'After The Gold Rush'

[Tony]

Unlike many others here, I have never been a yuge fan of the Trio recordings. On the first Trio album, I like the songs that Linda sings lead on. I like the verse that Linda does on the hymn Farther Along. To Know Him is to Love Him is just a giant snooze-- but if Linda had sang the lead, maybe it could have been rescued.

As for After the Gold Rush, I have not gone back and re-listened to it after this mini-controversy. Knowing that the album Feels Like Home was borne from an aborted Trio project, I guess I wasn't shocked that there was a Trio song included. But I loved this inclusion because I had never liked that song before. I absolutely despised the Neil Young version because of his voice- I mean, really, the song might just as well have been sung by Tiny Tim. But the melding of voices on this was angelic, and my ear always picks out Linda Ronstadt's voice in the mix. This is one of my favorite songs on Feels Like Home, and if Dolly Linda and Emmylou had not had that bout of micro-agressions, we would never have had this lovely version.

[Tony]

A Linda Ronstadt album has always been about the songs, the multiple voices, the harmonies. I can understand Damien's thinking that Goldrush does not belong. Much the way I felt when Aaron Neville took over a huge part of the Cry Like a Rainstorm album. But I went along with it, and the four songs he participated in are wonderful- two Grammy winners among them.

It's not a crime to banish a song from your ipod. I have many albums that I curate. For years, I did not allow People Gonna Talk on my ipod.

[Pete]

I don't think I've removed many songs from my iPod but I'm 32 and old-school so I buy the CD and then put it onto my laptop, then on to my iPod. I can clearly hear Linda on backing vocals on Trio and Trio II and it is meant to be an album where Linda, Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton all take turns doing lead and backing vocals. Similar to The Bangles, they all take turns singing lead and backing vocals, Susanna Hoffs has a very distinctive voice (like Linda) and she can be heard more than the others when singing backing vocals (she is also the reason I discovered Linda Ronstadt after hearing her versions of 'Different Drum,' 'Willin'' and 'You Can Close Your Eyes')

I haven't meant at any point for anyone to argue over this topic by the way! Ha ha. I just found it odd to have a song on the album that Linda is virtually unheard.

[eddiejinnj]

I hear her pretty well on the FLH version. That version is like a few songs where Linda and Ann sing; it is hard to differentiate one from the other. The way I been thinking about it, Linda had to get Valerie to record the track which Linda could have more easily done but maybe for some reason she felt that she was best as a prominent harmony background singer for this song. eddiejinnj

[Dianna]

I am so used to Linda's clear strong voice but in ATG, she's using her head voice and holding back, granted you can still hear her..her part in that song to me is much like the Lullaby album.

[erik]

Quote by Dianna:

I am so used to Linda's clear strong voice but in ATG, she's using her head voice and holding back, granted you can still hear her..her part in that song to me is much like the Lullaby album.

I could be wrong about this, but I think part of it may reflect both her willingness to be a team player (admirable, to say the least) and a reluctance to ever being seen as a front woman (though, while she may want to admit it, it is a big reason why everyone who ever knew her wanted to work with her in the first place). I feel "After The Gold Rush" reflects that dichotomy.

[germancanadian]