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Post by the Scribe on Feb 1, 2019 0:52:38 GMT -5
Linda Ronstadt’s First-Ever Live Album – Live In Hollywood – Available February 1 From RhinoArtist Name Linda Ronstadt Release Date Fri, 02/01/2019 LINDA RONSTADT: LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD
The Singer's First-Ever Live Album Highlights 12 Performances From Her Acclaimed 1980 HBO Special
Previously Unreleased Recordings Include "You're No Good" And More
Available On CD And LP From Rhino On February 1
Listen To "Just One Look" Today
LOS ANGELES - Linda Ronstadt released more than two dozen studio albums during a stellar career that has spanned more than five decades. Surprisingly, during all that time, the legendary singer never released a live album. That will finally change with an upcoming album that features amazing performances from a concert that Ronstadt recorded in 1980 for her acclaimed HBO television special.
Fans are invited to stream the previously unreleased song, "Just One Look" today by going here. LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD will be available on February 1 from Rhino on CD ($14.98) and LP ($19.98). The music will also be available through digital and streaming services on the same day.
Recorded on April 24, 1980 at Television Center Studios in Hollywood, the concert captures Ronstadt at the peak of her reign as America's most popular female rock singer. For LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD, Ronstadt selected 12 of her favorite performances from the original concert.
In concert, she was joined by an outstanding band that included guitarists Kenny Edwards and Danny Kortchmar, drummer Russ Kunkel, bassist Bob Glaub, keyboardist Billy Payne (of Little Feat fame), pedal steel guitarist Dan Dugmore, and backing vocalist Wendy Waldman. Rounding out the band was Peter Asher - Ronstadt's producer and the concert's executive producer - who played percussion and sang background.
On stage, Ronstadt held the packed audience spellbound with powerful renditions of her biggest hits - "Blue Bayou," "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" and "It's So Easy" - plus an incredible, previously unreleased six-minute jam of her #1 smash, "You're No Good." The concert also showcased a trio of Top Ten hits from Ronstadt's then-current album - Mad Love - with performances of "I Can't Let Go," "How Do I Make You" and "Hurt So Bad." After its release in February 1980, Mad Love would become Ronstadt's seventh consecutive platinum-selling album.
John Boylan - who produced LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD - says the album almost didn't happen because HBO, Ronstadt, and her record label, Warner Bros., could not initially find the master tapes. It was a rink-side conversation with a Warner Bros. audio engineer at their sons' hockey practice that would finally lead him to the missing tapes. In the album's liner notes, he writes: "I have no way of calculating the odds of finding the lost tapes through a chance encounter at a hockey practice, but they must be astronomical - like winning the lottery. And in this case of remarkable serendipity, every Linda Ronstadt fan is a lottery winner."
LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD
CD Track Listing: 1. "I Can't Let Go" * 2. "It's So Easy" 3. "Willin'" * 4. "Just One Look" * 5. "Blue Bayou" 6. "Faithless Love" * 7. "Hurt So Bad" * 8. "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" 9. "You're No Good" * 10. "How Do I Make You" * 11. "Back In The U.S.A." * 12. "Desperado" *
LP Track Listing: Side One 1. "I Can't Let Go" * 2. "It's So Easy" 3. "Willin'" * 4. "Just One Look" * 5. "Blue Bayou" 6. "Faithless Love" *
Side Two 1. "Hurt So Bad" * 2. "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" 3. "You're No Good" * 4. "How Do I Make You" * 5. "Back In The U.S.A." * 6. "Desperado" *
*previously unreleased
www.lindaronstadt.com
media.rhino.com/press-release/linda-ronstadts-first-ever-live-album-live-hollywood-available-february-1-rhino
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 1, 2019 0:52:52 GMT -5
See Linda Ronstadt’s Commanding ‘You’re No Good’ From New ‘Live in Hollywood’Rolling Stone Stephen L. Betts Rolling StoneJanuary 30, 2019Thirty-nine years ago next month, Linda Ronstadt released Mad Love, her tenth LP as a solo artist. Ronstadt had previously topped both the pop and country singles charts respectively with high-spirited takes on “You’re No Good” and “When Will I Be Loved,” but Mad Love put the singer in new-wave rock & roll territory. While it’s actually one of her most adventurously vibrant efforts – not to mention Grammy-nominated and her seventh straight million-seller – reviews of the album were decidedly mixed.
Nonetheless, when young pay-cable company Home Box Office came calling in April 1980 for the singer to do a live concert special in support of Mad Love, she and her band assembled at Television Center Studios in Hollywood. Featuring guitarists Danny Kortchmar and Kenny Edwards, drummer Russ Kunkel, pedal steel guitarist Dan Dugmore, bassist Bob Glaub, keyboardist Billy Payne (from Little Feat), singer Wendy Waldman and Ronstadt’s producer Peter Asher, who also played percussion and sang backing vocals, the concert would air on HBO in August 1980. On Friday, February 1st, Live in Hollywood, a 12-track collection of songs handpicked by Ronstadt from that special, will be released for the first time on CD and vinyl by Rhino Entertainment.
The master tapes, thought to be lost, were located through a conversation Live in Hollywood producer John Boylan had at an ice rink with an audio engineer for the Warner Bros. label while their sons practiced hockey. With Ronstadt’s retirement from performing and recording, and her 2013 announcement that she is battling Parkinson’s disease, this collection becomes an essential, if perhaps bittersweet, addition to her stunning body of work that has stretched from the Great American Songbook to traditional Mexican folk songs.
