'Pieces of the Sky' (1975)

Track listing:

1. Bluebird Wine
2. Too Far Gone
3. If I Could Only Win Your Love
4. Boulder to Birmingham
5. Before Believing
6. Bottle Let Me Down
7. Sleepless Nights
8. Coat Of Many Colors
9. For No One
10. Queen of the Silver Dollar

Bonus tracks (Rhino re-issue):

• Hank and Lefty
• California Cottonfields

Like so much of her early work, the ghost of Gram Parsons hovers over Emmylou Harris' debut album. While most of her records revisit high points from their short-lived collaborations ("Sleepless Nights" here), Pieces of the Sky also contains Harris' most naked confessional and stirring tribute to her former mentor in the form of the original "Boulder to Birmingham" (co-written with Bill Danoff). It often occurs to me that when Harris writes (only recently has she become a somewhat prolific songwriter), the songs are often quite hymn-like, and even 30 years ago "Boulder to Birmingham" reflected this trait. It remains her signature song and serves as a stirring reminder that it is Harris who has single-handedly passed Parsons' legacy to future generations.

Pieces of the Sky also sets the precedent for much of Harris' early work, featuring carefully selected gems from the annals of American music. Her determination to record with the same band featured on Parsons' solo records (James Burton on guitar, Glenn D. Hardin on piano) keeps the thread between this and her work with Parsons readily apparent. The overall tone of the record is a good deal more introspective than many of her subsequent records, which easily and seamlessly blended influences from well beyond the world of Country Music and continued to bring attention to Parsons' songwriting talent, still widely unrecognized at the time. If any of Harris' early records show any traces of self-consciousness, they are obviously found here (though those scattered moments are offset by some remarkable performances).

But Sky remains an affecting and revealing recording, the world's true introduction to an exceptional talent. Critics and fellow artists quickly championed Harris' voice (Linda Ronstandt - who appears on a track or two - was known to espouse the album's merits to concert audiences). "Coat Of Many Colors" indicates Harris' deep respect and kinship for Dolly Parton, which would later blossom into a collaborative musical relationship on two successful Trio albums (along with Ronstandt). The album's honky-tonk numbers generally work well but probably reflect the tastes of Gram Parsons as much as those of Harris.

The Rhino re-issue of the record contains two bonus cuts (both Dallas Frazier tunes), which fit the overall tone of the album pretty well. However, the true appeal of all of the re-issues is the wonderful sound quality - I own many of the original CD versions, and the sound is significantly upgraded in these editions.

Without a doubt, Pieces of the Sky occasionally succumbs to the same pitfalls of many debut albums. Nevertheless, I'd easily place it among the top debut albums of all time (no bias there, of course), noting that its successors upped the ante significantly.