The one album Linda Ronstadt gave up trying to make
When it comes to the music industry, Linda Ronstadt was never one to back out of a challenge.
Anything that came her way might not have been easy, but she was more than willing to take a chance if she thought she could add her signature voice to whatever genre she was working in. But as much as she loved the idea of making any of her dreams come to life, sometimes the best ideas are the ones that have to remain dreams.
That’s not to say that Ronstadt didn’t have what it took to work in any particular genre. Anyone with that kind of vocal range could pretty much do whatever they wanted, and while there were more than a few left turns in Ronstadt’s career, she proved to handle every single one of them with grace from the moment she ditched rock and roll to get up on the Broadway stage for her performance in Pirates of Penzance.
And since that worked out so well, Ronstadt was convinced that she didn’t have to cater to what the masses wanted. She could do her own thing, no matter what genre she was working in, and when she teamed up with Nelson Riddle to work on What’s New or took a complete left turn into making Mexican music, all of it seemed to make sense as long as her voice was front and centre. If we’re being realistic, though, she started in country, and she was always going to find her way back to country music now and again.
After all, her favourite writers had always been close to country-rock like JD Souther, and when she got the opportunity to sing with Emmylou Harris, it was a dream come true for her. Harris was her dream duet partner in many respects, and while their voices complemented each other perfectly, getting Dolly Parton in the mix to make the Trio album was the kind of supergroup that nobody really realised they needed in their lives.
As opposed to all the Traveling Wilburys getting together for a jam session, every one of the songs on their first record seemed meticulously crafted to suit their voices. Parton is her usual perfect self throughout most of the record, but hearing all of their harmonies overlap is like listening to a female Crosby, Stills, and Nash, only this time with a whole lot more range than the original band.
Since the public couldn’t get enough of it, the stage seemed to already be set for another album, but after one too many times trying to get everyone’s schedule worked out, Ronstadt had to throw up her hands and walk away, saying, “The Trio record became so difficult, schedule-wise, that we all gave up. But Emmy and I did quite a lot of singing together. We had a great time! See, Emmy and I started out with this idea to do a record together, where we would use some guest artists. And we sort of progressed down that road, but it never got to where everybody would agree on a release date.”
While all signs point to Parton being the one having trouble finding the time, it’s not like the follow-up in 1999 had the same magic, ultimately functioning as the kind of album that all of them shared in name only. But even though they all figured they’d have time, Ronstadt’s struggles with Parkinson’s practically ensured that they would never get another version of a Trio album ever again.
That might leave some fans disappointed, but this isn’t the kind of group that gets together every single day. Most people would be happy to have had anything from this group of musicians, and while it’s hard to think that any chance of them working is gone forever, it’s better to smile knowing that they at least struck on that magic at one time.
