which he appeared he became the focal point, regardless of the talent of his compatriots. Burrito Deluxe, the Burritos' second album, is unique in Parsons' repertoire in that it's the only album where he seems to have deliberately stepped back to make more room for others; whether this was due to Gram's disinterest in a band he was soon to leave, or if he was simply in an unusually democratic frame of mind is a matter of debate. But while it is hardly a bad album, it's not nearly as striking as The Gilded Palace of Sin. And while the band sounds tight and they play with genuine enthusiasm, there's a certain lack of focus in these performances; the band's frontman sounds as if his thoughts are often elsewhere, and the other players can't quite compensate for him. Burrito Deluxe is certainly a better than average country-rock album, but coming from the band who made the genre's most strongly defining music, it's something of a disappointment.