Linda Ronstadt and Fleetwood Mac

skuncles · #1 01-28-2010, 12:49 PM

The other day I was listening to "The Very Best Of Linda Ronstadt" (a great album by the way). It occured to me that Linda was part of that whole LA music scene in the 70's that included the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Warren Zevon and others. Then I got to thinking, Ronstadt recorded songs written by the Eagles (she worked with them early on, "Witchy Woman" is supposedly about Ronstadt), Warren Zevon, Jackson Browne and others. But she never covered any Fleetwood Mac songs, in fact aside from Lindsey appearing on her "Get Closer" album, she has never had anything to do with Fleetwood Mac. I wonder why? I wonder if Stevie and Linda ever met, they both used the same studio musicians (Waddy is all over Linda's 70's albums). Anyone know why Linda wouldn't have tackled a Mac song?

lilwing80 · #2 01-28-2010, 01:07 PM

Wow. I didn't realize that Witchy Woman was about Ronstadt. That's something. You'd logically think it was Stevie. So many references...
or so I just supposed (I know it kind of seems like the whole "everything
is about Stevie or Don or whatever" but it really seemed to make sense)
.... Is it certain?

Street_Dreamer · #3 01-28-2010, 01:10 PM

Linda did backing vocals on a couple songs on John Stewart's Dream Babies Go Hollywood, the album that directly followed Bombs Away Dream Babies which Lindsey and Stevie both had big parts in helping make. Linda does some very Stevie-like vocals on Odin (Spirit Of The Water).

Matt

skuncles · #4 01-28-2010, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilwing80

Wow. I didn't realize that Witchy Woman was about Ronstadt. That's something. You'd logically think it was Stevie. So many references...
or so I just supposed (I know it kind of seems like the whole "everything
is about Stevie or Don or whatever" but it really seemed to make sense)
.... Is it certain?

Well I don't think Don or Glenn have completely comfirmed that it's about Ronstadt, but the song pre-dates Stevie so it's not about her at all. Plus the line "raven hair and ruby lips" that fits Linda moreso than Stevie.

I just remembered that Linda Ronstadt also covered Tom Petty's "The Waiting". Again, she seems to be in the same circles but never covered a Mac song.

David · #5 01-28-2010, 01:23 PM

That was the way it was ten years ago; for a woman to make it in the music world, she had to cede her femininity & be tough, to live under "the shadow of Tina Turner, feeling we had to do hot blues licks," as she puts it. But Linda predicted that it would change, & it has. She points to Stevie Nicks & Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac & the Wilson sisters of Heart & proudly says that they were able to become rockers without losing their femininity in the least.

-- "Linda Ronstadt," Superwomen of Rock by Susan Katz (1978)

Quote:

I wonder if Stevie and Linda ever met

I know of at least one occasion when they met -- the Mulholland Tomorrow concert Don Henley organized in September 1985. Ronstadt & Stevie were both on the small bill.

Richard B · #6 01-28-2010, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilwing80

Wow. I didn't realize that Witchy Woman was about Ronstadt. That's something. You'd logically think it was Stevie. So many references...

Considering a line in the song Witchy Woman specifically states "raven hair", which means black so I automatically never thought it was Stevie, Linda, yes.

David · #7 01-28-2010, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilwing80

Wow. I didn't realize that Witchy Woman was about Ronstadt. That's something. You'd logically think it was Stevie. So many references...
or so I just supposed (I know it kind of seems like the whole "everything
is about Stevie or Don or whatever" but it really seemed to make sense)
.... Is it certain?

"Witchy Woman" was on the debut Eagles album in 1972.

Do you remember what Stevie Nicks was doing in 1972?

HomerMcvie · #8 01-28-2010, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David

"Witchy Woman" was on the debut Eagles album in 1972.

Do you remember what Stevie Nicks was doing in 1972?

Waiting tables?

Gailh · #9 01-28-2010, 02:12 PM

Didn't John have a "thing" for Linda Ronstadt at one point?

Gail

jenniferuk · #10 01-28-2010, 02:12 PM

I recall something about John having a crush on Linda and hoping to meet her at the Grammy's (77-78?)...but she didn't attend.

Dodfather · #11 01-28-2010, 02:50 PM

I love Linda Ronstadt, She can sing the s**t out of anything! She's on my list of top female vocalists of all time and so I would have LOVED to hear her doing some work with Fleetwood Mac, maybe a guest on a live show or something that we could now see on youtube, but sadly not...

Yeah, she really kick started so much of that 70s LA country/rock scene by having the founding members of the Eagles as her backing band (before they became the Eagles) and covering songs by artsis like Lowell George etc and making them far more popular and exposing them to a larger audience... she;s just great!

Also, with her and Stevie both being from Arizona I'm sure they might have a few things in common to discuss when they met, which they MUST have done a good few times over the years!

OldTimer · #12 01-28-2010, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gailh

Didn't John have a "thing" for Linda Ronstadt at one point?

Gail

Didn't most guys have a thing for Ronstadt in the late 60's/early 70's?

She and Stevie actually had quite a bit in common, including the Hiroshima hairstyle.

gypsy4life · #13 01-28-2010, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldTimer

Didn't most guys have a thing for Ronstadt in the late 60's/early 70's?

She and Stevie actually had quite a bit in common, including the Hiroshima hairstyle.

They must have come up with this together! Slumber party hairdo's 101

Black_Moon · #14 01-28-2010, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldTimer

Didn't most guys have a thing for Ronstadt in the late 60's/early 70's?

She and Stevie actually had quite a bit in common, including the Hiroshima hairstyle.

I think they look so alike!

APerfectLie · #15 01-28-2010, 06:59 PM

She probably never touched any Fleetwood Mac stuff because of Stevie. There are a lot of similarities between the two and I don't think there is any animosity between them, but because of their similarities, for her to do a Mac song, it would seem as if she was invading Stevie's space. And I don't think Stevie would feel this way, but a lot of people would feel "Fleetwood Mac is Stevie's thing! Stand back Linda!!!" You know what I mean? Now why the two never did anything together? Who knows.