News

On the heels of recent releases including the first-ever SACD of Gene Clark’s classic A&M album White Light, Intervention Records has turned its attention once more to a group of California legends with ties to The Byrds: The Flying Burrito Brothers.  Following its previous release of the Burritos’ debut The Gilded Palace of Sin on both hybrid SACD and deluxe vinyl, Intervention will reissue the band’s sophomore LP, Burrito Deluxe, in those formats.  The 180-gram vinyl LP will arrive by October, with the SACD due by year’s end.

Burrito Deluxe marked the second and final album by the country-rock pioneers to feature founding member Gram Parsons.  Drummer Michael Clarke, late of Gene Clark’s duo with Doug Dillard, came on board along with another Dillard and Clark alumnus, guitarist Bernie Leadon.  Chris Hillman, who played guitar on Gilded Palace, moved over to bass to replace Chris Ethridge.  Pedal steel guitarist “Sneaky” Pete Kleinow continued to round out the roster.

Like the first album, Burrito Deluxe blended both band originals and cover versions – this time including Bob Dylan’s “If You Gotta Go (Go Now),” Harlan Howard and Wayne Kemp’s “Image of Me” (most closely associated with Conway Twitty), the southern gospel standard “Farther Along,” and most notably, Mick Jagger and Keith Richard’s “Wild Horses” – a year before The Rolling Stones released it themselves.  The opening track, Parsons’ “Lazy Days,” also had history as it was previously recorded by both The International Submarine Band and The Byrds, though neither version had been released at the time.  Just two months after the release of the album in April 1970, Parsons was fired from the group he founded.  He would be replaced by Rick Roberts for the band’s next LP.

Intervention’s 180-gram vinyl LP reissue has been remastered by Kevin Gray from original analog tapes (a 1/2-inch safety copy of the original stereo master), and has been pressed at RTI in an old-school Stoughton-printed “tip-on” jacket.  The artwork has been restored by Tom Vadakan and features red foil accents on the front cover.  Look for this country-rock classic on vinyl in October, and on hybrid SACD (playable in all CD players) before the year is out.  Both formats can be pre-ordered now directly from Intervention’s website.  We’ll update with Amazon pre-order links once they are available!

The Flying Burrito Brothers, Burrito Deluxe (A&M SP-4258, 1970 – reissued Intervention Records IR-022, 2018)

Side One

1. Lazy Days
2. Image of Me
3. High Fashion Queen
4. If You Gotta Go
5. Man in the Fog
6. Farther Along

Side Two

1. Older Guys
2. Cody, Cody
3. God’s Own Singer
4. Down in the Churchyard
5. Wild Horses