"The New Linda Ronstadt Documentary Proves Just How Underrated She Is"

I found the doc to be a moving portrait. And unlike so many of these kinds of bios it really focussed on the music and the voice. This alone should be lauded.

And great stuff from Ry, Emmylou, Dolly, Jackson Browne, among others.

 

Like Elvis.

 

AND, like Sinatra, she FOUND what she wanted to sing...
That's commendable.

 

So?

 

While I think the film had its faults, it did make a point of "educating" the audience regarding 'You're No Good', discussing Ronstadt's familiarity with and fondness for the record from the early '60s, including showing either Warwick's (or Betty Everett's) 45.

 

This

 

This too

 

Yup, not only is she one of the top 20 most hot women ever, her voice could be so soft, and perfect, then suddenly, a rip roaring outburst of gutsy bluesy, wickedness!still with perfect tone and timbre!

Not like these faux singers these days with electronics helping their voice match the music tone, auto tone, ...
??

She is gifted.

She sounds amazing on my speakers.

 

I agree. Kinda hard to criticize something she doesn't do. Ella Fitzgerald didn't write songs. Does anybody mention this? So why bring it up with Linda? Jeff Beck mostly covers material not his own. Who cares? He's the baddest Rock guitarist in history.

 

One thing I particularly enjoyed: in this age when everyone is spilling their guts on social media and endless numbers of interviews, I found it refreshing that there's still so much more to learn about the personality and inner workings of someone like Ronstadt.

She was a huge star, but she kept more or less to herself and let the music talk. And when you do get to know her, she's humble, thoughtful and really down to earth.

Just a real person with a gift and a serious work ethic. My admiration for her has grown significantly.

 

Just watched it recorded from CNN and liked it a lot. Can anyone with the Blu Ray comment on any “bonus features”?

 

I thought Andrew Gold was mentioned a few times but not nearly enough. I'd have loved more about The Troubadour and other clubs that were highlighted where the early connections between these young musicians were made. I guess that's another doc waiting to be made. It was light and fast but I enjoyed it...B+. Even though I don't care for the Mexican music or Opera or the Aaron Neville connection, it gave me a good look into an artist who just loved to sing and was fearless when following her goals and dreams. Dolly and Emylou really gave her great props as a singer and friend. I liked Dolly's input about The Trio and how Linda was a task master about getting those harmonies right.

 

I watched it last night on CNN and enjoyed it quite a bit. She had a great voice, and as others have noted, a gift for selecting material that worked for her voice.

I, too, was hoping for more information about the musicians with whom she worked during the ‘70’s. I would have enjoyed full performances as well. I thought perhaps the blu ray might be more comprehensive; however, its running time would seem that such is not the case. Can anyone confirm this?

 

Indeed, but most of the songs Elvis covered weren’t yet mainstream hits when he covered them, particularly his 50s and 60s work. However, they were already mainstream hits when Linda recorded them.

 

I'm not so sure about the mainstream hits part when Linda recorded them.

 

You didn't write for Creem magazine back in the '70s, did you? I remember them tearing her apart for her cover songs.

 

No one comes close to Ronstadt in POP/Rock. INO

 

He was shown onstage and in the studio multiple times.

I've watched the documentary twice and failed to hear a single mention of his name (especially not in the "You're No Good" segment).

 

The only extras are interviews.
It's a shame.

Some protracted performance footage you'd think would be a given. I just don't get it when this sh#t happens -- tone deafness to the wishes of the audience that will most likely purchase something as this. So strange...

 

It’s not a concert video.

 

Are they extended interviews with the people interviewed in the doc?

 

I noticed that. Does that preclude having some additional clips in the bonus material that are longer than 40 seconds or so?

 

I believe so -- but haven't watched that portion, as of yet. So don't quote me...

 

I neglected to mention the Theatrical Trailer in the bonus features. Don't want to upset anybody...

 

Absolutely not so.

From his first appearance on the Billboard Top 40 charts in 1955, I count 22 Elvis songs that reached the Top 10 through 1960.

Of these, I count exactly four songs that were first recorded by others. And one of those dates from the 1920s, so it wasn't exactly fresh in contemporary listeners' minds.

There would be roughly similar ratios for Elvis's Top 10 hits of the 60s and 70s.

Your example is in no way comparable to the situation with Linda Ronstadt.