When the masterful 1974 ‘Heart Like a Wheel‘ album turned golden voiced songstress Linda Ronstadt from highly-respected niche artist into global superstar, no time was lost in sustaining the success her abundant quality warranted long before it arrived.
28 years of age (Ronstadt, born Tucson, Arizona 15/7/1946) when ‘Heart Like a Wheel‘ topped the U.S. charts, the fifth album in her own right from a career that began as part of a trio named the Stone Poneys in mid-60s Los Angeles, was full realization of possibilities apparent on the first four. Across this quartet of prior releases, the parts were often greater than the sum due to successive shortcomings in production.
But with Peter Asher (famed for his work with James Taylor), positioned at the control panel and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Gold serving her well with concise arrangements to well-chosen material encompassing pop, ballads and country, the superb L.P. she had threatened to make since the turn of the decade finally came to pass.
On the strength of ‘Heart Like a Wheel‘ being so successful, Asher and Gold saw no reason to change a winning formula. ‘Prisoner In Disguise‘ (1975) and ‘Hasten Down the Wind‘ (1976) each returned colossal sales figures, Ronstadt coming to prominence at the same time as Asylum Records labelmates Jackson Browne and the Eagles, this trio most identified with the soft-rock sensibilities synonymous with L.A. in the mid-70s.
As an entity the Eagles had begun their flight in 1971 as a backing band for Ronstadt. Such was the popularity they were enjoying as 1976 gave way to the following year, their fifth album ‘Hotel California‘ (December 1976), topped the U.S. charts on four separate occasions between January and May 1977.
But when the phenomenon that was ‘Rumours‘ by Fleetwood Mac began to take hold, no other L.P. had a look in when it came to number one. Remaining in pole position for 29 weeks, it was finally dislodged from top spot in late November by SIMPLE DREAMS – the album Ronstadt had released in September of that year.
While in many respects ‘Simple Dreams‘ adhered to the now established way she went about crafting her records – Asher skillfully adept at capturing her sumptuous vocals – there had been a change to recognized procedure as Gold, who had ventured out on a solo career the year before, was no longer on the scene.
As a consequence Ronstadt fronted a five strong ensemble of players – Waddy Wachtel (guitars), Dan Dugmore (pedal steel/guitars), Kenny Edwards (bass), Don Grolnick (keyboards), Rick Marotta (drums) – who over time had become her stage band, the melodies taking on a greater sense of immediacy as a result.
The latest batch of songs for her dulcet tones to convey were a diverse, eclectic lot, Ronstadt able to move with seamless proficiency between the work of noted songsmiths such as Warren Zevon, JD Souther and Eric Kaz, to songs by artists ranging from Roy Orbison to the Rolling Stones.
While her own singing is uniformly excellent, Ronstadt is able to call upon luminaries such as Dolly Parton and Eagle Don Henley for harmony support, the only real quibble being that at just 32 minutes ‘Simple Dreams‘ is ten minutes shorter than its ‘Hasten Down the Wind‘ predecessor.
That said, even half an hour spent with her in such good form remains time well spent.
Opening track ‘It’s So Easy‘, a breezy, power pop run through of a 1958 Buddy Holly number (this Holly-Norman Petty composition failing to chart for its co-creator), is instantly engaging. An array of hooks – catchy chorus, energetic guitar solo, ambient backing vocals – coupled to her sassy singing, combine to ensure the song effortlessly climbed to number five on the U.S. charts when issued as a 45.
Having used a heart-rendering Zevon song as the title-track of her previous album, Ronstadt populates the latest with two from his more uniquely idiosyncratic perspective. The first ‘Carmelita‘ is the country-tinged tale of a lonesome L.A. drug addict confessing his sins to a female companion, ‘Carmelita, hold me tighter/I think I’m sinking down/And I’m all strung out on heroin/On the outskirts of town.’
With the instrumentation sparse and kept to a minimum throughout, hers is a tender rendition and while lacking the grit of the version that appeared on Zevon’s magnificent self-titled set of the previous year, is still an accomplished reading of a disconcerting piece.
The same Zevon album had also included the rousing ‘Poor Poor Pitiful Me‘ that here Ronstadt recreates with aplomb, taking delight in one mercurial couplet after another (‘Well I lay my head on the railroad track/Waiting on the Double E/But the train don’t run by here no more/Poor poor pitiful me‘) as all around guitars cut and thrust while syn-drums pop for all their worth.
With her loose, rollicking take on the Rolling Stones ‘Tumbling Dice‘ included on side two along with ‘Poor Poor Pitiful Me‘, across the rest of the record there is a feeling of melancholy that may have been altered by different sequencing – side one after the exuberance of ‘It’s So Easy‘ continuing on with an overriding sense of sorrowfulness.
Following ‘Carmelita‘ comes ‘Simple Man, Simple Dream‘, Ronstadt for the second time in three albums (‘Prisoner in Disguise‘ being the other), using a Souther song as the title piece.
Built upon the soulful piano chords of Grolnick and Dugmore’s mournful steel guitar incisions, Ronstadt describes the downtrodden existence of an individual ill at ease in both the labour market, (‘When I go down to get a job sometime/It seems
people can read my mind/And make money disappear/While they’re talking sweet and kind‘) and also within a relationship, (‘If a kind word ever crossed your mind/You never tried to show it’).
