Gram Parsons with the Flying Burrito Brothers

For an artist who died at the age of 26, Gram Parsons’ musical legacy has stretched almost as far as it can go. With all of his “official” recordings (about six albums’ worth of material) now available, it has become a sport of sorts to try and find the rarest of the rare. As the mining continues for all things Gram, Live at the Avalon is as close to the Hope Diamond as we are going to get. These soundboard recordings of two separate FBB concerts are sonically precise, even if the performances themselves are not. But in spite of a few clams, the Brothers were as close to their best in these two shows, as Gram’s enthusiasm for the band had yet to wane. Mixing their originals with a slew of classic country covers, the band was hot on those nights. Lots of overlap, but throw a couple of unreleased demo tunes on there, and you have one sweet package. 5 stars