Linda Ronstadt’s 1973 album “Don’t Cry Now” was her fourth solo effort, and the first to gain mainstream acceptance and commercial success. Several songs made both the pop and country charts, and set the stage for the massive success both artistically and commercially she’d receive on her next, and possibly best album, “Heart Like A Wheel.” For the first time in her career, her record label (Asylum) put forth a reasonable effort to produce a cohesive collection of really good songs – and also attempted a more than perfunctory engineering job. Linda’s sweet and often robust and powerful voice shines through on many of the tracks; this was the first of a string of albums to exhibit that smooth, Eagles-influenced Southern California country-rock sound of the early seventies that dominated the airwaves for almost a decade.
Detractors might complain about the album’s heavy mix of ballads, but a few more briskly-paced numbers scattered throughout helped keep things interesting, and besides, Linda could belt out the heart-wrenching ballads along with the best of them. Her cover of the Eagle’s “Desperado” was the album’s first single, and yielded her biggest hit yet on the pop charts, quite nearly rivaling the original (released earlier that year) in popularity. “Love Has No Pride” was a powerful tear-jerker, and “Silver Threads And Golden Needles,” a song she’d covered less successfully on an earlier album, yielded her first crossover hit, charting highly on both the country and pop charts. Other long-time fan favorites include a lilting version of “Colorado,” and her superb interpretation of Neil Young’s “I Believe In You” showed a remarkable grasp of his often quirky music.
Sound quality from MSFL’s 24 Kt. UltraDisc II Limited Edition Red Book CD is nothing short of spectacular. Of course I’d have preferred they released it as one of their superb SACD discs, but beggars can’t always be choosers, now, can we? Linda’s CD catalog has long been due a remastering overhaul, and this disc finally offers the kind of sound her other classic releases deserve. Maybe MFSL will get ambitious and tackle a few other titles – but for now, enjoy this splendid release. Oh, and the packaging of the limited edition is really nice, in a Japanese-import style mini-LP gatefold sleeve. Well worth the money, and very highly recommended!
TrackList: I Can Almost See It; Love Has No Pride; Silver Threads And Golden Needles; Desperado; Don’t Cry Now; Sail Away; Colorado; The Fast One; Everybody Loves A Winner; I Believe In You.
– Tom Gibbs
