Hand Sown.Home Grown (1969)

Personnel:

Linda Ronstadt: vocals, finger cymbals

Ken Edwards: acoustic guitar

Pete Childs: acoustic guitar

Bob Kimmel: acoustic guitar

Cyrus Faryar: acoustic guitar, bouzouki

John T. Forsha: acoustic guitar, electric guitar

Jimmy Bond: bass

Billy Mundi: drums

Clarence White: electric guitar

Red Rhodes: pedal steel guitar

Produced in Los Angeles in 1969 by Chip Douglas

Release date: 1969

Running time: 31:50

The first solo album from Linda Ronstadt had high expectations. The woman who had made 'Different Drum' a hit record had a strong voice and an even stronger ambition to make it as a singer. Ronstadt's solo appeal was made apparent to her Stone Poneys bandmates even as they began their work together, as Herb Cohen said that he would be able to get her a deal, but he wasn't sure about the package deal, including the band. Even at that early juncture in her career, Ronstadt knew she had something that set her apart and above being in a group. Despite this, the Stone Poneys recorded three albums together, although the last was titled Linda Ronstadt, Stone Poneys and Friends, Vol. III. The writing was on the wall and the band broke up after that. 'No boost to band morale, it was the beginning of the end of the Stone Poneys', wrote Ronstadt in her memoirs about that album. In a 1969 article for Fusion, Ronstadt was even blunter, 'And that was the end of it, man. The beginning of the end. Which, really, didn't bother me that much 'cause that group was really more of a learning experience than anything else'.

Capitol's contract with Ronstadt was predatory, especially after her Poneys bandmates were taken off the accounting books. The money spent on producing the Stone Poney albums was assumed solely by Linda and her subsequent solo recordings only deepened that debt. 'It would be eight years before I would see any money from record sales', wrote Linda. Thus, we are at the beginning of her journey to both solo success and financial solvency with this album.

The album itself was a flop. It sold less than 10,000 copies before the follow-up album came out, which is horrifying in retrospect when you look at what her later albums would sell. The strength of her name was not enough to carry an album and although 'Different Drum' was recognizable, it wasn't enough for an entire record to be sold on reputation alone. As the Linda Ronstadt Scrapbook boldly put it, 'Linda's first solo album Hand Sown...Home Grown lacked cohesiveness and response'. This is a very polite way of saying that it didn't live up to fans' expectations due to both the track selection and the way in which it was received by critics and the general public.

Making the album was also a strain, as manager Herb Cohen and Linda did not get along and did not have a shared vision of her career. Linda sat down for an interview with Country Music People in 1977 and reflected on the creation of this album.

Every session was an argument - we didn't get along too well, although he's very nice, and I think he's a pretty good producer. Ultimately, whenever I complain about something that's gone down on my records, I always end up with only myself to blame, because no matter how good your ideas are, and how much feeling you have and want to communicate, until you develop your craft and can use it, it doesn't do any good.

Ronstadt, while shifting the blame to herself, also illuminated the fact that conditions have to be right for true creativity to flourish - and an adversarial manager relationship was not conducive to a great overall product.

Ronstadt was even harder on herself in 1971 when the failure of this album was still very fresh. Chatting with Robert Windeler from Stereo Review, Linda was honest about the album and its lack of success:

All the discipline in this country is one person to another: parents spanking, a teacher or coach always on your back. But nobody teaches us how to discipline ourselves. We have no bloody security, we're emotional weaklings, easy to brainwash; it's easy to get our attention for a while with any new trend. Nobody learned a thing from the Manson trial, for instance. Those were really lame chicks, looking for somebody to tell them what to do, and there are a lot of that kind of people around.

Linda, here, doubled down on work ethic and would steadily pour more and more time into learning not only the music side of the business - by spending more time in the booth - but on the business side as well, seeing what did, didn't and could work. Although this album was not the charting success she may have hoped for, it was a success in guiding her career and forming the mind of the formidable artist she would become.

'Baby You've Been On My Mind' (Dylan)

Linda opens this album with a cover of a Bob Dylan song, showing she still had one foot in the folk scene as she embarked on her solo career. While the album cover may have been slightly country-tinged, this song is definitely something that could have easily been a Stone Poneys cut instead of one from her solo career. It's an upbeat piano-driven song that glistens with late-60s flavor and is a good selection to kick off the album. There's even a Beatles-esque horn solo in the middle of the song to remind the listener firmly of where they are in pop music history. The production on the song is expansive and lush, leaving the listener to wonder why it wasn't released as a single - it certainly had the potential to at least chart, even if it may not have climbed to the top.

A promotional film was made for this song, filmed for an episode of the short-lived variety show called Something Else hosted by John Byner. It opened with Linda tossing around a Frisbee on the beach with Byner. The film then morphs into Ronstadt singing the song, dressed in a white top and shorts, on the same beach. The footage of the waves splashing against the shore underscores the longing lyrics sung by Linda as she walks and contemplates the object of her affection. The video ends with Ronstadt apologizing to Byner for breaking into song, then resuming their Frisbee tossing. It's a charming example of Ronstadt's playfulness as a performer early in her career and how casually she took her image at this early stage.

'Silver Threads And Golden Needles' (Reynolds/Rhodes)

The first of two versions released by Ronstadt on her early albums, this track is less country and more pop than its successor a few years later. While there is pedal steel guitar on the track, it is buried in the mix and the whole song is more acoustically based than the later version. The arrangement on this song is the less popular of the two Linda released and, overall, she is not given much of a chance to let her voice break free of the instrumentation on the song. This may have been the primary motivator for her to revisit the song later, a practice she didn't do except on this occasion. While this is certainly a good track for the album, it wasn't the standout its later version was and Ronstadt would probably like people to overlook this version.

'Bet No One Ever Hurt This Bad' (Newman)

This track presents a rarity for Ronstadt as she infrequently ever turned to Randy Newman for a tune. In fact, this is only one of two times she ever recorded a song written by the prolific Newman. The song is funky, with the guitar twang and drum work serving to shape the song's feel around Ronstadt's narrative. The guitar work itself feels country western initially, before setting itself into more of a groove as the song progresses, and the addition of an organ helps to fill out the track. The tempo changes between the verses and chorus, with Ronstadt able to show off both quick and slow vocals that highlight her ability to weave within the structure of any song. Linda's come-hither lyrics are hypnotizing against the backdrop of the full band put together for this recording and it's a fun hidden gem waiting for listeners to discover.

'A Number And A Name' (Campbell/Gillette)

Linda, accompanied by folksy acoustic guitar, builds this song with vocals that are reminiscent of 'Different Drum'. As the song progresses, more instruments are layered in, including a string section and an organ. The smooth song sails out of the speakers as Ronstadt sings the listener through the story of her lost love. A proficient interpreter of heartbreak from the outset of her career, Linda tunes into particular emotions and is able to draw them out of those who invest time and money in her albums. Her most successful songs, especially in the pop music realm, deal with heartbreak and sorrow in a relatable way that ooze emotion, making even the saddest lyrics come to life. The feel of the album has been established by this time and Ronstadt's way with songs has been keyed in. This track, although low-key and mellow, is indicative of the material Ronstadt and her producer picked for this album in order to capitalize on her Stone Poneys success.