2 The Weekender Friday, September 29, 1978
iastafflt.fc of ejipectatiomis
By MARK PEEL
Several years ago I had a friend whose passion of Linda
Ronstadt bordered on the obsessive. All of his sexual
fantasies (and there were a lot of them) centered around
what he would do if he could spend one night with her . As a
rule, these were your garden variety fantasies although he
later became a jailer, my friend was not perverted but they
all had one element in common: they were always for just "
one night.
It was I think, a fitting reflection on the image that Linda
Ronstadt projected early in her career, that of a country girl
who'd lost her innocence perhaps a bit too early in life, the
kind of girl about whom there was always a good bit of talk.
The young Linda Ronstadt had an eager body but a fragile
psyche; she was the kind who was taken advantage of easily,
and "bound to get hurt." . .
Of course, in any fantasy like this someone (usually a
traveling salesman) .always comes along and takes her
"away from all this." In this case, the traveling salesman was
producer Peter Asher. For Ronstadt, it's been the great
American dream come true ever since (with some
interesting variations, like farmer's daughter falls in love with
governor of California). -
Peter Asher (of Peter and Gordon fame) has directed
Linda Ronstadt's career since she signed with Asylum
records five years ago. In that time Ronstadt has moved
steadily away from country-rock, and toward an
unmistakable pop style. Living in the USA further refines
that style. It's tone is a bit more subdued than anything she
has done before and probably more sophisticated. The
material is the usual mixture of R & B standards that Asher is
so fond of and the ; best pf the West Coast songwriting
community which Ronstadt has, for a long time, given voice
to. .. ;;"
A singer's selection of material is always criticized when it
is bad or inappropriate, and less frequently praised when it is
good. Yet Asher and Ronstadt consistently choose tunes
which provide lyrical content of a high order of interest or
songs with a powerful emotional impact or both. Living in the
USA contains four such (exceptional) numbers (Chuck
Berry's "Back In the USA," Little Feat's VAU That You
Fecords
Living in the USA
Linda Ronstadt
Dream," Elvis Cpstello's "Alison" and Warren ZevonV
"Mohammed's Radio.")
To say that Ronstadt has a knack for choosing, material
that is well-suited to her voice does not do justice to that fine
instrument. Ronstadt's voice is one of contemporary rock's
very best. She has exceptional control over a great tonal and -dynamic
range and achieves a ; high level of expression
without affectation. Ronstadt's voice is riot just one of the.
strongest in rock, it's one of the purest. So when one reacf4
on the album jacket that she has included a song like
"Alison," there is always a great deal of curiosity about how
she's done it.
I often have this sense ,of being unable to imagine Linda
Ronstadt doing a certain tune (there are usually two or three
on every album). And yet, when I finally do hear them, I'm
always a bit disappointed at her inability to surprise me. It's
like knowingly walking into an ambush. This ex post facto
predictability somewhat dilutes the effect of Ronstadt's
music, and Asher is responsible to a great degree.
The arrangements on Living in the USA are clean,
precisely executed and somewhat stilted. Russ Kunkel is the
worst offender: he's unquestionably the. least rhythmically
imaginative drummer I know of still managing to find regular
work.. He's adequate on the slower tunes, but instead of
propelling the more upbeat numbers, he seems to ride,
tentatively, along the tops of them. But the rest of the band,
while competent, ; provides a stiff, too-restrained
accompaniment. Two or three sustained chords substitute
for guitar fills, and there's not much verve in the rhythm
section. Only David Sanborn contributes positively to the
arrangements.
I suppose it could be argued that their approach shifts
attention to the vocalist by downplaying the surrongingmix.
But I think the opposite is true, especially for a singer like
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M&stoi.' v . r. . r j ii i iiil;, M ,i a m
Living in the USA'
Ronstadt,-who can sing over any arrangement. If anything,
the dull surroundings take some of the edge off her voice.
Somehow, one can't help but feel the compromise
engineered into an album like this. If Peter Asher has one
operative word, it is moderation. Not too loud, not too fast,
not too sad, not too anything. To bridle a voice like
Ronstadt in such a narrow context is not only dull, it's
wasteful. Let someone like Rita Collidge, who can't sing, do
songs that don't need a singer. ' -
Living in the USA is a good album because Linda Ronstadt
is a great singer. But great singers should make great
albums. Perhaps one day Ronstadt's direction will be a
match for her voice and material. Until then, I am going to
. . i it i i i tt tt ii
continue to oe vaguely disappointed oy ner gooo'aioums.
Mark Peel is music critic for the Daily Tar Heel.
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