I pulled out Linda Ronstadt’s LP (yes, I have IT and several others here in the old 12 inch vinyl format *L*) Get Closer recently to hear her version of “I Knew You When,” to compare it to the Billy Joe Royal version. (This was just after attending a Billy Joe Royal concert, and afterwards playing some of his music.) Surprisingly, on that song, I prefered the Royal treatment - but generally, I love Linda’s voice, and often prefer her versions of most any song she covers.
After Get Closer, I threw on What’s New, but then grabbed and played all of my Ronstadt LPs and CDs, and decided it was time to write a little too.
Greatest Hits includes tunes
produced by Peter Asher and J.D.Souther as well as by others. From her Heart Like A Wheel, it includes "You're No Good," and the Phil Everly composition "When Will I Be Loved" and Paul Anka's song "It Doesn't Matter
Anymore" (a hit for Buddy Holly - in fact, his final, along with its flip side, "Raining In My Heart".) Another Holly hit given the Ronstadt treatment, "That'll Be The Day," is the only
song on this collection drawn from Hasten Down The Wind.
Greatest Hits also includes two of my favorites, "Desperado," written by Eagles Don Henley and Glenn Frey, and "Silver Threads And Golden Needles," the old Springfields hit (yes, Dusty Springfield was in the Springfields, with her brother and a non-family member), both from Linda's Don't Cry Now album, which also provided the gorgeous "Love Has No Pride."
Need more ? Her first hit, "Different Drum," from the album of the same name is here (with The Stone Poneys). It was written by Monkee Mike Nesmith. The Neil Young composition, "Love Is A Rose" is here, drawn from Prisoner In Disguise. Also from that album are Linda's rendition of the Motown hits "Heat Wave" and "Tracks Of My Tears," both here. One song is from Silk Purse, "Long, Long Time," her first solo hit after the Stone Poneys era, in mid-1970.
[by the way, Greatest Hits is also available on Gold Disc and vinyl]
I often have difficulty naming a favorite album by any particular artist, especially those like Ronstadt who've produced many great ones with many great songs, in various styles, over a long period of time. Even when I have many of their LPs or CDs, greatest hits packages, done well, are very attractive to me, and should be more so to someone new to an artist, to "sample" their work, or for most of us just to get the most "bang for the buck." Of course, if a greatest hits package omits a favorite song of yours, it's time to buy the album the song is on. One certainly can't go wrong with Linda Ronstadt's Greatest Hits
Volume Two - Greatest Hits is marvelous too - though I would certainly pick the first as the better of the two... but - "Ooh Baby Baby" alone makes it worth having. Of course, you could also get Living In The USA from which it's drawn.
“Just One Look” (Doris Troy’s 1963 hit) and Chuck Berry’s “Back In The U.S.A.” are
also from that album. Simple Dreams is the source of “It’s So
Easy” (which Buddy Holly wrote), “Blue Bayou” (Roy Orbison), “Poor Poor Pitiful Me”
(Warren Zevon - remember “Werewolves Of London” ?) and “Tumbling Dice” (Stones
Jagger and Richards).
Hasten Down The Wind produced another hit while they were putting together the
first volume of Greatest Hits, and it’s included here - “Someone To Lay Down
Beside Me,” written by Karla Bonoff (I love Karla’s own “Personally”). From
Mad Love there is “How Do I Make You,” “I Can’t Let Go” and her remake
of Little Anthony and the Imperials’ “Hurt So Bad.”
Did I say or imply this was the lesser of the Greatest Hits volumes ? Yeah, the lesser of
two great feasts !
So, which individual Ronstadt albums do I have, and what do I think of them?
Prisoner In Disguise, Hasten Down the Wind, Living In The USA, Just One Look , Back In The U.S.A., It's So Easy, Blue Bayou, Poor Poor Pitiful Me, Tumbling Dice, Someone To Lay Down Beside Me, How Do I Make You, I Can't Let Go, Hurt So Bad, and the several pictured below; as well as the multi-disc sets What's New and Lush Life.
ooooooops, lots to add, lots to edit, but I've put this off too long already....
Interesting Home Page of a Linda Ronstadt fan
