Linda and Burt Bacharach

[fabtastique]

I was always a little disappointed that Linda never recorded more of Burt Bacharach's tunes...... him and Hal David wrote some amazing songs and I absolutely love Anyone Who Had A Heart and I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself from Winterlight.

I think she could have connected with him in a way that she connected with Jimmy Webb.

Watch this video : ..... Wynonna really gets this song, more than Linda in a way, the emotion is so on the ball...but i think if Linda put herself in this same situation, she could blow this version away.... Linda has sometimes been accused of playing safe on her records and her live versions absolutely blow away album tracks - see Party Girl on the Mad Love HBO special - everyone I've played Party Girl (live) for thinks its a killer.....so much better than the recorded track...

but, back to my original line of thought.....what other Bacharach/David tunes could Linda own??

[erik]

Quote by fabtastique:

but, back to my original line of thought.....what other Bacharach/David tunes could Linda own??

I would say "The Look Of Love" (though she'd have to get past the classic 1967 version by Dusty Springfield), or "Make It Easy On Yourself" (though Jerry Butler, the Walker Brothers, and Dionne Warwick have all had hits with that one).

[sliderocker]

I would love to have heard Linda perform "Baby It's You" or "Any Day Now," although Gayle McCormick did such a killer performance of "Baby It's You" with her then-group Smith, that I don't think anyone could've topped her version. As for "Any Day Now," I can't recall that song ever being recorded or performed by a female artist, which is surprising as it's a sad song. I think female artists have always done better than male artists in the recording or performing of sad songs. Linda was/is quite good at conveying a sadness in her singing on certain songs ("Back On the Street Again," "Long, Long Time," her own "Try Me Again") that was heartbreaking and for which other artists didn't have in their versions. And had she recorded "Any Day Now," her version would probably have been the keeper.

[erik]

Quote by sliderocker re. "Any Day Now":

As for "Any Day Now," I can't recall that song ever being recorded or performed by a female artist, which is surprising as it's a sad song. I think female artists have always done better than male artists in the recording or performing of sad songs.

It depends. Chuck Jackson was the one to have a hit with it first in 1962, and then Ronnie Milsap took it to #20 in January 1982. And Elvis himself recorded it for his album From Elvis In Memphis (the King's version of it was the B-side to "In The Ghetto").

[sliderocker]

Dec 18, 2011 14:11:06 GMT -5 erik said:

Quote by sliderocker re. "Any Day Now":

As for "Any Day Now," I can't recall that song ever being recorded or performed by a female artist, which is surprising as it's a sad song. I think female artists have always done better than male artists in the recording or performing of sad songs.

It depends. Chuck Jackson was the one to have a hit with it first in 1962, and then Ronnie Milsap took it to #20 in January 1982. And Elvis himself recorded it for his album From Elvis In Memphis (the King's version of it was the B-side to "In The Ghetto").

I remember the Chuck Jackson hit and remember the Ronnie Milsap version as well, and Elvis's version of the song has been in my collection for a long, long time. I thought Elvis had the best version of the three while the Ronnie Milsap version was the weakest, because it had that overproduced and/or overarranged 80s feel, imho. Had Linda recorded a version of the song in the 60s or 70s, I'll always believe she could've given Chuck Jackson and Elvis a run for their money. And in the 80s, she would've blown the Milsap version out of the water if she had recorded the song then.

[erik]

It would have been a challenge for Linda, in my opinion, to have done "Any Day Now" so early on in her career, when a large part of the material she was doing was either coming from contemporary folk music, or was left-of-center C&W. But who knows?

[sliderocker]

Dec 18, 2011 19:58:58 GMT -5 erik said:

It would have been a challenge for Linda, in my opinion, to have done "Any Day Now" so early on in her career, when a large part of the material she was doing was either coming from contemporary folk music, or was left-of-center C&W. But who knows?

