Linda Ronstadt - Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind (1989)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by a CD.

A few months back, I wrote that I was picking up this CD because the wife and I listened to it often when it was first released. I probably haven't heard it complete in over 25 years, so I'm looking forward to hearing it today.

Wow, what a voice! And just look at that list of songwriters: Jimmy Webb, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Nick Lowe, Isaac Hayes, and so on. I'll wager the studio musicians are just as recognizable, let me grab the booklet (and magnifying glass) and check: David Hungate, Andrew Gold, Tower of Power, Marty Paich, and Brian Wilson. Yeah, I'm good with all that. I'm not a huge fan of Aaron Neville's wild vibrato, but somehow producer Peter Asher got him to tone it down a little and, to be honest, if he's good enough for Linda, I should just accept it and shut up about it.

I'm liking this more today than I remember liking it in 1990, likely because my appreciation for Jimmy Webb's songwriting talents have grown considerably since then.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "she should have no trouble conquering both pop and AC charts with this solid effort"
• Musician: "she understands how to get a larger-than-life effect without over-singing"
• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "music can still work everyday wonders"
• Spin: "lush, dreamy and witty...first-rate."
• Stereo Review: "Ronstadt has never sounded better"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #7
• Billboard Pop CD: #9
• CashBox: #9
• Rolling Stone: #2

Tracks: Didn't remember the first track, but already had goosebumps by the end of the second. Of course, the singles are fantastic and were smash Adult Contemporary hits. It's definitely an AC album. And I had completely forgotten that Ronstadt picked not one but two tracks from Paul Carrack's Suburban Voodoo album and they're as good here as they were on Carrack's album. And with Brian Wilson's backing vocals on a Jimmy Webb tune, how could Adios possibly miss? I'd love to hear an a capella version with just Wilson and Ronstadt's voices overdubbed into a massive choir. The only track I'm tempted to skip is the cover of When Something Is Wrong With My Baby and that's just because the Sam & Dave original can't be improved upon.

For more information on the brief life of the CD longbox,
go visit The Legend of the Longbox.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: When this album was released, my wife and I were newlywed, DINK, and would tool around Texas most weekends, visiting family members on a regular basis. And that's why this album was originally purchased on cassette - that's what could be played in the car.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Original Album Series (2012)
Required Ronstadt (1998)
'Round Midnight (1986)

Linda Ronstadt - Required Ronstadt (1998)

Promotional CD

Lifted directly from a previous Ronstadt post:

What. A. Voice. About the time Ronstadt was being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I received a text from my buddy Jim that read something like "I'll listen to anything sung by Linda Ronstadt." I'll second that. That simple text message led to the purchase of this box set later that day. Over her career, Ronstadt proved to be something of a musical chameleon, moving effortlessly from country to Cajun to rock to Latin to movie soundtracks to jazz standards to comic opera. She did it all and she did it well (and looked fantastic doing it).

In 1977, Rolling Stone magazine called Ronstadt "rock's supreme torch singer" and I can't improve upon that title so I'll leave it at that. Why Elektra thought Ronstadt needed a promo greatest hits CD is beyond me, but record execs aren't known for making good decisions and it got me this sweet chronological compilation, so I'll shut up now and get to the tracks. Speaking of these tracks, this thing must have been remastered because it sounds fantastic.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart but I believe if Elektra had released this to the general public it would have easily peaked in the top 50.

Tracks (with Billboard chart peaks): as you would expect from such a disc from such an artist, this is "all killer, no filler" stuff. Thanks, Linda.

	Song	Year	Hot 100	AC	Country	Rock
1	Different Drum	1968	13
2	Love Has No Pride	1973	51	23
3	Desperado	1973
4	You're No Good	1975	1	10
5	When Will I Be Loved	1975	2	3	1
6	Heat Wave	1975	5	19
7	Love is a Rose	1975	63		5
8	Tracks of My Tears	1976	25	4	11
9	That'll Be The Day	1976	11	16	27
10	Blue Bayou	1977	3	3	2
11	It's So Easy	1977	5	37	81
12	Tumbling Dice	1978	32	30
13	Back in the USA	1978	16	30	41
14	Ooh Baby Baby	1979	7	2	85
15	How Do I Make You	1980	10
16	Hurt So Bad	1980	8	25
17	Get Closer	1982	29			34
18	What's New	1983	53	5
19	Don't Know Much	1989	2	1
20	All My Life	1989	11	1
21	Oh No, Not My Baby	1993		35
22	The Waiting	1995
23	Dedicated to the One I Love	1996

Songs that peaked in the Top 40 that didn't make the cut for this compilation: Long Long Time (#25, 1970), Poor Poor Pitiful Me (#31, 1978), I Can't Let Go (#31, 1980), I Knew You When (#37, 1983), Somewhere Out There (#2, 1987). And we didn't even cover her journeys into operetta, Spanish language albums, and her Trio albums.

