Linda Ronstadt and Fleetwood Mac

[LukeA]

Originally Posted by BombaySapphire3

The McGarrigle sisters?

Yes. Wasn't released as a single, though.

[Nikolaj]

Interesting, a bit, to debate Ronstadt- she was not really a 'singles' artist at all, she was a major album artist. She had a string of Top 5 albums that leave nearly all female vocalists of that era in the dust. Yes, there was a formula regarding her single releases that at the time was criticized, but it worked getting her singles onto radio, and the singles were really tools to sell the albums. She had a number of hit singles, but selling albums was the point, not selling singles.
She covered a lot of contemporary writers noted already, as well as James Taylor, a stellar 'I Will Always Love You', and was the voice that brought attention to John David Souther's 'wow' songwriting ability. 'Heart Like A Wheel' as an album had a huge impact at the time, and 'You're No Good' sold the album.
As early as 'Prisoner In Disguise' an attempt was made to not have her first single be another 'oldie'- Neil Young's "Love Is A Rose" was the a-side of the single, and it was well-liked, but the b-side 'Heat Wave' is what took off. 'Rose' actually was a great choice, but radio seemed to want another oldie, and so it continued. 'Lose Again' and 'Someone To Lay Down Beside Me' were excellent songs and just moderate hits as singles, while 'That'll Be The Day' was the Top 20 single. All were from 'Hasten Down The Wind' which was a huge album, the albums were 'the thing'.
'Simple Dreams' and 'Living In The USA' were also Top 5 albums, and, again, I think the point of the singles was to get something new onto radio, to promote there was a new Ronstadt album, just to make about 7 times the money from an album selling than from a single selling. She was also a huge stadium act from 1975 to 1980, and the voice was chilling, and a thrill, to behold live. Not tons of presence necessarily, as a performer, but her vocal ability was really something. Check youtube for the some of the notes she hits in late 70s concerts, an entire late 70s overseas show (Denmark?) shows her in peak form.
Linda also was the first major artist to cover Elvis Costello, and though her 4 or 5 Costello songs were received with mixed reviews, Costello cashed the checks and his fame grew. My favorite was 'Party Girl' which somehow one or two critics dismissed, but it was amazing live, and on record. Back to Neil Young, I can think of no other singer who covered his work so well. From 'I Believe In You' to 'Look Out for My Love', Linda's Neil Young covers were excellent. She had a good ear for a song and especially a songwriter, and the voice was considered the best voice in pop-rock at the time. The singles that Luke does have a point about, also bug her. She said recently that her son said to her 'Mom you were an oldies singer' when he looked at a cd that had been sent to her (another compilation release) and she seems to resent the formula of singing an old hit to sell an album, and I think also has a problem with the sexy image used to sell the albums, probably most notably, Hasten Down The Wind--- but the contents of the albums were a must hear for any teenager I knew in the 70s. She was 'the' rock chick, before Stevie, and for a handful of years, along with Stevie. But Linda didn't love the genre, and Stevie did, and did it so well.
For Stevie to be compared to Ronstadt- if indeed, anybody here was doing that, is no insult at all. Linda R was great.
We can all be happy Stevie never felt the need to leave rock and dismiss it as being such a distasteful experience as Linda has done. "I never considered myself a rock and roll singer" she said not long ago, and she doesn't care if she ever records another album, wants NO part of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in the last interview I read, said she hopes to become a board member of the Arizona Symphony.
Wonder what Stevie will sing on The Grammy's!!

[CADreaming]

Originally Posted by BombaySapphire3

I've always liked this quote because of the reference to Connie Smith ..most people on here have probably never heard of her but the girl could sing.A one in ten million voice .She really deserves to be in the same Pantheon as her peers Dolly ,Loretta and Tammy.I guess the reason she is not is that she just didn't have the single minded drive that these 3 legends had.

Absolutely. Connie has an amazing voice. Not to get off the topic of Linda, but... One of the reasons for Connie's lack of "stardom" is because she left the business in the early '70's to raise a family and for a while she only did gospel music. She's a regular now on her husband's tv show - Marty Stuart. I've met her a few times and she's super sweet.