That's true but a folk or country arrangement of a pop song like "Any Day Now" wouldn't have been out of line. Many country artists in the 60s tackled pop, rock and folk tunes on their albums. Linda recording the song using a country styled arrangement might have been a better choice than recording a song like "We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus," which I think Linda was later said to be greatly embarrassed over having recorded the song.

[erik]

Quote by sliderocker re. "We Need A Whole Lot More Of Jesus":

Linda recording the song using a country styled arrangement might have been a better choice than recording a song like "We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus," which I think Linda was later said to be greatly embarrassed over having recorded the song.

I think she may have been buffaloed into recording "Jesus", which almost seems like a mock-country send-up of the holy-roller sect the way she sings it. Heaven knows (said with irony) that Linda's about as un-religious as one can get, at least in the televangelical sense. However, during this time in concerts, Linda was known to do Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released", which almost certainly could have been subbed for "Jesus" (IMHO). Another C&W classic she would probably have made a definitive version of had she done it, in my opinion, is "Long Black Limousine."

[sliderocker]

Dec 19, 2011 19:45:57 GMT -5 erik said:

Quote by sliderocker re. "We Need A Whole Lot More Of Jesus":

Linda recording the song using a country styled arrangement might have been a better choice than recording a song like "We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus," which I think Linda was later said to be greatly embarrassed over having recorded the song.

I think she may have been buffaloed into recording "Jesus", which almost seems like a mock-country send-up of the holy-roller sect the way she sings it. Heaven knows (said with irony) that Linda's about as un-religious as one can get, at least in the televangelical sense. However, during this time in concerts, Linda was known to do Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released", which almost certainly could have been subbed for "Jesus" (IMHO). Another C&W classic she would probably have made a definitive version of had she done it, in my opinion, is "Long Black Limousine."

I have to think that would've been another got-to-please-her-bosses at Capitol. I couldn't picture producer Chip Douglas (who produced the Monkees and the Turtles, and also played bass in that group) suggesting the song but who knows, it could've been his idea.

I think almost every country artist Capitol had on its label in the 60s and early 70s released gospel albums, the thought being that country artists shared those religious values and releasing a gospel album wouldn't have been out of line. But, for Linda, who was once Catholic and later expressed a belief in reincarnation?

Linda also did "Life Is Like a Railway to Heaven" on "Silk Purse," which also seemed like a weird choice, given the back cover bit about reincarnation. While it wasn't as bad as "We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus," it was quite down home hillbilly in its arrangement, but the gospel genre just seem to be out of Linda's musical character. Linda also recorded "The Sweetest Gift," another gospel oriented song with Emmylou in the mid 70s, and also "Farther Along" with Emmylou and Dolly Parton as part of Trio.

"I Shall Be Released" would've made a better choice for "Home Sown, Home Grown" than what the "Jesus" number made. "Long Black Limousine" would've made another interesting choice for Linda, given it was more of a man's song about the death of a girlfriend. For Elvis, it was one of the standout tracks from his "From Elvis In Memphis" album. Have to wonder if she would've changed out the sex of the deceased in singing the song, or kept the lyrics as they were?

I would also like to have seen Linda tackle another song Elvis covered, "I Really Don't Want to Know." That song was a country tune from the 1950s but Elvis's 1970 version was almost as much in a blues vein than a strictly country vein, though it ended up on his "Elvis Country" album. Linda could've given the song a good workout about the same period of time, though I think if she had recorded the song, her version probably could've been quite torchy.

[erik]

Quote by sliderocker:

"I Shall Be Released" would've made a better choice for "Home Sown, Home Grown" than what the "Jesus" number made. "Long Black Limousine" would've made another interesting choice for Linda, given it was more of a man's song about the death of a girlfriend. For Elvis, it was one of the standout tracks from his "From Elvis In Memphis" album. Have to wonder if she would've changed out the sex of the deceased in singing the song, or kept the lyrics as they were?