February 28, 1977

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Since Ronstadt provided much of the soundtrack for my youth, there are many. As newlyweds, my wife and I wore out our cassette of Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind (I don't have that album on CD yet, but I just ordered a copy.). We're going on a road trip later this morning and I'm gonna slip this into the CD player in the SUV and give it another listen on the road. Perfect.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Original Album Series (2012)
'Round Midnight (1986)

Linda Ronstadt - 'Round Midnight (1986)

Note: these releases were originally purchased as LPs, later replaced by this 2 CD compilation.

A two disc set that contains three albums: What's New (1983), Lush Life (1984), and For Sentimental Reasons (1986), released in October 1986, just in time for holiday shopping (box sets were also available on LP and cassette). All recordings of pop standards from the "American Songbook" with arrangements by the legendary Nelson Riddle. If the purpose of these albums was to introduce a new generation to these songs and the work of Riddle, they did. And delightfully so. This stuff led me to dive into Nelson's œuvre and I'm still diving.

Now, thirty years on, I like these recordings even more than I ever have. Headphones recommended.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #124

Tracks:  In my book, Ronstadt owns all these tunes (with the exception of Lush Life, which is owned by Johnny Hartman) so there's no skipping, just two hours of pure bliss. Riddle's arrangements have no peer; people should just accept his arrangements as definitive. My favorites from disc 1 are What's New, Someone To Watch Over Me, What'll I Do, When I Fall In Love, and Skylark. From disc 2: You Took Advantage Of Me, Can't We Be Friends, Bewitched Bothered & Bewildered, and Straighten Up And Fly Right.

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WHAT'S NEW (1983)
9 tracks, 37 minutes

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "an almost sinfully pleasing album"
• Billboard: "This album has one of the greatest female singers of her generation singing some of the greatest songs of the two preceding generations."
• Rolling Stone (★★★): "As always, if there are walls to be moved with sheer volume and beauty of vocal tone, Ronstadt can do the job."
• High Fidelity: "sags under the weight of its own aspirations"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #3
• Billboard Jazz: #5
• Radio & Records Jazz Radio National Airplay: #21
• Rolling Stone: #1

From Cinemax's short-lived Album Flash series:

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LUSH LIFE (1984)
12 tracks, 42 minutes

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★½): "the payoffs are pretty slim"
• CashBox: "Gem after gem"
• Billboard: "handy in solving holiday gift list gaps"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #13
• Billboard Jazz: #8
• CashBox Jazz: #22
• Rolling Stone: #5

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FOR SENTIMENTAL REASONS (1986)
11 tracks, 42 minutes

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review (Best of the Month): "the best balanced of the three records"
• Billboard: "If the darling of a rock singer cooing on standards is no longer a novelty, blame Ronstadt for doing it so well over the course of three rich servings."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #46
• Rolling Stone: #33
• Billboard Pop CD: #20
• CashBox CD: #20

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Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  The unique hat box cover of the Lush Life vinyl (below). The fact that my close high school friends all got into these recordings at age 17. Being featured trumpet soloist with my high school jazz band on an arrangement of What's New (there's a recording of that performance hidden around here someplace; it's better to keep it hidden). It wasn't mine, but I know more than a few people for which this was their first CD acquisition.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Original Album Series (2012)

Linda Ronstadt - Original Album Series (2012)

What. A. Voice.

About the time Ronstadt was being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I received a text from my buddy Jim that read something like "I'll listen to anything sung by Linda Ronstadt." I'll second that. That simple text message led to the purchase of this box set later that day. Over her career, Ronstadt proved to be something of a musical chameleon, moving effortlessly from country to Cajun to rock to Latin to movie soundtracks to jazz standards to comic opera. She did it all and she did it well (and looked fantastic doing it).

This box set contains Ronstadt's five studio albums from 1975-1980 and perfectly documents her gradually transition from country-rock to rock to New Wave. The packaging is simple; no liner notes, just cardboard sleeve replicas of the original covers. And at my age, that means I have to use a magnifying glass to read them. But for the price, I'm not complaining. The albums are so brief, that all five can (and should) be listened to in order, in their entirety, in one sitting. In my opinion, each album is better than the one that came before. While I always enjoyed Ronstadt's music on the radio, I never purchased any of these albums at the time of release (my first Ronstadt album purchase was Lush Life in 1984). Now that I hear these albums, I regret that oversight.

My only beef with Ronstadt is her willingness to perform in South Africa during apartheid in the '80s. I was deeply saddened by reports that Ronstadt is no longer able to sing due to Parkinson's disease. Her recently published memoir, Simple Dreams, is on my reading list.

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PRISONER IN DISGUISE (1975)
11 tracks, 37 minutes

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #4
• CashBox: #5

U.S. charted singles:	Pop	AC	Country
Heat Wave	5	19
Love Is A Rose	63		5
The Tracks Of My Tears	25	4	11
The Sweetest Gift			12

Some of the tracks here are a little too country for my tastes (e.g., The Sweetest Gift), but for the most part the choice of material is fantastic and spotlights Ronstadt's voice appropriately. Songwriters here vary from Neil Young to Smokey Robinson to James Taylor to Dolly Parton to Jimmy Cliff to the Motown soul team of Holland/Dozier/Holland.