The final lines capture the futility of the situation, yet hope, false or otherwise still remains. Best known for his ruminations on failed or failing romances, Souther, in conjuring an emotive ending has rarely written with such pointed clarity, Ronstadt delivering the conclusion with wistful poignancy:
‘When people don’t know what you mean/They may laugh at you and call you green/They’ll say your words are stupid/And your plans are only schemes/Truth is simple/But seldom ever seen/Let nothing come between/Simple man, simple dream.’
Written by Kaz, his work having already come to the attention of Bonnie Raitt and Ronstadt who had included ‘Love Has No Pride‘ on ‘Don’t Cry Now‘ (1973), ‘Sorrow Lives Here‘ is an affecting piece that finds the protagonist distraught by the ending of a relationship, ‘Sorrow lives here in my heart/It haunts me when I sleep/I can’t keep the thought of you from my dreams/Everything seems to spin all around.’
With just the piano of Grolnick for accompaniment, the track has overtones of a Carole King song from a few years earlier, the comparison not made without motive, ‘Simple Dreams‘ going on to become the second-best top selling album after ‘Tapestry‘ made by a female artist during the 1970s.
Another woman with significant record sales to her name joins Ronstadt for the final track on side one, ‘I Will Never Marry‘ featuring the striking presence of Parton.
For this old time lament, Ronstadt, against the backdrop of gently intertwining acoustic guitars (played by her and Wachtel), produces a plaintive vocal in relating how the hurt caused by an errant man has brought the eventuality stated in the title.
Having made his departure by railroad, left behind is a chastened woman (‘They say that love’s a gentle thing/But it’s only brought me pain/For the only man I ever loved/Has gone on the mornin’ train‘). Parton joins Ronstadt at the chorus to affirm spinsterhood is her chosen way (‘I never will marry/I’ll be no man’s wife/I expect to live single/All the days of my life‘), the final verse bringing confirmation of such (‘Well, there’s many a change in the winter wind/And a change in the cloud’s design/There’s many a change in a young man’s heart/But never a change in mine‘).
While there is irony in the fact that Ronstadt, despite some high-profile romances, has never to this day been married, the song also serves as origin of the excellent pair of albums – ‘Trio’ (1987) /’Trio II‘ (1999) – the duo would make along with Emmylou Harris further down the trail.
Indeed, she also closes the album with a traditional standard, the country inflections of ‘Old Paint‘ accentuated by the dobro of Mike Auldridge. Strumming an acoustic guitar, Ronstadt in the persona of a cowgirl reflects on where life has led her and where it may go, ‘Well when I die/Take my saddle from the wall/Put it on my pony/And lead him from his stall/Tie my bones to his back/Turn our faces to the west/And we’ll ride the prairie/That we like the best‘. Her affectionate, lilting delivery creates a campfire ambience on which to finish.
Before reaching the last track Ronstadt has brought touching vulnerability to ‘Maybe I’m Right‘, an acoustic guitar-based ode written by Wachtel conveying more love in ruins connotations (‘Everyone says just to let him alone/But I can’t even sleep no more it worries me so’), her delicate vocal supported by the lush background harmonies of the composer, Asher and Souther.
In truth, however, it is during side two opener ‘Blue Bayou‘ where she is found on a plateau above not just above all else on the record, but beyond any other woman rock singer on the planet.
There is an effortless grace to the way she delivers the poignant imagery (‘The silver moon/And the evening tide/Oh, some sweet day gonna take away/This hurting inside‘), within an evocation of homesickness written by Joe Melson and Roy Orbison, which had been a hit for the latter in 1963. Her gorgeous phrasing and outstanding adaptability through the subtle yet distinct changes in tone make this, in many ways, her definitive vocal performance.
The accoutrements of an atmospheric marimba contribution from Steve Forman, precise bass work of Edwards and understated backing vocal by Henley are praiseworthy in their own right, but the triumph belongs to Ronstadt, whose vocal was nominated for a Grammy in Best Female Vocal Performance section (where surprisingly it failed to take the award) and also to Asher, whose efforts on ‘Simple Dreams‘ were acknowledged on winning in Best Producer category.
The artistic achievement of ‘Blue Bayou‘ was matched in the marketplace, the song such an immediate hit when released as a single it quickly joined ‘It’s So Easy‘ in the upper echelons of the U.S. charts, Ronstadt in the process becoming the first artist since The Beatles to have two discs concurrently in the top five. Released to enormous Stateside sales (over three million copies in the next 12 months alone), ‘Simple Dreams‘ was to spend five weeks at number one on the Billboard charts.
That Ronstadt was blessed with a captivating voice had long been agreed, this latest installment to a growing body of work testament to her standing as the leading female rock vocalist of the age. With great assurance she cut across any perceived barriers between pop, country and soft rock, taking on the challenge (and succeeding) of spreading her talent to fields such as Broadway productions, the Great American Songbook and Mariachi music in the years ahead.
She would do so with all the resonance and authenticity albums such as ‘Simple Dreams‘ had already revealed.
LINDA RONSTADT – SIMPLE DREAMS (Released September 6 1977):
It’s So Easy/Carmelita/Simple Man, Simple Dream/Sorrow Lives Here/I Will Never Marry/Blue Bayou/Poor Poor Pitiful Me/Maybe I’m Right/Tumbling Dice/Old Paint;
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