With "I Shall Be Released", I think she might have gone up against Joan Baez's rendition of it, which I believe came out on her album Any Day Now, at about the same time as Hand Sown. Linda did, however, seem to like that song's honesty. In terms of "Long Black Limousine", I don't think the lyrics would have needed to be changed for Linda, since both Connie Smith and Jody Miller had already done their own renditions. Linda, however, would, I think, have been less melodramatic than them, opting either for a traditional country shuffle, or the R&B-influenced feel of Elvis'.

I would also like to have seen Linda tackle another song Elvis covered, "I Really Don't Want to Know." That song was a country tune from the 1950s but Elvis's 1970 version was almost as much in a blues vein than a strictly country vein, though it ended up on his "Elvis Country" album. Linda could've given the song a good workout about the same period of time, though I think if she had recorded the song, her version probably could've been quite torchy.

This too could have worked for Linda--perhaps had she decided on it during the sessions she did at Muscle Shoals or in Memphis, where she would have aced combining country and R&B influences. There are, as us fans here know, many instances throughout her career where she has done that very thing.

[eddiejinnj]

the song is called "ife is like a mountain railway". i have to say that this is prob my least fav track of linda's. like it was said before it was supposed to have that homebilly feeling but for me it does not work. i do not feel it was recorded well and all the voices on the song. as for we need a whole lot more of jesus, i think this is a really catchy tune and linda does very well with the vocals. this song is probably more contemporary now than back then with all that is going on in this world. eddiejinnj

[sliderocker]

Dec 20, 2011 9:56:29 GMT -5 erik said:

Quote by sliderocker:

With "I Shall Be Released", I think she might have gone up against Joan Baez's rendition of it, which I believe came out on her album Any Day Now, at about the same time as Hand Sown. Linda did, however, seem to like that song's honesty. In terms of "Long Black Limousine", I don't think the lyrics would have needed to be changed for Linda, since both Connie Smith and Jody Miller had already done their own renditions. Linda, however, would, I think, have been less melodramatic than them, opting either for a traditional country shuffle, or the R&B-influenced feel of Elvis'.

I don't think Linda's version of "I Shall Be Released" would've gone up against the Joan Baez version as Joan was mainly marketed within the folk genre. Her label at the time (Vanguard) really didn't compete in the pop market at the time. I thought it kind of surprising when they got a hit for Joan on "The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down." Linda was a little more mainstream though I still wonder to this day whether Capitol considered her a rock artist who leaned towards country or a country artist leaning towards rock? I believe Chip Douglas said of the album he produced that Linda was seeing herself as a country artist but the musicians he used came from a rock background and they ended up with an album of mixed results.

I vaguely remember Connie Smith recording "Long Black Limousine" but can't be sure if I ever heard it. I didn't listen to a lot of country in those days. I never knew Jody Miller recorded a version of the song but if Linda had recorded the song, I would've hoped she would've gone with a different musical arrangement than a standard country arrangement. Treading the same musical territory wouldn't have made a version by her stand out.

I would also like to have seen Linda tackle another song Elvis covered, "I Really Don't Want to Know." That song was a country tune from the 1950s but Elvis's 1970 version was almost as much in a blues vein than a strictly country vein, though it ended up on his "Elvis Country" album. Linda could've given the song a good workout about the same period of time, though I think if she had recorded the song, her version probably could've been quite torchy.

This too could have worked for Linda--perhaps had she decided on it during the sessions she did at Muscle Shoals or in Memphis, where she would have aced combining country and R&B influences. There are, as us fans here know, many instances throughout her career where she has done that very thing.

Muscle Shoals and Memphis, I think, would've been more suitable choices for Linda to record, rather than in Nashville. true, she did get a big gem from the Nashville sessions in "Long, Long Time" and a not so bad but could've been better tune in "Nobodys" and "He Dark the Sun" was passable. Most of the other "Silk Purse" tracks were fair but some of the tracks sounded like songs you found on other albums by country artists who recorded for Capitol. Same sound and badly mixed in places that just didn't come across in a good stereo. Might have been better if Capitol had still made their albums available in mono.

