JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY
PRESENTS
LINDA RONSTADT
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Linda Ronstadt began as the clear-voiced, country-influenced singer for '60s folk-rockers the Stone Poneys, where she covered tunes by the likes of Mike Nesmith and Tim Buckley. That knack for choosing material served her well in the second half of the '70s, when she became a pop superstar interpreting songs by everyone from Dave Edmunds and Elvis Costello to Chuck Berry and Roy Orbison. Subsequently, she has shown her diversity by cutting albums of jazz standards, traditional Mexican music, and pure country.
While Ronstadt was a student at Arizona State University, she met guitarist Bob Kimmel. The duo moved to Los Angeles, where guitarist/songwriter Kenny Edwards joined the pair. Calling themselves the Stone Poneys, the group became a leading attraction on California's folk circuit, recording their first album in 1967. The band's second album, Evergreen, Vol. 2, featured the Top 20 hit "Different Drum," which was written by Michael Nesmith. After recording one more album with the group, Ronstadt left for a solo career at the end of 1968. Ronstadt's first two solo albums -- Hand Sown Home Grown (1969) and Silk Purse (1970) -- accentuated her country roots, featuring several honky tonk numbers. Released in 1971, her self-titled third album was a pivotal record in her career. Featuring a group of session musicians who would later form the Eagles, the album was a softer, more laid-back variation of the country-rock she had been recording. With the inclusion of songs from singer/songwriters like Jackson Browne, Neil Young, and Eric Anderson, Linda Ronstadt had folk-rock connections as well. Don't Cry Now, released in 1973, followed the same formula to greater success, yet it was 1974's Heart Like a Wheel that perfected the sound, making Ronstadt a star. Featuring the hit covers "You're No Good," "When Will I Be Loved," and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," Heart Like a Wheel reached number one and sold over two million copies. Released in the fall of 1975, Prisoner in Disguise followed the same pattern as Heart Like a Wheel and was nearly as successful. Hasten Down the Wind, released in 1976, suggested a holding pattern, even if it charted higher than Prisoner in Disguise. Simple Dreams (1977) expanded the formula by adding a more rock-oriented supporting band, which breathed life into the Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice" and Warren Zevon's "Poor Poor Pitiful Me." The record became the singer's biggest hit, staying on the top of the charts for five weeks and selling over three million copies. With Living in the U.S.A. (1978), Ronstadt began experimenting with new wave, recording Elvis Costello's "Alison"; the album was another number one hit. On 1980's Mad Love, she made a full-fledged new wave record, recording three Costello songs and adopting a synth-laden sound. While the album was a commercial success, it signaled that her patented formula was beginning to run out of steam. That suspicion was confirmed with 1982's Get Closer, her first album since Heart Like a Wheel to fail to go platinum. Sensing it was time to change direction, Ronstadt starred in the Broadway production of Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, as well as the accompanying movie. Pirates of Penzance led the singer to a collaboration with Nelson Riddle, who arranged and conducted her 1983 collection of pop standards What's New. While it received lukewarm reviews, it was a considerable hit, reaching number three on the charts and selling over two million copies. Ronstadt's next two albums -- Lush Life (1984) and For Sentimental Reasons (1986) -- were also albums of pre-rock standards recorded with Riddle. At the end of 1986, Ronstadt returned to contemporary pop, recording "Somewhere Out There," the theme to the animated An American Tail, with James Ingram; the single became a number two hit. She also returned to her country roots in 1987, recording the Trio album with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris. The album was enough of a success that she reunited with Parton and Harris for another collaboration, 1999's Trio II. The two Trio albums and a number of unreleased tracks were later compiled into a box set, 2016's The Complete Trio Collection. In 1987, Ronstadt also recorded Canciones de Mi Padre, a set of traditional Mexican songs that became a surprise hit. Two years later, she recorded Cry