Comments on: Linda Ronstadt, Prisoner in Disguise (Original Master Recording)

By: Paul W Dennis

Paul W Dennis — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:33:12 +0000

Well said Erik

To this day my favorite Linda Ronstadt recordings are the ones she did with Nelson Riddle. Those songs and arrangements require a very good vocalist to pull off, and few would be able to do so, certainly not the Taylor Swifts, Miranda Lamberts and Faith Hills of this world

By: Erik North

Erik North — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 03:20:21 +0000

Linda has always had her way of doing things, of course, which is one reason why so many female country artists of today respect her, even though she has never considered herself a country performer, not in the Music Row sense anyway. And as those albums of the 1970s show, Linda can never be accused of not putting herself out there in service of the song, especially in concert where her shyness is quite well-documented. She just goes out there and does it, without any of the gimmickry, the lasers, or smoke bombs; and that is at the heart of what makes her so significant to so many of her peers.

By: Paul W Dennis

Paul W Dennis — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 03:17:46 +0000

Yoou’re right Kevin – I’ve always associated Blue Bayou with Prisoner in Disguise, because my copy was a European issue of two of her albums in a gatefold. I always tried to get European pressings where possible because they were on better quality vinyl and better mastered.

I have a bunch of German RCA pressings of American country artists(Charley Pride, Jim Ed Brown, Jim Reeves, etc) and they are of unfailingly better quality than their US counterparts, particularly during the “dynaflex” era

By: Kevin J. Coyne

Kevin J. Coyne — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:22:13 +0000

I’m sure Orbison was quite appreciative of Ronstadt’s version, as he was co-writer of the song and she brought in a ton of royalty money for him!

I should specify though, for readers unaware of Ronstadt’s catalog, that “Blue Bayou” isn’t on Prisoner in Disguise. I mentioned it in the review because it’s representative of the late seventies work that influenced Martina McBride and Carrie Underwood. The earlier era that included Prisoner was more influential on Loveless, Yearwood, Tillis, etc.

By: Partridge

Partridge — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:11:30 +0000

“Blue Bayou” was not murdered. It was rescued from oblivion. If I had ever heard the original, it made no impression on me, and radio never played it. Nowadays, you can hear Orbison’s original version, which was a commercial flop, on oldies radio. That would never have happened if not for Ronstadt bringing the song back into our consciousness. No wonder Roy proclaimed Linda’s “Blue Bayou” his favorite cover version of any of his songs.

This remastered Prisoner in Disguise does sound fantastic. It’s an album I rarely listened to until this reissue. But I would instead consider “Heart Like a Wheel” to be the prototype for the modern female country artist.

By: Erik North

Erik North — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:40:34 +0000

No, Elektra really hasn’t done a very good job of remastering Linda’s classic albums from the 70s, like PRISONER IN DISGUISE; and given the fact that she was their most successful solo act the entire twenty-eight years she was there, to call this a travesty would be understating the matter. It would seem now, though, that they have “come to their senses” (to borrow a phrase from “Desperado”).

It is also important to point out (again) that Linda’s crossover appeal, with this album and all the other studio albums she released between 1973 and 1978, was not a mere marketing ploy. She felt that mixing the traditional spirit of country with the street-smart rock of Los Angeles was an artistically viable thing to do, and it paid off wildly for her. PRISONER IN DISGUISE hit #4 on the overall Billboard Top 200 album chart, and #2 on Billboard’s Country Album Chart, really proves this (IMHO).

Another track on PRISONER IN DISGUISE worth noting is her version of Little Feat’s “Roll Um Easy”, where Linda shows just how much the blues have influenced her. She shows a kind of spunk and durability, not to mention a husky and sometimes snarling approach that is almost scary, that should make every female artist of today, particularly in the country field, take notice.

By: Paul W Dennis

Paul W Dennis — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 02:15:46 +0000

I’ve always liked this album although I regarded it as a wildly inconsistant. I always felt she owed Orbison an apology for the way she murdered “Blue Bayou” and there were one or two other songs that I don’t feel quite came off. I am looking forward to hearing the remastered version, because, as you noted, the sound on the original CD was poor; in fact, quite inferior to the original vinyl release