I remember first encountering this album along with their "Evergreen" album shortly after the Stone Ponies hit AM radio with their first hit, "Different Drum", featuring Linda Ronstadt doing lead vocals in a neat, well-produced, and very successful folk-rock song. After buying the album on the spot, I discovered that this was a quite accomplished trio, one that wrote most of the cuts on the album, and that the songs were not only quite professionally rendered with stirring arrangements and terrific choruses, but they also all featured the lovely Linda showing just how terrific that voice was. Her vocal style was unique, and one could tell from the first hearing that this was a young lady with an unbelievable future in front of her.
The song cycle on this album, comprises some of the best efforts with "Meredith", "The Train And The River", and a haunting "All The Beautiful Things", which beautifully iillustrates Ronstadt's beautiful and soaring voice to advantege. These are among the more moody and dark cuts on the album. Yet, in truth, most of the work here is brooding, ethereal, and it broaches a wide range of emotional issues from the haunting "Orion" to the pensive "Bicycle Song" to "Just A Little Rain", a more traditional folk song. Several of the songs are rendered with harpsichord solos that are quite unlike anything you will hear in popular folk-rock, and are indeed memorable and worth the price of the album alone. Also excellent and on the album is "Sweet Summer Green And Gold", "If I Were You", "Wild Loving", a rip-roaring Ronstadt vocal, and the ethereal "Back Home". This is a worthwhile first effort, especially since it foreshadowed the emergence of such a wonderful pop artist as Linda Ronstadt. Enjoy!
I must admit I have had this record for almost 40 years and got it for a song at a discount store going out of business. It is still in M-condition, but has been played on a regular basis all these years. I can only echo the other people here about how much it means to me. It is not only her very first, but very best. The band, many of which stayed with Linda for many years to come provides the perfect backround, harmonies, and instumental chops to perfectly suit that lovely voice. They walk the perfect line between folk rock, psychedelia and even blues that just never leaves you. I love all the Poneys records but this one just stands out and is a classic. A cliche' you say? Well just listen to Orion, Back Home and the glorious 2:10 Train. Linda soars and so does the band. A MUST!
This is the 3rd time I've bought the Stone Poneys with Linda Ronstadt and it's been well worth it each time. The sound is a little raw compared to today's productions, but that's part of the beauty of it. Linda is young and her voice is strong and the Stone Poneys are excellent musicians.
