I'm quite perplexed by all of the negative reviews of this CD. I suppose if one has purchased the music before, this set may not offer anything in the way of new tracks. However, if you don't already own any Flying Burrito Brothers discs this CD is a welcome alternative to the two disc anthology. The sound quality is also excellent. This single disc contains Gilded Palace of Sin and Burrito Deluxe in the entirey. Two other FBB w/ Parsons tracks are thrown in for good measure. In other words, Sin City is loaded with great material. The Flying Burrito Brothers are more than a hip name drop and influential band. The music is great in and of itself. I honestly can't really tell the difference between country and country-rock but Sin City certainly has more "country" than anything that offer that genre has to offer these days. The bottom line: if you are looking for a single disc to definitively showcase the Flying Burrito Brothers in their heyday this is the way to go.

All the tracks of "Gilded Palace of Sin" and "Burrito Deluxe" and a few extra non-album tracks, all on one CD. This makes the twofer "Gilded Palace of Sin/Burrito Deluxe" redundant. If you really want the Rick Roberts tracks, then get the two disc Burritos anthology. But if, like myself, you're not a big Rick Roberts fan, this is the one. "Here Tonight," the only great Rick Roberts era song in my opinion is also on the Gene Clark album "Roadmaster." If you want that song, get Roadmaster, not the Burritos Anthology. Yeah, if you already own most of the tracks, there's no reason to get this, but, if you don't, then seriously, get this one. Or, you might consider the Gram Parsons anthology.

But, in my opinion, you're better off with "Sin City," the Byrds' "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" (the Parsons anthology only has the tracks with Parsons vocals, but the rest of the album is excellent as well) and "GP/Grievous Angel," to make your Burritos/Parsons/Byrds collection complete.

So yeah- if you're looking at this item, you're probably a Parsons/Burritos fan, or you want to become a Parsons/Burritos fan, and so, you want to buy a good Parsons/Burritos CD. If that is so, then you should seriously consider buying this CD.

Formed by ex-Byrds Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman in 1968, the Flying Burrito Brothers helped to bridge the gap between country and rock audiences at a time when youth felt that country music was hayseed and the rednecks looked upon the hippies as Communists. Onstage, thanks to the copious amounts of drugs they took, they could be wildly erratic--sometimes superb, sometimes downright atrocious. But the two albums they made with Gram--the 1969 masterpiece THE GILDED PALACE OF SIN, and the lesser-known 1970 album BURRITO DELUXE--have now been combined on this 78 minute-long compilation album, along with three tracks that didn't appear on those albums originally.

The band never had anything close to what might be called a hit (GILDED PALACE, though now acknowledged as a classic, could only manage a miserable #164 on the album chart), but they came up with songs and a style that has endured over four decades. The erratic sound quality of the original LPs has been improved upon in the remastering here, and we get to hear much more clearly the acid fuzz-tone steel of "Wheels" and the Everlys-like harmonies of Parsons and Hillman on the immortal "Sin City", to name just two. The collection also includes a cover of the 1963 Dave Dudley anthem "Six Days On The Road", which the band did at the infamous Altamont Speedway debacle of December 1969. From BURRITO DELUXE, we get the twangy Stones cover "Wild Horses" and the Cajun-influenced "Man In The Fog", co-written by future Eagle Bernie Leadon, among others.

The Burritos were wildly ahead of their time, not merely in the way their style predated Poco and the Eagles, but also the alternative country movement of later decades. This, combined with their original erratic performances, is what kept them from being recognized for their achievements on record until only recently. This compilation album shows quite well just what the world of the late 60s and early 70s overlooked that first time around.

Hold on there, everyone. Yes, it is absolutely shameless the way labels are constantly reissuing and remastering the same material to sell it to us over and over. But y'know what? If your FBB interest is in the Parsons era (Gilded Palace, Burrito Deluxe), then this CD is it. This is by far and away the best-sounding CD of this material, as mastered by Gavin Lurssen. Even a less-than-discerning listener could immediately pick up on the improvement--very balanced and NOT shrill with too much high-end, like the recent Hot Burritos Anthology. I am refraining from a 5-star rating just 'cause they should have gotten this right years ago, rather than this being the 4th or 5th time most of you've bought these albums.

The first time I heard the Flying Burrito Brothers I realized this was something new and terrific. Today I get the same excitement listening to the fresh beginnings of the whole country rock movement. The raw genius of Graham Parsons comes shining through in every track.