Live in Hollywood (Linda Ronstadt album)

Last updated
Live In Hollywood
Linda Ronstadt - Line In Hollywood Cover.jpg
Live album by
ReleasedFebruary 1, 2019 (2019-02-01)
Recorded1980
VenueTelevision Center Studios, Hollywood, CA
Genre Rock
Length43:39
Label Rhino
Producer John Boylan
Linda Ronstadt chronology
Opus Collection
(2014)
Live In Hollywood
(2019)
Singles from Live in Hollywood
  1. "Just One Look"
    Released: December 14, 2018
  2. "You're No Good"
    Released: January 30, 2019
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Audiophile AuditionStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
Country UniverseStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
American SongwriterStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Live In Hollywood is a live album by Linda Ronstadt. It was recorded at Television Center Studios in Hollywood, California on April 24, 1980, for broadcast as a special on HBO. All tracks from this recording except "Blue Bayou" and "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" are previously unreleased. This is the first live album released by Ronstadt. The master tapes, thought to be lost, were discovered through a chance encounter with a Warner Brothers engineer leading to their recovery. [5]

Contents

The backing band for this recording includes some of the musicians who collaborated with Ronstadt many times over the years: Kenny Edwards of the Stone Poneys, Danny Kortchmar, Dan Dugmore, Bill Payne of Little Feat, Wendy Waldman, Bob Glaub, Peter Asher and Russ Kunkel. A then fifteen-year-old Wendy Waldman describes meeting Ronstadt for the first time in 1965 and how she later toured with her and came to be on this album. [6] "Desperado" was written by former backing band members Don Henley and Glenn Frey, who went on to form the Eagles.

Some songs performed at the concert, such as "Party Girl", "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love With You)", "Look Out for My Love", "Mad Love", "Cost of Love", "Lies", "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" and "Heat Wave", are not included on the album.

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic writes in his interview, "These 12 tracks casually illustrate her facility with both soft rock and old-time rock & roll, and if the set list leans heavily on oldies, the combination of guts and polish makes her renditions memorable." [1]

Hal Horowitz of American Songwriter remarks that "she’s in terrific voice throughout with a few standout performances like the closing 'Desperado' — a knockout, dramatic vocal accompanied only by Payne’s piano — and a powerful take on Roy Orbison’s 'Blue Bayou' (has anyone done that song better?)" [4]

Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times writes, "What audiences today hear on Live in Hollywood is exactly what Ronstadt sang into her microphone." [7]

Matt Wardlaw of Ultimate Classic Rock begins his interview with Ronstadt about the album with, "Most artists stick with a repetitively upbeat message when promoting a new project, but the always-honest Linda Ronstadt isn't most artists. In fact, she's expressing doubts about a new concert recording called Live in Hollywood, taken from a performance orchestrated for broadcast by HBO in 1980." [8]

Stephen L. Betts of Rolling Stone writes, "Although the famously self-critical Ronstadt has never liked listening to her own records, she’s thankful the resurgence of vinyl LPs means record buyers have the chance to hear more of the details and nuance labored over by the singer, her band, producers and engineers." [9]

Michael Fremer of Analog Planet writes, "This is the soundtrack to a generation on both the originals and Ronstadt's well-known covers brought back to life for one more go round." [10]

Jim Harrington of Mercury News writes, "Her vocals are strong, clear and convincing as she moves through such winners as 'It's So Easy,' 'Just One Look' and 'Poor Poor Pitiful Me.' And the stunning version of 'Blue Bayou'? Wow. That's one for the time capsule." [11]

Audiophile Audition gives the album 4½ out of 5 stars and has this to say about it in their review. "Linda Ronstadt was a trailblazer. She was a dominant rock and roll singer in a male-dominated genre and stood tall." and "It is a treat to have a recording of this unique talent. The integrity of the audio quality is captured with finesse and verve. The primary instrument, this dazzling voice, is rendered with warmth and subtlety during quieter moments. The muscular fidelity is also on display with tonal vitality." [2]

Coachella Valley Weekly's Eleni P. Austin reviews the album and notes, "The best tracks here display Linda’s seemingly effortless vocal dexterity. The heartbreak of 'Blue Bayou' has never felt so palpable. Roy Orbison’s South of the Border charmer unfurls slowly, lush electric piano, in-the-pocket percussion lachrymose pedal steel and filigreed guitar notes, underscore her yearning tone. She sings the final verse in Spanish, and the results are positively thrilling." [12]

Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe says of the album, "It’s an officially sanctioned, painstakingly mastered keepsake from Ronstadt’s Mad Love tour in 1980, which was broadcast on HBO when it was still a brand new cable channel." [3]

Howard Cohen of the Miami Herald states, "fans will relish finally having live renditions of 'How Do I Make You,' Little Feat's 'Willin'' and the Eagles' 'Desperado.' They won't get Elvis Costello's 'Party Girl,' the Cretones' 'Mad Love' or her 1969 country-rock staple, 'Silver Threads and Golden Needles,' which had figured on that cooking concert stage." [13]

Phil Bausch concludes his On the Records review with, "It’s important that recordings like Live In Hollywood exist to remind the world Linda Ronstadt once possessed one of the greatest Rock and Pop voices of all time." [14]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Can't Let Go" (Previously unreleased)3:06
2."It's So Easy"2:38
3."Willin'" (Previously unreleased) Lowell George 3:36
4."Just One Look" (Previously unreleased)
3:06
5."Blue Bayou"4:18
6."Faithless Love" (Previously unreleased) J. D. Souther 3:54
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Hurt So Bad" (Previously unreleased)3:25
8."Poor Poor Pitiful Me" Warren Zevon 3:53
9."You're No Good" (Previously unreleased) Clint Ballard Jr. 6:12
10."How Do I Make You" (Previously unreleased) Billy Steinberg 2:49
11."Back in the U.S.A." (Previously unreleased) Chuck Berry 2:58
12."Desperado" (Previously unreleased)3:44
Total length:43:39

Personnel

Production

Technical Stage/Tour Personnel

Linda Ronstadt Crew

Track information and Personnel credits verified from the album's liner notes. [15]

Release history

Release history and formats for Live in Hollywood
RegionDateFormatLabelRef.
North AmericaFebruary 1, 2019
  • LP
  • CD
  • digital
Rhino Records [16]

Related Research Articles

<i>Heart Like a Wheel</i> 1974 studio album by Linda Ronstadt

Heart Like a Wheel is the fifth solo studio album by Linda Ronstadt, released in November 1974. It was Ronstadt's last album to be released by Capitol Records. At the time of its recording, Ronstadt had already moved to Asylum Records and released her first album there; due to contractual obligations, though, Heart Like a Wheel was released by Capitol.

<i>Canciones de Mi Padre</i> 1987 studio album by Linda Ronstadt

Canciones de mi padre is American singer Linda Ronstadt's first album of Mexican traditional Mariachi music.

<i>Roses in the Snow</i> 1980 studio album by Emmylou Harris

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.

<i>The Ballad of Sally Rose</i> 1985 studio album by Emmylou Harris

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison (song)</span> 1977 song performed by Elvis Costello

"Alison" is a song written by and first recorded by Elvis Costello in 1977 for his debut album My Aim Is True on Stiff Records. Costello claimed the song was written as an ode to a woman he saw working at a supermarket, though he has remained vague on the meaning. Though Costello's single never charted, it has become one of his most famous songs.

<i>Pieces of the Sky</i> 1975 studio album by Emmylou Harris

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.

<i>Prisoner in Disguise</i> 1975 studio album by Linda Ronstadt

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.

<i>Get Closer</i> (Linda Ronstadt album) Album by Linda Ronstadt

Get Closer is the eleventh studio album by singer Linda Ronstadt, released in 1982.

<i>Bryndle</i> American folk-rock band

Bryndle was an American folk-rock band first formed in the late 1960s in Los Angeles.

<i>Light of the Stable</i> 1979 studio album by Emmylou Harris

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.

<i>Hasten Down the Wind</i> 1976 studio album by Linda Ronstadt

Hasten Down the Wind is the seventh studio album by singer-songwriter Linda Ronstadt. Released in 1976, it became her third straight million-selling album. Ronstadt was the first female artist to accomplish this feat. The album earned her a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female in 1977, her second of 13 Grammys. It represented a slight departure from 1974's Heart Like a Wheel and 1975's Prisoner in Disguise in that she chose to showcase new songwriters over the traditional country rock sound she had been producing up to that point. A more serious and poignant album than its predecessors, it won critical acclaim.

<i>Simple Dreams</i> 1977 studio album by Linda Ronstadt

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.