Premiering above is the video clip of “You’re No Good” from the forthcoming album. A typically full-throttle vocal performance from Ronstadt, the tune features an extended instrumental break showcasing, in particular, guitarists Kortchmar and Edwards. It’s evident that all the band members, like the singer, are energized by the intimate setting.
“People that have had to play in arenas are always happy to play in small venues,” Ronstadt tells Rolling Stone Country from her home in San Francisco. “Only Donald Trump likes to play in a big venue. Musicians like to play where they can hear each other and hear themselves, or the audience can hear them and they can communicate with the audience.”
Recalling the less-than-ideal conditions inside the studio, she says, “I just remember it was really, really hot. It was too hot for humans. It was probably 110 degrees onstage and we were suffering from that. I grew up in the desert so I know heat. We had to keep stopping to cool off. There was a great audience; they didn’t have as much heat because they didn’t have any lights on them. They were pretty warm, too, but they were very good-natured.”
Although the famously self-critical Ronstadt has never liked listening to her own records, she’s thankful the resurgence of vinyl LPs means record buyers have the chance to hear more of the details and nuance labored over by the singer, her band, producers and engineers.
“Kids these days don’t know the difference between high-fidelity and the crappy stuff they hear on their cell phones,” she says. “We devoted our lives to high-fidelity music and the return to vinyl is going to make a little more interest in that. It just breaks my heart… there’s a lot of story in the human voice. If you cut out the top end, there’s a lot of story up there – a lot of emotion, a lot of artifact. It’s a shame to get a highly edited version of the story.”
www.yahoo.com/entertainment/see-linda-ronstadt-commanding-no-155431791.html
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 1, 2019 1:00:15 GMT -5
Linda Ronstadt - Just One Look (Live In Hollywood 1980) RHINO Published on Dec 14, 2018 You're watching Linda Ronstadt perform her version of 'Just One Look' live at Television Center Studios in Hollywood. Linda Ronstadt's first ever-live album LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD is coming out February 1, 2019. Listen to the singles and pre-order your copy today rhino.lnk.to/LIH
Band Personnel Kenny Edwards - Guitar Danny Kortchmar - Guitar Russ Kunkel - Drums Bob Glaub - Bass Billy Payne - Keyboards Dan Dugmore - Pedal Steel Guitar Wendy Waldman - Backing Vocals Peter Asher – Percussion, Backing Vocals
Subscribe to the Rhino Channel! bit.ly/SubscribeToRHINO Linda Ronstadt to Release Concert Album ‘Live in Hollywood’Rolling Stone Rolling StoneDecember 14, 2018Linda Ronstadt’s extraordinary genre-hopping career encompassed more than two dozen studio LPs and several greatest-hits compilations but one format that had been missing from her discography until now was a live album. On February 1st, Rhino will issue Live in Hollywood, featuring 12 performances handpicked by Ronstadt from a 1980 concert originally filmed for HBO.
Recorded at Hollywood’s Television Center Studios on April 24th, 1980, to coincide with the release of Ronstadt’s underappreciated Mad Love LP, Live in Hollywood includes a mix of rock, pop and country tunes the singer both charted with and included on her albums up to that point, closing with her version of the Eagles’ “Desperado,” which she not only helped popularize but which also became a later country hit for Johnny Rodriguez and was covered by Clint Black in 1993. The set also includes “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” a Warren Zevon cover that was a minor country hit for Ronstadt and a Top Five entry for Terri Clark. Of the 12 cuts, only “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” and the Buddy Holly cover “It’s So Easy” have been previously available.
The album owes its release to serendipitous circumstances, according to producer John Boylan. Although HBO, Ronstadt and her record label, Warner Bros., were initially unable to locate the master tapes, Boylan ultimately tracked them down because of a conversation he had with a Warner Bros. audio engineer at their sons’ hockey practice. “I have no way of calculating the odds of finding the lost tapes through a chance encounter at a hockey practice, but they must be astronomical — like winning the lottery,” Boylan writes in the LP’s liner notes. “And in this case of remarkable serendipity, every Linda Ronstadt fan is a lottery winner.”
The previously unreleased “Just One Look” is now available for streaming. Live in Hollywood will be issued February 1st on CD and vinyl and will also be available through digital and streaming services that day.
Live in Hollywood track listing:
“I Can’t Let Go” “It’s So Easy” “Willin'” “Just One Look” “Blue Bayou” “Faithless Love” “Hurt So Bad” “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” “You’re No Good” “How Do I Make You” “Back in the U.S.A.” “Desperado”
www.yahoo.com/entertainment/linda-ronstadt-release-concert-album-190259283.html
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 1, 2019 1:10:50 GMT -5
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 1, 2019 1:19:39 GMT -5
Album Review: Linda Ronstadt, Live in Hollywood January 30, 2019 Kevin John Coyne Album Reviews Linda Ronstadt
Live in Hollywood
In recent years, the floodgates have opened for live music on CD. Artists of prominence, including Linda Ronstadt, have numerous old live sets now available, most of which are repackaged radio broadcasts of inconsistent quality. They’ve been a fascinating listen, but are often little more than glorified bootlegs.
