Uh oh, those Burrito Brothers are flying again...

Blame the Dutch. No, really. I mean, I blame the Dutch all the time for all kinds of things (it's genetic), but as for why The Flying Burrito Brothers couldn't just be a fond memory in the eyes of (too) few country rock fans...blame the Dutch. Already the biggest market both for country rock and for the accompanying bootlegs, the Dutch couldn't get enough of The Flying Burrito Brothers. Even after Chris Hillman and Al Perkins left for Stephen Stills' Manassas, a last lucrative tour of the Netherlands couldn't be passed up, so Rick Roberts and the last iteration of the Burritos, a tried-and-true bluegrass band ready to launch their career as Country Gazette went to the Netherlands one last time in early 1972 to wrap up any Burrito commitments. But the Dutch still couldn't get enough, so Roberts & Co. returned one year later for one last 'one last tour', this time even including Sneaky Pete, despite Country Gazette having issued their proper album, just as Rick Roberts had issued his, a highly underrated affair. 

A year later, A & M issued their retrospective double album Close Up The Honky Tonks, including some rarities (which of course made up my 'final album' Last Supper) and the Dutch chimed in with their own version, Honky Tonk Heaven. Neither of these sold particularly well, but it kept the band name going, especially in Europe (blame the...well, you get the idea). So old Byrds and Burritos manager Eddie Tickner hatched a plan for the great return of The Flying Burrito Brothers. They would indeed be flying again.  With every member of the later versions busy or uninterested, Tickner could at least get two founding members of the classic era, Chris Ethridge and Sneaky Pete to go for it. Ethridge had already recorded with Joel Scott Hill as L.A. Getaway on an album of the same name in 1972 (often credited to Hill, Ethridge & Barbata), and had been with him in a band called The Dockerhill Boys, also including ex-Byrd Gene Parsons. Those four then recruited Gib Guilbeau, with whom Parsons had worked before The Byrds came calling, and this five-piece were your new Flying Burrito Brothers. 

From the mercenary way the band was revived to the way country rock veterans, if possible with a connection to the old band or at least its contemporaries, were recruited, this would be the way of the Burrito from now on. These Flying Burrito Brothers were already the 13th iteration of the band and before the name was finally retired in 2000 another 39 (!) line-ups would follow. But these first ersatz Burritos, were they any good? As a matter of fact, they were. Flying Again was a pretty strong effort, highlighting a good batch of original songs from the likes of Hill, Parsons and Guilbeau. Besides the sequel "Hot Burrito No. 3" which reminds people that it's never a good idea to follow up classics with a distinct title, the ony issue is the abundance of covers cluttering up the latter part of side a, possibly included at the behest of the record company. The Burritos had already covered "Dim Lights" with Gram Parsons on vocals, even though at least the upbeat version here, dominated by fiddle, takes a slightly different spin, whereas George Jones' "Why Baby Why" sounds utterly pedestrian, like a barroom band on an uninspired tuesday evening. Which, in many ways, these Burritos were. 

But they had good, even excellent stuff on here, otherwise the One Buck Guy would't bother. The new Burritos covered two Dan Penn songs, with their take on "You Left The Water Runnng" a fair approximation of Gram Parsons' old Cosmic American Music, which really was only country soul. But the real highlight here is their take on Penn's "Buildig Fires", arguably one of the finest country rock offerings of the period. It was issued as a single, albeit without success, as usual. Gene Parsons brings his usual humble persona and warm vocals to his own "Desert Childhood", a beautiful reminiscence, Gib Guilbeau's "Bon Soir Blues" recalls his Louisiana roots, and "River Road" is just a really good country rock tune, which maybe should've been the closer instead of the well-meant but..uh...not as well executed "Hot Burito #3".

So, Flying Again might not be up to the heights of the classic era, but it kicked off the 'up for grabs' era of the Burritos in style and is probably the best studio record any Flying Burrito Brothers outfit cut after the heydays of the band. It is also the band's highest charting release, though that is of course only a relative feat. It might be the Burritos' best seller, but still only reached a measly 138 on the charts. Soon, more changes were afoot for those Burrito Boys, but for now they were flying again, and relatively high in the sky. Not soaring, mind you, but a flight well worth joining nonetheless...

P.S.: What certainly didn't help the record was the abysmal cover art. I left the record untouched but provided a better alternative to the grisly original. I mean seriously, what were they thinking? I wouldn't want to buy a record that has freaky butterfly monster girl on the cover. Would you? 

          Hi! I'm freaky butterfly monster girl! Please buy this record! Or I'll murder you!