Linda's Landmark C&W/Rock Albums...And A BIG Bonus
Erik North | San Gabriel, CA USA | 10/27/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In a career studded by eclecticism--from opera to art songs; big-band jazz to Mexican rancheras; and much more--it can sometimes get lost in the shuffle (as certainly seems to be the case with the powers-that-be who run the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) that Linda Ronstadt was and still is considered very much a pioneer in the country-rock movement that erupted out of Southern California during the late 1960s. And while her efforts, like those of such fellow travellers as Poco and the Flying Burrito Brothers, were often misunderstood in ther day, they nevertheless set the table for what came in later years. And now, Australian import label Raven has sought to re-release Linda's first two albums--HAND SOWN, HOME GROWN; SILK PURSE--to hopefully cement the deal. Not only that, however, they have been cagey enough to finally put on CD the long-lost singles-only release that came in the wake of those two albums.
HAND SOWN, HOME GROWN, released in the spring of 1969, is, for all intents and purposes, the first true female alternative country album, with Linda essaying not only contemporary folk-rock songs from Bob Dylan and Fred Neil, but also high-prized country standards like "Silver Threads And Golden Needles"; the oft-covered "Break My Mind"; and a blackly comic version of "The Only Mama That'll Walk The Line." As opposed to similar neo-country efforts made around that same time by Linda's fellow folkies Buffy Sainte-Marie and Joan Baez in Nashville, HAND SOWN was recorded with the cream of the crop of L.A.'s C&W/rock session mafia, including the late, great Clarence White. Commercially, this album was a bomb; in terms of what it launched, though, it was anything but.
SILK PURSE, released in the spring of 1970, may remain Linda's one and only sojourn into the heart of Music Row. It is also an album that she has all but disowned, because of what she felt was her inability to convey the California approach to country to the Nashville session guys she worked with here, even with Elliot Mazer (who was recommended to Linda by no less than Janis Joplin) doing the production. Still, the album, though initially noted for its provocative cover of Linda in the barnyard with the pigs, boasts solid performances of the Dillard and Clark mini-standard "He Dark The Sun", the Hank Williams classic "Lovesick Blues", and, last but not least, the incredible ballad "Long Long Time", which hit #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1970 and nearly netted Linda her first Grammy, for Best Contemporary Female Vocal Performance.
But the real icing on the cake of this set is the bonus track, that long-lost, singles-only release that Linda recorded at Muscle Shoals during the summer of 1970: "She's A Very Lovely Woman", written by Emmit Rhodes of the 1960s group Merry-Go-Round. Its obscure nature is due not only to the fact that it had never been put on an album release, but also to the fact that it stalled out at #70 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1971 (though it peaked at #17 on the Adult Contemporary Chart). But it shows that Linda is able to handle what is in essence a purely pop-rock song, with shimmering electric guitars and tasteful orchestration. It is one of those gems that needs to be a part of any Ronstadtphile's collection.
Even though Linda may not have been proud of this particular period in her life (in fact, she is tough to please with ANYTHING having to do with her), this collection of her first two albums of C&W/rock, along with the additional bonus of "She's A Very Lovely Woman", gives one an idea of what was to come not only from her, but also the four generations of like-minded female artists, from her good pal Emmylou Harris all the way up to Lucinda Williams and Tift Merritt. This is a solid recommendation."
She's A Very Lovely Woman, Indeed & At Last!
HUGO | HOUSTON, TEXAS United States | 10/22/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"First and foremost - Thank You To RAVEN RECORDS Australia - [...] - for finally, and for the very first time ever(!) releasing the highly coveted, very long awaited, LINDA RONSTADT non-album single and gem, "(SHE'S A) VERY LOVELY WOMAN" from her Capitol Records era, which has never before been available to Miss Ronstadt's legions of adoring fans on her previous Greatest Hits/Retrospective/Various Compilations to date. This rare song was only available as a "45" vinyl single during it's initial run on the best selling charts in 1971. Those who have a copy are lucky, indeed, because the record has become a rarity and hard to find...i own 2 copies, Thank you! This Raven Records release, featuring Linda's first two solo Lps displays a developing artist sharpening her skills as she continues on her magnificent recording history journey. Linda Ronstadt has become on of the most beloved and celebrated singers in music history! For now, all i have to say, is that I'm too elated to describe how great it feels to finally own a Cd featuring "(She's A) Very Lovely Woman". I have a copy of each of these two vinyl albums and their reissued Cd versions on Capitol Records, but this particular RAVEN RECORDS Edition is a MUST HAVE for all Ronstadt fans! Thank You RAVEN RECORDS!"