Live in Hollywood is not one of those releases. It’s an officially sanctioned, painstakingly mastered keepsake from Ronstadt’s Mad Love tour in 1980, which was broadcast on HBO when it was still a brand new cable channel. The big criticism of this particular release will be that it isn’t the full concert, but with tracks handpicked by Ronstadt herself, it benefits from something that is missing from too many recent live releases: meaningful curation.
This is Ronstadt toward the end of her rock years, supporting a new album but also performing tracks that have been honed to perfection from years on the road. The Mad Love and Back in the U.S.A. cuts hem closely to the studio recordings. The thrill of discovery comes from hearing the time-tested material. Sometimes it means a more nuanced and interpretive vocal, like on a particularly mournful “Blue Bayou” and a down and dirtier “Willin'” that better matches the spirit of its lyric. “You’re No Good” is the absolute highlight, thanks to an extended band jam that stretches her signature hit past the six minute mark. Also worthy of note is “Desperado,” which closes out the set with a slow build that brings new intensity to an overly familiar song.
During her heyday, and perhaps even today, the pure power of Ronstadt’s voice has frequently been written off as the ultimate example of vocal strength replacing song interpretation. Hearing her at the peak of her talents in a live setting, that old canard has never seemed more like a false choice. She may be able to blow most singers out of the water, but throughout Live in Hollywood, it’s always in service of the song.
Live in Hollywood is available on Friday, February 1. Review copy provided by Warner Music Group.
www.countryuniverse.net/2019/01/30/album-review-linda-ronstadt-live-in-hollywood/
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 1, 2019 1:25:56 GMT -5
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Billed as Linda Ronstadt's first-ever live album, 2019's Live in Hollywood captures highlights from an April 24, 1980 concert previously aired on HBO in 1980. Live in Hollywood doesn't match the set list of the HBO special. Instead, Ronstadt selected 12 performances from the 20-song concert, nine of which didn't make the air back in 1980. Generally, the songs selected for Live in Hollywood avoid the new wave elements that characterized Mad Love, the 1980 album Ronstadt was promoting at the time -- the propulsive "How Do I Make You" and "I Can't Let Go" made the cut, but the title track and Elvis Costello cover "Party Girl" were left behind -- but there are certainly elements that date the performance to 1980, particularly the synth drum pinging in the background. Set such period accoutrements aside, and the album glides by with the skill and ease of seasoned SoCal professionals, and Ronstadt stands at the center of it all as a compelling presence. These 12 tracks casually illustrate her facility with both soft rock and old-time rock & roll, and if the set list leans heavily on oldies, the combination of guts and polish makes her renditions memorable.
www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-hollywood-mw0002314036
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 1, 2019 1:58:49 GMT -5
CORRESPONDING VIDEOS CULLED FROM THE CONCERT (not the same quality of the original masters)
1. "I Can't Let Go" *
2. "It's So Easy"
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 1, 2019 2:20:42 GMT -5
3. "Willin'" *
4. "Just One Look" *
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 1, 2019 2:36:22 GMT -5
5. "Blue Bayou"
6. "Faithless Love" *
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 1, 2019 2:37:30 GMT -5
7. "Hurt So Bad" *
8. "Poor Poor Pitiful Me"
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 1, 2019 2:38:22 GMT -5
9. "You're No Good" *
10. "How Do I Make You" *
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 1, 2019 2:39:51 GMT -5
11. "Back In The U.S.A." *
12. "Desperado" *
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 1, 2019 2:45:44 GMT -5
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 1, 2019 3:39:17 GMT -5
So far most reviews are a re-hash of the Rhino promo. I will post more as I find them or anyone else can post.
Take a stab at your own review and post it here. It would be nice to get reviews from real fans that have great affinity for Linda.
Even just a few lines will do!!
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Post by RobGNYC on Feb 1, 2019 10:25:28 GMT -5
AllMusic review--synth drumming?
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Post by eddiejinnj on Feb 1, 2019 12:36:55 GMT -5
I am pretty sure that the drums especially at the end of PPPM are electric assisted if that is the correct phrase or synth drums. I will look it up. eddiejinfl
PS: They are electric drums. There are sites about best drum synth songs something to that effect. I think the drums in PPPM have a certain depth that makes the song up there amongst my favorites and that is saying a lot. eddiejinfl
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 1, 2019 23:50:24 GMT -5
hold the pitchforks, knives okLinda Ronstadt: Live in HollywoodAt the very least, this belated issue might reawaken interest in Linda Ronstadt as one of the early architects of “country rock,” or what we now loosely call Americana. Written By Hal Horowitz // February 1, 2019
Linda Ronstadt Live in Hollywood (Rhino) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
For about a five-year stretch in the mid-late ‘70s, Ronstadt was one of — if not — THE most successful rock/pop/roots vocalists in the world. Her albums consistently went multi-platinum, she played cavernous, hockey-rink sized arenas and logged a clutch of hit singles that still sound great. And she was responsible for putting the Eagles together, perhaps her most unheralded achievement.
But 35 years after her heyday, Ronstadt’s many musical triumphs don’t seem to have transcended the decades. Perhaps this recently unearthed April, 1980 show — originally recorded for an HBO special and amazingly her only official live CD — will change that.
Better late than never? Maybe.
