The Flying Burrito Brothers - Live In Amsterdam 1972 (1975/2024)

Formed in 1968 by departing Byrds Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, the Flying Burrito Brothers boasted a stellar lineup of talent during their first half-decade of incarnations, including the Eagles’ Bernie Leadon and pedal steel legend “Sneaky” Pete Kleinow. But by 1972, soon-to-be Firefall founder Rick Roberts needed to recruit virtually a whole new band to fulfill tour dates already contracted for the Burritos. Enter bluegrass fiddle player Byron Berline and guitarist Roger Bush of Country Gazette, plus others, for a concert recorded in Amsterdam in 1972. A double vinyl LP capturing this show was released in Europe in 1973 but was never picked up in the U.S. until now. Live in Amsterdam 1972 features an entire bluegrass set followed by a selection of country-rock standards including “Wild Horses”, “Sin City,” and ‘Christine's Tune.”

When Gram Parsons split from the Flying Burrito Brothers in 1970, the band went through a series of changes before eventually disbanding two years later. By the time Live in Amsterdam was recorded in 1972, the remaining original members, Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke, would be gone, leaving Rick Roberts as the only Burrito with even a remote connection to the group's early days. For the tour and subsequent album, Roberts carried on with Byron Berline, Kenny Wertz, and Roger Bush – all of whom had been touring with the band already – as well as a banjo player and a new bass player, drummer, and pedal steel guitarist. What you get are a few recent tunes, some country standards, a handful of Burrito classics, and a fair amount of bluegrass. And while the bluegrass portion of the show – also prominent on the live Last of the Red Hot Burritos (1972), the last recording with Hillman and Clarke – is solid, it isn't necessarily what fans would be looking for from a Burrito Brothers album. Furthermore, the band in general seems to be more at home with the music of Flatt & Scruggs and Bill Monroe than with the "cosmic American music" of the Parsons-era Burritos. That point is made all too clear by some of the limp versions of songs from the first two recordings. Still, there are some decent moments – the country choices are at the very least competent, while Roberts' lovely "Colorado" is the equal of its studio counterpart and Paul Siebel's "She Made Me Lose My Blues" is first-rate. Live in Amsterdam sports some nice bluegrass picking and may interest fans of Rick Roberts, but as a Flying Burrito Brothers record, it works simply as a curiosity or a document of what should have been their final days.

Tracklist
CD1
01 - Six Days On the Road
02 - The Image Of Me
03 - Four Days Of Rain
04 - My Uncle
05 - Bugle Call Rag
06 - Shenandoah Valley Breakdown
07 - Sing Me Back Home
08 - I Already Know
09 - White Line fever
10 - Why Are You Crying_
11 - Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms
12 - Salty Dog Blues

CD2
01 - Wild Horses
02 - She Thinks I Still Care
03 - The Wild Side Of Life
04 - Ruebin's Train
05 - Foggy Mountain Breakdown
06 - Dixie Breakdown
07 - Colorado
08 - She Makes Me Lose My Blues
09 - Sin City
10 - Christine's Tune
11 - Roll Over Beethoven
12 - Six Days On the Road
13 - Don't Let Your Deal Go Down
14 - Oklahoma Breakdown
15 - Listen To the Mockingbird
16 - Uncle Pen
17 - Orange Blossom Special