Emmylou Harris Album: “Thirteen”

THIRTEEN was a 1986 Emmylou Harris album. The title came from its status as her thirteenth studio album (if one doesn't count her 1970 independent label debut, which Harris herself rarely acknowledges). The album included an unusually high number of covers, including Merle Haggard's "Today I Started Loving You Again", Sam Phillips' "Mystery Train", Jack Clement's "Just Someone I Used to Know" (a 1969 duet hit for Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner; here, Harris is teamed with country singer John Anderson), Bruce Springsteen's "My Father's House", and Rodney Crowell's "I Had My Heart Set on You". For unexplained reasons, the album was taken out of print a few years after its initial release, making it one of the most sought-after albums in Harris' catalogue by fans, with used copies commanding unusually high prices on eBay and other used records sites. The album was produced by Harris' then husband, Paul Kennerley. one of the most sought after albums of Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band

This is one of Emmylous best albums from the 80s.... a must have album... Hope they one day will reprint aand remaster it for cd....

This is in my top 5 Emmylou Harris albums that I own. This album starts out with the rockin' "Mystery Train", which is a great opening track similar to "Luxury Liner". Then she follows that with my grandmother's favorite song, "You're Free To Go", which is a classic C&W weeper. "Sweetheart Of The Pines" comes up next, which is another up-tempo song. Then she partners with John Anderson on the classic Porter n' Dolly hit, "Just Someone I Used To Know". Track five is a story song written by Bruce Springsteen, "My Father's House". Emmylou's lovely soprano is in full beauty and emotion on this song. The surprise track on the album is "Lacissine Special" which is sung entirely in FRENCH!!! Just like George Strait did on his 2009 release, "Twang" in which he sung "El Rey" in Spanish. My favorite song on the album "Today I Started Loving You Again" is one of her best perfomances and should have been a Top 5 country hit. The last three tracks "When I Was Yours", "I Had My Heart Set On You", and "Your Long Journey" end the album one hell of a high note. Emmylou Harris never dissapoints and this is a prime example. WHY HASN'T THIS BEEN RELEASED ON CD YET?

When my long ago purchased audiotape of THIRTEEN was no longer playable, I searched in vain for an updated version, i.e., a CD. I found and purchased another audiotape through Amazon. The seller was very prompt with delivery. The tape was well packaged and I once again and thankfully have a workable copy of one of my favorite Emmylou Harris tapes!

I was so pleased to find this Emmylou Harris Album. I have just about all of her albums except the more recent ones where she changed her music style to something contemporary and awful. She should stick to her roots. Her early career was just fabulous music in my opinion.

There is a conspiracy to suppress the best music by not issuing it on CD, forcing everyone to buy into the miserable, compressed, badly distorted and overloading MP3 format suited for screechy earbuds jammed in tin ears. Here is an example. I found a near mint LP by searching elsewhere, so bleep the headachy bozo format. Material is excellent, however.