Like a Rainstorm - Howl Like the Wind -- her first contemporary pop album since 1982's Get Closer. Featuring four duets with Aaron Neville, including the number two hit "Don't Know Much," the album sold over two million copies. Ronstadt returned to traditional Mexican and Spanish material with Mas Canciones (1991) and Frenesi (1992). She returned to pop with 1994's Winter Light, which failed to generate a hit single, as did 1995's Feels Like Home. In 1996, she released the children's album Dedicated to the One I Love; We Ran followed in 1998. Two years later, Ronstadt delivered the holiday collection A Merry Little Christmas. Another collection of standards, Hummin' to Myself, arrived in 2004, followed by Adieu False Heart, a collaboration with Ann Savoy of the Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band in 2006. As it turned out, Adieu False Heart would be Ronstadt's last studio album. She supported it with a tour in 2007, including an appearance at the Newport Folk Festival, and although it didn't rise above 146 on the Billboard charts, it did receive a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Folk Album. In 2010, she appeared on the Chieftains' San Patricio album, but a year later, she told The Arizona Daily Star she was retired. Three years later, she published her autobiography Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir and, in its pre-release publicity, Ronstadt confessed that she had Parkinson's disease, explaining that it was a factor in her retirement. Early in 2014, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; although she wasn't able to attend, an intergenerational all-star group performed in her honor, including Emmylou Harris, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow, and Carrie Underwood. Around the time of her induction, the compilation Duets was released on Rhino. In early 2019, Ronstadt released Live in Hollywood, an archival album documenting a concert she gave in 1980 which was originally aired on HBO. -- by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Allmusic.com |
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1967 Stone Poneys Featuring Linda Ronstadt | |||
| 01. Sweet Summer Blue And Gold 02. If I Were You 03. Just A Little Bit Of Rain 04. Bicycle Song 05. Orion 06. Wild About My Lovin' |
07. Back Home 08. Meredith (On My Mind) 09. Train And The River 010. All The Beautiful Things 011. 2:10 Train | ||
1968 Stone Poneys and Friends, Vol. III | |||
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01. Fragments: A. Golden Song B. Merry-Go-Round C. Love Is A Child 02. By The Fruits Of Their Labors 03. Hobo |
04. Star And A Stone 05. Let's Get Together 06. Up To My Neck In High Muddy Water 07. Aren't You The One 08. Wings 09. Some Of Shelly's Blues | ||
1969 Hand Sown...Home Grown | |||
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Hand Sown 01. Baby You've Been On My Mind 02. Silver Threads And Golden Needles 03. Bet No One Ever Hurt This Bad 04. A Number And A Name 05. The Only Mama That'll Walk The Line 06. The Long Way Around |
Home Grown 01. Break My Mind 02. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight 03. It's About Time 04. We Need A Lot More Of Jesus (And A Lot Less Rock And Roll) 05. The Dolphins | ||
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1970 Silk Purse | |||
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01. Lovesick Blues 02. Are My Thoughts With You? 03. Will You Love Me Tomorrow? 04. Nobodys 05. Louise |
06. Long Long Time 07. Mental Revenge 08. I'm Leavin' It All Up To You 09. He Dark The Sun 10. Life Is Like A Mountain Railway | ||
1971 Linda Ronstadt | |||
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01. Rock Me On The Water 02. Crazy Arms 03. I Won't Be Hangin' Round 04. I Still Miss Someone 05. In My Reply |
06. I Fall To Pieces 07. Ramblin' 'Round 08. Birds 09. Faithful 10. Rescue Me | ||
1973 Don't Cry Now | |||
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01. I Can Almost See It 02. Love Has No Pride 03. Silver Threads And Golden Needles 04. Desperado 05. Don't Cry Now |
06. Sail Away 07. Colorado 08. The Fast One 09. Everybody Loves A Winner 10. I Believe In You | ||
1974 Heart Like a Wheel | |||
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01. You're No Good 02. It Doesn't Matter Anymore 03. Faithless Love 04. Dark End Of The Street 05. Heart Like A Wheel |
06. When Will I Be Loved 07. Willing 08. I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You) 09. Keep Me From Blowing Away 10. You Can Close Your Eyes | ||