<i>Living in the USA</i> 1978 studio album by Linda Ronstadt

Living in the USA is the ninth studio album by American singer Linda Ronstadt, released in 1978. The album was Ronstadt's third and final No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Linda Ronstadt album) 1976 greatest hits album by Linda Ronstadt

Greatest Hits is Linda Ronstadt's first major compilation album, released at the end of 1976 for the holiday shopping season. It includes material from both her Capitol Records and Asylum Records output, and goes back to 1967 for The Stone Poneys' hit "Different Drum."

<i>Mad Love</i> (Linda Ronstadt album) 1980 studio album by Linda Ronstadt

Mad Love is the tenth studio album by singer Linda Ronstadt, released in 1980. It debuted at #5 on the Billboard album chart, a record at the time and a first for any female artist, and quickly became her seventh consecutive album to sell over one million copies. It was certified platinum and nominated for a Grammy.

<i>Winter Light</i> (Linda Ronstadt album) 1993 studio album by Linda Ronstadt

Winter Light is an album by American singer Linda Ronstadt, released in late 1993 to critical acclaim and commercial disappointment.

<i>Feels Like Home</i> (Linda Ronstadt album) 1995 studio album by Linda Ronstadt

Feels Like Home is a studio album by American singer Linda Ronstadt released in 1995. It reached #75 and lasted 12 weeks on the Billboard album chart. It received excellent critical reviews upon release. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the disc sold precisely 188,815 copies in the United States. This album is now out of print physically, although it is available digitally and five of its tracks were remixed and subsequently included on Trio II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">How Do I Make You</span> 1980 single by Linda Ronstadt

"How Do I Make You" is a song composed by Billy Steinberg and recorded by Linda Ronstadt in 1980, reaching the top 10 in the United States.

<i>Karla Bonoff</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Karla Bonoff

Karla Bonoff is the RIAA Gold-certified first album by singer/songwriter Karla Bonoff. It includes several of Bonoff's compositions which had previously been prominently recorded: three by Linda Ronstadt and one by Bonnie Raitt ("Home").

Wendy Waldman is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer.

References

  1. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Live in Hollywood at AllMusic
  2. 1 2 "Linda Ronstadt – Live In Hollywood – Rhino Entertainment". audaud.com. Audiophile Audition. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  3. 1 2 Coyne, Kevin John (30 January 2019). "Album Review: Linda Ronstadt, Live in Hollywood". countryuniverse.net. Country Universe. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  4. 1 2 Horowitz, Hal (1 February 2019). "Album Review: Linda Ronstadt, Live in Hollywood". americansongwriter.com. American Songwriter. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  5. "Linda Ronstadt's First-Ever Live Album – Live In Hollywood – Available February 1 From Rhino". Rhino.com. Rhino. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  6. Waldman, Wendy (8 February 2019). "Linda Ronstadt - Live In Hollywood (1980)". wendywaldman.com. Wendy Waldman. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  7. Lewis, Randy (9 February 2019). "Years after giving up singing, Linda Ronstadt is back on the charts with 'Live in Hollywood'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  8. Wardlaw, Matt (22 February 2019). "Linda Ronstadt Had Serious Reservations About 'Live in Hollywood': Exclusive Interview". ultimateclassicrock.com. Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  9. Betts, Stephen L. (30 January 2019). "See Linda Ronstadt's Commanding 'You're No Good' From New 'Live in Hollywood'". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  10. Fremer, Michael L. (16 February 2019). "Linda Ronstadt Live in Hollywood". analogplanet.com. Analog Planet. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  11. Harrington, Jim (15 February 2019). "Linda Ronstadt releases first-ever live album and it's a gem". mercurynews.com. Mercury News. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  12. Austin, Eleni P. (10 April 2019). "Linda Ronstadt "Live In Hollywood"". coachellavalleyweekly.com. Coachella Valley Weekly. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  13. Cohen, Howard (2 February 2019). "Linda Ronstadt can no longer sing. But there is still so much music left in her life". miamiherald.com. Miami Herald. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  14. Bausch, Phil (6 February 2019). "Linda Ronstadt…Live In Hollywood". ontherecords.net. On The Records. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  15. Live in Hollywood (liner notes). Linda Ronstadt. Rhino. 2019.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. Ronstadt, Linda (February 1, 2019). "Live in Hollywood (Liner Notes)". Rhino Records . 574477 (CD & LP); 0603497855438 (Digital).