[sliderocker]

Dec 20, 2011 15:40:15 GMT -5 eddiejinnj said:

the song is called "ife is like a mountain railway". i have to say that this is prob my least fav track of linda's. like it was said before it was supposed to have that homebilly feeling but for me it does not work. i do not feel it was recorded well and all the voices on the song. as for we need a whole lot more of jesus, i think this is a really catchy tune and linda does very well with the vocals. this song is probably more contemporary now than back then with all that is going on in this world. eddiejinnj

I think Capitol wanted a gospel album from Linda and that "Railway to Heaven" was as far as she was willing to go. I don't think it was all that bad but given Linda's Catholic upbringing, I had to wonder where she learned the song as I don't think southern styled gospel tunes would've been mainstay choices in Catholic churches. (I could be wrong...) It was a strange choice coming from Linda given her out in the open belief in reincarnation at the time. Still, i suppose she could've been exposed to southern gospel via other family members. I recall she mentioned she had family in Oklahoma, which counts itself as a southern state but is more of a southwestern state than a southern state. Even so, the state had quite a few families living there who had come from the deep south, and a lot of people living there listened to that particular genre.

[erik]

Quote by sliderocker:

I think Capitol wanted a gospel album from Linda and that "Railway to Heaven" was as far as she was willing to go. I don't think it was all that bad but given Linda's Catholic upbringing, I had to wonder where she learned the song as I don't think southern styled gospel tunes would've been mainstay choices in Catholic churches. (I could be wrong...) It was a strange choice coming from Linda given her out in the open belief in reincarnation at the time. Still, i suppose she could've been exposed to southern gospel via other family members. I recall she mentioned she had family in Oklahoma, which counts itself as a southern state but is more of a southwestern state than a southern state. Even so, the state had quite a few families living there who had come from the deep south, and a lot of people living there listened to that particular genre.

"Life Is Like A Mountain Railway" has been a staple of the Southern bluegrass/gospel repertoire for a very long time. And one should take into account that, alongside all the other influences she absorbed in Arizona, the American folk music revival (or scare) of the early 1960s introduced the music of Appalachia, including mountain music and bluegrass. Linda was very much influenced by that; and her recording of "Life Is Like A Mountain Railway" may have been more motivated by the history and the spirit of the music form it's from, rather than its religious connotations. Beyond that, however, I certainly can't conceive of her ever wanting to do a complete gospel album of any kind, nor could I conceive of any label, be it Elektra or Capitol, even trying to push her that way.

[sliderocker]

Dec 20, 2011 23:31:05 GMT -5 erik said:

Quote by sliderocker:

I think Capitol wanted a gospel album from Linda and that "Railway to Heaven" was as far as she was willing to go. I don't think it was all that bad but given Linda's Catholic upbringing, I had to wonder where she learned the song as I don't think southern styled gospel tunes would've been mainstay choices in Catholic churches. (I could be wrong...) It was a strange choice coming from Linda given her out in the open belief in reincarnation at the time. Still, i suppose she could've been exposed to southern gospel via other family members. I recall she mentioned she had family in Oklahoma, which counts itself as a southern state but is more of a southwestern state than a southern state. Even so, the state had quite a few families living there who had come from the deep south, and a lot of people living there listened to that particular genre.

"Life Is Like A Mountain Railway" has been a staple of the Southern bluegrass/gospel repertoire for a very long time. And one should take into account that, alongside all the other influences she absorbed in Arizona, the American folk music revival (or scare) of the early 1960s introduced the music of Appalachia, including mountain music and bluegrass. Linda was very much influenced by that; and her recording of "Life Is Like A Mountain Railway" may have been more motivated by the history and the spirit of the music form it's from, rather than its religious connotations. Beyond that, however, I certainly can't conceive of her ever wanting to do a complete gospel album of any kind, nor could I conceive of any label, be it Elektra or Capitol, even trying to push her that way.

