Anthology: The Warner/Reprise Years

Performer: Emmylou Harris
Artist: Roy Orbison; Dolly Parton; Kate McGarrigle; Don Williams; Waylon Jennings; Ricky Skaggs; Linda Ronstadt; Vince Gill
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel includes: Emmylou Harris (vocals, guitar); Don Williams, Roy Orbison (vocals); Rick Cunha, Brian Ahearn, Rodney Crowell, Tony Rice, David Kirby (acoustic guitar); James Burton, Albert Lee, T-Bone Burnett, Vince Gill, Waylon Jennings (electric guitar); Duane Eddy (guitar); Herb Pedersen (12-string guitar, banjo); Ben Keith, Hank DeVito (pedal steel guitar); Ry Cooder (tremolo guitar); Mike Auldridge (dobro); Byron Berline (mandolin); Ricky Skaggs (fiddle); Micky Raphael (harmonica); Kate McGarricle (accordion); Bill Payne, Glen D. Hardin, Jai Winding, Tony Brown, Don Johnson (piano); Emory Gordy (bass); Ron Tutt, John Ware, Russ Kunkel (drums); Dolly Parton, Linda Rondstadt, The Whites, Iris DeMent (background vocals). Includes liner notes by Holly George-Warren. Were it not for Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, the universally acknowledged king and queen of progressive country, countless young alt-counry bands would have never donned their faded Levi's and battered Telecasters in the first place, and even if they did, they'd surely sound a lot different. In 2001, the smart folks at Rhino Records saw fit to release comprehensive two-disc anthologies of both Harris and Parsons, highlighting the way the pair (separately and together) introduced post-Beatles folk and rock sensibilities into country and expanded it without diluting it. This collection doesn't lure hardcore Harris collectors with mouth-watering rarities, instead it relies on the appeal to both fan and neophyte of the breadth of material in the prolific Harris's catalogue. With her fragile, angelic voice, the premier country interpreter takes on the legends of Townes Van Zandt ("If I Needed You"), Paul Simon ("The Boxer"), and George Jones ("Today I Started Loving You Again") and comes out on top, transforming the songs and creating a new country/folk-rock paradigm in the process. Though she borrows from numerous corners of the pop world (rockabilly, R&B, British Invasion, you name it), Harris's voice is pure country, and the songs end up that much more interesting for having passed through the high-lonesome plains of her vocal talent.

Entertainment Weekly (5/4/01, p.71) - "...Emphasizes her sweeter side....If you're curious but uninformed abouth [this] giant, start here..." - Rating: B Q (7/01, p.132) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Harris is the real McCoy....this goody bag bulges at the seams..." Uncut (9/01, p.94) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...Hers is an art of grace and danger: geared to restless aspiration....Here the singer's only "ambition" is to make the air ring anew, and to still the heart's perplexity..." No Depression (5-6/01, p.121) - "...A perfectly fine introduction...with enough breadth to suggest that the rest of her work be examined....a reminder that she was an iconoclast of artistic integrity....and also a significant commercial country music star..."

Emmylou Harris first came to public attention as Gram Parsons's singing partner, but her solo career took off after his passing. Throughout the 1970s and '80s, she was a major force in progressive country, championing the works of great songwriters like Townes Van Zandt and Paul Siebel. By the '90s, the eclecticism that she'd always practiced came to full bloom in the hands of producer Daniel Lanois, especially on her milestone 1995 album, WRECKING BALL.

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