Despite crisp, stellar sound due to recording in Hollywood’s Television Center Studios, a crack live band that includes Little Feat keyboardist Billy Payne, guitarists Danny Kortchmar and Dan Dugmore and veteran drummer Russ Kunkel, along with a hit-heavy set list, this is less than the sum of its parts. The dozen songs clock in at an anemic 47 minutes, the arrangements are so close to the recorded versions as to be at times indistinguishable from them, and with a few notable exceptions, the performance feels routine, if not quite uninspired. The abbreviated set, shortened considerably from the 20-song original, generally sticks with crowd pleasers. Although her current album at the time, 1980’s Mad Love, included three Elvis Costello-penned tunes, they are ignored for the less interesting “Hurt So Bad,” “I Can’t Let Go,” and the harder rocking “How Do I Make You,” all hits from that release. Additionally, without the associated visuals that display Ronstadt’s low key yet charming stage presence, much of this feels predictable.
On the plus side, she’s in terrific voice throughout with a few standout performances like the closing “Desperado” — a knockout, dramatic vocal accompanied only by Payne’s piano — and a powerful take on Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou” (has anyone done that song better?). When the band gets a chance to let loose on an extended, six-minute “You’re No Good,” we see the potential of what might have been a rollicking show.
At the very least, this belated issue might reawaken interest in Linda Ronstadt as one of the early architects of “country rock,” or what we now loosely call Americana. Through her dynamic voice and arrangements, she also helped put once-struggling songwriters such as Warren Zevon, Jackson Browne, Glenn Frey/Don Henley and Lowell George on the map by including their work on her wildly popular albums.
americansongwriter.com/2019/02/linda-ronstadt-live-in-hollywood/
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 2, 2019 0:58:05 GMT -5
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Post by Partridge on Feb 2, 2019 3:44:02 GMT -5
Other than Just One Look, these don't sound like the album versions at all.
What would we expect Linda to do, sing Faithless Love like Bernadette Peters?
The vocals on this are very clear and up front, not muddy like many live albums.
And the Elvis Costello songs were the only songs on Mad Love I didn't like-- even Elvis himself will tell you they were a waste of vinyl. (imagine the appropriate emoji here)
An anemic 47 minutes? I would have loved to have had Heat Wave-- maybe on the special extended edition sure to be released some day.
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Post by Guest on Feb 2, 2019 13:05:26 GMT -5
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Post by eddiejinnj on Feb 2, 2019 13:18:36 GMT -5
Surprised to hear your opinion of Linda's Costello takes,Tony. Party Girl is AMAZING live. "Talking in the Dark" is good but not amazing mostly because the song in general is as such. "Girls Talk" I think was made for her; fun, frisky and upbeat. eddiejinfl
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Post by Partridge on Feb 2, 2019 15:06:01 GMT -5
Surprised to hear your opinion of Linda's Costello takes,Tony. Party Girl is AMAZING live. "Talking in the Dark" is good but not amazing mostly because the song in general is as such. "Girls Talk" I think was made for her; fun, frisky and upbeat. eddiejinfl I think maybe I am turning into a curmudgeon.
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 9, 2019 19:19:00 GMT -5
Years after giving up singing, Linda Ronstadt is back on the charts with 'Live in Hollywood'Linda Ronstadt singing at the Forum in Inglewood in May 1980, just weeks after she recorded a special for HBO from which the audio has been released on the new "Live in Hollywood" album. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times) Randy Lewis www.chicagotribune.com/la-et-ms-linda-ronstadt-live-hollywood-parkinsons-20190209-story.html
The recent release of the first official live recording of Linda Ronstadt’s career, coming more than a decade after Parkinson’s disease forced her to abandon singing, is surprising on at least two fronts.
For starters, this celebrated perfectionist is not a fan of live albums in general, much less any with her voice front and center.
“In the studio, you can do it right,” Ronstadt, 72, said in a rare interview from her Bay Area home shortly before last week’s release of “Live in Hollywood,” a session that was captured in 1980 at Television Center Studios for an HBO special that aired the same year. “I also start to sing better after I’ve been on stage for a while.”
It documents a performance near the end of her reign as the Queen of Rock of the 1970s, when she was regularly placing hits in the upper reaches of the pop chart before heading into tangential fields she found more rewarding: Gilbert & Sullivan operetta (“The Pirates of Penzance”); the Great American Songbook of pop standards (“What’s New,” “Lush Life” and “For Sentimental Reasons”); traditional Mexican music (“Canciones de Mi Padre,” “Más Canciones”).
The “Live in Hollywood“ album includes her distinctive interpretations of Chuck Berry’s “Back in the USA,” Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou” (don’t miss the spine-tingling final note of the last verse delivered en español), J.D. Souther’s “Faithless Love,” Warren Zevon’s “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” Clint Ballard’s ‘You’re No Good,” and “Desperado,” that last song written by former members of her backing band who went on to form the Eagles.
Those are among the dozen tracks Ronstadt chose from among the 20 numbers in the original HBO performance.
“A lot of people I know did live records,” she said, noting that the preponderance of live recordings released commercially in the 1960s and ’70s did little to make her warm up to the idea herself. “Then, they’d go in and rerecord their vocals. Then, it’s not live, so what’s the point?”
Beyond that, for the most part, any recordings she authorized at her concerts was done strictly for educational purposes.
“We recorded some shows, but only on cassette tape, from a [mixing] board mix,” said Ronstadt, the subject of a recent CBS Sunday Morning profile. “The first thing I would do is listen back was wrong and see what we could fix.”
Otherwise, she said, “I don’t listen to my old stuff. It makes me realize how stupid I was onstage.”
