Hasten Down the Wind

She was often called ‘the queen of pop,’ but anyone who considers themselves a fan might feel that ‘the sweetheart of Southern California’ fits her better. Alongside the Eagles, originally assembled as her backing band, and Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt rode the wave of California's country-rock singer-songwriters and became one of the leading artists who would shape the mainstream of American rock in the 1970s. Her direct singing had an utterly natural quality. There was a time when the winds of the era blew so agreeably through it that she seemed dazzling.

Most of Linda's 1970s albums could be called major works. You're No Good (1974) was a masterpiece that brought the country-rock era together, while Simple Dreams (1977) was her biggest hit. This 1976 album sits between those two. Its impression is rather understated, yet it moved beyond her previous country-rock mode to establish a modern West Coast pop style. It is an important turning point both for the Southern California sound and for her career.

Alongside producer Peter Asher, Andrew Gold was crucial to that sound: he played guitar, keyboards and various other instruments and acted as musical director. With Gold, Kenny Edwards, Dan Dugmore, Michael Botts and Waddy Wachtel among the core of her regular band, the recordings have the appeal of arrangements resembling a live performance.

Three songs came from the then-undebuted Karla Bonoff, including the opening ‘Lose Again.’ Warren Zevon's masterly ballad became the title track, with Don Henley adding harmony vocals, while a brisk cover of Buddy Holly's ‘That'll Be the Day’ offered another direction. As the California sound entered its mature period, this album put forward several of its defining forms.