Live In Hollywood (Vinyl) - Linda Ronstadt

LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD features amazing performances from a concert that Ronstadt recorded in 1980 for her acclaimed HBO television special. Recorded on April 24, 1980 at Television Center Studios in Hollywood, and produced by John Boylan, the concert captures Ronstadt at the peak of her reign as America’s most popular female rock singer. For LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD, Ronstadt selected 12 of her favorite performances from the original concert.

In concert, she was joined by an outstanding band that included guitarists Kenny Edwards and Danny Kortchmar, drummer Russ Kunkel, bassist Bob Glaub, keyboardist Billy Payne (of Little Feat fame), pedal steel guitarist Dan Dugmore, and backing vocalist Wendy Waldman. Rounding out the band was Peter Asher – Ronstadt’s producer and the concert’s executive producer – who played percussion and sang background.

On stage, Ronstadt held the packed audience spellbound with powerful renditions of her biggest hits – “Blue Bayou,” “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” and “It’s So Easy” – plus an incredible, previously unreleased six-minute jam of her #1 smash, “You’re No Good.” The concert also showcased a trio of Top Ten hits from Ronstadt’s then-current album – Mad Love – with performances of “I Can’t Let Go,” “How Do I Make You” and “Hurt So Bad.” After its release in February 1980, Mad Love would become Ronstadt’s seventh consecutive platinum-selling album.

With roots in the Los Angeles country and folk-rock scenes, Linda Ronstadt became one of the most popular interpretive singers of the '70s, earning a string of platinum-selling albums and Top 40 singles. Throughout the '70s, her laid-back pop never lost sight of her folky roots, yet as she moved into the '80s, she began to change her sound with the times, adding new wave influences. After a brief flirtation with pre-rock pop, Ronstadt settled into a pattern of adult contemporary pop and Latin albums, sustaining her popularity in both fields.

While Ronstadt was a student at Arizona State University, she met guitarist Bob Kimmel. The duo moved to Los Angeles, where guitarist/song writer Kenny Edwards joined the pair. Calling themselves the Stone Poneys, the group became a leading attraction on California's folk circuit, recording their first album in 1967. The band's second album, Evergreen, Vol. 2, featured the Top 20 hit "Different Drum," which was written by Michael Nesmith. After recording one more album with the group, Ronstadt left for a solo career at the end of 1968.

Ronstadt's first two solo albums --Hand Sown Home Grown(1969) and Silk Purse (1970) -- accentuated her country roots, featuring several honky tonk numbers. Released in 1971, her self-titled third album was a pivotal record in her career. Featuring a group of session musicians who would later form the Eagles, the album was a softer, more laid-back variation of the country-rock she had been recording. With the inclusion of songs from singer/songwriters like Jackson Browne, Neil Young, and Eric Anderson, Linda Ronstadt had folk-rock connections as well. Don't Cry Now, released in 1973, followed the same formula to greater success, yet it was 1974's Heart Like a Wheel that perfected the sound, making Ronstadt a star. Featuring the hit covers "You're No Good," "When Will I Be Loved," and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore,"Heart Like a Wheel" reached number one and sold over two million copies.

Released in the fall of 1975, Prisoner in Disguise followed the same pattern as Heart Like a Wheel and was nearly as successful. Hasten Down the Wind, released in 1976, suggested a holding pattern, even if it charted higher than Prisoner in Disguise. Simple Dreams(1977) expanded the formula by adding a more rock-oriented supporting band, which breathed life into the Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice" and Warren Zevon's "Poor Poor Pitiful Me." The record became the singer's biggest hit, staying on the top of the charts for five weeks and selling over three million copies. With Living in the U.S.A.(1978),Ronstadt began experimenting with new wave, recording Elvis Costello's "Alison"; the album was another number one hit. On 1980's Mad Love, she made a full-fledged new wave record, recording three Costello songs and adopting a synth-laden sound. While the album was a commercial success, it signalled that her patented formula was beginning to run out of steam. That suspicion was confirmed with 1982's Get Closer, her first album since Heart Like a Wheel to fail to go platinum.

Sensing it was time to change direction, Ronstadt starred in the Broadway production of Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, as well as the accompanying movie. Pirates of Penzance led the singer to a collaboration with Nelson Riddle, who arranged and conducted her 1983 collection of pop standards What's New. While it received lukewarm reviews, it was a considerable hit, reaching number three on the charts and selling over two million copies. Ronstadt's next two albums --Lush Life(1984) and For Sentimental Reasons (1986) -- were also albums of pre-rock standards recorded with Riddle.

At the end of 1986, Ronstadt returned to contemporary pop, recording "Somewhere Out There," the theme to the animated An American Tail, with James Ingram; the single became a number two hit. She also returned to her country roots in 1987, recording the Trio album with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris.

Track List

1. I Can't Let Go (Live at Television Center Studios Hollywood Ca 4/24/1980)
2. It's So Easy (Live at Television Center Studios Hollywood Ca 4/24/1980)
3. Willin' (Live at Television Center Studios Hollywood Ca 4/24/1980)
4. Just One Look (Live at Television Center Studios Hollywood Ca 4/24/1980)
5. Blue Bayou (Live at Television Center Studios Hollywood Ca 4/24/1980)
6. Faithless Love (Live at Television Center Studios Hollywood Ca 4/24/1980)
7. Hurt So Bad (Live at Television Center Studios Hollywood Ca 4/24/1980)
8. Poor Poor Pitiful Me (Live at Television Center Studios Hollywood Ca 4/24/1980)
9. You're No Good (Live at Television Center Studios Hollywood Ca 4/24/1980)
10. How Do I Make You (Live at Television Center Studios Hollywood Ca 4/24/1980)
11. Back in the U.S.A. (Live at Television Center Studios Hollywood Ca 4/24/1980)
12. Desperado (Live at Television Center Studios Hollywood Ca 4/24/1980)