Her brutally unvarnished self-criticism leaves those closest to her perplexed.
“I’m not really sure why, because she’s so good live,” said English musician, songwriter and producer Peter Asher, her manager in the ’70s, who produced many of her biggest hits, including 1974’s “Heart Like a Wheel.”
“People think of that L.A. scene in the ’70s as being just a bunch of laid-back, groovy guys. But on this album she really rocks,” Asher said, referring to “Live in Hollywood.” “There’s nothing ‘take it easy’ about it. And she does it all so effortlessly, it’s amazing.”
Part of Ronstadt’s qualified assessment of the project has to do with some unpleasant memories of the recording environment.
“All I remembered about doing the video is that we were all really hot and sweaty,” she said. “It was something like 103 degrees onstage. It was too hot to sing, really. I don’t know how they got everyone in that studio audience in there. We just showed up and did what we were told.”
Additionally, she said, “It was done for television; I wish it had been a little more of a hi-fi recording.”
Her present-day manager, John Boylan, who played guitar on some of her old studio recordings, oversaw updating of the 39-year-old audio tracks. He was adamant that there was no sweetening or technical tweaking of her vocals, other than bringing them up slightly in the mix.
What audiences today hear on “Live in Hollywood” is exactly what Ronstadt sang into her microphone.
“It was very minor burnishing of the sound to bring it up to 21st century standards,” Boylan said in a separate interview. “It was mixed originally by [sound engineer] Val Garay, so it was an excellent-sounding thing.
“She’s a total perfectionist when it comes to that,” he said. “I think Linda didn’t like it because it was mixed for the kind of small TV speakers that were common in 1980 — not exactly suitable for today’s 4K flat screens with surround sound. I brought her vocal up a little bit to make Linda happy. The reason it sounds as good as it does now is because it sounded so good then.
“There was no fixing [of her vocals] her at all,” Boylan said. “I mean it.”
To hear Asher tell it, it’s because none was necessary.
“I’m just impressed again at what a great singer Linda is,” Asher said. “Every time I hear her, it makes that more clear to me. Even singing rock ’n’ roll, which is her least favorite thing, she just nails it. The rock ’n’ roll intensity is just amazing.”
That’s due in equal parts to Ronstadt’s often scorching vocal and to the urgent backing from a band assembled from various quarters for the HBO taping: guitarists Danny “Kootch” Kortchmar, a fixture in James Taylor’s band in the ’70s and beyond, and Kenny Edwards, with whom she’d played since the 1960s in the Stone Poneys. The band also included Little Feat keyboardist Billy Payne, steel guitar ace Dan Dugmore, bassist Bob Glaub and L.A. studio and touring drummer Russ Kunkel. That’s Asher and singer-songwriter Wendy Waldman singing backup.
That was the source of one of the happy memories Ronstadt carries from the session.
“Danny was a great addition to the band, also Billy Payne — they really played well with each other,” she said. “I forgot how great that band was.”
Linda Ronstadt performs at the Forum in 1980, around the time she recorded "Live in Hollywood." (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Early response has been enthusiastic. The album quickly jumped to No. 1 on Amazon.com’s bestselling CD list on its second day out, and the LP version has reached No. 2 on the site’s ranking of vinyl sales.
“Live in Hollywood” comes at a time when Ronstadt’s life and career are being explored in considerably greater depth by actor-filmmaker James Keach in a new documentary slated to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April and air on CNN this year.
Oddly, the restoration and release of the new album almost didn’t happen.
Boylan said officials at Warner Music Group, the parent company of her label at the time, Asylum, were unable to find the master tapes. One day he struck up a conversation with another father at an ice rink where their sons’ hockey teams were practicing. The man turned out to be an audio engineer for Warner, who, in an extraordinary instance of serendipity, helped lead Boylan to the master tapes.
For Boylan, it’s the hand of fate at work on behalf of a singer he admired long before he signed on as her manager.
“I hope it reaffirms for everyone the idea that she was one of the iconic voices of my generation,” he said. “I hope it makes people remember how great she was live. People forget because her voice is gone, and you can’t see her in concert anymore.”
And Asher echoed those sentiments.
“I make no bones about it,” he said. “I’ve worked with some extraordinary female singers in my time, all instantly identifiable voices like Diana Ross, Cher, [10,000 Maniacs’] Natalie Merchant, people who sing two notes and you know immediately who it is. But of all the people I’ve worked with, for sheer knock-your-socks-off singing, I’ll take Linda.”
randy.lewis@latimes.com
Follow @randylewis2 on Twitter.com
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 15, 2019 2:57:01 GMT -5
LINDA RONSTADT: Live In Hollywood (Rhino)Rating:
Ronstadt hasn’t performed in public since illness forced her to retire in 2011, but the Arizona singer’s first live album — culled from a 1980 show in Hollywood and edited by Linda herself — captures a stunning interpretative vocalist at the peak of her powers.
Backed by a top-notch session band led by guitarist Danny Kortchmar, she adds a quirky, new-wave edge to her folk and country roots on How Do I Make You.
