Urban Cowboy (soundtrack) (35th anniversary)

This month marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of the release of the soundtrack from Urban Cowboy. The album spent forty-seven weeks on the US Billboard Album chart, including two weeks at its peak position of number 3. The film would open on June 6th of 1980.

For my complete lowdown on this country-rock hoedown, click here.

Linda Ronstadt - Mad Love

This month marks the thirty fifth anniversary of Mad Love, the tenth studio album from Linda Ronstadt. With this record, she was well into her second decade as a recording artist. This 1980 release hit number 65 in the UK, number 37 in the Netherlands, number 22 in New Zealand, number 12 in Japan, number 11 in Canada and number 6 in Australia. Here in the US, it debuted at number 5 on the Billboard Album chart, peaking at number 3, and spending a total of thirty-six weeks on the chart. It was also nominated for a Grammy award the following year.

Linda Ronstadt - Lush Life

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of Lush Life, the thirteenth studio album from Linda Ronstadt. It was also the second in a trilogy of jazz albums she did with bandleader and arranger Nelson Riddle. This multi-Platinum album spent twenty-six weeks on the US Billboard Album chart, peaking at number 13. It also went to number 100 in the UK, number 38 in New Zealand, number 35 in Canada, number 32 in Australia, and number 8 on the US Billboard Jazz chart.

Linda Ronstadt - Living in the USA

This month marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of Living in the USA, the ninth studio album from Linda Ronstadt. This 1978 release went to number 39 in the UK, number 23 in Japan, number 19 in the Netherlands, number 9 in Canada, number 3 in Australia and New Zealand, and number 1 on the US Billboard Album chart.

Linda Ronstadt - What's New

Today (September 6th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of What’s New, the twelfth studio album from Linda Ronstadt. For this outing, she decided to change things up a bit and go for a collection of standards sung in a torch style.

Teaming up with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra for backing, the album scored big (becoming a multi-Platinum seller and spending eight-one weeks on the US Billboard Album chart). It charted at number 31 in the UK, number 29 in Japan, number 21 in New Zealand, number 18 in Canada, number 11 in Australia, number 3 on the US Billboard Album chart and number 2 on the US Billboard Jazz chart. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance Female.

FM (soundtrack)

Welcome to another edition of Soundtrack Sunday.

In April of 1978, Universal Pictures released a film about radio station QSKY, where corporate management enacts an advertising push that the station manager and on-air personalities do not buy in on. The protest quickly escalates when the deejays use the airwaves to stir up the listeners to join in the conflict. The cast of the film included Michael Brandon, Eileen Brennan, Alex Karras, Cleavon Little and Cassie Yates.

While many might not remember the film FM itself, they would certainly be familiar with the songs that appear on the accompanying two-disk soundtrack album. The tracks read like a who’s who of artists that were appearing on album-oriented rock stations at the time. This soundtrack album peaked in the top five of the US Billboard Hot 200, was certified Platinum by the summer of 1978, and won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

Randy Newman - Trouble In Paradise

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Trouble in Paradise, the seventh studio album from singer-songwriter Randy Newman. It climbed to number 64 on the US Billboard Hot 200 chart. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it at number 67 on its list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 80's.

Newman had a number of guest performers on the record. Appearing on vocals are Lindsey Buckingham, Don Henley, Rickie Lee Jones, Christine McVie, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Seger, Wendy Waldman and Jennifer Warnes. On the music side, the record also featured Steve Lukather and Jeff Porcaro of Toto, Waddy Wachtel and many more.

Linda Ronstadt - Get Closer

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of Get Closer, the eleventh studio album from singer-songwriter Linda Ronstadt. This September of 1982 release went to number 48 in Canada, number 29 in Japan and number 26 in Australia. In the US, the album hit number 31 on the Billboard Hot 200 and number 19 on the Billboard Country charts, achieving a Gold sales certification.

Urban Cowboy (soundtrack)

Welcome to another Soundtrack Sunday.

After taking a spin in the disco and a nostalgic trip to the 50's, John Travolta donned a Stetson hat, a big belt and leather boots for 1980's Urban Cowboy. As Bud, he worked at an oil refinery by day and spent his nights at Gilley's honky-tonk. There he danced and fell in love with a cowgirl named Sissy (played by Debra Winger). There were bar fights and some mechanical bull riding too. Oh, and some amazing music which was released on a double-disk soundtrack record.

Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt - Trio

In the 70’s, this threesome of musical talents made an attempt to record an album together, but the stars just wouldn’t align properly. However, in 1987, things fell into place and yielded the best selling and award winning Trio. It spent five weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Country charts and went to number 6 on the regular Billboard 200.

Linda Ronstadt - Simple Dreams

Welcome back for another edition of “Seventies Saturday”.

In 1977, country-rock singer Linda Ronstadt released her eighth studio album Simple Dreams. This record is one of the most successful releases of her career; it spent five consecutive weeks at the number 1 spot on the Billboard Album charts and it even knocked Elvis Presley off the number 1 spot on the Billboard Country charts. It was also her fifth consecutive million-selling Platinum album, selling over 3.5 million copies in less than a year in the US alone in 1977. To say it was a popular record would be a huge understatement.