Customer Reviews

Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town

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This album has much to recommend it and has a similar country rock styling to Emmylou's previous album, Luxury liner. It features three of her own country hits and two other songs that were major country hits for others soon afterwards.

Two more bottles of wine was originally written and recorded by Delbert McClinton, but the song remained obscure for a couple of years. Emmylou made the song her own and topped the country charts with it. In the nineties, Martina McBride covered it and included it on her Wild angels album.

To Daddy was written and recorded by Dolly Parton but plans to release it were dropped when Dolly heard Emmylou's rendition of the song. Dolly's original version is brilliant - it eventually appeared on the compilation Essential volume 1 I will always love you - but despite her exuberance, Dolly is very modest about her own talents and it is entirely in character that she withheld her own version to allow Emmylou to have the first publicly available version of the song. It was another huge country hit for Emmylou, peaking at number three.

Easy from now on, the excellent ballad that opens the set, was another single released from the album, just failing to make the country top ten. Carlene Carter later revived it by including it on her album, I fell in love, one of my favorite albums of all time.

Leaving Louisiana in the broad daylight (a huge country hit for the Oak ridge boys) and I ain't living long like this (a huge country hit for Waylon Jennings) are both outstanding up-tempo songs that could have been Emmylou's own hits - she recorded them first - but you can only release so many singles from an album as a single and it is a tribute to the strength of this album that others could have hits with covers of her album tracks.

Among the other tracks are two excellent Jesse Winchester songs (Defying gravity and My songbird), while Willie Nelson puts in an appearance on One paper kid. Two other excellent songs, Green rolling hills and Burn that candle, round off this masterpiece.

But wait - this re-mastered edition includes two extra tracks, both live recordings. Even more reason to buy this excellent album.

While the sound on all of the remastered CDs is superb, the producers really outdid themselves on "Burn That Candle," included here.

Of the four most recent reissues, this one has the best bonus tracks; they're fun and have great sound, too.

All the reissues are recommended, but if you buy just one of them, choose either this one or "Blue Kentucky Girl," which has Emmylou's absolute best song ever, "Sorrow In The Wind," as well as some terrific harmonies on other tracks.

Not a perfect CD as there some weak spots here, such as "Two More Bottles Of Wine". Not a bad song, but, with this material, it needs to be played loose and rollicking. Instead it comes off as a consummate studio recording. "Burn That Candle" also sounds a bit by the numbers.

But the best material here is excellent. My personal favorite is "Green Rolling Hills", a song that's very effective in evoking the bucolic landscape of West Virginia. Another highlight is "One Paper Kid" in which Willie Nelson helps to add real emotional depth to the song. "My Songbird" and "To Daddy" are gorgeous ballads, even if the material is wistful.

Overall, there's nothing bad on this CD and there are enough highlights to make it a keeper. Also, the two bonus tracks on this reissue really are a bonus (for a change); both are live recordings made shortly after the original CD was released. "New Cut Road", an old Guy Clark song, benefits particularly well from the live setting.

This album has much to recommend it and has a similar country rock styling to Emmylou's previous album, Luxury liner. It features three of her own country hits and two other songs that were major country hits for others soon afterwards.

Two more bottles of wine was originally written and recorded by Delbert McClinton, but the song remained obscure for a couple of years. Emmylou made the song her own and topped the country charts with it. In the nineties, Martina McBride covered it and included it on her Wild angels album.

To Daddy was written and recorded by Dolly Parton but plans to release it were dropped when Dolly heard Emmylou's rendition of the song. Dolly's original version is brilliant - it eventually appeared on the compilation Essential volume 1 I will always love you - but despite her exuberance, Dolly is very modest about her own talents and it is entirely in character that she withheld her own version to allow Emmylou to have the first publicly available version of the song. It was another huge country hit for Emmylou, peaking at number three.

Easy from now on, the excellent ballad that opens the set, was another single released from the album, just failing to make the country top ten. Carlene Carter later revived it by including it on her album, I fell in love, one of my favorite albums of all time.

Leaving Louisiana in the broad daylight (a huge country hit for the Oak ridge boys) and I ain't living long like this (a huge country hit for Waylon Jennings) are both outstanding up-tempo songs that could have been Emmylou's own hits - she recorded them first - but you can only release so many singles from an album as a single and it is a tribute to the strength of this album that others could have hits with covers of her album tracks.

Among the other tracks are two excellent Jesse Winchester songs (Defying gravity and My songbird), while Willie Nelson puts in an appearance on One paper kid. Two other excellent songs, Green rolling hills and Burn that candle, round off this masterpiece.

I bought this CD because I wanted a recording of "Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight," but was delighted to discover that all the songs on this album are winners, especially "Easy from Now On," "Ain't Living Long Like This," and "Two More Bottles of Wine." I've been listening to the entire album over & over since I got it. I'd highly recommend it, whether you're an Emmylou Harris fan or not. This album might convert you!

