Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Clocks (alternate version)
2. The Angels Rejoiced Last Night (Gram Parsons)
3. The Old Country Baptizing (Gram Parsons & The Fallen Angels)
4. Coats of Many Colors
5. For No One
6. Ooh Las Vegas
7. Satan's Jewel Crown
8. Tulsa Queen
9. My Songbird
10. Green Rolling Hills
11. One Paper Kid with Willie Nelson
12. Sorrow In The Wind
13. Rough And Rocky
14. Jordan
15. Darkets Hour Is Just Before Dawn
16. Ashes by Now
17. How High The Moon
18. Spanish Johnny with Waylon Jennings
19. The Lst Cheaters Waltz
20. Racing In The Streets
21. Like An Old Fashioned Waltz

Disc 2:

1. The Sweethearts of the Rodeo with Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Vince Gill & Gail Davies
2. When I Was Yours
3. My Fathers House
4. Bright Morning Stars
5. When He Calls
6. Lonely Street
7. Brand New Dance
8. Get Up John
9. If I Could Be There
10. Ballad Of A Runaway House
11. Going Back To Harlan
12. Sweet Old World
13. All My Tears (Live)
14. Prayer In Open D (Live)
15. Bang The Drum Slowly
16. Boy From Tupelo
17. Lost Unto This World
18. Man Is An Island
19. Cup Of Kindness

Disc 3:

1. Falling In a Deep Hole
2. 1917 (Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris)
3. Palms of Victory (Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, & Emmylou Harris)
4. Softy and Tenderly (Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris)
5. My Dear Companion (Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstatt & Emmylou Harris)
6. Mary Danced with Soldiers (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
7. I Don't ove You Much Do I (Guy Clark)
8. All I Left Behind
9. I Remember You (Steve Earle)
10. Golden Ring with Linda Ronstadt and Anna & Kate McGarrigle
11. Sonny (Emmylou Harris, Dolores Keanes, Mary Black)
12. In The Garden
13. Love Still Remains
14. Snake Song
15. Hobo's Lullaby
16. Wondering
17. Immigrant Eyes
18. Juanita (Sheryl Crow & Emmylow Harris)
19. She (Pretenders & Emmylou Harris)
20. Sin City (Beck & Emmylou Harris)
21. Wheels (The Seldom Scene)

Disc 4:

1. Beyond The Blue (Emmylou Harris & Patty Griffin)
2. First In Line (Emmylou Harris & John Starling)
3. Highway of Heartache
4. ALone And Forsaken (Emmylou Harris and Mark Knopfler)
5. Child of Mine
6. Heaven Ain't Ready For You Yet
7. Wish We Were Back In Missouri
8. Mama's Hungry Eyes with Rodney Crowell
9. Here We Are (George Jones & Emmylou Harris)
10. Waltz Across Texas Tonight
11. Snowin' On Raton
12. Gone
13. Don't Let Our Love Die
14. The Pearl (Live)
15. Wildwood Flower (Randy Scruggs with Emmylou Harris & Iris DeMent)
16. Love And Happiness (Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris)
17. When We're Gone, Long Gone (Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15292 in Music
• Released on: 2007-09-18
• Number of discs: 5
• Format: Special Edition
• Dimensions: 1.22 pounds

Album Details
Includes Four CD and One Dvd (Pal Format)

Amazon.com
Emmylou Harris, godmother of the Americana movement, is a phenomenon for any number of reasons, one of which is that she has has managed to conduct more than four decades of her remarkable career without a single misstep. While Harris has always been committed to honoring the roots of old-school, traditional country, she also expanded the music beyond its conservative lyrics and narrow melodic structures without abandoning its core themes of enduring love, family, and prideful sense of place. Throughout, she interpreted and wrote songs of integrity and emotional depth and resonance, surrounding her keening soprano with a Who's Who of players and collaborators, including Rodney Crowell, the McGarrigle Sisters, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Daniel Lanois, and Mark Knopfler. This unusual 4-CD compilation isn't a greatest-hits package, but rather a gathering of Harris's personal favorites, most of which have never appeared on other collections. Some of the most compelling tracks are special collaborations ("Jordan," with Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash), previously unreleased live, studio, and demo tracks (the folky "Falling in a Deep Hole," circa 1970), and contributions to tribute projects (Townes Van Zandt's chilling "Snake Song"). Harris's reedy voice is one of the most empathetic instruments in all of popular music, and perhaps no other female performer of the genre has been able to capture the desperate, paralyzing sense of longing and loneliness as well as this greatly revered singer. That may be a red flag of warning for the Prozac generation, but this deeply satisfying set stands as a benchmark of 40 years of artistry, as well as an uncommonly soulful illumination of the human condition. --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews

