Post by the Scribe on May 22, 2021 9:52:08 GMT
“Adios,” Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like The Wind (1989)
Of the many albums Ronstadt has recorded with producer Peter Asher, she revealed in her memoir, Simple Dreams, that Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like The Wind is her favorite. And after years of recording jazz standards, country harmonies and old Spanish folk tunes in the ’80s, her return to pop music (and this time it was pure pop) was nothing short of a triumph. The album itself sold more than three million copies in the US alone and produced a number of big hits, but one of the standout tracks was never a single: the Jimmy Webb-penned Adios featuring some spectacular backing vocals from none other than Brian Wilson.
Describing working with Wilson, Ronstadt wrote: “Brian was making up the harmonies as he went along, but sometimes, when he was having difficulty figuring out a complicated section, he would scold himself and say that he needed to work for a time at the piano. However, when he sat down at the piano, he never played any part of “Adios,” but instead would play a boogie-woogie song, very loud in a different key. After a few minutes of this he would go back to the microphone and sing the parts perfectly, without a trace of hesitation.” The results, of course, are wonderful, with Ronstadt’s emotive vocals supported by Wilson’s lush, choral harmonies.
Of the many albums Ronstadt has recorded with producer Peter Asher, she revealed in her memoir, Simple Dreams, that Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like The Wind is her favorite. And after years of recording jazz standards, country harmonies and old Spanish folk tunes in the ’80s, her return to pop music (and this time it was pure pop) was nothing short of a triumph. The album itself sold more than three million copies in the US alone and produced a number of big hits, but one of the standout tracks was never a single: the Jimmy Webb-penned Adios featuring some spectacular backing vocals from none other than Brian Wilson.
Describing working with Wilson, Ronstadt wrote: “Brian was making up the harmonies as he went along, but sometimes, when he was having difficulty figuring out a complicated section, he would scold himself and say that he needed to work for a time at the piano. However, when he sat down at the piano, he never played any part of “Adios,” but instead would play a boogie-woogie song, very loud in a different key. After a few minutes of this he would go back to the microphone and sing the parts perfectly, without a trace of hesitation.” The results, of course, are wonderful, with Ronstadt’s emotive vocals supported by Wilson’s lush, choral harmonies.