[HejiraNYC]

Although I don't hold Ronstadt in the same regard artistically as her peers- who actually write their own material, I think she has had one of the most interesting careers in the history of music- all the while remaining extremely private and out of the public spotlight. So while she may not be capable/willing to write songs, she certainly has the pipes and the versatility to do just about everything- folk, rock, jazz, country, pop, Broadway, Mariachi, standards, Cajun, etc. She is a musical journey(wo)man who has not backed away from taking chances and is a true believer in making music for the sake of artistic expression- not merely just to make a lot of money or achieving fame. I suppose she would still be immensely popular if she just continued on in the vein of covering old pop songs or recording a bajillion albums worth of power ballads with Aaron Neville. But all of her musical experimentation came at a price- she just became too eclectic and she seemed to alienate a little bit more of her fanbase with each new direction. So although she has recorded/released many more albums than Stevie, the results have met with mixed success. But at least Ronstadt has evolved and moved on with her career, whereas Stevie seems stuck in a certain era; Linda is the Blanche to Stevie's Baby Jane Hudson.

[skuncles]

Originally Posted by Richard B

I read somewhere that her album, Simple Dreams, released in 1977 was the first album to bump Fleetwood Mac's Rumours off the #1 spot it held for so long.
I think in the 70's Ronstadt was bigger than Stevie Nicks...just a bigger international household name. I think Rolling Stone even named her the "Queen of Rock N Roll' back in the later 70's.

ON EDIT:
How she ever got the "rock n roll" label I'll never know, as I find her music super mellow yellow. I like many of her covers though, she's got a strong voice, a true vocalist.

Actually "Rumours" was #1 for two weeks when "Hotel California" reclaimed the #1 spot for five weeks. "Rumours" then took over the top spot for the next eight weeks when "Barry Manilow Live" knocked it out for a week. Then "Rumours" came back for 19 weeks when "Simple Dreams" knocked it out for five weeks. "Rumours" came back for two more weeks at #1 until the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack ended it's run.

[Somajoseph]

Great post Nikolaj! Luke, I was thinking of writers like Karla Bonoff, J.D. Souther & Elvis Costello.

[Richard B]

I should note that her album, Canciones de Mi Padre, is probably her finest moment.

[Troddew]

Originally Posted by skuncles

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?

I always thought the similarities were eerie too - the eeriest one is if you have the original Greatest hits album and you look at the back of the record sleeve - Linda looks exactly like Stevie doing Sara.

[MariaA37]

Wow Nikolaj you brought back so many memories mentioning all those albums--I'm going to have to pull out my Linda CDs. I used to LOVE Linda.

I saw her live (back in the day) at Radio City Music Hall and I remember sitting in the audience and listening to her voice and thinking what a pretty voice she had (and wishing I could sing like her!).

~Maria

[SteveMacD]

Not really relevant to the discussion, but THIS may be in my top five YouTube clips ever. It's a total train wreck.

[seekerj]

Originally Posted by LukeA

Ronstadt's career (at least her 70's commercial heyday) is basically one big shtick. Basically every single she released was a cover of a song that was already pretty well known. She had a decent voice, but it was the built-in appeal of the songs themselves and the fact her sexuality was presented/promoted front & center that brought her success. Her contemporaries of that era lean less toward the Stevie Nicks variety and more towards Leif Garrett.

And, full disclosure- her recording of "Different Drum" (with the Stone Poney's, written by Michael Nesmith) is a favorite of mine.

Yup. Back in the 70's, my friends and I called her "Copy-Queen". And we didn't make that name up ourselves; it was pretty much what all the DJs called her.

[seekerj]

Originally Posted by Somajoseph

Really Luke, that is just bull****. You werent old enough to actually experience Linda's 70's heydey. Yes, she sang covers, but she had more than a decent voice, and it was her willingness to cover well known but not commercially successful songwriters that made her unique.
The comparison to Leif Garrett?? Laughable!!

Gee, I was there; I was old enough, and I think Luke nailed it dead-on.