Truly Venturesome, Genre-Transcending Pathfinder
"When Billboard Magazine honored Emmylou Harris in 1999 with its prestigious "Century Award," they appropriately lauded her as a "truly venturesome, genre-transcending pathfinder," whose award was meant "to acknowledge the uncommon excellence of [her] still-unfolding body of work." Billboard

As I was listening to the first couple of hours of this CD, I kept thinking "How to review this unbelievable 78 track CD." For forty years this magnificent voice has been a part of our culture. She has brought so many new and glorious voices with her as she paired country and rock and blues to the rhythm. Most of the voices appear on this CD. Emmylou started her discovery with Gram Parsons many years ago, and in the recent past she has made marvelous music with Mark Knopfler. And, all the in-between is covered nicely. I will divulge one of the best parts of these discs to me are the middle ones, where she pairs with the "Queenston Trio" as they were known , Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton. Sweeter, truer voices have not been heard.

Disc One covers the early years. The early seventies with Gram Parsons and her pairings and covers with and of Dolly Parton, the Beatles, Queen, Rodney Crowell and Waylon Jennings. Those older songs are bliss, true bliss.

Disc Two covers the 1990's- there was an important landmark when she recorded 'Wrecking Ball' which is said to have saved the Ryman theatre from extinction. She continued her writing with Anna McGarrigle at this time. Some of Emmylou's best work is from this decade.

Disc Three goes back to the late 70's and 80's and my favorite disc. Her CD's with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadtare marvelous. Of this song 'Softly and Tenderly' Emmylou says, "I was grieved that this [song] didn't come out with the origiinal CD, I think the singing is exquisite. When Linda goes up in that modulation you realize all over again why she is maybe the greatest voice of our time... and then of course Dolly was made to sing these old-time songs... It was an unbelievable experience to hear those voices on the same song." Tracks number 43 'Palms of Victory', #44 Softly and Tenderly', # 45 'My Dear Companion, and #47 'I Don't Love You Much Do I' are the Cat's Pajamas as Gramma used to say and worth the entire CD. What a miracle of music.

Disc Four has more duets, one with Mark Knopfler 'Alone and Forsaken' and 'Beyond The Blue' with Patty Griffin. And, Emmylou Harris's inspiration, George Jones she sings 'Here We Are'. 'Wildwood Flower' and "When We Are gone, Long Gone' are part of this disc. Gorgeous music.

"For more than a year, Emmylou Harris sifted through a treasure trove of music to serve as the foundation of Songbird: Rare Tracks & Forgotten Gems. Over the course of four CDs, she illuminates her favorite album tracks that never made it to radio, along with numerous collaborations and contributions that are worth rediscovering. In addition, a DVD spotlights several top-notch television performances from throughout her career." CMT

Emmylou Harris has sung in over 20 albums and has given country, folk, and county rock a name in the world of music. She appeared with one of my favorite groups, 'The Band' in 'The Last Waltz', and most recently with Neil Young in 'Heart of Gold'. She is a true treasure of our American music scene. This set of 4CD's in Songbird give us a glimpse of the magic of the woman and her voice.

Highly Recommended. prisrob 09-22-07

All the Roadrunning

The Very Best of Emmylou Harris: Heartaches and Highways

Wrecking Ball

Incredible set!
The music on this set speaks for itself, you don't get the hits, instead you get the rare stuff, duets, tributes, album cuts etc. Incredible music. The packaging for this set matches the music. Inclosed in a hard case with two hard cover booklets inside. One houses the five discs, the other is a 200 page book with track by track notation, filled photos and song info and intro by Emmylou herself. A beautiful set and well worth the price of admission.
Note: The packaging is top notch, however the discs are very difficult to remove from the sleeves. You do have to be careful or risk tearing the sleeve.

Great Set - Semi-Terrible Packaging
My God, I've loved Emmylou since I first heard her at the Chancery in Washington, DC, back in the early '70's - way before Pieces of the Sky. I have everything she's done either on LP or CD. I think this is an amazing collection and love it, with one exception - the package. While 90% of the box set package is first class, Rhino has made it extremely hard to get the discs out of their sleeves. I just tore the case trying to get disc 4 out. I am over 60 years old and my hands don't work as well as they once did.

As a side note, I wish all the CD/DVD manufacturers would give us old farts a break. We love music and movies just like the young ones they're aiming at. Is it really necessary to have all the shrink-wrap and adhesive strips all over every package? My God, if it's shrink-wrapped why do I have to face that damn adhesive strip on the jewel case? At least it's better than the old dog-bone that you couldn't completely get off but it's still unnecessary.