This is another great album in Emmylou Harris' catalog. No Gram Parsons' covers on this one. However, she does an emotional reading of Dolly Parton's "To Daddy" which is just devestating. She does two Rodney Crowell songs including "I Ain't Living Long Like This" and "Leaving Louisiana In Broad Daylight". She does a beautiful cover of "Defying Gravity" which is an album highlight. Other favorites include "Easy From Now On", "Two More Bottles Of Wine", "My Songbird". Two bonus cuts include "New Cut Road" and "LaCassine Special".

90% of the songs on QUARTER MOON IN A TEN CENT TOWN were written in the 1970s. It was the theme Emmylou Harris had pictured for the album. But even over twenty years later, the music is as timeless, emotional, and enjoyable as I'm sure it was in 1978 (five years before I was born). QUARTER MOON IN A TEN CENT TOWN is an outstanding album, a collection of ten marvelous songs. "Easy From Now On" which opens the album, is a favorite. It's far more than just a regular ballad, there's a determined feel to the song, three minutes of pure enjoyment. As a single, the song reached #12, as an album opener its takes the listener straight into the depths of the record, not just serving as an introduction. A line in the song provided the title. "Two More Bottles Of Wine" is in classic format, Harris took the song to #1, there's a great rock feel to the number. Dolly Parton gave Harris "To Daddy", which went to #3. Is been said before that Jesse Winchester's "My Songbird" sounds custom-made for Emmylou Harris. Rodney Crowell & Donivan Cowart's "Leaving Lousiana In The Broad Daylight" is my favorite song on the CD. It has an awesome chorus. Winchester's "Defying Gravity" is another major artistic move on the record. The same aggressive vocals from "C'est La Vie" are back on Crowell's "I Ain't Living Long Like This". If there was an outlaw-anthem, this great song would receive my nomination. The brillant duet between Emmylou Harris & Willie Nelson is "One Paper Kid" on QUARTER MOON IN A TEN CENT TOWN. "Green Rolling Hills" is sensational. Winfield Scott's "Burn That Candle" was the only song on the album not written in the seventies. But it sounds as fresh and enjoyable as the other nine songs. QUARTER MOON IN A TEN CENT TOWN is an exceptional collection of music. I rediscovered the album when I bought on CD. The cassette versions alter the song sequence, but they don't make the running times closer to being equal. Side One begins with "Defying Gravity" and ends with "Burn That Candle"; Side Two starts with "Easy From Now On" and concludes with "Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight". Also a CD advantage is higher listening quality, for the first time I heard "I Ain't Living Long Like This" with clear volume, no muffled sound. Be sure to add QUARTER MOON IN A TEN CENT TOWN to your collection, I'm glad I did. This album is extraordinary, much like Emmylou Harris herself.

Her 1978 album is yet another showcase of Emmylou's immaculate vocals and tasteful choice of material. It opens with the flowing ballad Easy From Now On that is followed by the rhythmic and uptempo Two More Bottles Of Wine. Next comes an expert interpretation of Dolly Parton's To Daddy, a moving story song.

There are two compositions by Jesse Winchester: The poetic My Songbird, a fragile and stirring exploration of spirituality, and the defiant I Aint Living Long Like This, the closest to a rock song here. An even more intense live version of My Songbird is found on the great live album Spyboy.

Quarter Moon offers a perfect mix of slow ballads like Defying Gravity and mid tempo songs with a foot-tapping beat, like Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight. There are three duets: The traditional Green Rolling Hills, sung with Fayssoux Starling, One Paper Kid with Willie Nelson that has prominent harmonies and distinctive harmonica, and LaCassine Special, a French song with Barry Tashian.

There is plenty of stylistic variety on this masterpiece, from the tender devotional My Songbird to the harder edged Leaving Louisiana and the bucolic Green Rolling Hills to the Cajun style of LaCassine Special. Both of the bonus tracks are live recordings that perfectly suit the mood of the original album.

On this work of true greatness, my favorite songs are To Daddy, Songbird, Louisiana, Gravity, Green Rolling Hills and LaCassine Special. But everything else is superb too! Quarter Moon is another masterpiece by Emmylou Harris.

This is another strong album from Emmylou Harris. It opens with the wonderful "Easy From Now On", one of my favorites from the album. Perfect song to introduce the listener to, it fared pretty well as a single as well. I also like her rendition of Dolly Parton's "To Daddy", which was a major hit at #3. The biggest hit came from "Two More Bottles Of Wine", a #1 hit. It's no wonder. My favorite from the set though is the ballad "My Songbird", perfectly sung (what could you expect) by Emmylou. The duet with Willie Nelson "One Paper Kid", is amazing. She rocks on the uptempo "I Ain't Living Long Like This", definately another highlight. Other highlights include "Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight", "Defying Gravity" and "Burn That Candle". This is truly an exceptional album that is still in high rotation in my CD player.

Emmylou Harris was familiar to me from the duet with John Denver (Wild Montana Skies). She has special vocals so I had to listen to something that's hers. I stumbled upon this album by chance but fell in love with it in an instant. It has rich melodies, beautiful lyrics and various rythems. Every time I listen to it, it sounds fresh and somehow it reminds me of going home; It has something familiar and comforting about it. In my case, it was love at first hearing.