I've been a long lost soul for a long, long time

Continuing my trip back through the 1977 album charts.

30/01/77 : Luxury Liner - Emmylou Harris

Country isn't a genre that's been overly well represented so far - but I'd have to say I've seen a lot more of it in the 1977 album charts than I was expecting, even if we've only actually met Kenny and Don up to this point.  I know Emmylou is very well regarded by many artists over the years but I can't say I'm aware of anything she's done, so I'm interested to hear this.

I'd say the songs are mostly fine if somewhat unremarkable (although I did like "Me And Willie" and I was also surprised to see Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell" on there), but they are hauled up a couple of levels by her voice - it's crystal clear, very polished and not too country (I do like Dolly, but she does overdo it a lot of the time).  The album wasn't really my kind of thing but it was perfectly bearable and absolutely lovely to hear a female voice, which isn't something we've had too much of this year.

We're at #17 in the charts this week on her second week of a six week run, with this being as high as it got - and the highest she got solo, although she did get to #8 on an album with Mark Knopfler.   The top five this week were Slim Whitman, David Bowie (yup - this is the week that Slim kept Low off the top), David Soul, Stevie Wonder and ABBA with the highest new entry being Boston (#35).

Wikipedia tells me this is her fourth album and also suggests that I possibly should have rejected it because it appears to be an album of all covers, but there's no way I was going to pass up an opportunity to hear a rare female voice and I'm glad I listened to it.  That's pretty much all the entry has to say other than noting that Queen Dolly herself provides backing vocals somewhere on the album.

"Customers also listened to" Gram Parsons (who wrote a couple of tracks on Emmylou's album), Linda Ronstadt (who I'm also very unknowledgeable about, but has done a couple of albums with Emmylou), Roseanne Cash and Mark Knopfler.  I didn't think this was a great album, but Emmylou's voice certainly lifts it up and I'd be tempted to check out her best-of.

23/01/77 - Delivers what's expected of it
04/02/77 - Not my cup of tea

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