I couldn't see Linda being pushed that way either but the majority of Capitol's country artists recorded a gospel album at one time or another. I thought the albums reflected the country artist's shared roots with his or her fan base but the cynic in me also thought they were playing to their fan base's beliefs and maybe they were not as really sincere as they made themselves out to be. I was also never sure if they really wanted to record those albums or were obligated by the record company to record them. Many artists in those days didn't have artistic control on their recordings.

Linda in 1969 wanted to be a country singer and had she been very successful as a country singer at that time, Capitol probably would've penciled her in for a gospel recording session. However, given she butted heads with them over "Stand By Your Man" and "Help Me Make It Through the Night" and also reportedly butted heads with them over issuing "Long, Long Time" as a single - she was for the single and they were against the idea, had Capitol insisted on a gospel album from her, I think that was another area where they woud've butted heads again. But, I think Linda's lack of success in those days occurred because she did not go along with their ideas for her musical career, and I think they punished her for whatever resistance she gave them by not pormoting her records.

[erik]

Quote by sliderocker:

However, given she butted heads with them over "Stand By Your Man" and "Help Me Make It Through the Night" and also reportedly butted heads with them over issuing "Long, Long Time" as a single - she was for the single and they were against the idea, had Capitol insisted on a gospel album from her, I think that was another area where they woud've butted heads again. But, I think Linda's lack of success in those days occurred because she did not go along with their ideas for her musical career, and I think they punished her for whatever resistance she gave them by not pormoting her records.

Well, the situation with "Long Long Time" was a weird thing. When Silk Purse came out in March 1970, Capitol issued Linda's version of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" as a single from that album, and it never even broke the Hot 100. Linda felt that "Long Long Time" was the hit, but they were telling her, "How syrupy! What are you gonna do with that? It's a ballad, it's going to put everyone to sleep!" Linda kept insisting as much; and then, here in L.A. that summer, one of our radio stations, KRLA AM 1110, played that song and it got an instant buzz from listeners--a ballad, can you believe that?! Capitol agreed to release it as a single, provided Linda didn't give them another country album again (Silk Purse was largely recorded with the Nashville session musicians known as Area Code 615). It hit a very respectable #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October, and gave Linda her first Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Female Vocal.

As I've said, I don't think that lack of success for Linda at Capitol was really anyone's fault. Capitol just didn't know how to market her particularly well, and Linda herself was even then too musically eclectic to be pegged as a strictly one-genre singer.

[sliderocker]

Dec 21, 2011 10:22:50 GMT -5 erik said:

Quote by sliderocker:

However, given she butted heads with them over "Stand By Your Man" and "Help Me Make It Through the Night" and also reportedly butted heads with them over issuing "Long, Long Time" as a single - she was for the single and they were against the idea, had Capitol insisted on a gospel album from her, I think that was another area where they woud've butted heads again. But, I think Linda's lack of success in those days occurred because she did not go along with their ideas for her musical career, and I think they punished her for whatever resistance she gave them by not pormoting her records.

Well, the situation with "Long Long Time" was a weird thing. When Silk Purse came out in March 1970, Capitol issued Linda's version of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" as a single from that album, and it never even broke the Hot 100. Linda felt that "Long Long Time" was the hit, but they were telling her, "How syrupy! What are you gonna do with that? It's a ballad, it's going to put everyone to sleep!" Linda kept insisting as much; and then, here in L.A. that summer, one of our radio stations, KRLA AM 1110, played that song and it got an instant buzz from listeners--a ballad, can you believe that?! Capitol agreed to release it as a single, provided Linda didn't give them another country album again (Silk Purse was largely recorded with the Nashville session musicians known as Area Code 615). It hit a very respectable #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October, and gave Linda her first Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Female Vocal.

