Simple Dreams
Simple Dreams | ||||
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Studio album by Linda Ronstadt | ||||
Released | September, 1977 | |||
Recorded | The Sound Factory, Los Angeles, California from July - September 1977 | |||
Genre | Rock, country rock | |||
Length | 31:49 | |||
Label | Asylum | |||
Producer | Peter Asher | |||
Linda Ronstadt chronology | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Robert Christgau | B+[2] |
Rolling Stone | (average) [3] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
Simple Dreams is the eighth studio album by the American rock artist Linda Ronstadt, released in September 1977 through Asylum Records. One of the most successful albums of Ronstadt's career, Simple Dreams spent five consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart in late 1977, surpassing Fleetwood Mac's Rumours out of #1 after 29 record-breaking weeks in the pole position. It also surpassed Elvis Presley on Billboard's Country Albums chart. It won the Grammy Award for Best Album Package (in addition to several other Grammy nominations).
Simple Dreams was Ronstadt's fifth consecutive million-selling Platinum album and sold over 3½ million copies in less than a year in the United States alone – a record for a female artist.
Originally, the cover photograph had Ronstadt dressed in a mini-slip seated in front of multiple mirrors. Uncomfortable with the physical exposure, Linda changed into a robe, and the picture was made artificially grainy. A re-touched outtake photo from the original photo sessions was later included on the inner sleeve for her Platinum-plus Greatest Hits, Volume 2 album in 1980. At the 20th Grammy Awards, John Kosh won the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package for Simple Dreams.
This album has never been out of print.
Release data
The album was originally released by Asylum in the LP format in September, 1977 (catalogue number 104 or 6E-104). Later, in 1986, Asylum released the album in the Cassette format (TCS-104) and in the CD format (2-104).
Single releases
The album was such a success that Ronstadt became the first female artist – and the first act overall since The Beatles – to have two singles in the Top Five at the same time: the Platinum-certified "Blue Bayou" (#3 Pop, #3 Adult Contemporary, and #2 Country) and "It's So Easy" (peaked at #5 Pop).
"Blue Bayou" was nominated for the Record Of The Year Grammy award in early 1978. It also earned Ronstadt a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance Female, alongside Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, Carly Simon and Debby Boone.
The album includes songs by Warren Zevon, Eric Kaz and J.D. Souther, as well as The Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice". Ronstadt was joined by Parton on the traditional ballad "I Never Will Marry", which became a Top 10 Country Single during the summer of 1978. (Ronstadt, Parton and Emmylou Harris were also working on an ill-fated collaborative project around this same time, but ten years would pass before the release of the first of two Trio albums from their efforts).
Track listing
Side 1
- "It's So Easy" (Buddy Holly, Norman Petty) - 2:27
- "Carmelita" (Warren Zevon) - 3:07
- "Simple Man, Simple Dream" (J.D. Souther) - 3:12
- "Sorrow Lives Here" (Eric Kaz) - 2:57
- "I Never Will Marry" (Traditional) - 3:12
Side 2
- "Blue Bayou" (Roy Orbison, Joe Melson) - 3:57
- "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" (Warren Zevon) - 3:42
- "Maybe I'm Right" (Waddy Wachtel) - 3:05
- "Tumbling Dice" (Keith Richards, Mick Jagger) - 3:05
- "Old Paint" (Traditional) - 3:05
Chart performance
Chart (1977) | Peak position |
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U.S. Billboard 200 | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 1 |
Australian Kent Music Report | 1 |
Canadian RPM Top Albums | 1 |
Personnel
- Linda Ronstadt - acoustic guitar, vocals and arrangements
- Waddy Wachtel - guitar
- Ed Black - guitar, steel guitar
- Kenny Edwards - guitar, bass
- Rick Marotta - drums
- Danny Kortchmar, Richard Bowden, Pete Wade, Al Viola - guitar
- David Lindley - fiddle
- Jim Fadden - harmonica
- Jim Gordon, Nino Tempo - saxophone
- Mac Johnson, Darrel Leonard - trumpet
- Spooner Oldham - piano
- John Boylen - electric piano
- Kenny Anderson, Mike Bowden - bass
- Micky McGee, Dennis St. John, Andrew Gold, David Kemper - drums
- Andrew Gold, John David Souther, Chris Ethridge, Waddy Wachtel, Bernie Leadon, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Russ Kunkel, Clydie King, Herb Pedersen - background vocals
- Dolly Parton - harmony vocals on "I Never Will Marry"
- Don Henley - backing vocals on "Blue Bayou"
- Don Grolnick - piano
- Mike Auldridge - Dobro on "I Never Will Marry"
References
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Simple Dreams at AllMusic
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (October 31, 1977). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice (New York). Retrieved April 29, 2013.
- ↑ Rolling Stone review
- ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 701. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
Preceded by Barry Manilow Live by Barry Manilow |
Billboard 200 number-one album December 3, 1977 - January 6, 1978 |
Succeeded by Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack) by Various artists |
Preceded by Elvis in Concert by Elvis Presley |
Top Country Albums number-one album December 17, 1977 |
Succeeded by Here You Come Again by Dolly Parton |
Preceded by Foot Loose & Fancy Free by Rod Stewart |
Australian Kent Music Report number-one album February 13 - March 19, 1978 |
Succeeded by Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack) by Various artists |
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