The album that eventually led to No Depression magazine, Sweethearts of the Rodeo, is considered by many to be all that and a bag of chips. Not quite, but it comes awfully close.

The Byrds ditched their eight- miles- high kick after David Crosby headed for the hills with his original liver to persue other interests, and in came a country singin' kid name of Gram Parsons. The rest is history, and on the seventh day, Wilco was thrust upon us all. You know what I say about Wilco? I don't like 'em.

But I digress. Out with the Rickenbacher twang and in with the pedal steel twang, trading acid for whiskey, and bringing us one giant leap closer to Wilco. Fucking Wilco. One album and then they think they're the Pumpkins. So it's a double album. Thanks, Jeff. I think I know why you named your last album "Being There;" Peter Sellers must smell bad these days, too.

Where was I? Oh, yeah. Great songs on here, like "The Christian Life," "You Don't Miss Your Water," "You Ain't Going Nowhere," plus eight bonus tracks of outtakes, rehearsals,and songs missing from the original release. Yep, they're all great songs. You know, unlike "I Must Be High" and "Box Full of Letters." By a certain other band. I think they're called... damn, the name escapes me.

Anyways, the soul, sass, and swagger of Gram Parsons made country cool again, and hopefully, will do it again in 1997. Do right woman and pick it up.

-Jason Josephes