Linda Ronstadt - Sausalito '73 (2014)

Born in Arizona, in 1946, by the early 1970 s Linda Ronstadt had come to epitomise the archetypal cool Californian rock chick . While her parents were not musicians, she was exposed to a huge variety of music in her early home environment, often via radio, and enjoyed a diversity of singers from Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf to Hank Williams and Elvis Presley ; Maria Callas was a particular inspiration and intriguingly Linda claimed that: I learn more about singing rock n roll from listening to Maria Callas records than I ever did from listening to pop music……she s the greatest chick singer ever . In her mid-teens Ronstadt formed a folk trio with her siblings, Peter and Suzy, and performed at a variety of small local venues. Her first professional venture though was with another trio, The Stone Poneys. They signed to Capitol Records in 1966 and, during 1967-8, released three albums and had a hit single with the best known version of Mike Nesmith s classic country-rock love song Different Drum. The Poneys however broke up in 1968, although singer/guitarist Kenny Edwards continued to record and tour with Linda as she forged ahead, now working under her own name. This superb late 1973 live radio broadcast, from the renowned Record Plant recording facility based in Sausalito, California, highlights some of the very best material that Linda Ronstadt performed during the first few vital years of her solo career. Her solo debut Hand Sown… Home Grown was released in 1969 and excellent live versions of Silver Threads And Golden Needles (previously a hit for The Springfields in 1962) and J.D. Loudermilk s Break My Mind, from that album, are included herein and 1970 s follow-up Silk Purse contributes the sole Long, Long Time. Released in January 1972, Linda s eponymously entitled third album and her last for Capitol is considered a country-rock classic, despite only achieving very modest sales. Three of its finest moments are reflected here: Country tear-jerker I Fall To Pieces, honky-tonk standard Crazy Arms and Jackson Browne s classic Rock Me On The Water. During this period Linda used Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner of The Eagles either in the studio or as members of her live backing band. A version of Nightingale, then an unreleased Jackson Browne number although included on The Eagles debut album, is also featured here. Ronstadt s Don t Cry Now (1973), her first for Asylum Records, was released just two months prior to this recording. It was her most successful to date, spending more than a year on the Billboard album chart and peaking at number 45. Both Love Has No Pride and I Believe In You are included in this broadcast. The former had been a minor hit for Bonnie Raitt the previous year. Although not released until a year after this show, the Heart Like A Wheel record is recommended by four cuts: I Can t Help It (If I m Still In Love With You), It Doesn t Matter Any More (previously a hit for Buddy Holly), soul classic Dark End Of The Street and You re No Good. In 2003 Rolling Stone magazine included the set in its 500 Greatest Albums OF All Time listing. Following her very successful and critically acclaimed 1970s run of albums, Linda continued to record and perform until, sadly, announced her retirement from the music business in 2011. Tragically, she later revealed that Parkinson s disease has left her unable to sing a note. It is therefore all the more important that archive material such as that included on this CD has been unearthed and made available to fans from this remarkable artist s heyday.

TRACKLIST
1. Nightingale (Live) (3:41)
2. I Fall To Pieces (Live) (3:14)
3. Silver Threads & Golden Needles (Live) (2:26)
4. Love Has No Pride (Live) (4:36)
5. Rock Me On The Water (Live) (5:42)
6. I Can't Help It (Live) (3:00)
7. It Doesn't Matter Anymore (Live) (3:41)
8. Dark End Of The Street (Live) (4:21)
9. I Believe In You (Live) (3:32)
10. Crazy Arms (Live) (5:07)
11. Long, Long Time (Live) (4:36)
12. You're No Good (Live) (3:58)
13. Steel Guitar Rag (Live) (2:50)
14. Break My Mind (Live) (2:05)