Linda Ronstadt
Live In Hollywood
Rhino Records
Welcome back to the shag-carpeted, lava-lit, 8-track-injected 1970s. From earnest up-and-comers, including Maria, Bonnie, and Karla to such acknowledged chart-busters as Carole, Carly, and Joni, this was the era when women finally emerged as an undeniable formidable force in rock music — not just as singers, but also as songwriters, performers, and producers. And while she certainly had her fair share of contemporaries, in terms of female rock artists, Linda Ronstadt OWNED the decade, outright.
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DATELINE: APRIL 1980 / TELEVISION CENTER STUDIOS / HOLLYWOOD, CA. Linda Ronstadt is one of the biggest rock stars on the planet. While on tour promoting her seventh consecutive platinum-selling album, Mad Love, she tapes a live concert special for the budding television network, HBO. Since the late ’60s, Ronstadt’s career has soared into the stratosphere as she’s transitioned successfully from folk-rock to country-rock to pop-rock to (now) alt-rock. And she will soon be heading in more niche musical directions. Ronstadt will remain a major recording artist for decades to come; however, in the spring of 1980, the 33-year-old singer is at the white-hot apex of her international superstardom.
Flash forward nearly 40 years. Rhino Records discovered the “lost” audio tapes from Ronstadt’s 1980 HBO appearance and released the 12-track Live In Hollywood record in 2019. In October 2024, Rhino has released an expanded version of Live In Hollywood. For the first time, fans can consume the complete 20-song performance as a deluxe digital album that offers audio mastered specifically for streaming services.
Live In Hollywood was recorded during a particular time when live musicians did the most peculiar thing: they actually played, live. No backing tracks. No laptop programs. Not even inner ear monitors — floor wedges and side fills only. As a result, the record burns with all the fire, fury, and (many of the) hits that made Ronstadt one of the last great rock icons, before artistry surrendered to branding.
The track list is expansive, to be sure. It is missing a few of Ronstadt’s signature doozies, but that’s hardly a deal breaker. I’m merely asserting that swapping out a fistful of certain tunes in exchange for “Long, Long Time,” “When Will I Be Loved,” “Heart Like a Wheel,” “Love is a Rose,” “Tracks of My Tears,” “That’ll Be the Day,” “Someone to Lay Down Beside Me,” and “Tumbling Dice” would have helped me achieve an even greater level of personal “chubbiness.” That said, I do understand that this was the Mad Love tour, hence, the track list is obviously gonna reflect more Elvis Costello writing credits and fewer (actually, none) from Karla Bonoff. Again, not a deal breaker, just sayin’. In short, like a delicious Snickers bar, Live In Hollywood “satisfies.”
While the set visits many of Ronstadt’s more laid-back pop and country fan faves, the rock-ribbed performances from legendary session guitarists Danny Kortchmar and Kenny Edwards keep the record crunchy, especially on such high-octane numbers as “I Can’t Let Go,” “It’s So Easy,” and “Mad Love.”
Live In Hollywood boasts a bounty of heart-stopping highlights. Ronstadt’s beautiful bilingual rendition of the Roy Orbison classic, “Blue Bayou,” makes an open-and-closed case for why she was the best in the biz. And if the JD Souther-penned “Faithless Love” doesn’t absolutely melt your soul, you might oughta seek out a specialist to make sure you’ve even got one.
Driven by Dan Dugmore’s authentic pedal steel work and accelerated by Edwards and Wendy Waldman’s alluring backing vocals, “Silver Threads and Golden Needles” is a bona fide blister-raising treat. Punched up by the throaty bass chug of the great Bob Glaub, the extended six-minute version of “You’re No Good” is another super-tall standout.
Accompanied solely by the delicate piano work of Little Feat keyboardist Billy Payne, Ronstadt brings the otherwise energized concert to a poignant conclusion with a heartfelt rendition of the Don Henley / Glenn Frey standard, “Desperado.”
To truly recognize and appreciate the full magnitude of her massive talent and enormous success, you really had to have experienced “Ronstadt Mania” in real-time. Fortunately, for those who weren’t around, Linda Ronstadt’s amazing legacy is well documented. The 2019 film The Sound of My Voice goes the distance in telling her compelling personal and professional story. Additionally, the impeccable catalog she created remains an easily accessible, beautifully blameless body of work. And for die-hards and newbies alike, Live in Hollywood is a must-hear treasure.
Linda Ronstadt Live in Hollywood Track Listing
- I Can’t Let Go (Taylor, Gorgoni) 3:18
- Party Girl (Costello) 4:03
- It’s So Easy (Holly, Petty) 2:59
- Willin’ (George) 3:52
- I Can’t Help It If I’m Still in Love with You (Williams) 3:16
- Just One Look (Carroll, Payne) 3:22
- Look Out for My Love (Young) 4:02
- Mad Love (Goldenberg) 3:48
- Cost of Love (Goldenberg) 2:57
- Blue Bayou (Orbison, Melson) 4:48
- Lies (Randell, Charles) 3:04
- Faithless Love (Souther) 4:11
- Hurt So Bad (Randazzo, Weinstein, Hart) 3:30
- Silver Threads and Golden Needles (Reynolds, Rhodes) 2:49
- Band Introductions 2:10
- Poor Poor Pitiful Me (Zevon) 4:08
- You’re No Good (Ballard) 6:18
- How Do I Make You (Steinberg) 2:52
- Back in the U.S.A. (Berry) 3:06
- Heat Wave (Dozier, Holland, Holland) 2:57
- Desperado (Henley, Frey) 4:08