This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Light of the Stable | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 1979 | |||
Genre | Country, Christmas | |||
Length | 30.20 (LP): 41:32 (2004 CD) | |||
Label | Warner Bros. Nashville / Rhino | |||
Producer | Brian Ahern | |||
Emmylou Harris chronology | ||||
| ||||
1992 alternative Cover | ||||
2004 alternative cover | ||||
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
The Austin Chronicle | [2] |
Light of the Stable is the first Christmas album by Emmylou Harris. It was originally released in 1979 by Warner Bros. Records but has since gone through several intervening releases. The 1992 Warner release was a remastered version of the original with a different album cover. The latest edition was released in 2004 by Rhino Records. It contains three newly recorded tracks in addition to remastered versions of the ten original tracks. Its cover came from the record sleeve of the original 45-rpm single version of "Light of the Stable" that was released in 1975. The title song featured harmony vocals from Neil Young,Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt.
Mark Deming of AllMusic gives the album 4 out of a possible 5 stars and writes,"Emmylou Harris is an artist with the rare sort of voice that communicates an honest and firmly grounded humanity while possessing a crystalline purity that verges on the angelic. In short,she was a singer born to make a great Christmas album,and in 1979 she did just that with Light of the Stable". [1]
Gavin Edwards lists this album at No,19 in Rolling Stone's 40 Essential Christmas Albums list. He writes,"Harris has always sung like an angel,and on this 1979 album she played the part,a living herald of joyful Nativity tidings. Some of the other golden-throated seraphim providing backing vocals:Linda Ronstadt,Dolly Parton,and,er,Neil Young." [3]
Jim Caligiuri of The Austin Chronicle gives this album 4 stars and says,"Emmylou Harris possesses the voice of an angel,so it only makes sense that her versions of Christmas classics are unequaled,as are special guests Willie Nelson,Neil Young,and Dolly Parton." [2]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Christmas Time's A-Coming" | Tex Logan | 2:51 |
2. | "O Little Town of Bethlehem" | Phillips Brooks, Lewis H. Redner | 3:40 |
3. | "Away in a Manger" (with Nancy Ahern) | Martin Luther; arr. Jonathan E. Spillman | 2:37 |
4. | "Angel Eyes (Angel Eyes)" | Rodney Crowell | 3:18 |
5. | "The First Noel" | Traditional | 2:40 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Beautiful Star of Bethlehem" | Arthur L. Phipps | 3:05 |
2. | "The Little Drummer Boy" | Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati, Harry Simeone | 4:02 |
3. | "Golden Cradle" (with Nancy Ahern) | Traditional; arr. Nancy Ahern | 2:05 |
4. | "Silent Night" | Josef Mohr, Franz Gruber; arr. Brian Ahern | 3:33 |
5. | "Light of the Stable" | Steven Rhymer, Elizabeth Rhymer | 2:29 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Christmas Time's A-Coming" | Tex Logan | 2:51 |
2. | "O Little Town of Bethlehem" | Phillips Brooks. Lewis H. Redner | 3:40 |
3. | "Away in a Manger" (with Nancy Ahern) | Martin Luther; arr. Jonathan E. Spillman | 2:37 |
4. | "Angel Eyes (Angel Eyes)" | Rodney Crowell | 3:18 |
5. | "The First Noel" | Traditional | 2:40 |
6. | "Beautiful Star of Bethlehem" | Arthur L. Phipps | 3:05 |
7. | "Little Drummer Boy" | Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati, Harry Simeone | 4:02 |
8. | "There's a Light" (new track) | Beth Nielsen Chapman | 2:54 |
9. | "Cherry Tree Carol" (new track) | Traditional/arr. Kate McGarrigle/Anna McGarrigle | 3:33 |
10. | "Golden Cradle" (with Nancy Ahern) | Traditional/arr. Nancy Ahern | 2:05 |
11. | "Silent Night" | Josef Mohr, Franz Gruber; arr. Brian Ahern | 3:33 |
12. | "Man Is an Island" (new track) | Kate McGarrigle, Anna McGarrigle, Jane McGarrigle | 4:45 |
13. | "Light of the Stable" | Steven Rhymer, Elizabeth Rhymer | 2:29 |
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1980 | Billboard 200 | 102 [4] |
1981 | Top Country Albums | 22 [5] |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
North America | November 1979 |
| Warner Bros. Records | [6] |
Emmylou Harris is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. A highly regarded figure in contemporary music, she is known for having a consistent artistic direction. Harris is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana genre in the 1990s. Her music united both country and rock audiences in live performance settings. Her characteristic voice, musical style and songwriting have been acclaimed by critics and fellow recording artists.