Singing with real swagger, Ronstadt also covers Chuck Berry and Warren Zevon before paying tribute to her former backing band the Eagles on an emotional Desperado.
www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-6655875/Cool-sounds-frozen-February-ADRIAN-THRILLS-crop-new-albums-banish-winter-blues.html
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Post by ausfan2 on Feb 17, 2019 6:41:11 GMT -5
Ronstadt’s ‘Live’ album captures her rock glory Linda Ronstadt in concert in 1975. (Los Angeles Times/TNS) By RANDY LEWIS | February 17, 2019 at 12:36 am Boston Herald The recent release of the first official live recording of Linda Ronstadt’s career, coming more than a decade after Parkinson’s disease forced her to abandon singing, is surprising on at least two fronts. For starters, this celebrated perfectionist is not a fan of live albums in general, much less any with her voice front and center. “In the studio, you can do it right,” Ronstadt, 72, said in a rare interview from her Bay Area home shortly before the release of “Live in Hollywood,” a session that was captured in 1980 at Television Center Studios for an HBO special that aired the same year. “I also start to sing better after I’ve been on stage for a while.” Whatever qualifiers Ronstadt feels compelled to share, the album has been a quick hit with music fans. It quickly shot to No. 1 on Amazon.com’s CD sales ranking and on Monday, it entered Billboard’s 200 Albums national sales chart at No. 7. It documents a performance near the end of her reign as the Queen of Rock in the 1970s, when she was regularly placing hits in the upper reaches of the pop chart before heading into tangential fields she found more rewarding: Gilbert & Sullivan operetta (“The Pirates of Penzance”); the Great American Songbook of pop standards (“What’s New,” “Lush Life” and “For Sentimental Reasons”); traditional Mexican music (“Canciones de Mi Padre,” “Mas Canciones”). “Live in Hollywood” includes her distinctive interpretations of Chuck Berry’s “Back in the USA,” Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou” (don’t miss the spine-tingling final note of the last verse delivered en espanol), J.D. Souther’s “Faithless Love,” Warren Zevon’s “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” Clint Ballard’s ‘You’re No Good” and “Desperado,” that last song written by former members of her backing band who went on to form the Eagles. Those are among the dozen tracks Ronstadt chose from among the 20 numbers in the original HBO performance. “A lot of people I know did live records,” she said, noting that the preponderance of live recordings released commercially in the 1960s and ’70s did little to make her warm up to the idea herself. “Then, they’d go in and rerecord their vocals. Then, it’s not live, so what’s the point?” Beyond that, for the most part, any recordings she authorized at her concerts were done strictly for educational purposes. “We recorded some shows, but only on cassette tape, from a (mixing) board mix,” she said. “The first thing I would do is listen back to anything that was wrong and see what we could fix.” Otherwise, she said, “I don’t listen to my old stuff. It makes me realize how stupid I was onstage.” Her brutally unvarnished self-criticism leaves those closest to her perplexed. “I’m not really sure why, because she’s so good live,” said English musician, songwriter and producer Peter Asher, her manager in the ’70s, who produced many of her biggest hits, including 1974’s “Heart Like a Wheel.” “People think of that L.A. scene in the ’70s as being just a bunch of laid-back, groovy guys. But on this album she really rocks,” Asher said, referring to “Live in Hollywood.” “There’s nothing ‘take it easy’ about it. And she does it all so effortlessly, it’s amazing.” Part of Ronstadt’s tempered assessment of the project has to do with some unpleasant memories of the recording environment. “All I remembered about doing the video is that we were all really hot and sweaty,” she said. “It was something like 103 degrees onstage. It was too hot to sing, really. “I don’t know how they got everyone in that studio audience in there. We just showed up and did what we were told.” Additionally, she said, “It was done for television; I wish it had been a little more of a hi-fi recording.” Her present-day manager, John Boylan, who played guitar on some of her old studio recordings, oversaw the updating of the 39-year-old audio tracks. He was adamant that there was no sweetening or technical tweaking of her vocals, other than bringing them up slightly in the mix. What audiences today hear on “Live in Hollywood” is exactly what Ronstadt sang into her microphone. “It was very minor burnishing of the sound to bring it up to 21st century standards,” Boylan said in a separate interview. “It was mixed originally by (sound engineer) Val Garay, so it was an excellent-sounding thing. “She’s a total perfectionist when it comes to that,” he said. “I think Linda didn’t like it because it was mixed for the kind of small TV speakers that were common in 1980 — not exactly suitable for today’s 4K flat screens with surround sound. I brought her vocal up a little bit to make Linda happy. The reason it sounds as good as it does now is because it sounded so good then. “There was no fixing her (vocals) at all,” Boylan said. “I mean it.” To hear Asher tell it, it’s because none was necessary. “I’m just impressed again at what a great singer Linda is,” Asher said. “Every time I hear her, it makes that more clear to me. Even singing rock ’n’ roll, which is her least favorite thing, she just nails it. The rock ’n’ roll intensity is just amazing.” “Live in Hollywood” comes at a time when Ronstadt’s life and career are being explored in considerably greater depth by actor-filmmaker James Keach in a new documentary slated to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April and air on CNN this year. Oddly, the restoration and release of the new album almost didn’t happen. Boylan said officials at Warner Music Group, the parent company of her label at the time, Asylum, were unable to find the master tapes. One day he struck up a conversation with another father at an ice rink where their sons’ hockey teams were practicing. The man turned out to be an audio engineer for Warner, who, in an extraordinary instance of serendipity, helped lead Boylan to the master tapes. For Boylan, it’s the hand of fate at work on behalf of a singer he admired long before he signed on as her manager. “I hope it reaffirms for everyone the idea that she was one of the iconic voices of my generation,” he said. “I hope it makes people remember how great she was live. People forget because her voice is gone, and you can’t see her in concert anymore.”
