http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rrqBsG1yXs Gram Parsons could sing the telephone directory and he'd probably still be able to reduce you to tears. He had a hit and miss career, flitting from the Byrd's to the Flying Burrito Brothers and never really got the commercial success he deserved. But after one listen to 'Hot burrito #1' you're left scratching your head as to why this wasn't a huge hit, because as heartbreakers go, it's untouchable. Yes, he looks stoned out of his brain in the video, but this is a story of a boy in love who is using the only weapons he has left, familiarity and history, which drives his desperation to get the one he loves back. This is a song of purity, there's nothing sinister driving the music, which is set to a lovely Country and Western twang. And like many a song about heartbreak, it's written with both eyes firmly in the past, looking back at a brief moment of gold, and at the same time being frozen there. I've always hoped that someone will cover this and turn it in a belatedly huge hit; perhaps Alex Turner can have a go when he revisits the 60's with the return of the Last Shadow Puppets, because this is a song that deserves your attention.
What makes music fantastic? Star quality, amazing music, breathtaking lyrics and the ability to bring something new to the table, even if that means a new take on the classics. That's what I love to listen to and write about.
As well as writing for What Culture, I occasionally write a blog http://tedney.blogspot.co.uk and sometimes use Twitter, but sparingly @TedneyNash