Track Listing

1. Loving the Highway Man
2. Raise the Dead
3. For a Dancer
4. Western Wall
5. 1917
6. He Was Mine
7. Sweet Spot
8. Sisters of Mercy
9. Falling Down
10. Valerie
11. This Is to Mother You
12. All I Left Behind
13. Across the Border

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13337 in Music
• Released on: 1999-08-24
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Emmylou Harris once said of her four-shows-a-night salad days that she refused to sing anything on the hit parade, opting only for "bizarre, left-field songs" that "made it hard to make a living." Decades later, Harris still spends a lot of time in left field, and it's those offbeat, haunting gems--more than the classics here from Leonard Cohen or Jackson Browne--that make Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions, her duet album with Linda Ronstadt, so memorable. That, and her exquisitely pained soprano--reminiscent of "cracked crystal," as Linda puts it--nestled up against Ronstadt's thicker, corduroy harmonies. With arrangements that meet somewhere between Harris's Wrecking Ball and Ronstadt's Hasten Down the Wind, the two explore a mood of morose dreaminess, but profound beauty. Ghosts gather here, to the sounds of rattling bones--in songs of abandoned love, of musical giants now gone silent, and of World War I soldiers, who parade from the arms of prostitutes to the arms of death. Left field, dotted with the wreckage of heartache and regret, never sounded better. --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews

Musical excellence from two of the best
As a huge fan of Emmylous Harris and a frequent admirer of Linda Rondstadt, I snatched this disc up immediately. While I enjoyed their work with Dolly Parton on the "Trio" efforts--Parton still can, quite frankly, sing both these women into the ground, at least when she's not laying the sentimentality and schmaltz on too thick--I enjoy this album even more. That has to do both with the sublime song selection and with the gorgous arrangements--even tired old warhorses like "For a Dancer" and "Sisters of Mercy" sound fresh here, thanks, in part, to Glyn Johns' shimmering production. As always, Harris is a paragon of taste, brandishing her slightly cracked soprano with a grace that is breathtaking. Rondstadt, whose voice has deepened through the years, occassionally slips into thoughtless belting (always her downfall) but, for the most part, offers glorious tones that meld with Harris' to ravishing effect. Her version of Sinead O'Connor's "This is to Mother You" is absolutely lovely, one of the many highlights here. With backup from Neil Young and the McGarrigle sisters, and additional songs from Bruce Springsteen, Patty Griffin, Patti Sciafla, and Roseanne Cash, this is that rare album: tasteful, exciting, heartfelt and lavish all at once. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!!
Being a longtime Linda Ronstadt fan, as well as a very devoted Emmylou Harris fan, I anxiously awaited this CD from the time I heard it was being done. When I heard of all the wonderful songwriters contributing to the CD, I was even more excited. Now, after four listens, I am ready to make a few comments but let me first say, I love the CD. The choice of songs is interesting and intelligent and I don't care if there's not a top-40 song on it. I like it and would guess other like-minded people will enjoy it as well. Unlike the recent Trio II CD where my favorite cuts were where Emmylou sang lead, there are several cuts where she sings harmony that I like just as well. Probably my favorite cut is RAISE THE DEAD where Emmylou's vocals are particularly strong. FOR A DANCER (written by Jackson Browne) is fabulous. I'm so glad to hear Linda's voice hasn't diminished in all these years and am also glad to see them recording a song of her old buddy Browne.

LOVING THE HIGHWAY MAN, the first cut on the CD, isn't my favorite but perhaps just because I have to turn down the volume about 20 second into the song! It was interesting to note Emmylou's ex-husband, Paul Kennerley on back-up vocals. And note he actually wrote HE WAS MINE, another great cut with lead vocals by Linda.

The title track, WESTERN WALL, a composition by the talented Rosanne Cash is very nicely done with Linda and Emmylou alternating on lead vocals.

1917 is an interesting song by a songwriter I'm not very familiar with, Paul Olney. I note he has also penned other songs covered by Emmylou and this is an interesting arrangement with a Spanish flair, even though the lyrics allude to a French theme. I would be interested in knowing the background of this hauntingly beautiful song.

SWEET SPOT initially was my least favorite cut off the CD, but even that's growing on me the more I listen. FALLING DOWN is another one I don't care much for -- more the arrangement and the background music overtaking the vocals. Much more likely to appeal to my teenagers than myself, I'm afraid.

Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Springsteen's songwriting skills add a depth to the CD with Patti's VALERIE and The Boss' ACROSS THE BORDER. Both are a welcome addition to the CD.

SISTERS OF MERCY shows the genuis of Leonard Cohen but I'm not that excited about the arrangement. Perhaps this will grow on me as well - I'd like it too.

Sinead O'Connor is an underestimated talent. Her songwriting skills are quite apparent in THIS IS TO MOTHER YOU. What a beautiful song. Another favorite.

ALL I LEFT BEHIND is one of the highlights of the CD. Written by Emmylou along with Kate and Anna McGarrigle with leads by Emmylou and harmony by Linda as wellas Kate and Anna, it reminds me of early Emmylou, and I couldn't be happier to hear something like this on the CD.

All in all, an outstanding CD ( did I ever have any doubt about this?).

An instant classic
I've been a Linda Ronstadt fan for about 20 years (more than half my life), but even I was astounded by the beauty and simplicity of this collaboration. As much as I enjoyed the two Trio albums, this surpasses them in its emotional heft and pure listening enjoyment. A little bit bluegrass, a little bit avant-garde, it's a truly new, original sound -- and that is so difficult to come by in the current cookie-cutter music business. Linda and Emmylou's voices have also never sounded better!