Safe At Home, International Submarine Band, 1968, :28
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
This turns out to be Gram Parsons' first band, right before he quit to join the Byrds. Once I found that out, I had a good idea of what I'd be hearing, but I didn't know that first, so it still counts as a WTHIT Wednesday. This album is a lost gem of folk-tock-turned-straight country. Smooth harmonies, toe-tapping melodies, pedal steel guitar, and originals (four out of the ten tracks) that rival the classic country weepers. The longhairs add youthful energy and a new shine to covers of "I Still Miss Someone," "A Satisfied Man," and "Folsom Prison Blues," making them their own. "Luxury Liner" sounds like classic Byrds, or maybe the Monkees. Just a fun album throughout. Favorite tracks: "Blue Eyes," "Luxury Liner," "Miller's Cave."
