The Burrito Brothers: "The Magic Time Machine Of Love" (2025) CD Review

The Flying Burrito Brothers have been around in one form or another since the late 1960s, when the band was founded by Byrds members Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman (both of whom had left the band by the early 1970s). Now known as The Burrito Brothers, the band is made up of Chris P. James on vocals, keyboards, piano and acoustic guitar; Tony Paoletta on pedal steel and dobro; Steve Allen on guitar; and Peter Young on drums, percussion and vocals. But interestingly on their new album, The Magic Time Machine Of Love, we get a little taste of Gram Parsons, that being snippets from an interview from March of 1972, as well as on the songs "Pride Of Man" and "More And More," both of which feature Gram's vocals, while the second song also features Al Perkins' pedal steel work. This album also features some tracks that were recorded several years ago, with different lineups of musicians. So the past meets the present on this new release, which makes the album's title perfect.

The album opens with a snippet from the interview with Gram Parsons from March 3, 1972. "I always had this dream about doing stuff in England, because England is so unjaded that way, they're so open-minded about it," he says. The band then opens with a striking rendition of "A White Shade Of Pale," with a strong, soulful gospel bent at its start. That's a bit of "Freedom," a song written by Charles Mingus and also recorded by The Paramounts, the band that would lead to Procol Harum. This version of "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" includes extra lyrics that were written by Keith Reid but not included on the original Procol Harum recording. This has always been one of my favorite songs, and the extra lyrics include a Shakespeare reference, making me love it even more. They sing, "If music be the food of love," which is most of the first line from Twelfth Night. That phrase can also be heard as the theme of this album. Anyway, these guys do an excellent job with the song. The vocal work is particularly excellent. Sherrie James and Terrie Lonow provide backing vocals on this track. The song ends as it began, with a bit of "Freedom."

Things then get heavier on "Captain Bobby Stout," a song written by Lane Tietgen, and recorded by groups like The Jerry Hahn Brotherhood, Kindred, and Manfred Mann's Earth Band. This version by The Burrito Brothers, which was recorded in 2007, begins with some spoken word. This is a powerful, bluesy, soulful number with a strong, raw vocal delivery. The lineup on this recording includes Chris P. James on keyboards and vocals, Bob Hatter on guitar and vocals, Joe Webber on bass and vocals, Dave Lemonds on drums, and Jeff Lewis on backing vocals. There is some good jamming here, and the track contains a nod to David Bowie's "Fame." That's followed by "Pride Of Man," the first of the album's songs to feature Gram Parson's vocal work. The current four band members back him, taking their inspiration from a Quicksilver Messenger Service version of the song. There is a great energy to this track. It's interesting how well this works, how fresh and immediate the song sounds and feels.

We've lost many great musicians this year, including Jesse Colin Young of The Youngbloods. On this album, The Burrito Brothers deliver a really nice rendition of his "Peace Song," a song from his 1972 album Together, a song that opens with these lines: "Sometimes I can't help crying/People, when I hear about the dying." And the song features these lines: "Sisters and brothers, do you hear me?/We've gotta stop killing one another." I doubt it will ever happen, because too many people are stupid, horrid creatures (look at how many people voted for a convicted felon and rapist in this country, people who value their guns more than children's lives), but I am still hopeful. This track was recorded in 2007, and features Bob Hatter on guitar and vocals, Joe Webber on bass and vocals, Dave Lemonds on drums, Michael Curtis on piano, and Danny Ramsey on congas. Their version of this song ends with a nice nod to "Give Peace A Chance."

"Used To Do" is an interesting track, as it was not originally intended to be a Burrito Brothers song. It first was going to be a track for a reunion album by International Submarine Band, another band that Gram Parsons started in the 1960s, and then it became a James Brothers recording. So it features members of both bands, including Chris P. James on vocals, David James on vocals and Fred James on electric guitar, Jon Corneal on acoustic guitar, Ian Dunlop on bass, Jim Baker on pedal steel guitar, and Jody Maphis on drums. It is a song that looks back on a relationship, and looks forward to finding someone else. "I'll go out and find me somebody new/Who's gonna love me the way that you used to do." Then we get some more of the interview with Gram Parsons. Here he talks about Chris Hillman. "In the Burritos, he felt like more of a quiet power behind me," he says. He speaks highly of Chris, saying, "Steve Stills got himself a bargain." That leads to the album's second track to include Gram Parsons' vocals, "More And More," this one also featuring former Flying Burrito Brother Al Perkins on pedal steel. The track features some really sweet work on pedal steel, along with a lot of great stuff on piano. "More and more, I'm forgetting the past/More and more, I'm living at last." Chris P. James is on piano, Kenne Cramer is on guitar, Brian Pepo is on bass, Chip Abernathy is on drums, and Sherrie K. James provides backing vocals.

We are then treated to "What Goes On," a Beatles cover that features the three James brothers, along with David Fontana on drums and Tony Paoletto on pedal steel. Most of this track was recorded in the late 1980s, with the pedal steel work added more recently. That's followed by the first of the album's tracks to be written by Chris P. James, "Time Machine." This is another interesting track, for it has a new age element to it, heard right from the start. There is a dreamlike quality to this song, and it features some good work by Tony on pedal steel. "Remove the rust between us with a time machine." Halfway through the track, the song turns a corner, developing more of a rock sound. "Music is a time machine/Love, love, beautiful love." Love and music are what this existence is all about; the rest is mostly noise. "Everyone has a time machine," the band reminds us here. Indeed. Certain songs can transport us back to earlier moments in our lives. Then "Whiskey Woman" begins with more from that March 3rd interview with Gram Parsons, this time not presented as a separate track, but as a sort of introduction to the song. This track was recorded in 2004, and it has a cool blues rock vibe. It was written by Chris P. James and Boomer Castleman.

"Tales Of Desire" is another unusual track, this one written by Chris P. James. There is a certain progressive rock influence heard here. The track features a powerful, passionate vocal performance. "Earth, sky, thunder/Wind, fire, gas/Mountain, meadow, wonder/All things must pass." The track contains snippets of well-known speeches (Robert F. Kennedy's "What we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness, but is love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another," Franklin D. Roosevelt's "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," etc.) at the end. That's followed by "Number Nineteen," also written by Chris P. James. This is another song from many years ago, and it features Chris P. James on vocals and keyboards, David James on bass and vocals, Scott Baggett on guitar, Dave Fontana on drums, and Tony Paoletto on pedal steel. There is a really nice, pleasant feel to this song. "Number 19 taking her sweet time/But, baby, I don't mind." It ends with the line, "It's like something from a dream." The album then ends with "Right Where We Belong," a song written by Timothy B. Schmit. "I'm the pouring rain/You're the restless wind/We're a hurricane/Crazy strong/Right where we belong." So good. And these lines stand out too: "We're the present tense/We're the here and now." This is the attitude we need to take, right? Because, after all, it's the truth.

CD Track List

1. Intro: Gram Parsons
2. A White Shade Of Pale
3. Captain Bobby Stout
4. Pride Of Man
5. Peace Song
6. Used To Do
7. Gram Praises
8. More And More
9. What Goes On
10. Time Machine
11. Whiskey Woman
12. Tales Of Desire
13. Number Nineteen
14. Right Where We Belong

The Magic Time Machine Of Love was released on August 1, 2025.