Recorded for a television special and promptlyforgotten, the audio from Linda Ronstadt’s 1980 show before a small studioaudience captures the singer at the tail end of her pop career.
Recently rediscovered, the recordings have beenreleased as Live in Hollywood.
Ronstadt was promoting her new wave-influenced MadLove with a band that featured guitarists Kenny Edwards and DannyKortchmar, drummer Russ Kunkel, bassist Bob Glaub, keyboardist Billy Payne(Little Feat), pedal steeler Dan Dugmore and backing vocalists Wendy Waldmanand Peter Asher.
Consisting of Ronstadt’s hand-picked selections fromthe concert, Live in Hollywood represents her first livealbum, although three of the 12 tracks - Buddy Holly’s “It’s So Easy,” RoyOrbison’s “Blue Bayou” and Warren Zevon’s “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” - appeared asbonus material on the 2017 Simple Dreams reissue.
The resulting LP is a mix of greatest hits like“Desperado,” still a joy in Ronstadt’s voice, and “You’re No Good,” hampered bya pointless, band-showcasing jam of slap bass and extra vocals; the singer’sfavorites like Feat’s “Willin’” and J.D. Souther’s sappy “Faithless Love;” andthen-new rockers such as “How Do I Make You” and “Hurt So Bad.”
Recorded in less-than-ideal circumstances at aless-than-ideal time in pop music - too much cowbell; too little subtlety- Live in Hollywood is nevertheless a long-overdue in-concertdocument from Ronstadt, arguably rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest female vocalist. Andthough she is in fantastic form throughout, the album’s flaws makes thelistener pine for a full-concert recording from a few years earlier.
