
Linda Ronstadt "Heart Like A Wheel" 180gm Audiophile LP
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$74.99
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Format: Numbered limited edition reissue, remastered 180gm LP, gatefold cover
Label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Released: 2018
Country: U.S.
Original Master Recording – GAIN 2™ Ultra Analog LP 180g Series
How to put the ageless appeal, artistic splendour, and imaginative instrumental variety of Linda Ronstadt's Heart Like a Wheel in proper perspective more than four decades after it's original release? For starters, the 1974 landmark earned three major Grammy nominations and won for Best Country Vocal Performance - Female. But that feat pales in comparison to what the record did for Ronstadt, who became the decade's most in-demand, multifaceted, and cherished female singer soon after it captured the public's attention. Or the fact that it remains a paragon of song writing, arrangement, and performance - a trifecta that still holds sway in this era or any. Yet the advantages of this numbered-edition audiophile version extend far beyond the intimacy afforded Ronstadt's singing. Specifically, the majesty of Peter Asher's crafty arrangements now come to life like never before.
Free of the fatiguing high frequencies and flat, dull responsiveness inherent on previous remasters and the original Capitol issue, respectively, this SACD reissue sets the sonic standard and let's the extraordinary instrumental blends blossom with openness, airiness, and organic textures. While Ronstadt's interpretive skills and stunning vocals remain front and centre, the all-star cast of California-based musicians that helped transform Heart Like a Wheel into a 1970s mainstream pop-rock staple - and a lasting example of the period's laid-back West Coast sound - cannot be forgotten.
Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Emmylou Harris, Maria Muldaur, Herb Pedersen, David Lindley, J.D. Souther, and Andrew Gold are just a few of the luminaries that ensure the Billboard chart-topping set rests on an unassailable foundation. Asher puts everything in the right place and, in concert with the headliner, chooses a repertoire of standards that both shakes up traditions and pays homage to them. The other secrets to the record's distinctiveness lie with Ronstadt's versatility and passion, her uncanny ability to inhabit every lyric with conviction and believability, and her graceful technique.
Tracklisting
- You're No Good
- It Doesn't Matter Anymore
- Faithless Love
- Dark End Of The Street
- Heart Like A Wheel
- When Will I Be Loved
- Willing
- I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)
- Keep Me From Blowing Away
- You Can Close Your Eyes