Customer Reviews

Get Closer

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Get Closer is the first pop album Ronstadt made after doing Pirates of Penzance--and it shows in her voice, full of more muscle and control than ever before. Especially affecting are the two Jimmy Webb ballads, the beginning of Ronstadt and Webb's long musical affiliation: the bitter "Easy For You to Say" and the pensive "The Moon's A Harsh Mistress." Ronstadt is in top form here. There's a powerhouse cover of "I Knew You When" with an octave jumping ending that just grabs you. Also touching is Ronstadt's "Mr. Radio" with its eerie arrangement and the imagery-laden "Talk to Me of Mendicino." A must for any Ronstadt aficionado.

Around the time of this album, Linda Ronstadt's popularity began to slide, which is unfortunate because the reasons had nothing to do with the quality of the music she was putting out or her voice. I think it can be tied to two reasons: her artistic experimentation and growth through different styles of music alienated some in her old fan base, plus the music industry, for female singers, is still geared around sexuality and looks. As Ronstadt reached her forties, she grew out of her 60's and 70's sex kitten phase and when a female singer ceases to want to or be able to be a pinup for teenage boys it is unfortunately bound to have repercussions on her popularity. That's life, but it has nothing to do with the quality of this album, which, while uneven, has some truly great performances on it. "I Knew You When" is a vocal tour de force, while three terrific ballads, Jimmy Webb's "The Moon's A Harsh Mistress", "Easy for You to Say" and the McGarrigle Sisters "Talk to Me of Mendocino" show just how subtle and sophisticated a singer she had become. How any of the three could be bettered is hard to see. Also, there are fun,punchy, garage band style versions of the old 60's hits "Lies" and "Tell Him" and a rather surprisingly smooth and sexy duet with James Taylor on the old Ike and Tina Turner hit "Think Its Gonna Work Out Fine". To sum up, this is not one of the top rank Linda Ronstadt albums, but still well worth a purchase.

Linda Ronstadt does not make bad albums. Period. "Get Closer" is an excellent work! From the rockin' title track, to track 3's "I Knew You When," where she shows off her upper register, to the smooth "Easy For You To Say," you are immediately hooked. The duet with James Taylor on the old Ike & Tina hit " It's Gonna Work Out Fine," is a great pairing, and I wonder why they have not worked together more often! Not one song disappoints, and her stylistic range of music is excellent. This is a classic!

Because I have grown up on Linda Ronstadt, I am naturally inclined to love her work. I feel that her album, Get Closer, offers an extremely extraordinary mixture of rock and country. Along with the danceable quality of her music, each song also has a deep meaning and the words give the listener a true idea of the mood of each song. A couple of my favorites from this album include Get Closer, I Knew You When, People Gonna Talk, Think It's Gonna Work Out Fine, Lies, and Tell Him. These songs are mostly fast and keep you humming the melody in your head all day long. The riffs that are used in these songs as the melodies, are intriguing and fun. You are inclined to tap your foot, bob your head, or even shake your body to the beat. Get Closer is an album that is not excusive to any age group. I am twenty years old, and although Linda Ronstadt was at her prime in the seventies, I find her to be timeless. There are also many slower songs on this album. Many of these songs have very intense messages, such as Mr. Radio, which describes a very lonely person, perhaps deserted in a field, with only a radio as company. Fly Away Little Bluebird, a duet with Dolly Parton, is also a very sad song about a love lost and hopeless desperation. Each song on this album has a unique mood of it's own and an unsaid personality. The musical quality of Ronstadt and her band is also very intricate. The guitar work and the beautiful harmonies included here, seem hard to match and they are performed by very talented musicians. I would definitely recommend this album to anybody, especially those who appreciate extremely talented musicians, Ronstadt's bell-like voice, and enjoyable music.

