| | Linda Ronstadt Simple Dreams CD Linda Ronstadt Discography of CDs
 (5 Customer Reviews)
This was the fourth in a series of hit albums Linda Ronstadt made in the mid-seventies, starting with HEART LIKE A WHEEL. Like its predecessors, SIMPLE DREAMS is a rich collection of pensive folk ballads, pop with country leanings, and good old rock & roll. Her skill in navigating this rootsy terrain is exemplary, taking her from the swagger of her cover of The Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice" to the sweet whisperings of the acoustic "Maybe I'm Right." This record also features some of her most enduringly popular hits, such as "Blue Bayou" and "Poor Poor Pitiful Me."
The rousing opening track, Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy" featuring her trademark growl, along with "Tumbling Dice" and the playful "Poor Poor Pititul Me," give the record moments of electrifying energy. It's the ballads, however, that comprise the majority of the tunes. Included are two traditional songs, "I Never Will Marry" (featuring Dolly Parton) and "Old Paint," both given simple but lovely arrangements by Ronstadt herself. The melodramatic "Sorrow Lives Here" is almost a hint of what is to come in the form of her collaborations with Nelson Riddle. Her artistry is perhaps best demonstrated in "Blue Bayou;" the shift from the quiet and husky verse to the yearning wail that is the chorus is nothing short of breathtaking.
Also available with PRISONER IN DISGUISE on 1 cassette.
Personnel: Linda Ronstadt (vocals, acoustic guitar); Dan Dugmore (acoustic guitar, steel guitar); Waddy Wachtel (acoustic, electric & slide guitars, background vocals); Mike Auldridge (dobro); Charles Veal (violin); David Campbell (viola); Dennis Karmazin (cello); Don Grolnick (organ, Clavinet, electric piano); Steve Forman (marimba); Richard Feves (acoustic bass); Kenny Edwards (bass); Rick Marotta (drums, percussion); Peter Asher (percussion, background vocals); Herb Pederson, Larry Hagler (background vocals).
Q (8/00, p.121) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...[Her] most successful album ever....continuing the commercial mix of classic and contemporary songs with stylish production values....emphasizing her great talent as an exponent of other people's work..."
Mojo (Publisher) (7/00, p.128) - "[She] is captured here at the pinnacle of her mid-'70s success....a 10-track collection of hand-picked country-rock covers..." Simple Dreams Music | List Price | $7.98 (You save $0.89) | | Category | Rock Albums, Pop CDs, Rock/Pop, Country Rock | | Label | Elektra | | Orig Year | 1977 | | All Time Sales Rank |  4870  | | CD Universe Part number | 1095178 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Mar 09, 1989 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Producer | Peter Asher | | Personnel | Linda Ronstadt - vocals, acoustic guitar
Dan Dugmore - acoustic guitar, steel guitar
Linda Ronstadt - vocals, acoustic guitar
Waddy Wachtel - acoustic, electric & slide guitars, background vocals
Rick Marotta - drums, percussion
Herb Pedersen
David Campbell - viola
Don Grolnick - organ, Clavinet, electric piano
David Campbell - viola
Steve Forman - marimba
List all 21 contributors
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Linda Ronstadt Simple Dreams Songs Simple Dreams Music Review Average Rating: (4.8 out of 5 stars)   The copy
The music is great. The quality of the CD leaves a lot to be deisred. Muffeled sound and was recorde way too low.
Submitted by cl_burnett (Phoenix, Az) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
Linda's voice is Beautiful!
This album also brought back great memories of my teenage years! Linda jams so great on this album,they just don't make albums like this anymore.
Submitted by a reviewer (San Diego, CA, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No SHE'S SIMPLY THE BEST!!!
this huge selling album which took over the top spot from fleetwood mac's rumors was the biggest selling album by a solo artist for the year 1977. this album has a little of something for everybody. rock (it's so easy, tumbling dice, poor poor pitiful me) country (blue bayou, i never will marry with dolly parton, old paint) and great ballads. her voice is exquisite and also highly energetic when needed. a must have for fans of the california rock sound and listeners to great vocalists!!!! highly recommend!!!
Submitted by ocman2994 (new jersey)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Where's The MOFI Edition?
Not many of Ronstadt's classic recordings have been released on CD with the super sound unless you can find it from Japan and it's just not available--they were all imported from the US. Unfortunately this country was very late getting into the CD market. Most of pop recordings came from Europe. SIMPLE DREAMS--one her greatest selling and most highly rated recordings as with her other best selling recordings when released here were just terrible. The sound was compressed and the vinyl counterparts far superior. Mobile Fidelity released her breakthrough and first charting Lp DON'T CRY NOW, so where are the others. This is a groundbreaking Ronstadt venue that showed her exploring many diverse musical paths and deserves to be preserved with superior sound quality. WEA was not the only company to hurriedly release their hugh recordings, Sony was another and suffered the same fate--lousy sound. But Sony at least listened to public outcry and remastered everything they had released. So what's wrong here? Capitol Records released a nice 24 bit mastered 4 Lp retrospect (including her first smash--HEART LIKE A WHEEL) and it is glorious. Let's hope to see more from the WEA group. They have so many fine Linda Lps just waiting for special treatment. And who cares about the price. The sound on the aforementioned brings her right into your living room and she is breathtaking...almost as good as seeing her live!
Submitted by Terry (Asheville, NC)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Classic Ronstadt
As a huge Ronstadt fan(for over 30 years), hearing Simple Dreams again reminded me of why; her Voice is magical, beautiful, and easily one of the best ever!!!
Submitted by adcan45 (Corpus Christ, TX)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No | Have you heard this album? |  |
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