Search - Linda Ronstadt :: Heart Like a Wheel

Linda Ronstadt's gold standard

S. Myers | Burbank, CA USA | 07/05/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is Linda Ronstadt's breakthrough album which made her a superstar in the '70s. The choice of material,

musicians, Peter Asher's production, and Ronstadt's own amazing voice were the ingredients that made it

happen. This Mobile Fidelity gold disc release reveals the music in ways never heard on the original vinyl l.p.

or the standard CD release. More than worth the extra cost."

5 star Material, 3 star sound

Derek Jemsen | east coast Canada | 07/08/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I would agree completely with the reviewer below, this Gold Cd does not compare with the disc from the Capitol Years set, there is significant loss of high end resulting in a very muted flat sounding disc, rather like an old vinyl Lp copy."

A Classic Any Way You Look At It

J. M. Jacobs | East Helena, MT, USA | 12/08/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Oh, how I remember getting this one on vinyl my junior year of college! It was one of those special albums where you like every song the first time you hear it. I have maybe 10 or so of those rarities in my collection that I can say that about and this is one of 'em.



If you were building a Top 50 Albums of All Time for Rock or Country/Rock or maybe even Country and possibly Folk/Rock, you could easily put this little beauty in the top half of any of those groups and be alright with the rating. This one is audio dynamite; a record capturing an artist at the absolute height of her powers. Throw in a little Emmy Lou Harris and Maria Muldaur as harmony singers and you get something truly special.



Producer Peter Asher along with Andrew Gold have selected 10 almost perfect songs for Ms. Ronstadt to sing; supplied each song with the most unusual, skillful backup musicians on a varied choice of instruments; and then mixed the results in such a way that you'll be singing many of these in the shower before you've owned it a week.



After this album, Linda Ronstadt began to develop a sweetness in her voice and in her music in general. On this album, you can feel the hurt in several songs, but sweet they ain't. Here she's singing with that raw power of youth - there's a certain lustiness in her style and that feeling bleeds over to the listener in a big way.



In his review of this album for Rolling Stone, Stephen Holden said that he found Ronstadt's edge between vulnerability and willfulness "irresistably sexy."



Amen, brother."