This little-noticed album actually contains some true gems, among them Linda's duet with James Taylor or "Think It's Gonna Work Out Fine" and the title track. Production tends to the slick side, but it works. The artist is in a rock mode fior most of the CD, but the MOR pop items don't feel out of place. A couple of really glorious moments for any Ronstadt fan. An album I return to often.

Those who love the "Trio" bluegrass albums that Ronstadt made with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris should take note: Their first collaboration appears on Get Closer. "My Blue Tears" is one of Dolly Parton's many beautiful creations and it gets great vocal treatment here, with Ronstadt subduing her own brassy voice to blend in with the other two. The first time I heard it, it stopped me in my tracks. I didn't even know what bluegrass was, so I guess I owe it to Ronstadt for introducing me to the whole genre. This is just one of the many surprises on this very nice, overlooked album.

Released in 1982, GET CLOSER is in many respects a classic Linda Ronstadt album. It contains the style of songs most associated with her, from pop ballads to country. The album took over a year to record, and features musicians who had played with herfor years. In Kenny Edwards' case, he has played bass with Linda since the Stone Poneys. The title track was nominated for a best Rock Performance-Female Grammy, and the album was nominated for Best Popular Performance-Female. "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" is a duet with James Taylor and a cover of the Ike & Tina Turner hit. Linda also does a smooth cover of Billy Joe Royal's hit "I Knew You When". Another standout track is her version of Jimmy Webb's ballad "Easy For You To Say", which probably tops theoriginal. Also is an excellent cover of the Dolly Parton song "My Blue Tears", both excellent versions. Working with a surefire winning formula, GET CLOSER is prime Linda.

I love this album. It came out at a time when new wave was becoming popular and Linda Ronstadt was a great artist of the 70's . She's at her usual versatile best here. One of my favorites is the powerful remake of "I knew you when", which proved that Linda could still belt out a tune with the best of them. One of the greatest performances I've ever heard on an album is the unbelievable "the moon's a harsh mistress". It's simply breath taking. The song is timeless. Easy for you to say is also a great song of heartbreak which linda does as good as anyone. Mr. Radio is haunting and beautiful. The rest of the album is good stuff as well of varying styles of music from country, new wave and rock and roll. Something for everyone.

For some reason, Linda Ronstadt's 1982 album GET CLOSER did not make the Platinum plateau in its original release (though it may have done so by now). Most likely, this was because he turn to Gilbert and Sullivan operetta took critics and fans for a loop. Still, Linda's singing is as powerful and as subtle as anything out there.

GET CLOSER's title cut is one of Linda's most spunky and agressive tracks of all time, matched by the poignant honesty of "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" and the lush but barely contained anger of "Easy For You To Say" (both written by Jimmy Webb). Remakes of "Lies" and "Tell Him" give further lie to the accusation made by rabid Ronstadt bashers Dave Marsh and Robert Christgau that she can't sing golden oldies if she tried. Then there's Roderick Taylor's swamp/country ode "Mr. Radio", which benefits from the slight twang in Linda's voice and Dan Dugmore's steel guitar work; it would later be covered by longtime Ronstadt fan Trisha Yearwood on HER album THE SONG REMEMBERS WHEN.

After GET CLOSER, Linda made three big-band albums, one Mexican mariachi album, and the TRIO album with old pals Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris, before returning to pop/rock with CRY LIKE A RAINSTORM. These achievements unfairly overshadowed this album, which is one of the single most underappreciated albums made by a female pop singer in history.

I bought a new vinyl copy because I am blessed with a high-end turntable to play such things on (and the CD is out of print and costs quite a hunk of change), and I must say that as a Linda Ronstadt fan since the 70's, I feel like such a dope for not buying this album until now.

True, it doesn't come across as a concept album or an album with a single musical theme or ambience, like Heart Like a Wheel, Mad Love, or Hasten Down the Wind did. It seems like half a follow-up to Mad Love, and half the typical beautiful quieter tunes one would find on Simple Dreams or Living in the USA.

But if it's not the "best" Linda Ronstadt album ever, I think might possibly be the most fun.