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1975 Prisoner in Disguise | |||
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01. Love Is A Rose 02. Hey Mister, That's Me Up On The Jukebox 03. Roll Um Easy 04. Tracks Of My Tears 05. Prisoner In Disguise 06. Heat Wave |
07. Many Rivers To Cross 08. The Sweetest Gift 09. You Tell Me That I'm Falling Down 10. I Will Always Love You 11. Silver Blue | ||
1976 Hasten Down the Wind | |||
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01. Lose Again 02. The Tattler 03. If He's Ever Near 04. That'll Be The Day 05. Lo Siento Mi Vida 06. Hasten Down The Wind |
07. Rivers Of Babylon 08. Give One Heart 09. Try Me Again 10. Crazy 11. Down So Low 12. Someone To Lay Down Beside Me | ||
1976 Simple Dreams | |||
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01. It's So Easy 02. Carmelita 03. Simple Man, Simple Dream 04. Sorrow Lives Here 05. I Never Will Marry |
06. Blue Bayou 07. Poor Poor Pitiful Me 08. Maybe I'm Right 09. Tumbling Dice 10. Old Paint | ||
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1978 Living in the U.S.A. | |||
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01. Back In The U.S.A. 02. When I Grow Too OId To Dream 03. Just One Look 04. Alison 05. White Rhythm & Blues |
06. All That You Dream 07. Ooh Baby Baby 08. Mohammed's Radio 09. Blowing Away 10. Love Me Tender | ||
1980 Mad Love | |||
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01. Mad Love 02. Party Girl 03. How Do I Make You 04. I Can't Let Go 05. Hurt So Bad |
06. Look Out For My Love 07. Cost Of Love 08. Justine 09. Girls Talk 10. Talking In The Dark | ||
1981 The Pirates Of Penzance | |||
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01. Act 1, Part 1 02. Act 1, Conclusion |
03. Act 2, Part 1 04. Act 2, Conclusion | ||
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1982 Get Closer | |||
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01. Get Closer 02. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress 03. I Knew You When 04. Easy For You To Say 05. People Gonna Talk 06. Talk To Me Of Mendocino |
07. I Think It's Gonna Work Out Fine 08. Mr. Radio 09. Lies 10. Tell Him 11. Sometimes You Just Can't Win 12. My Blue Tears | ||
1983 What's New [with The Nelson Riddle Orchestra] | |||
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01. What's New 02. I've Got A Crush On You 03. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry 04. Crazy He Calls Me 05. Someone To Watch Over Me |
06. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You 07. What'll I Do 08. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be) 09. Goodbye | ||
1984 Lush Life [with The Nelson Riddle Orchestra] | |||
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01. When I Fall In Love 02. Skylark 03. It Never Entered My Mind 04. Mean To Me 05. When Your Lover Has Gone 06. I'm A Fool To Want You |
07. You Took Advantage Of Me 08. Sophisticated Lady 09. Can't We Be Friends 10. My Old Flame 11. Falling In Love Again 12. Lush Life | ||
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1986 For Sentimental Reasons [with The Nelson Riddle Orchestra] | |||
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01. When You Wish Upon A Star 02. Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered 03. You Go To My Head 04. But Not For Me 05. My Funny Valentine 06. I Get Along Without You Very Well |
07. Am I Blue 08. I Love You For Sentimental Reasons 09. Straighten Up And Fly Right 10. Little Girl Blue 11. 'Round Midnight | ||
Trio [with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris] | |||
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01. The Pain Of Loving You 02. Making Plans 03. To Know Him Is To Love Him 04. Hobo's Meditation 05. Wildflowers 06. Telling Me Lies |
07. My Dear Companion 08. Those Memories Of You 09. I've Had Enough 10. Rosewood Casket 11. Farther Along | ||
1987 Canciones de Mi Padre | |||
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01. Por Un Amor 02. Los Laureles 03. Hay Unos Ojos 04. La Cigarra 05. Tú Sólo Tú 06. Y Andale |
07. Rogaciano El Huapanguero 08. La Charreada 09. Dos Arbolitos 10. Corrido De Cananea 11. La Barca De Guaymas 12. La Calandria | ||
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1989 Cry Like a Rainstorm - Howl Like the Wind [with Aaron Neville] | |||
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01. Still Within The Sound Of My Voice 02. Cry Like A Rainstorm 03. All My Life 04. I Need You 05. Don't Know Much 06. Adios |
