LINDA RONSTADT
Linda Ronstadt - Box Set [1999] (4 x CD's)
Initially labeled a country-rock heartbreaker, Linda Ronstadt moved on to establish beachheads in everything from new wave to light opera, from pre-rock pop to traditional Mexican music. Such restlessness has been interpreted as flightiness among doubters, but Ronstadt's headstrong eclecticism has, with time, taken on weight, which is reflected in this suitably hefty four-disc career overview. Here is Ronstadt the musician, an erstwhile Cal-rock pinup girl who refused to sit still for the next photo shoot while churning out more rock-radio fare. Keep in mind that Ronstadt was the first female performer to chalk up seven consecutive platinum albums; she must have faced down considerable pressure to play it safe in the '80s. Indeed, some of the least interesting material found here is the post-Heart Like a Wheel rote rock culled from 1978's Living in the USA and 1980's Mad Love. Blessed with a starburst of a voice and the determination to put her gift to the test, she shines brightest when she's outside her familiar orbit. Disc four is the real windfall here, offers rarities, including her three excellent contributions to Randy Newman's Faust and a contribution to Carla Bley's ambitious jazz opera Escalator Over the Hill. (Amazon)
Linda Ronstadt's generically titled four-CD, five-hour, 86-track box set retrospective attempts with considerable success to encompass the many types of music she's sung from the mid-'60s to the late '90s. The album is divided into five unequal parts, with 31 tracks given over to an "Album Retrospective," followed by seven tracks from "The Nelson Riddle Sessions," her three albums of classic pop, then five songs "En Español," drawn from her three Spanish language albums. That takes up the first two discs, with the third disc consisting of 20 "Collaborations" and the fourth 23 "Rarities." It is significant that the first section is called "Album Retrospective," signaling to the listener that Ronstadt is not interested in presenting her hit singles as such. .... But it certainly makes the case for Ronstadt as a hard-working performer who constantly challenged herself by trying styles beyond the Southern California folk-rock for which she remains best known. (AllMusic Review by William Ruhlmann)
This is the set to buy if you like Linda Ronstadt. You will end up loving her all the more for great song choices, outstanding vocal pipes, tremendous range of styles and spot on emotional singing. This is as good as it gets for a retrospective box set.
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Tracklist
CD1
01. When We Ran
02. Ruler Of My Heart
03. Cry 'Til My Tears Run Dry
04. We Will Rock You
05. Winter Light
06. Anyone Who Had A Heart
07. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
08. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
09. Do What You Gotta Do
10. Heartbeats Accelerating
11. Goodbye My Friend
12. Adios
13. Cry Like A Rainstorm
14. Trouble Again
15. Easy For You To Say
16. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
17. Get Closer
18. Hurt So Bad
19. I Can't Let Go
20. Ooh Baby Baby
21. Just One Look
22. Poor Poor Pitiful Me
CD2
01. Blue Bayou
02. Try Me Again
03. Heat Wave
04. Heart Like A Wheel
05. It Doesn't Matter Anymore
06. You're No Good
07. When Will I Be Loved
08. Long Long Time
09. Different Drum
10. Little Girl Blue
11. I Get Along Without You Very Well
12. My Funny Valentine
13. When You Wish Upon A Star
14. It Never Entered My Mind
15. Skylark
16. What's New
17. Quiereme Mucho
18. Frenesi
19. Mentira Salome
20. La Mariquita
21. El Crucifijo De Piedra
CD3
01. High Sierra
02. Lover's Return
03. The Blue Train
04. Feels Like Home
05. Gentle Annie
06. Please Remember Me
07. After The Gold Rush
08. Moonlight In Vermont
09. El Camino
10. All My Life
11. Don't Know Much
12. Back In The U.S.A.
13. El Sol Que Tu Eres
14. Telling Me Lies
15. Somewhere Out There
16. I Think It's Gonna Work Out Fine
17. I Never Will Marry
18. Prisoner In Disguise
19. Faithless Love
20. I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)
CD4
01. Gainesville
02. Sandman's Coming
03. My Hero
04. All I Have To Do Is Dream
05. Dreams To Dream
06. The Blacksmith
07. Bandit & A Heart Breaker
08. Keep Me From Blowing Away
09. The Sweetest Gift
10. Freezing
11. Poor Wandering One
12. Sorry Her Lot
13. I Want A Horse
14. All That You Dream
15. Hearts Against The Wind
16. Tumbling Dice
17. Border Town
18. Falling Star
19. Honky Tonk Blues
20. Lightning Bar Blues
21. Why
22. I'd Like To Know
23. Everybody Has Their Own Ideas
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