The Flying Burrito Brothers - The Flying Burrito Brothers

In 1970, Gram Parsons, that fickle trust fund hippie, departed from the Burrito Brothers for a solo career, leaving Chris Hillman as the head of the band. In his time with the band, he helmed or at least helped the band through one undisputed classic (The Gilded Palace of Sin) and one arguably only slightly worse album (Burrito Deluxe). In 1971, The Flying Burrito Brothers was released, and what chance did it have to measure up to their first two albums? That is the trouble with judging this album. Hillman and co. try hard to recapture what Parsons called "Cosmic American Music," and succeed except for a lack of excitement. Well-chosen covers of songs by Merle Haggard and Bob Dylan ("White Line Fever," "To Ramona," respectively) prove more memorable than Hillman's originals, though "Four Days of Rain" and "Can't You Hear Me Calling" are spirited, but don't stick. And that sums up The Flying Burrito Brothers as a whole, too: its playing and songwriting are adequate, but never much more.