Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman were the Pete Doherty and Carl Bart of their day.
They couldn't live with each other - and their music couldn't survive without each other.
Their band, the Flying Burrito Brothers, was touched by genius, just like Doherty and Barat's The Libertines, but the drink and drug-fuelled excesses of Parsons destroyed it.
Now the memory of the Flying Burritos has been revived by Burrito Deluxe's debut album. A recent gig at Fibbers, while highly enjoyable, suggested that Burrito Deluxe were just a Parsons tribute band (without his aching, celestial voice) and The Whole Enchilada reinforces this impression.
Pedal steel guitarist Sneaky Pete Kleinow (the only survivor from the original Burritos) and The Band's legendary Garth Hudson add a touch of class, but there are no songs here which match Burrito classics such as Wheels and Sin City.
Still, John Prine's You Got Gold and the haunting Last Letter Home are engaging and the musicianship is first class throughout.
Updated: 09:01 Thursday, August 19, 2004
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