''Sleepless Nights'' is a posthumous compilation album by

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973) who was known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist who recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, ...

. Credited to Parsons and his former band

The Flying Burrito Brothers The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, ''The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is perhaps best known for its connection to band founders Gram Parsons and Chris ...

, the band appear on nine of the album's twelve tracks. The album features no original songs; the majority are covers of vintage country songs with the exception of

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

' song " Honky Tonk Women".

Overview

The songs that comprise ''Sleepless Nights'' were collected from two sources. In early 1970, the Flying Burrito Brothers, featuring Parsons, recorded several songs for an anticipated no-nonsense country album. The album was ultimately never released due to Parsons’ departure from the band. Nine of ''Sleepless Nights''’ tracks come from these sessions. The remaining three songs are from the summer 1973 sessions for '' Grievous Angel'', Parsons’ final solo album, and feature duets with Emmylou Harris on the

Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

' song "Brand New Heartache," the gospel-etched "The Angels Rejoiced Last Night", and

Boudleaux Bryant Felice Bryant (born Matilda Genevieve Scaduto; August 7, 1925 – April 22, 2003) and Diadorius Boudleaux Bryant (; February 13, 1920 – June 25, 1987) were an Americans, American husband-and-wife country music and pop songwriting team. They ...

's "Sleepless Nights". The album has received mixed reviews. Robert Christgau noted that the songs “were outtakes for a reason”, but nonetheless gave the album a B− rating.Gram Parsons/The Flying Burrito Brothers http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Gram+Parsons%2FThe+Flying+Burrito+Brothers Some of the highest praise for the album is due to the inclusion of the three tracks featuring Harris and omitted from the 1973 album ''Grievous Angel''; "Sleepless Nights" (allegedly the original title for the ''Grievous Angel'' album), "The Angels Rejoiced Last Night" and "Brand New Heartache".

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

has referred to the album as "sluggish and dispirited", due in large part to Parson's impending departure from the group which lingered over the recording sessions. Chris Hillman has long maintained the nine Burritos tracks were simply practice sessions and never intended to be released.

Track listing

#"Brand New Heartache" (

Felice Bryant Felice Bryant (born Matilda Genevieve Scaduto; August 7, 1925 – April 22, 2003) and Diadorius Boudleaux Bryant (; February 13, 1920 – June 25, 1987) were an American husband-and-wife country music and pop songwriting team. They were best ...

) - 2:28 #"Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down" (

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled a ...

) - 2:55 #"

Sing Me Back Home ''Sing Me Back Home'' is the fifth studio album by American country singer and songwriter Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1968 on Capitol Records. Background The album's title track was inspired by an inmate Haggard knew while he w ...

" (Merle Haggard) - 3:53 #"Your Angel Steps Out of Heaven" (Jack Ripley) - 3:12 #"

Crazy Arms "Crazy Arms" is an American country song which was a career-making hit for Ray Price. The song, released in May 1956, went on to become a number 1 country hit that year, establishing Price's sound, and redefining honky-tonk music. It was Price's ...

" (Ralph Mooney, Charles Seals) - 2:48 #"Sleepless Nights" (Felice Bryant, Boudleaux Bryant) - 3:23 #" Close Up the Honky Tonks" (Red Simpson) - 2:20 #"Together Again" (

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 No. 1 hits on ...

) - 3:13 #" Honky Tonk Women" - (

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

) - 4:19 #"

Green, Green Grass of Home "Green, Green Grass of Home", written by Claude "Curly" Putman Jr., and first recorded by singer Johnny Darrell in 1965, is a country song made popular by Porter Wagoner the same year, when it reached No. 4 on the Country chart. It was also r ...

" (

Curly Putman Curly is a surname, given name, nickname or stage name. It may refer to: First name, nickname or stage name * Crazy Horse (1840–1877), Oglala Sioux war chief nicknamed "Curly" * Curly (scout), nickname of Ashishishe (c. 1856–1923), Crow In ...

) - 4:05 #"

Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music) Dim may refer to: * Dim, a rhinoceros beetle in the 1998 Disney/Pixar animated film ''A Bug's Life'' * ''Dim'' (album), the fourth studio album by Japanese rock band The Gazette * Dim, Amur Oblast, a rural locality in Amur Oblast, Russia * Dim, ...

" (

Joe Maphis Otis Wilson "Joe" Maphis (May 12, 1921 – June 27, 1986), was an American country music guitarist. He married singer Rose Lee Maphis in 1953 and they performed together, later referred to as "Mr & Mrs Country Music". One of the flashiest co ...

) - 2:56 #"The Angels Rejoiced Last Night" (

Charlie Louvin Charles Elzer Loudermilk (July 7, 1927 – January 26, 2011), known professionally as Charlie Louvin, was an American country music singer and songwriter. He is best known as one of the Louvin Brothers, and was a member of the Grand Ole Op ...

Ira Louvin Ira Lonnie Loudermilk (April 21, 1924 – June 20, 1965), known professionally as Ira Louvin, was an American country music singer, mandolinist and songwriter. He was a cousin of songwriter John D. Loudermilk. Biography Ira Louvin was born in ...

) - 2:23

Personnel

*Gram Parsons - lead vocals (all tracks) *

James Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also been recognized ...

- electric lead guitar (tracks 1, 6, 12) * Michael Clarke - drums (tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) * Emory Gordy Jr. - bass guitar (tracks 1, 6, 12) * Glen D. Hardin - piano (tracks 1, 6, 12) * Emmylou Harris - backing vocals (tracks 1, 6, 12) *

Chris Hillman Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of and one of the original members of the Byrds, which in 1965 included Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby and Michael Clarke. With freque ...

- bass guitar, backup vocals (tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) *

Sneaky Pete Kleinow Peter E. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow (August 20, 1934 – January 6, 2007) was an American country-rock musician. He is best known as a member of the band The Flying Burrito Brothers and as a session musician playing pedal steel guitar for such ar ...

- pedal steel guitar (tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) *

Bernie Leadon Bernie Leadon (pronounced ''led-un''; born July 19, 1947) is an American singer, musician, songwriter and founding member of the Eagles, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Prior to the Eagles, he was a member ...

- lead guitar, backup vocals (tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11); acoustic guitar (tracks 1, 6, 12) *

Herb Pedersen Herbert Joseph Pedersen (born April 27, 1944 in Berkeley, California) is an American musician, guitarist, banjo player, and singer-songwriter who has played a variety of musical styles over the past fifty years including country, bluegrass, p ...

- acoustic rhythm guitar (tracks 1, 6, 12) *

Al Perkins Al Perkins (born January 18, 1944) is an American guitarist known primarily for his steel guitar work. The Gibson guitar company called Perkins "the world's most influential dobro player" and began producing an "Al Perkins Signature" Dobro in 2 ...

- pedal steel guitar (tracks 1, 6, 12) *

Ronnie Tutt Ronald Ellis Tutt (March 12, 1938 – October 16, 2021) was an American drummer who played concerts and recording sessions for Elvis Presley, the Carpenters, Roy Orbison, Neil Diamond, and Jerry Garcia. Early life Born in Dallas, Texas, United ...

- drums (tracks 1, 6, 12) *

Byron Berline Byron Douglas Berline (July 6, 1944 – July 10, 2021) was an American fiddle player who played many American music styles, including old time, ragtime, bluegrass, Cajun, country, and rock. Life and career Berline was born in Caldwell, Kansas, ...

- fiddle, mandolin (tracks 1, 6, 12)

References

{{Authority control Gram Parsons compilation albums The Flying Burrito Brothers albums Compilation albums published posthumously 1976 compilation albums A&M Records compilation albums