Trio is a collaborative album by American singers Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris. It was released on March 2, 1987, by Warner Bros. Records. The album has platinum certification in the U.S. for sales of one million copies, and has total worldwide sales of approximately four million. A second collaborative album, Trio II, was released in 1999.
Trio II is the second collaborative studio album by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. It was released on February 9, 1999, by Asylum Records.
Blue Kentucky Girl is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1979. The album features Harris delving into more traditional country than the country-rock sound of her previous releases. Songs include work by Willie Nelson and Gram Parsons. Rodney Crowell's "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" featured harmonies by Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, and came out of the women's ill-fated 1978 recording sessions, where they first attempted to record a "trio" album.
Evangeline is the eighth studio album by Emmylou Harris that was composed mostly of leftover material from past recording sessions and which did not fit into any of her other albums. Songs included a remake of "Mister Sandman", "Evangeline", which she had previously performed with The Band, Rodney Crowell's "Ashes By Now", and a cover of John Fogerty's "Bad Moon Rising". Though it received mixed reviews upon its release, the album was yet another commercial success for Harris. It was certified Gold in less than a year after its release. A single release of "Mister Sandman" did well on the charts, though neither Ronstadt's nor Parton's record companies would allow their artists' vocals to be used on the single, so Harris rerecorded the song, singing all three parts for the single release. Rodney Crowell's "I Don't Have to Crawl" was released as the album's second single.
Roses in the Snow is the seventh studio album by country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1980. While Harris' previous release, 1979's Blue Kentucky Girl, featured traditional, straight-ahead country, Roses in the Snow found Harris performing bluegrass-inspired music, with material by Flatt and Scruggs, Paul Simon, The Carter Family, and Johnny Cash. Cash, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, The Whites, Ricky Skaggs, Willie Nelson and Tony Rice made guest appearances. "Wayfaring Stranger" was released as the first single in 1980 and went to #7 on the Billboard Country charts. The second single, a remake of a Simon & Garfunkel song, "The Boxer", reached #13. Backing musicians included Albert Lee and Jerry Douglas.
The Ballad of Sally Rose is the eleventh studio album by American singer Emmylou Harris released in February 1985. It marked a significant departure for Harris for two reasons. First, all the songs were written by her and her then-husband Paul Kennerley, while her previous albums had consisted mostly of others' material. Secondly, it is a concept album, loosely based on Harris' relationship with Gram Parsons. The album tells the story of a character named Sally Rose, a singer whose lover and mentor, a hard-living, hard-drinking musician, is killed while on the road. Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Gail Davies sing harmony on several of the songs. Many of the songs flow into one another to create a continuous momentum.
Pieces of the Sky is the second studio album and major-label debut by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released on February 7, 1975, through Reprise Records.
Elite Hotel is the third studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1975. Elite Hotel was Harris' second album to be released in 1975, preceded by the widely acclaimed Pieces of the Sky. Elite Hotel surpassed it on the Billboard charts, becoming Harris' first number one country album. The album yielded two number one country singles: "Together Again" and Harris' version of the Patsy Cline hit "Sweet Dreams". The song "One of These Days" made it to the number three spot. A performance of the Beatles' "Here, There and Everywhere" entered the pop charts at number 65. Harris' eclectic musical tastes were reflected in her choice of material by Hank Williams, The Beatles, Gram Parsons and Buck Owens. Harris' vocals on the album earned her the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female.