As I've said, I don't think that lack of success for Linda at Capitol was really anyone's fault. Capitol just didn't know how to market her particularly well, and Linda herself was even then too musically eclectic to be pegged as a strictly one-genre singer.

Definitely weird. I never knew at the time and didn't know for the longest time that "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" had even been a single, and thought "Long, Long Time" was the only song from "Silk Purse." Another thing which puzzled me was Capitol releasing an edited 2:59 version of "Long, Long Time" as a single. The edited version got the most airplay initially but as the song moved from a current hit to the golden oldies status, the DJs never played the edited version, only the full length version. Some of the stations I listened to in 1970 played the full length version anyway and only rarely played the edited version. I don't recall ever hearing the edited version after 1970 and as far as I know, the edited version has never appeared on any compilation album.


I think it's altogether possible that Capitol didn't know how to market Linda. She was country but her audience was the pop-rock market. So, which way did Capitol try to market her? If Capitol was like the many of the other big labels at the time, country artists were marketed straight out of Nashville while pop and rock artists were marketed out of Los Angeles or New York - probably whichever city the act was based in.

Btw, Capitol released "Long, Long Time" as a single only on the condition that Linda would never give them another country album? Whoo boy! That's amazing! Country was one of Linda's strengths at the time; she hadn't really done much in the way of harder rock songs then. But, like Elvis, she was an artist who couldn't be pigoenholed by any one genre. In fact, I always considered Linda to have been the female equivalent of Elvis with just a couple of minor differences: she didn't do movies (should have) and she didn't have music publishing companies which could've given her some original songs from outside songwriters (again, another should have). What she didn't have, fortunately, was the kind of low life manager Elvis had, who sold his talent out cheap at every turn.

Getting back on topic (apologies for the little detour)....

One has to wonder what those record company executives thought when they got the masters for "Linda Ronstadt?" It wasn't a solid country album but it had enough steel guitar and fiddle on it that it could still be considered a country album if one was so inclined to call it a country album. There wasn't a strong choice for a single on the album although Linda's version of Jackson Browne's song "Rock Me On the Water" got a lot of radio airplay in 1971. I was never sure if it was a single. If it was, I couldn't find a copy. I'm surprised Capitol didn't include "(She's a) Very Lovely Woman" on the album but its poor showing on the charts (don't think it made Billboard's Top 100 but it charted in Cashbox's Top 100 chart for three weeks) may have doomed its chances for inclusion on the album. Still, it couldn't have hurt to have included the song. It took me years to find a copy. Years because it was another single by Linda that wasn't carried in the stores I shopped for 45s and LPs way back when.

[MokyWI]

"Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" is the one song of Linda's I can't even listen to for 10 seconds, truly her worst recording in my opinion. AWFUL!

[erik]

For the record, both "She's A Very Lovely Woman" and "Rock Me On The Water" did make the Hot 100--admittedly not very far in either case ("Woman" making it only to #70 in February 1971; and "Rock Me" peaking at #85 in March 1972), but then again Linda was a bit too far ahead of her audience at that time; and the self-titled 1972 album Linda Ronstadt actually hit #35 on Billboard's C&W Album Chart.

As for "Will You Love Me Tomorrow"--well, I think Linda would agree with your opinion, Mike. Personally, I think she was trying too hard, and wound up creating a clinker. In fact, she didn't cover anything of Carole's again until she did "Oh No Not My Baby", and that wasn't for another twenty-three years.

Now if anyone wants me to, starting at the beginning of the new year, I am going to repost a revised version of the 16-part series I did back on the older forum two years ago called "Chartstadts", which will go through all of the Hot 100 singles Linda ever had (thirty-one in all), and some behind-the-scenes stories that I think most of us are aware of, but they're worth reading about just the same. This series was, for me at least (and I hope others), one of the most fulfilling things I have done on these Linda Ronstadt fan forums since I joined back in November 2000.