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Post by erik on Feb 17, 2019 12:37:53 GMT -5
In case anybody missed my Amazon review in the other Live In Hollywood thread: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Live Linda (Finally!), And What Today's Divas Can Still Learn From Her February 4, 2019 Format: Audio CD
In a career that began with the Stone Poneys in 1967 and went a decade into the new millennium, before Parkinson’s forever silenced that hugely influential voice, Linda Ronstadt proved herself to be a master of pretty much every style of music that was in her DNA: folk; R&B; rock; gospel; pop ballads; American standards; Mexican rancheras; opera; blues; Afro-Cuban; and left-of-center country.
There was, however, one thing that was left undone in her career; and that was a live performance album. There were three live tracks on her self-titled 1972 album LINDA RONSTADT (recorded at the Troubadour in 1971 with a backing band that included the future Eagles) and live versions of “Tumbling Dice” and “Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me” on the soundtrack of the 1978 film F.M. But that was pretty much it…until now.
In 1980, as a promotional push for her somewhat controversial new wave album MAD LOVE, Linda taped a live show for the then-burgeoning HBO cable channel. In the successive four decades, that HBO special and the music on it were circulated in various bootlegs of extremely dubious quality, many of them sold on Amazon itself as legitimate, when they were clearly nothing of the sort. Fortunately, thanks to Linda’s long-time manager and producer John Boylan, responding to the urgings of Linda’s fan base and likely more than a few of Linda’s peers, somehow managed to find the master tapes from that show; and with Linda’s blessing, re-mastered twelve of the show’s twenty tracks into LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD.
The show, which was taped at CBS Television City in L.A.’s Fairfax District on April 24, 1980, and aired in August of that year, shows why Linda, though very petite in stature and known for being enormously shy in front of thousands throughout her career, was always regarded by fans and peers alike as a pre-eminent vocal force of the rock and roll era. LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD generally emphasizes the harder-edged style that was contained on MAD LOVE, containing as it does all three of the songs on it that became hits, including the two (“How Do I Make You?” and “Hurt So Bad”) that were both in the Top 40 at the time of the show’s taping. Linda, however, doesn’t forget the songs that were already fan favorites, including the much-touted Lowell George classic “Willin’”, a staple of her country-rock repertoire, and a version of her huge #1 hit of 1975 “You’re No Good” stretched, in the same way Elvis extended his 1969 smash “Suspicious Minds” in live performances, to six and a half minutes. She also doesn’t forget the way she has with balancing ballads with the rockers, via “Faithless Love”, “Blue Bayou” (with the last verse done in Spanish) and, naturally enough, “Desperado”, which emphasizes her connection to the Eagles and her own upbringing in the dry, dusty desert environment of Tucson, Arizona.
If there is really a mistake here on this recording, it’s that the band credits don’t come until the end, instead of being placed right in the middle, between “Faithless Love” (track six) and “Hurt So Bad” (track seven). But otherwise, with a backing band consisting of people she had already known personally and professionally for years, including Dan Dugmore, Kenny Edwards, Russ Kunkel, and her longtime manager/producer Peter Asher, Linda proved here that she could overcome her perceived “limitations” and deliver a live concert performance that showcased her singular voice without resorting to overdone production gimmickry, pyrotechnics, or, in our own dreaded present-day context, Autotune. If LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD is a bittersweet recording in a lot of ways because she will never be able to sing again, it is in the end also a brilliant (even if abridged) document of the caliber of singer Linda was in her time, how big an influence she still remains with her peers, and why it would behoove today’s listening audiences and overcooked pop and country divas to get an idea of what they missed and still are missing from this one-of-a-kind force that is Linda Ronstadt.
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Post by PoP80 on Feb 17, 2019 17:18:48 GMT -5
Live in Hollywood” comes at a time when Ronstadt’s life and career are being explored in considerably greater depth by actor-filmmaker James Keach in a new documentary slated to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April and air on CNN this year.
I'm excited to see this documentary! I hope it reveals something new and captures her essence well.
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Post by Audiophile Guest on Feb 18, 2019 10:52:18 GMT -5
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Post by the Scribe on Feb 18, 2019 16:41:40 GMT -5
ALBUM REVIEWS Linda Ronstadt Live in Hollywood Michael Fremer | Feb 16, 2019 Live In Hollywood Linda Ronstadt Rhino R1 574477 180g LP Produced by: John Boylan Engineered by: Val Garay Mixed by: Val Garay Mastered by: Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering (lacquers cut by Ian Sefchick at Capitol Mastering)
The boomer generation is firmly out of cultural control and rock is pretty much dead—not in terms of interest but in the same way big band music is dead—though back in 1980 when this Linda Ronstadt concert was produced and recorded for an HBO special, boomer power peaked. Linda Ronstadt appeared on CBS Sunday Morning last weekend and it was sad to see her dealing with the effects of Parkinson's Disease. She no longer can sing, but there are the recordings including this newly discovered and released live performance, which is her first on record.
Recorded April 24th, 1980 at Television Center Studios, Hollywood, CA, at the peak of Ronstadt's career, the performance aired on HBO and the tapes filed away. The story goes that Ronstadt's management consultant John Boylan discovered a bad bootleg DVD online and decided to find the original tapes for a possible release but they couldn't be found in HBO's vaults, or Ronstadt's or that of her label at the time Warner Brothers.
