Portraits [Box set]

Emmylou Harris | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 8, 1996)
• Original Release Date: October 8, 1996
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B000002MKL
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,859 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Boulder to Birmingham

2. Before Believing

3. Love Hurts

4. In My Hour of Darkness

5. The Angels Rejoiced Last Night

6. Sleepless Nights

See all 20 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Hello Stranger

2. Every Time You Leave

3. Beneath Still Waters

4. Blue Kentucky Girl

5. To Daddy

6. Evangeline

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. In My Dreams

2. Love Is [Alternate Mix][#]

3. To Know Him Is to Love Him

4. The Pain of Loving You

5. Farther Along

6. Angel Band

See all 19 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Compared to her sometime singing partner Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris is not an especially distinctive singer or songwriter. She lacks the raw talent to match the towering high points of Parton's career, but at the same time Harris has managed to avoid the embarrassing lapses that have plagued Parton. Harris has exhibited a deep understanding of what makes the best country music endure and a stubborn refusal to accept anything less. You can comb through her 20 albums and never find an embarrassingly corny novelty number, a shamelessly maudlin weeper, or a less-than-flawless vocal. This box set gathers all her commercial hits, staples of her live shows, prime examples of her every phase, her best collaborations with other artists, and five previously unreleased tracks. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart and Soul of Harmony, June 23, 2003

By 

"rajala" (CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Portraits (Audio CD)

This collection of these early works is a very strong cross-section of the immense talent that has been evident in the voice of Emmylou Harris since "Pieces of the Sky" premiered on vinyl in the pre-CD mid-1970's. From this album the Emmylou-penned 'Boulder to Birmingham' stands out along with 'Too Far Gone", 'Before Believing' and the Beatles cover 'For No One'. For those who missed the 1969 "Gliding Bird" and her collaborations with Gram Parsons and Bob Dylan, these jewels were just a hint of the rich gifts to come to the world through the instrument of Emmylou Harris. Throughout the years, Emmylou has distilled the rich emotion of country, bluegrass, roots, folk, rock and roll, and other musical genres while instilling each with an essence unmistakably 'Emmylou'.

This collection begins with the best of her first solo ablum and a strong nod toward the important influence of Gram Parsons in her life and musical sensibility. Emmylou's profound respect for other icons of songwriting such as Dolly Parton, Bill Monroe, Townes van Zandt are clear in her choice of material and her sensitive interpretations of their work.
This 3-CD set could easily be much longer without resorting to "filler" material. Some gems missing from this collection include 'She' from "Luxury Liner" (otherwise well represented), 'I Don't Have to Crawl' and 'Ashes by Now' from "Evangeline". The much-maligned "White Shoes" album is severely underrepresented with only 'In My Dreams' included. For a time it was only available in Europe (like the yet hard to find "Ballad of Sally Rose"). Though, as a "cross-over" album it was not popular, it remains one of her strongest works - AND - it's a lot of fun!

Except for 'Sweet Chariot', "Ballad of Sally Rose" is also missing from this collection as is the powerful "Thirteen". "Sally Rose" is very personal, self-penned album. Find it and buy it for a more complete understanding of Emmylou. "Thirteen" offers a fine helping of Cajun influence and some beautiful pieces including 'Mystery Train', 'My Father's House', 'Just Someone I Used to Know' and 'Your Long Journey'. Again, do yourself a favor and FIND IT!

If you are new to Emmylou... Buy this set for a fantastic introduction to this goddess of the harmonic. Then buy "Ballad of Sally Rose", "Thirteen", and "White Shoes". To understand a little of the magic of Emmylou live, pick up "Last Date" and "Live at the Ryman". This will provide a strong "History of Emmylou".

Then buy what she has called "my weird album" - "Wrecking Ball" and the inspired "Red Dirt Girl" to go even deeper into the soul of this artist. You will never stop playing these. These two albums stand apart and mark the beginning of a, hopefully long, new phase of Ms. Harris' career as an artist of sound, voice and song with the collaboration and influence of Daniel Lanois, Julie and Buddy Miller, Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch and other essential singer/songwriter/artists of our age. Long live Emmylou Harris, our lives are all richer each time she opens her soul through a song.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, April 17, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Chattanooga, Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Portraits (Audio CD)

This box set is worth the money. Emmylou's career has presented us with one of the most eclectic collections I have heard. Every song on these three cd's stands out as classic, at least in my mind. I have never been a country music fan but Emmylou Harris not just country. There is something about the heart of her music that is not easy to explain and that is demonstrated nowhere better than in this set. I personally like "In My House Of Darkness" with Gram Parsons, but I also like "Togather Again" and "You're Still On My Mind." Actually, I like every song. I like to listen to this set when I have time to play all three cd's straight through...then I feel like I have truly been around the world of music. It's wonderful listening!

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Listen to the music, not Mr. Himes, December 1, 1999

By 

Christopher P. Dunn (The Aloha State) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Portraits (Audio CD)

Contrary to what Mr. Himes writes on behalf of Amazon.com, Ms. Harris IS a distinctive singer and songwriter. "Boulder to Birmingham" (her signature song) and "Prayer in D" among others display a depth of feeling and vivid imagery that Dolly Parton can never hope to achieve.

This 3-CD set is an extraordinary compilation of her career, spanning almost 2 decades of her recorded work, some of which is released officially for the first time. The tracks on these CDs are not in chronological order (although close), nor do they include more recent efforts (nothing from Wrecking Ball, for instance).

However, the unreleased nuggets of gold, such as duets with her late lover Gram Parsons (in whose memory she wrote "Boulder to Birmingham"), live cuts, and other notable tracks make this compilation as important to Harris fans as the Bootleg Series is to Dylan fans.

Whether you are a fan of Emmylou Harris or a newcomer, this is a "must have."