Emmylou Harris - Anthology: The Warner/Reprise Years

Rhino's double-disc Anthology concentrates on Emmylou Harris' Reprise recordings, which is a blessing. Once she left Reprise, she started to delve into "experimental," "atmospheric" recordings a bit too heavily, certainly more than her prior recordings would justify, and it almost obscured her purest talents -- that of a singer that carried on the tradition of, say, Patsy Cline, becoming the greatest country singer of her generation. Since her generation was the rock generation, her path crossed multiple times with singers that weren't strictly country, most notably at the beginning of her career, when she sung backing and harmony vocals for the incomparable Gram Parsons. This gave her exposure, and she capitalized upon it by turning in recordings that simultaneously appealed to rock and country artists, finding herself as a tremendous interpretive singer, somebody that perfectly balanced the divide between classic and contemporary. Rhino's double-disc Anthology perfectly captures that balance and if it has any faults, it's that it illustrates her career a little too well, finding that her classicist approach was as modern as it was reverent. So, there are moments here that seem a little too studied to be true, but that's an accurate representation of her career, illustrating how she walked the tightrope between genuine country and a scholarly interpretation of it. This will appeal to both factions, as it captures both sides of her personality equally well. That means it might not be the perfect choice to convert doubters, yet it still winds up representing Harris' career remarkably well, perhaps being the one disc for casual fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Albert Lee Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals (Background), Mandolin, Piano Amy Utstein Project Assistant Barbara Cowart Vocals (Background) Barry Tashian Guitar (Acoustic), Vocal Harmony, Duet, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals (Background) Ben Keith Pedal Steel Bernie Leadon Guitar (Acoustic) Bessyl Duhon Accordion Bill Inglot Producer, Remastering Bill Payne Piano Billy Thomas Drums, Percussion Bobby Wood Organ, Piano (Electric) Brian Ahern Archguitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (12 String), Gut String Guitar, 6-String Bass, Banjo Bruce Bouton Pedal Steel Bryan Bowers Autoharp Buddy Spicher Viola Byrd Burton Guitar (Acoustic) Carl Jackson Mandolin, Fiddle, Vocal Harmony, Guitar (Acoustic), Banjo Carl Marsh Organ (Hammond), Synthesizer Caroline Greyshock Photography Charles Cochran Piano (Electric) Charlyn Zlotnik Photography Cheryl Warren Vocal Harmony Cheryl White Vocal Harmony Chris Leuzinger Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Acoustic) Craig Safan Conductor, String Arrangements Dan Hersch Remastering Daniel Goldmark Editorial Research Dave Pomeroy Bass (Upright), Bass (Electric), Bass (Acoustic) David Lindley Hawaiian Guitar David McLees Project Assistant David Redfern Photography Dianne Brooks Vocals, Vocals (Background) Dolly Parton Vocals, Vocals (Background) Don Heffington Drums Donivan Cowart Vocals (Background), Vocal Harmony Duane Eddy Guitar Ed Greene Drums Emmylou Harris Guitar (Acoustic), Percussion Emory Gordy Conductor, Guitar (Acoustic), Bass, String Arrangements Fayssoux Starling Vocals (Background) Frank Reckard Guitar (Electric), Guitar Gail Davies Vocals (Background) Gary Peterson Discographical Annotation Gary Scruggs Harmonica Gerry McGee Guitar (Electric) Glen D. Hardin Piano, String Arrangements, Conductor, Piano (Electric), Ensoniq Glenn Worf Bass Hank DeVito Dobro, Pedal Steel, Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Acoustic) Harry Stinson Drums Henry Diltz Photography Herb Pedersen Banjo, Guitar (12 String), Vocals (Background), Vocal Harmony Hugh Brown Art Direction Iris DeMent Vocal Harmony Jai Winding Piano James Austin Associate Producer James Burton Guitar (Electric) Jerry Douglas Dobro Jim Hughes Project Assistant Jim McGuire Photography Jo Motta Project Coordinator John Jarvis Keyboards John Pierce Bass John Ware Drums Kate McGarrigle Accordion Kenny Malone Conga, Drums Kieran Kane Mandolin Larrie Londin Percussion, Drums Linda Ronstadt Vocals (Background), Vocals Malia Doss Project Assistant Mary Ann Kennedy Vocals (Background) Michael Putland Cover Photo, Photography Mickey Raphael Harmonica Mike Bowden Bass Nick DeCaro String Arrangements Olivier Ferrand Back Cover Paul Kennerley Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Acoustic) Paul Worley Guitar (Acoustic) Randy Perry Project Assistant Ray Flacke Guitar (Electric) Ray Pohlman Bass Richard Bennett Guitar (12 String), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Acoustic), Percussion, 6-String Bass Richard McCaffrey Photography Rick Cunha Guitar (Acoustic) Ricky Skaggs Guitar (Acoustic), Fiddle, Vocal Harmony Rodney Crowell Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals (Background), Hi String Guitar, Guitar (Electric) Ron Tutt Drums Roy Orbison Duet Russ Kunkel Drums Ry Cooder Guitar (Tremolo) Shane Keister Synthesizer, Keyboards Sharon Hicks Vocal Harmony Sharon White Vocal Harmony Shirley Eikhard Vocal Harmony Steve Cash Harmonica Steve Fishell Weissenborn, Pedal Steel, Percussion, Melobar, Hawaiian Guitar, Dobro T Bone Burnett Guitar (Electric) Tony Rice Guitar (Acoustic) Trevor Veitch Guitar (Acoustic) Vanessa Atkins Editorial Supervision Vince Gill Guitar (Electric), Vocals (Background) Waylon Jennings Guitar (Electric) Wayne Goodwin Mandolin, Fiddle, Sax (Tenor)