Luxury Liner is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1976. The album was Harris' second successive number one country album on the Billboard charts, although, unlike the preceding Elite Hotel, there were no number one hits from this album. The highest-charting singles were the number six Chuck Berry cover "(You Never Can Tell) C'est la Vie" and the number eight "Making Believe". However, the album may be better known for including the first cover version of Townes Van Zandt's 1972 song "Pancho and Lefty", which subsequently became Van Zandt's best-known composition.
Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1978. The album reached number 3 on the Billboard charts, with three charting singles: "To Daddy" at #3, "Two More Bottles of Wine" at #1, and "Easy From Now On" at #12. Also featured are "One Paper Kid", a duet with Willie Nelson, "Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight", which the Oak Ridge Boys would reach #1 with in 1980 and "I Ain't Living Long Like This", which Waylon Jennings would reach #1 with in 1980 as well. The painting used for the album cover is by Susanna Clark.
New Harvest...First Gathering is the eighteenth solo studio album by American entertainer Dolly Parton. It was released on February 14, 1977, by RCA Victor. It is significant for being Parton's first self-produced album, as well as her first effort aimed specifically at the pop charts.
Rainbow is the twenty-eighth solo studio album by Dolly Parton. It was released on November 25, 1987, by Columbia Records. The original plan, when Parton signed with CBS, was for her to alternate between releasing pop and country albums, but due to Rainbow's poor sales and tepid critical reception, the plan was quickly abandoned, and Parton more or less focused on recording country material for the remainder of her association with the label.
Prisoner In Disguise (1975) is Linda Ronstadt's sixth solo LP release and her second for the label Asylum Records. It followed Ronstadt's multi-platinum breakthrough album, Heart Like a Wheel, which became her first number one album on the US Billboard 200 album chart in early 1975.
Get Closer is the eleventh studio album by singer Linda Ronstadt, released in 1982.
Duets is a compilation of duets by the country music artist Emmylou Harris in partnership with other well-known country and rock artists. Most of the twelve tracks on the album originally appeared as singles or on albums released by her singing partners. Several of the tracks attained positions on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts: "That Lovin' You Feelin' Again" with Roy Orbison was at #6 in 1980; "If I Needed You" with Don Williams at #3 in 1981; "Wild Montana Skies" with John Denver at #14 in 1983; "Thing About You" with Southern Pacific at #14 in 1985; and "We Believe in Happy Endings" with Earl Thomas Conley at #1 in 1988. Also included is "Love Hurts", an early duet with Gram Parsons from his Grievous Angel album. Duets reached #24 on the country albums chart in 1990.
Simple Dreams is the eighth studio album by the American singer Linda Ronstadt, released in 1977 by Asylum Records. It includes several of her best-known songs, including her cover of the Rolling Stones song "Tumbling Dice" and her version of the Roy Orbison song "Blue Bayou", which earned her a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year. The album also contains covers of the Buddy Holly song "It's So Easy!" and the Warren Zevon songs "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" and "Carmelita". The album was the best-selling studio album of her career, and at the time was the second best-selling album by a female artist. It was her first album since Don't Cry Now without long-time musical collaborator Andrew Gold, though it features several of the other Laurel Canyon-based session musicians who appeared on her prior albums, including guitarists Dan Dugmore and Waddy Wachtel, bassist Kenny Edwards, and producer and multi-instrumentalist Peter Asher.
Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions is a 1999 duet album by American singer, songwriter, and producer Linda Ronstadt and singer, songwriter, and guitarist Emmylou Harris, who had previously collaborated on two albums with Dolly Parton.
All I Intended to Be is the 25th studio album from Emmylou Harris and her third release on Nonesuch Records. It was released in the United States on June 10, 2008. The album debuted at number 22 on the Billboard 200, and number four on Top Country Albums, which makes the album Harris’ highest charting solo record on the Billboard 200 since Evangeline was released in 1981. As of 2014 it has sold 153,973 copies in United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The Complete Trio Collection is compilation album by American singer-songwriters Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. It brings together newly remastered versions of their two award-winning albums, 1987's Trio and 1999's Trio II, with a third disc compiling 20 alternate takes and unreleased material. It was released worldwide on September 9, 2016, by Rhino Entertainment. A stand-alone version of the third disc, titled Farther Along, was released separately on vinyl.