[eddiejinnj]

i think if linda just did a straight out even acoustic version of will you love me tomorrow it would have been brilliant but the arrangement and all the gospel like background singers and such really did ruin it. eddiejinnj

[sliderocker]

Dec 22, 2011 9:49:59 GMT -5 erik said:

For the record, both "She's A Very Lovely Woman" and "Rock Me On The Water" did make the Hot 100--admittedly not very far in either case ("Woman" making it only to #70 in February 1971; and "Rock Me" peaking at #85 in March 1972), but then again Linda was a bit too far ahead of her audience at that time; and the self-titled 1972 album Linda Ronstadt actually hit #35 on Billboard's C&W Album Chart.

As for "Will You Love Me Tomorrow"--well, I think Linda would agree with your opinion, Mike. Personally, I think she was trying too hard, and wound up creating a clinker. In fact, she didn't cover anything of Carole's again until she did "Oh No Not My Baby", and that wasn't for another twenty-three years.

Now if anyone wants me to, starting at the beginning of the new year, I am going to repost a revised version of the 16-part series I did back on the older forum two years ago called "Chartstadts", which will go through all of the Hot 100 singles Linda ever had (thirty-one in all), and some behind-the-scenes stories that I think most of us are aware of, but they're worth reading about just the same. This series was, for me at least (and I hope others), one of the most fulfilling things I have done on these Linda Ronstadt fan forums since I joined back in November 2000.

Odd that Linda did better in Billboard with "(She's a) Very Lovely Woman" than she did in Cashbox with the same song. It was said that Cashbox's charts were based on sales only while Billboard's charts were based on sales and radio airplay. I'm not sure why the artists, managers and record companies favored Billboard over Cashbox as the most reliable source on how well a record did (sales wise) as by including radio airplay and awarding points (based on a 5-100 point system and the size of a radio station's listening audience), records that should've been ranked higher usually ended up lower in Billboard. That included songs that should've been number ones, which were denied that status because the 45 received less radio airplay than the record that was number one in Billboard.

Back to Linda's chart entries...

I couldn't find a chart listing for VLW on the chart entries for Linda's singles on wikipedia. The site had the flip side, "The Long Way Around," listed as the A-side and gave its highest chart showing at 70. So, I'm guessing the person who listed the 45 got his or her facts wrong and listed the B-side as the A-side and credited that song for the chart entry. It's not even listed now.

"Rock Me On the Water" and "Linda Ronstadt," wasn't both of those from 1971 rather than 1972? All 45s, LPs, 8-tracks and the limited number of albums released on cassette released in 1972 and after had a copyright notice stamped with the letter P inside a small circle (representing a sound recording) with the record company's name following as copyright owner. The notation wasn't present on albums before 1972. I seem to recall hearing "Rock Me On the Water" and "I Fall to Pieces" on the radio during 1971. I suppose "Rock Me..." was released in 1972 as a single but could Capitol have waited too late to release the song as a single? I know of other songs that were released as singles where their chart showings were affected by the record company waiting too late to release those songs as singles. Timing can be everything and record companies misjudge and made mistakes more often than one would think.

"Will You Love Me Tomorrow," Linda's worst recording? The musical backing could've been a whole lot better but I don't blame Linda for that as much as I blame the person(s) who arranged it and producer Elliott Mazer. I guess they wanted to create a country-rock version of the song but it just didn't come off very well. I don't know that I'd call it Linda's worst. It's different but if they had come up with an arrangement similar to the Shirelles' hit version, that version probably would've gotten knocked for its lack of originality. Maybe they could remix it for a future reissue?

I'd definitely like to see your Chartstadts on Linda as I discovered the older forum and had signed up just as it disappeared or became otherwise unavailable. As a longtime fan of Linda, I had been looking for a forum almost devoted exclusively to her, where could talk about Linda with other fans and maybe learn more about her than the little I do know. I came across some other sites but those sites weren't as good as what this site is.