[seekerj]

Originally Posted by Nikolaj

Interesting, a bit, to debate Ronstadt- she was not really a 'singles' artist at all, she was a major album artist. She had a string of Top 5 albums that leave nearly all female vocalists of that era in the dust. Yes, there was a formula regarding her single releases that at the time was criticized, but it worked getting her singles onto radio, and the singles were really tools to sell the albums. She had a number of hit singles, but selling albums was the point, not selling singles.
She covered a lot of contemporary writers noted already, as well as James Taylor, a stellar 'I Will Always Love You', and was the voice that brought attention to John David Souther's 'wow' songwriting ability. 'Heart Like A Wheel' as an album had a huge impact at the time, and 'You're No Good' sold the album.
As early as 'Prisoner In Disguise' an attempt was made to not have her first single be another 'oldie'- Neil Young's "Love Is A Rose" was the a-side of the single, and it was well-liked, but the b-side 'Heat Wave' is what took off. 'Rose' actually was a great choice, but radio seemed to want another oldie, and so it continued. 'Lose Again' and 'Someone To Lay Down Beside Me' were excellent songs and just moderate hits as singles, while 'That'll Be The Day' was the Top 20 single. All were from 'Hasten Down The Wind' which was a huge album, the albums were 'the thing'.
'Simple Dreams' and 'Living In The USA' were also Top 5 albums, and, again, I think the point of the singles was to get something new onto radio, to promote there was a new Ronstadt album, just to make about 7 times the money from an album selling than from a single selling. She was also a huge stadium act from 1975 to 1980, and the voice was chilling, and a thrill, to behold live. Not tons of presence necessarily, as a performer, but her vocal ability was really something. Check youtube for the some of the notes she hits in late 70s concerts, an entire late 70s overseas show (Denmark?) shows her in peak form.
Linda also was the first major artist to cover Elvis Costello, and though her 4 or 5 Costello songs were received with mixed reviews, Costello cashed the checks and his fame grew. My favorite was 'Party Girl' which somehow one or two critics dismissed, but it was amazing live, and on record. Back to Neil Young, I can think of no other singer who covered his work so well. From 'I Believe In You' to 'Look Out for My Love', Linda's Neil Young covers were excellent. She had a good ear for a song and especially a songwriter, and the voice was considered the best voice in pop-rock at the time. The singles that Luke does have a point about, also bug her. She said recently that her son said to her 'Mom you were an oldies singer' when he looked at a cd that had been sent to her (another compilation release) and she seems to resent the formula of singing an old hit to sell an album, and I think also has a problem with the sexy image used to sell the albums, probably most notably, Hasten Down The Wind--- but the contents of the albums were a must hear for any teenager I knew in the 70s. She was 'the' rock chick, before Stevie, and for a handful of years, along with Stevie. But Linda didn't love the genre, and Stevie did, and did it so well.
For Stevie to be compared to Ronstadt- if indeed, anybody here was doing that, is no insult at all. Linda R was great.
We can all be happy Stevie never felt the need to leave rock and dismiss it as being such a distasteful experience as Linda has done. "I never considered myself a rock and roll singer" she said not long ago, and she doesn't care if she ever records another album, wants NO part of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in the last interview I read, said she hopes to become a board member of the Arizona Symphony.
Wonder what Stevie will sing on The Grammy's!!

Can you say "karaoke"?

[soul_drifter333]

Anyone know where I can get a decent quality Linda Ronstadt concert video from the 70's or early 80's? Maybe a torrent or a trade. I have both the Johnny Cash shows and the Dolly show. Thanks

[petep9000]

Originally Posted by Troddew

I always thought the similarities were eerie too - the eeriest one is if you have the original Greatest hits album and you look at the back of the record sleeve - Linda looks exactly like Stevie doing Sara.

I think I remember this, she's wearing a white blouse and looking downwards? And there is a tall mike stand (like Stevie used for her 'all I ever wanted...' part during the Tusk tour) and Linda has a flower in her hair? And loads of silver bangles? And blue jeans?