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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Overlooked country-rock gem, July 16, 2001
Although Linda has publicly disparaged her early albums, from her days in the Stone Poneys up to DON'T CRY NOW, in retrospect these are now landmark albums in the developement of the L.A. country-rock style of which Linda was to become the Queen after her 1974 smash HEART LIKE A WHEEL.This 1972 self-titled album is, in my view, an overlooked country-rock gem. Like its five predecessors, it is somewhat crude and not polished, but it contains hints of what was to come. Linda covers such country standards as "Crazy Arms" and "I Fall To Pieces" with amazing aplomb, and never tries to sound overly twangy. On "Ramblin' Round", she does twang rather nicely over her own bluegrassy arrangement. She also does a very husky version of Fontella Bass' 1965 soul hit "Rescue Me", with some tasty rock backing by Don Henley and Glenn Frey, soon to form the Eagles from her 1971 backing band. For me, Linda's great achievement on this album is her sensitive live version of Neil Young's "Birds." This song, like the album's opening cut "Rock Me On The Water" (by Jackson Browne), indicates the kind of sensitivity she would bring later on to the singer/songwriter material she often did. Linda's greatest strength has always been in country-rock; and this early album is proof of that.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Back when Linda hadn't learned how to rock yet, June 27, 2001
In 1971, it had been about 2 years since the Stone Poneys broke up and their leader Linda Ronstadt went solo. Her first solo album HAND SOWN...HOME GROWN (1969) didn't get much attention, but her second SILK PURSE (1970) generated a minor hit single with the moving ballad "Long, Long Time", which could show her detractors that Linda wasn't all about vocal histrionics and she could be beautifully mellow when she wanted to be. Indeed, before her breakthrough album HEART LIKE A WHEEL (1974), Linda concentrated more on the softer aspects of her voice with country and folk songs. Those who know Linda as a slightly gravel-voiced rocker will be surprised to hear her 1971 self-titled album, where there's very few rockers to be heard. 15 years before she collaborated with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris on the acclaimed TRIO project, Linda was a good-hearted country girl on songs like Johnny Cash's classic "I Still Miss Someone", Patsy Cline's signature song "I Fall To Pieces" and Ray Price's early hit "Crazy Arms". It would have been interesting had Linda become a strictly country-based artist like Dolly or Emmylou, because she could have easily been as legendary as those two. But Linda wasn't all about covering proven classics. She had a keen ear for some up-and-coming songwriters as well. Livingston Taylor's (James' younger brother) "In My Reply", Eric Kaz's "I Won't Be Hangin' 'Round", Eric Andersen's "I Ain't Always Been Faithful", Jackson Browne's "Rock Me On The Water" (his debut solo album was only months away) and Neil Young's "Birds" (recorded live) work out just as well as the better-known classics, and except for maybe the latter two, all of them have Linda sounding like they were written especially for her. Of course, not every song on here works. Leadbelly's blues classic "Ramblin' 'Round" doesn't quite work out as an acoustic showcase, and would have been better recorded after Linda had found the rocker within her. Fontella Bass' soul standard "Rescue Me" (another live-recorded track) has been attempted by God-knows how many singers, and although Linda gives it her best shot, she can't even approach the joyful soul of the Bass original. After hearing the fantastic SIMPLE DREAMS (1977), I thought Linda Ronstadt couldn't possibly get any better than that great piece of work. But I realized that was when she was clearly becoming more acquainted with rock, and I hadn't given her earlier, more obscure days a fair shot. So when I ordered LINDA RONSTADT off of Amazon (it's rather hard to find in stores around my town), I expected to not be as impressed as I was with SIMPLE DREAMS. Now that I've witnessed both sides of Linda Ronstadt as we all wish to know her best (as a mainstream singer, not singing Gilbert & Sullivan), LINDA RONSTADT is an album that will be good to listen to for those who thought she was all about ruining rock classics (which she has never done, by the way).
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A seminal album in Linda's career, December 27, 2003
This album was the last of Linda's early country-folk-rock music before she began the transition to the mainstream pop-rock artist of the seventies that made her famous. The music is still fairly simple and raw, unlike the slicker music that came later, but the song selection gives clues about the future. The backing musicians became the Eagles soon after this album was recorded. Linda followed this album by recording Don't cry now, a fine country-rock album, then by the hugely successful Heart like a wheel.The songs are mostly (perhaps entirely) covers. I fall to pieces (Patsy Cline), Crazy arms (Ray Price) and I still miss someone (Johnny Cash) are proof of Linda's enthusiasm for country music. They sit comfortably among the other songs here, including Rock me on the water (Jackson Browne), In my reply (Livingston Taylor), Rambling round (Woody Guthrie), Birds (Neil Young) and Rescue me (Fontella Bass). If you like Linda's other early albums (Hand sown home grown and Silk purse), you will surely enjoy this one also. There really isn't much to choose between the three of them on quality.
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~ Linda Ronstadt Aaron Neville
~ Linda Ronstadt Aaron Neville
~ Linda Ronstadt Aaron Neville
~ Linda Ronstadt Aaron Neville
~ Linda Ronstadt Aaron Neville
by Linda Ronstadt 
