Rolling Stone 1974 vs Rolling Stone 1975

[Partridge]

Here are a couple of articles from Rolling Stone.

The first is from the May 9, 1974 issue, just a few months before real success came to Linda.

Linda Ronstadt 1974

The other is from the March 27, 1975 issue, after she had finally reached the top of her profession.

Linda Ronstadt 1975

[erik]

Regarding the May 9, 1974 interview--Sliderocker and I have had this back and forth a number oft times of him having said that, while Linda was at Capitol, the label had wanted her to record "Stand By Your Man". If that was at all true (and it very well may have been), then what she said about that song in that interview and why it bewildered her that Tammy Wynette recorded it (perhaps not even realizing that Tammy had written it as well), shows why Linda herself felt like she had to refuse.

Now what she said about Tammy, who was, by 1974, already something of a legend, was and is one of the few known on-the-record instances of her truly criticizing one of her own. But I think Linda was right to refuse to record "Stand By Your Man". If it didn't speak to her in some way, she wasn't going to do it, no matter who was pressuring her to do so simply just to get a hit. And in any case, she still had much in that C&W jukebox of her mind, both past and present-day, that she could draw from, and eventually did (e.g., "I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You"). I don't think the world was going to miss Linda not doing "Stand By Your Man" the way they would have missed Linda having recorded almost anything else.

[RobGNYC]

Further on Linda and Tammy, Linda covered “Golden Ring” with Emmylou and the McGarrigles on the 1998 album Tammy Wynette Remembered. (Elton John did “Stand By Your Man”.) Maybe Linda was swayed by the original being a George Jones-Tammy duet. It's the only George-Tammy song on the album.

[eddiejinnj]

I never got that album, I don't think. Nor did i ever find it in my treasure travels. eddiejinnj

[Partridge]

If you're buying it for the Ronstadt contribution, don't bother. I will have to go back and listen, but I could not detect Linda's voice in the mix.

[RobGNYC]

I agree Tony. If I didn’t know, I wouldn’t know. They should have done it as a real duet with Emmy and Linda trading leads like George and Tammy. It could have worked, it’s a narrated/third-person story song.