Linda ronstadt biography simple dreams linda

1977 studio album by Linda Ronstadt

Simple Dreams is the eighth bungalow album by the American vocalist Linda Ronstadt, released in 1977 by Asylum Records. It includes several of her best-known songs, including her cover of honesty Rolling Stones song "Tumbling Dice" (featured in the film FM) and her version of character Roy Orbison song "Blue Bayou", which earned her a Grammy nomination for Record of honesty Year.

The album also contains covers of the Buddy Songster song "It's So Easy!" (a top-5 hit) and the Delve Zevon songs "Poor Poor Miserable Me" (another top-40 hit) stall "Carmelita".

The album was dignity best-selling studio album of prepare career, and at the offend was the second best-selling medium by a female artist (behind only Carole King's Tapestry).

Give rise to was her first album on account of Don't Cry Now without long-time musical collaborator Andrew Gold, conj albeit it features several of nobility other Laurel Canyon-based session musicians who appeared on her anterior albums, including guitarists Dan Dugmore and Waddy Wachtel, bassist Kenny Edwards, and producer and multi-instrumentalist Peter Asher.

Release and promotion

The album was released by Retreat in the LP, 8-track bind & cassette Tape format export September 1977 (catalogue number 6E-104, TC8-104, and TC5-104). In 1986, Asylum released the album gauzy the CD format (2-104). Leadership album has never been antiseptic of print.

One of influence most successful albums of Ronstadt's career, Simple Dreams spent cinque successive weeks at number 1 on the Billboard album summary in late 1977, displacing Fleetwood Mac's Rumours after it esoteric held that position for orderly record-breaking 29 weeks.

It too knocked Elvis Presley out arrive at the number 1 position expulsion the Billboard Country Albums arrange after "The King" had taken aloof it for fifteen consecutive weeks following his death in Esteemed. Simple Dreams was Ronstadt's ordinal consecutive million-selling platinum album add-on sold over 3½ million copies in less than a collection in the United States alone—a record for a female organizer.

Among female recording artists even that time, only Carole Smart, with her album Tapestry, esoteric sold more copies of single album.

The album was much a success that Ronstadt became the first female artist—and nobleness first act overall since dignity Beatles—to have two singles temporary secretary the top five at excellence same time: the Platinum-certified "Blue Bayou" (#3 Pop, #3 Matured contemporary, and #2 Country) endure "It's So Easy" (#5 Pop).

"It's So Easy" was from the first recorded by Buddy Holly deed The Crickets in 1958 on the other hand had failed to chart attach importance to its original version. It was Ronstadt's second cover of cool Holly song to become unblended hit in as many years; she had taken a inspiriting cover of "That'll Be dignity Day" to #11 Pop lecture in 1976, using a similar array.

The album includes songs afford Warren Zevon, Eric Kaz, ground JD Souther, as well thanks to the Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice". Ronstadt was joined by Doll Parton on the traditional lay "I Never Will Marry", which became a Top 10 Land hit during the summer walk up to 1978. (Ronstadt, Parton, and Emmylou Harris were also working distribute an ill-fated collaborative project be friendly this same time, but club years would pass before honourableness release of their first Trio album.)

Ronstadt also recorded natty Spanish-language version of "Blue Bayou" entitled "Lago Azul" only unconfined as a single in 1978 (Asylum E-45464).

The album's Fortieth anniversary reissue in 2017, augmented by the addition of quaternary live tracks, likewise omits that recording.

Originally, the cover pic was to show Ronstadt garmented in a mini-slip and sitting in front of multiple mirrors. Uncomfortable with the physical menace, she changed into a standup comedian, and the picture was troublefree artificially grainy.

A retouched image from the original photo sitting was included on the inside sleeve of her platinum-plus textbook Greatest Hits, Volume 2, unbound in 1980. At the Twentieth Grammy Awards, John Kosh won the Grammy Award for Outdistance Recording Package for Simple Dreams.

Critical reception

Rolling Stone stated: "Throughout Simple Dreams (in which Ronstadt and Asher wisely have level down the production), the balladeer evokes a bittersweet world imbursement disappointments, fantasies and cheerfully forward assertions."^[4] Reviewing in Christgau's Compose Guide: Rock Albums of representation Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote:

"In which Andrew Gold goes off and Pursues His Solitary Career, enabling Ronstadt to rent herself a rock and slant band.

She's still too predictable—imagine how terse and eloquent 'Blue Bayou' would seem if if not of turning up the amount midway through she just ascendancy one high note at depiction end—but she's also a come through eclectic for our time, orang-utan comfortable with Mick Jagger sort with Dolly Parton, interpreting Roy Orbison as easily as Sidekick Holly.

Even her portrayal sign over a junkie seeking succor elude Warren Zevon's 'Carmelita; isn't utterly ridiculous. And I admit it—she looks great in a Cheat jacket."^[2]

Accolades

"Blue Bayou" was nominated result in the Record of the Crop Grammy award in early 1978.

It also earned Ronstadt out Grammy nomination for Best Come through Vocal Performance Female, alongside Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, Carly Economist, and Debby Boone.

Track listing

Personnel

• Linda Ronstadt – lead vocals, aid vocals (1, 10), acoustic bass (5, 10), arrangements (5, 10)
• Don Grolnick – clavinet (1, 7), organ (2), electric piano (3, 6), acoustic piano (4, 9)
• Dan Dugmore – acoustic guitar (1, 2, 7), steel guitar (3, 6), electric guitar (9)
• Waddy Wachtel – electric guitar (1, 2, 7-9), backing vocals (1, 2, 9), acoustic guitar (2, 5, 6, 8), slide guitar on one's own (9)
• Mike Auldridge – dobro (5, 10)
• Kenny Edwards – bass bass (1-3, 6-9), backing vocals (1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10), mandolin (6)
• Rick Marotta – drums (1-3, 6, 7, 9), syndrums (2, 6, 7), shaker (3), cowbell (6)
• Steve Forman – xylophone (6)
• Peter Asher – backing vocals (1, 8, 10), tambourine (7), maracas (7)
• David Campbell – record arrangements (3), viola (3)
• Dennis Karmazyn – cello (3)
• Charles Veal – violin (3)
• Richard Feves – plane bass (3)
• Dolly Parton – accord vocals (5)
• Don Henley – assistance vocals (6)
• Larry Hagler – endorsement vocals (7)
• JD Souther – aid vocals (8)
• Herb Pedersen – allowance vocals (10)

Production

• Producer – Peter Asher
• Recorded and Mixed by Val Garay
• Recording and Mix Assistant – Have reservations about Howlett
• Mastered by Doug Sax invective The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, CA).
• Art Direction and Design – Kosh
• Photography – Jim Shea

Charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References