Some of the great forgotten tracks here include Roll Um Easy, the title track, and the definitive version of Parton's I Will Always Love You (yes, I said "definitive version").

Press of the time:

• High Fidelity: "It is a pleasure to see an artist come into her own best definition"
• CashBox: "as honest as you can ever hope to be"
• Billboard: "Hard to find a flaw here."
• Rolling Stone: "she is hopelessly at sea"
• Stereo Review: "the good cuts here are so good that they more than justify the album's purchase"
• Robert Christgau: B

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HASTEN DOWN THE WIND (1976)
12 tracks, 42 minutes

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #3
• CashBox: #3

U.S. charted singles:	Pop	AC	Country
That'll Be The Day	11	16	27
Someone To Lay Down Beside Me	42	38
Lose Again	76	43
Crazy			6

More pop/soft rock than country (we get some Fender Rhodes and Clavinet on this one), songwriters on this album include Buddy Holly, Ry Cooder, Willie Nelson, Andrew Gold, and Warren Zevon, as well as 3 tracks from Karla Bonoff. In addition to the singles listed above, I enjoy The Tattler and If He's Ever Near. I'm not a fan of the a capella cover of Rivers Of Babylon segueing into the pseudo-reggae Give One Heart.

Rolling Stone and I are a little closer on this one:

from RS 222, Sept 23, 1976

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SIMPLE DREAMS (1977)
10 tracks, 32 minutes

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #1 (5 weeks, Dec 3-31, 1977)
• CashBox: #1 (3 consecutive weeks)

U.S. charted singles:	Pop	AC	Country
Blue Bayou	3	3	2
It's So Easy	5	37	81
Poor Poor Pitiful Me	31	27	46
I Will Never Marry		30	8
Tumbling Dice	32

While what was side two of this album outshines side one, it's a solid release. Country rock was huge in the West Texas town where I lived in 1977 and these tracks were all over the radio and, when I got to travel in a car with teenagers, an 8 track copy of this one was never far from hand. As always, Ronstadt interprets songs from many different songwriters including Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, J.D. Souther, Warren Zevon, and Mick Jagger & Keith Richards.

I like all but one of the singles plus the gorgeous ballads Sorrow Lives Here and Maybe I'm Right. As you would expect, the country tunes Carmelita and I Will Never Marry don't do much for me. I've always preferred Ronstadt's version of Tumbling Dice to the original Stones version, and Blue Bayou is a soft rock lover's dream come true.

Rolling Stone nails it. Ronstadt is "rock's supreme torch singer":

from RS 250, Oct 20, 1977

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LIVING IN THE USA (1978)
10 tracks, 36 minutes

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #1 (1 week, Nov 4, 1978)
• CashBox: #2
• Rolling Stone: #2

U.S. charted singles:	Pop	AC	Country
Back In The U.S.A.	16	30	41
Ooh Baby Baby	7	2	85
Just One Look	44	5
Alison		30

Now we're rockin' and roller skating. There's barely a hint of county to be found here. Chuck Berry, Elvis Costello, Smokey Robinson, and Warren Zevon are all covered on this one. Again, I like all the singles on this one (although I may be in minority for liking the cover of Costello's Alison). I dig the vibraphone solo on the standard When I Grow Too Old To Dream and David Sanborn's gorgeous sax work on Ooh Baby Baby. I probably liked that Robinson cover a lot more than a disco-loving 12 year old boy should have (still do). My favorite deep cut here is All That You Dream. The only skippable track is Mohammed's Radio.

Rolling Stone's Ken Emerson couldn't seem to make up his mind about this one, offering up various uncomplimentary compliments:

from RS 277, Nov 2, 1978

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MAD LOVE (1980)
10 tracks, 31 minutes

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #3
• CashBox: #3
• Rolling Stone: #2

U.S. charted singles:	Pop	AC
How Do I Make You	10
Hurt So Bad	8	25
I Can't Let Go	31	48

I'm crazy mad about this album, an overlooked New Wave classic that I've been listening to non-stop since I bought this box set. Three songs from Elvis Costello plus three more from The Cretones' Mark Goldenberg. Now I'm jonesing to check out stuff from the Cretones. Without question, my favorite track is the cover of the Hollies' 1966 single I Can't Let Go. Other strong cuts include the title track, How Do I Make You, Hurt So Bad, Cost Of Love, and Girls Talk (which I think of as a Dave Edmunds tune). I can't make up my mind about Justine, but I know I don't care much for Talking In The Dark.

Even though they mistakenly stick a "punk" label on this album, Rolling Stone generally liked it (I find it interesting that none of these 5 Ronstadt albums were reviewed at a time when RS was offering starred reviews):

from RS 314, Apr 3, 1980

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Personal Memory Associated with these CDs: None