Karla Bonoff “Karla Bonoff’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#938 in the Series) is the eponymous debut from Karla Bonoff Karla Bonoff is almost the female version of J.D. Souther. Like J.D., she was a denizen of Laurel Canyon and hung with the likes of Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Warren Zevon, Jackson Browne, and the rest of the cosmic cowboys. The two also shared the unique gift of song-craft that perfectly suited the times and the country-rock vibe that was permeating the L.A. scene in the early to mid-seventies. Also like Souther, Karla made a name for herself with her songs that were recorded by other artists most notably “Home” that was recorded by Bonnie Raitt, as well as “Someone To...
Warren Zevon ‘Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#895 in the Series) is Warren Zevon, Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School In what can be considered a what came first, the chicken or the egg, sort of symbiotic of relationship, we will never know if Earnest Hemingway could have written The Old Man and the Sea if he was clean and sober, and wasn’t wrestling with more demons than Anton LeVay. Fortunately, in the case of Warren Zevon, we have the exact answer. You can go home again, and second chances to make a great first impression are sometimes given, which is exactly what happened with the release of Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School in 1980. Following the somewhat...
Linda Ronstadt Suffering From Parkinson’s Disease
This has been known in some industry circles for sometime. Now Ms. Ronstadt has gone public via a piece in AARP From AARP Blog Legendary singer Linda Ronstadt, 67, told AARP today that she “can’t sing a note” because she suffers from Parkinson’s disease. Diagnosed eight months ago, Ronstadt began to show symptoms as long as eight years ago. But she ascribed her inability to sing to a tick bite (“my health has never recovered since then”), and believed the shaking in her hands resulted from shoulder surgery. In a wide-ranging interview with AARP’s music writer Alanna Nash to be published on aarp.org next week, Ronstadt revealed how she discovered that “there was something wrong” with her voice. “I couldn’t sing,” she...
Neil Young ‘American Stars and Bars’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Saddle Up The Palomino” by Neil Young American Stars And Bars was one of Neil Young’s most patchy albums, but that’s not because the material on the record is lacking. Quite the contrary, the songs are pretty much top notch throughout this “Whitman Sampler” of styles and sounds. However, the record does seem to get unfairly knocked for several reasons… For one, the record was recorded in several sessions between 1974 and 1977 with different lineups. This approach to recording doesn’t lend itself to a consistent listening experience. The entirety of the first side was recorded in April of 1977 with Crazy Horse and The Bullets (Frank Sampedro, Billy Talbot,...
Linda Ronstadt with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra “What’s New”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#647 in the Series) is Linda Ronstadt with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, What’s New Linda Ronstadt with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra’s What’s New was a very big deal when it was released in 1983. My guess here is that it was much bigger of a deal than you may remember. Why so you ask? It wasn’t a big deal so much that it was a Linda Ronstadt album, nor was it a big deal because it included the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. What made it a big deal was that it was one of the first times that a genuine rock and roll star tackled the “Great American Songbook.” I’m sure there are...
Documentary: “LA, From The Byrds to the Eagles” …… “The Corporatization of Rock and the Death of a Dream”
I had a chance to see this on DVD awhile back. I can’t even remember how I got a copy of it; I don’t believe it was ever released here in the States. I’m not sure if it was ever televised here either. Maybe BBC American ran it, I don’t know, they produced it. The official title is Hotel California, L.A. From The Byrds to The Eagles. If you’re a fan of the Los Angeles music scene from say…. ’66 thru about ’75, then this is a must watch for you. It looks at the careers of The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons, Linda Ronstadt, The Buffalo Springfield, CSNY, Poco, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, David Geffen and...
David Bromberg readies New Album with Help from Levon Helm, John Hiatt, Linda Ronstadt and others.
David Bromberg’s new Use Me tickles the ear with a spicy smorgasbord of the many musical ingredients that make up the “Americana” genre. David’s concept for the CD was to ask a wide variety of singer-songwriters and musicians to write (or choose), produce, and perform on songs showcasing his versatility as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Answering his call were some of the greatest talents in contemporary music: Dr. John, spreading New Orleans “fonk”; Los Lobos (with a Mexican-flavored waltz); country music’s Vince Gill and bluegrass’s Tim O’Brien; Linda Ronstadt, making a rare appearance (on a Brook Benton ballad); Levon Helm (playing on two chunks of Woodstock blues and goodtime music), Southern jam band Widespread Panic, contemporary roots singer-songwriter John...
Andrew Gold, ‘Lonely Boy’ Singer and Linda Ronstadt Collaborator, Dead at 59
Singer-songwriter Andrew Gold, the writer of the 1977 hit ‘Lonely Boy’ and a frequent collaborator of Linda Ronstadt’s, died in his sleep at his Encino, Calif., home on June 3, the Los Angeles Times reports. The 59-year-old had been battling cancer. Gold seemed destined to find a career in music, thanks to the accomplishments of his family. His mother, Marni Nixon, sang for Natalie Wood in ‘West Side Story’ and for Audrey Hepburn in ‘My Fair Lady,’ while his father, Ernest Gold, won an Oscar for his score of the 1960 film ‘Exodus.’ Taking up multiple instruments on Ronstadt’s ‘Heart Like a Wheel, ‘Prisoner in Disguise’ and ‘Hasten Down the Wheel,’ Gold added a charm and robustness to the...
Linda Ronstadt “Heart Like a Wheel”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#393 in the Series) is Linda Ronstadt, Heart Like A Wheel Laurel Canyon is a stretch of Los Angeles wonderland that runs through the Hollywood Hills from the Sunset Strip to the San Fernando Valley. That curving, stretching, boulevard of hipness and “California Noir” is where Carole King escaped to create her “Tapestry” masterpiece. It was in Laurel Canyon, while living on Lookout Mountain with Joni Mitchell, that Graham Nash wrote “Our House”. Leading the “Soft Parade” of Laurel Canyon artists, musicians, singers, and songwriters that included Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Warren Zevon, The Mamas and the Papas, the various incarnations of The Flying Burrito Brothers including Gram Parsons, most of The Eagles,...
Paul Simon “Graceland”
Today’s Cool Album oF the Day (#329 in the Series, and #5 in the Whale Wednesday Series) is Paul Simon, Graceland. I think by now this album has suffered from, what I call, “title fatigue.” Your first reaction might be, meh. I want you to think back to 1986 when this was just released. Think about how different sounding it was. This album was quite the departure for Paul Simon. He brought in Joseph Shamabala and guitarist Ray Phiri plus Ladysmith Black Mambazo to completely change his sound. His use of African rhythms and harmonies were such a surprise. And it worked! To the tune of Grammy Award for Album and Record of the year it worked! There was...
