Simple Dreams

Simple Dreams is Linda Ronstadt's eighth studio album.

The album was released in September of 1977 by Asylum Records. It was produced by Peter Asher.

Album Background
The album was recorded at the Sound Factory in Los Angeles, California from July to September of 1977.

Album Cover
The original album cover had Linda wearing a mini-slip sitting in front of multiple mirrors.

Uncomfortable with the physical exposure, she changed into a robe & the photo was made artificially grainy.

Tracklisting
Side One Side Two
 * 1) It's So Easy (2:27) (written by Buddy Holly & Norman Petty)
 * 2) Carmelita (3:07) (written by Warren Zevon)
 * 3) Simple Man, Simple Dream (3:12) (written by J.D. Souther)
 * 4) Sorrow Lives Here (2:57) (written by Eric Katz)
 * 5) I Never Will Marry (3:12) (Traditional)
 * 1) Blue Bayou (3:57) (written by Roy Orbison & Joe Melson)
 * 2) Poor Poor Pitful Me (3:42) (written by Warren Zevon)
 * 3) Maybe I'm Right (3:05) (written by Waddy Wachtel)
 * 4) Tumbling Dice (3:05) (written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards)
 * 5) Old Paint (3:05) (Traditional)

Chart Performance
"Simple Dreams" became one of Linda's most successful albums of her career. It spent five consecutive weeks at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in late 1977 (knocking Fleetwood Mac's album "Rumours" off the top of the charts after spending 29 record-breaking weeks on the chart).

It also knocked Elvis Presley off the top of Billboard's Country Albums chart.

Accolades
In early 1978, "Blue Bayou" was nominated for the "Record Of The Year" Grammy Award.

It also earned Linda a Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Vocal Performance Female" alongside Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, Carly Simon and Debby Boone.

The album was her fifth consecutive million-selling Platinum album and sold over 3½ million copies in less than a year in the United States alone (which became a record for a female artist).

Album Personnel

 * Linda Ronstadt - acoustic guitar, lead vocals and arrangements
 * Waddy Wachtel - guitar
 * Ed Black - guitar, steel guitar
 * Kenny Edwards - guitar, bass
 * Rick Marotta - drums
 * Danny Kortchmar, Richard Bowden, Pete Wade, Al Viola - guitar
 * David Lindley - fiddle
 * Jim Fadden - harmonica
 * Jim Gordon, Nino Tempo - saxophone
 * Mac Johnson, Darrel Leonard - trumpet
 * Spooner Oldham - piano
 * John Boylen - electric piano
 * Kenny Anderson, Mike Bowden - bass
 * Micky McGee, Dennis St. John, Andrew Gold, David Kemper - drums
 * Andrew Gold, John David Souther, Chris Ethridge, Waddy Wachtel, Bernie Leadon, *Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Russ Kunkel, Clydie King, Herb Pedersen - background vocals
 * Dolly Parton - harmony vocals on "I Never Will Marry"
 * Don Henley - co-lead and background vocals on "Blue Bayou"
 * Don Grolnick - piano
 * Mike Auldridge - Dobro on "I Never Will Marry"