Linda Ronstadt: Greatest Hits, Volume Two

Artist: Linda Ronstadt
Label: Dcc Compact Classics
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Gold CD
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 010963112825
EAN: 0010963112825
ASIN: B00000AEO9

Release Date: 1998-09-15

Linda Ronstadt: Greatest Hits, Volume Two

Related Categories:

General

| Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary

| Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

General

| Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General

| Pop | Styles | Music

Soft Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

General

| Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music

General

| Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Folk Rock

| Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

Country Rock

| Rock | Styles | Music

Tracks:

It's So Easy
I Can't Let Go
Hurt So Bad
Blue Bayou
How Do I Make You
Back In The U.S.A.
Ohh Baby Baby
Poor Poor Pitiful Me
Tumbling Dice
Just One Look
Someone To Lay Down Beside Me

Similar Items:

Linda Ronstadt: Greatest Hits
Heart Like a Wheel
The Very Best of Linda Ronstadt
Simple Dreams
Hasten Down the Wind

Amazon.com essential recording

The latter part of the '70s found Ronstadt roughing up her image a bit, covering songs by the Rolling Stones and Warren Zevon and eventually taking inspiration from the burgeoning punk and new-wave scenes. All of this was a long way away from the laid-back country-rock sound that established her as one of the top female artists of the day. On the material collected here, Ronstadt remains as strong a singles artist as ever. <I>Greatest Hits, Vol. 2</I> contains winners such as "It's So Easy," "Blue Bayou," and the Chuck Berry romp "Living in the U.S.A.," as well as edgier material such as the Stones' "Tumbling Dice" and Zevon's "Poor Poor Pitiful Me." <I>--Daniel Durchholz</I>

Customer Reviews:

Long time memories.......2007-01-26

This is what I have been looking for,for the long time.I enjoy it very much especially the 4th track.
The product was very well handled.

Greatest songs of all time #2.......2006-09-09

Everything I said in my review about her Greatest Hits, Volume #1 goes double for this one. Nuff said. Thank you linda.

Linda at her peak.......2005-01-08

the first Greatest Hits (1976) for Linda Ronstadt caught her as she was still a rising star in the California sound. Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (1980) is the culmination of the peak years of Linda's popularity, 1977-1980.

When "Greatest Hits" was released, Linda was still pushing Hasten Down The Wind (also 1976). In early 1977, she had a surprise hit single with "Someone To Lay Down Beside Me", which is included here. The song was not one of Linda's biggest, but it's a powerful, memorable track.

In the fall of 1977, Linda released her biggest album ever, "Simple Dreams". The album contained no less than four major hit singles, two of which ("It's So Easy" and "Blue Bayou") were on Billboard's top 5 at the same time in late 1977. "Blue Bayou" showcases Linda at her best Patsy Cline vocal moment, "It's So Easy" is a classic country-rocker, "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" was a great and sarcastic Warren Zevon number, and her version of The Stone's "Tumbling Dice" shows just what a great female rocker Linda is.

The next year, Linda topped the charts again with "Living In The U.S.A.", in which three hits are culled. "Back In The U.S.A." is sadly one of the weakest hits of her catalog. The Chuck Berry version is classic, but Linda's version is rather aimless. However, all is made up by Linda's smash top 10 jazzy version of "Ooh Baby Baby". Another classic Ronstadt-style track is "Just One Look".

Even though "Living In The U.S.A." was another #1 platinum smash for Linda, it became obvious her formula was getting stale. So Linda decided to shake things up and returned in early 1980 with "Mad Love". Guarenteed to show the Benatar's and Harry's that she is still a force to be reckoned with, "Mad Love" became another huge hit, even if it missed #1. The hard-rocking "How Do I Make You" was the first single and it quickly went top 10, then Linda released a breathtaking remake of "Hurt So Bad" that became an even bigger hit. The third single culled from the album, "I Can't Let Go" harkens back to her Stone Poneys days, but updated to sound 80's.

"Greatest Hits Vol. 2" was released in late 1980 and was the culmination of this stellar hitmaking period in Ronstadt's career. One more rock album (1982's Get Closer) after this and then Linda settled into the world of standards, Adult Contemporary and Spanish music, all genres she has done well at too.

Chopped off ..........2004-09-16

This compilation covers Ronstadt's biggest hits from the late '70's/early '80's. Some lesser singles were excluded:

* "Rambler Gambler" (#42 Country) was the B-side of "How Do I Make You," but did not appear on the "Mad Love" album.

* "Lose Again" (#76 Pop) and the Country singles "Crazy" (#6), "I Never Will Marry" (#8) and "Love Me Tender" (#59) are also missing.

My biggest grievance, though, is with the edits of the songs. Many of the songs cut off 5-10 seconds too soon. As a result, the songs end rather abruptly. I don't know whether Asylum has or will correct this. For now, I suggest tracking down a used vinyl version of this album. The sound may not be as pristine, but the songs will at least be complete.

Rock On, Miss Ronstadt!.......2003-07-26

I remember first hearing Linda Ronstadt's amazing voice come crashing out of the radio sometime in the late sixties as the lead vocalist for the folk-rock group, the Stone Ponies. Her distinctive melodic scream of a vocal style is so distinctive it is hard not to compare with Roy Orbison, whose songs she sometimes recorded, as with "Blue Bayou", which is included here. This collection of her hit songs covers the decade or so before she went for the big band and "lush" sounds of her more recent work. It is hard to not appreciate a voice so singular and versatile, even if it is most usually delivered with a fevered wail. I once saw her in a small venue in Lenox, Massachusetts in a small amphitheater setting, with the audience sprawled over an expansive lawn that gradually rose above the covered stage area. She was so good with just her guitar and small group that it is difficult to describe her in words short of superlatives such as phenomenal.

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