Through a bit of luck you'll have to read about in the liner notes, a Warner Brothers engineer found the mislabeled tapes and produced a high resolution digital transfer that Linda Ronstadt distilled down to this twelve song set. It documents Ronstadt in great rocker voice backed by a stellar band of "kids" including ex Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards, Russ Kunkel, Danny Kortchmar, Little Feat keyboard great Bill Payne and six string and pedal steel guitarist Dan Dugmore. Wendy Waldman—a "front woman" herself—provides back up and even producer Peter Asher contributes percussion. Engineer Val Garay, at the board for most of Ronstadt's studio albums was there for this one as well.
The stage was set for a memorable concert with great sound, though be advised that because it was made for television before the home theater era, the master's sound is dynamically compressed. But don't let that stop you! It's still a great mix and a good recording, especially of Ronstadt's voice, which thankfully was put to tape with little processing or watery reverb.
Bernie Grundman mastered the final edited files (which were also Plangent Processed) and Ian Sefchick cut lacquers at Capitol with records pressed perhaps at GZ Media. The gatefold packaging produced by John "Kosh" who won 3 Grammys for his Ronstadt covers and who designed the iconic Hotel California provides visual "comfort food" for a fading generation and for any youngsters interested in live performance greatness by both the singer and the backing band.
Beginning with "I Can't Let Go" popularized by The Hollies, the 11 other worthy tunes are Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy", Lowell George's trucker anthem "Willin'", "Just One Look", Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou", J.D. Souther's "Faithless Love", Little Anthony and The Imperial's big hit "Hurt So Bad", Warren Zevon's "Poor Poor Pitiful Me", "You're No Good", "How Do I Make You", "Back in the U.S.A. and of course "Desperado".
This is the soundtrack to a generation on both the originals and Ronstadt's well-known covers brought back to life for one more go round. If you're so inclined you will enjoy this very much and way more so than when PBS inevitably runs with it as $99 dollar fund raiser! I can't wait until the "grunge rock" generation gets the PBS treatments. I should live long enough to watch them lionize Kurt Cobain before an audience of flannel shirt wearing "grungers" after a set by Hole, Mudhoney and The Melvins.
But for now there's this and it will take some of you back for an enjoyable 40 or so minutes. There's an MQA version available on Tidal that sounds very good. This sounds better to me. Must be the distortion that makes it sound more alive.
Read more at www.analogplanet.com/content/linda-ronstadt-live-hollywood#aBTXLHcIAIH3RUdb.99
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Post by erik on Feb 18, 2019 20:41:51 GMT -5
iconfetch.com/reviews/first-ever-linda-ronstadt-live-album-is-fantasticLinda Ronstadt – Live in Hollywood (Rhino)
Finally, evidence that she could bring it in concert
Linda Ronstadt is one of the most important female rock vocalists of all time. Yet, she often gets overlooked, because she abandoned the genre decades ago and never looked back. Scarce video footage and bootleg audio are all that remain as evidence of her onstage brilliance. To remedy this comes Live in Hollywood, the first-ever concert album from Ronstadt in her prime.
Recorded for an HBO Special back in 1980, the album grabs a dozen of the concert’s greatest moments, and the song selection is bulletproof. At the time of the performance, she was riding high off her Platinum-selling Mad Love album, which yielded three Top 40 singles (all of which are here).
Ronstadt had a gift for taking classic songs and giving them a boost. She opens with a rocked-up take on the Hollies’ “I Can’t Let Go,” before giving a grittier, slower performance of Buddy Holly’s “It’s So Easy.” Things start to heat up with a passionate run through of Doris Troy’s “Just One Look.”
Anyone doubting her abilities should put on this live take of Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou.” The sparse arrangement gives her plenty of room to work, while her vocals are a hybrid of country and soul. She even shifts to Spanish for the final verse.
Another one of Ronstadt’s many gifts was her ability to choose off-the-beaten-path material. She holds her own with Little Feat’s original of “Willing,” while her voice is stunning on JD Souther’s “Faithless Love.” She’s both vulnerable and strong, while Peter Asher sings backup vocals. It is absolutely gorgeous with banjo and pedal steel.
Little Anthony & the Imperials’ “Hurts So Bad” has a lot more muscle than the studio rendition – the drums are louder, Ronstadt sounds more pissed off and the guitar is bordering on flying off the rails. She switches the gender for Warren Zevon’s “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” yet never loses any of the edge. Very few artists could’ve pulled this one off without sounding cartoonish.
Another real surprise is an extended rendition of “You’re No Good.” Keep in mind that, by this point, she had been singing this one for over five years – yet, she’s razor-sharp with the performance, spitting out the lyrics, while the guitar-playing equals her fury. “How Do I Make You,” her attempt at punk, also comes off ferocious. These aren’t watered-down performances for TV or some pretty girl miming the camera – this is pure rock n’ roll.
She does a spine-tingling take on the Eagles’ “Desperado,” listen to where she takes it near the end. It’s fitting, since she helped start that legendary band.
The audio quality is top-notch, giving plenty of room for Ronstadt’s voice to cut through. Producer John Boylan writes the liner notes, and we find out how lucky we are to have this recording at all (the master tapes were feared lost for years).
Live in Hollywood reminds everyone just how great Linda Ronstadt was. –Tony Peters
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