07. Trouble Again 08. I Keep It Hid 09. So Right, So Wrong 10. Shattered 11. When Something Is Wrong With My Baby 12. Goodbye My Friend | ||
1990 Mas Canciones | |||
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01. Tata Dios 02. El Toro Relajo 03. Mi Ranchito 04. La Mariquita 05. Gritenme Piedras Del Campo 06. Siempre Hace Frio |
07. El Crucifijo De Piedra 08. Palomita De Ojos Negros 09. Pena De Los Amores 10. El Camino 11. El Gustito 12. El Sueno | ||
1992 Frenesi | |||
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01. Frenesí 02. Mentira Salomé 03. Alma Adentro 04. Entre Abismos 05. Cuando Me Quérias Tú 06. Piel Canela |
07. Verdad Amarga 08. Despojos 09. En Mi Soledad 10. Piensa En Mí 11. Quiéreme Mucho 12. Perfidia | ||
1994 Winter Light | |||
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01. Heartbeats Accelerating 02. Do What You Gotta Do 03. Anyone Who Had A Heart 04. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) 05. Oh No, Not My Baby 06. It's Too Soon To Know |
07. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself 08. A River For Him 09. Adónde Voy 10. You Can't Treat The Wrong Man Right 11. Winter Light | ||
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1995 Feels Like Home | |||
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01. The Waiting 02. Walk On 03. High Sierra 04. After The Gold Rush 05. The Blue Train |
06. Feels Like Home 07. Teardrops Will Fall 08. Morning Blues 09. Woman Cross The River 10. Lover's Return | ||
1996 Dedicated to the One I Love | |||
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01. Dedicated To The The One I Love 02. Be My Baby 03. In My Room 04. Devoted To You 05. Baby I Love You 06. Devoted To You (Instrumental Version) |
07. Angel Baby 08. We Will Rock You 09. Winter Light 10. Brahm's Lullaby 11. Good Night | ||
1998 We Ran | |||
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01. When We Ran 02. If I Should Fall Behind 03. Give Me A Reason 04. Ruler Of My Heart 05. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues 06. Cry 'Til My Tears Run Dry |
07. I Go To Pieces 08. Heartbreak Kind 09. Damage 10. Icy Blue Heart 11. Dreams Of The San Joaquin | ||
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1999 Western Wall [with Emmylou Harris] | |||
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01. Loving The Highway Man 02. Raise The Dead 03. For A Dancer 04. Western Wall 05. 1917 06. He Was Mine |
07. Sweet Spot 08. Sisters Of Mercy 09. Falling Down 10. Valerie 11. This Is To Mother You 12. All I Left Behind You | ||
1999 Trio II [with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris] | |||
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01. Lover's Return 02. High Sierra 03. Do I Ever Cross Your Mind 04. After The Gold Rush 05. The Blue Train |
06. I Feel The Blues Movin' In 07. You'll Never Be The Sun 08. He Rode All The Way To Texas 09. Feels Like Home 10. When We're Gone, Long Gone | ||
2000 A Merry Little Christmas | |||
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01. The Christmas Song 02. I'll Be Home For Christmas 03. White Christmas 04. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 05. River 06. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel |
07. Xicochi, Xicochi 08. I Wonder As I Wander 09. Away In A Manger 10. Lo, How A Rose E're Blooming 11. Welsh Carol 12. Past Three O'Clock | ||
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2004 Hummin' to Myself | |||
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01. Tell Him I Said Hello 02. Never Will I Marry 03. Cry Me A River 04. Hummin' To Myself 05. Miss Otis Regrets 06. I Fall In Love Too Easily |
07. Blue Prelude 08. Day Dream 09. I've Never Been In Love Before 10. Get Out Of Town 11. I'll Be Seeing You | ||
2006 Adieu False Heart [with Ann Savoy] | |||
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01. Opening 02. Adieu False Heart 03. I Can't Get Over You 04. Marie Mouri 05. King Of Bohemia 06. Plus Tu Tournes |
07. Go Away From My Window 08. Burn's Supper 09. The One I Love Is Gone 10. Interlude 11. Rattle My Cage 12. Parlez-Moi D'Amour | ||
2019 Live in Hollywood [1980] | |||
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01. I Can't Let Go 02. It's So Easy 03. Willin' 04. Just One Look 05. Blue Bayou 06. Faithless Love 07. Hurt So Bad |
08. Poor Poor Pitiful Me 09. You're No Good 10. How Do I Make You 11. Back In The U.S.A. 12. Desperado 13. Band Introductions | ||
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