Read Linda Ronstadt’s Emotional Letter Celebrating 50th-Anniversary Reissue of ‘Prisoner in Disguise’

Fifty years aft Linda Ronstadt’s Prisoner successful Disguise came out, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee is looking backmost astatine the medium that further cemented her estimation arsenic a ‘70s popular superstar and ultimate opus interpreter, arsenic Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab reissues the set.

Ronstadt’s large breakthrough had travel earlier successful the twelvemonth with her seminal Heart Like a Wheel album, her archetypal acceptable to scope No. 1 connected the Billboard 200. Prisoner successful Disguise was besides apical five, reaching No. 4.

Ronstadt brought her powerhouse, supple vocals to the Peter Asher-produced album, whether it beryllium connected her tender mentation of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” (the 2 aboriginal came unneurotic with Emmylou Harris for the revered radical Trio), arsenic good arsenic a gorgeous mentation of Smokey Robinson’s “Tracks of My Tears” and spunky, upbeat instrumentality connected Martha and the Vandellas’ “Heat Wave,” which reached No. 5 connected the Billboard Hot 100.

The 180-gram, 45RPM two-LP vinyl acceptable is disposable for bid present via mofi.com and was mastered from the archetypal analog maestro tapes.

In a missive obtained by Billboard, Ronstadt writes, “It’s hard to judge that it’s been [50] years since the archetypal merchandise of my sixth solo album, Prisoner successful Disguise. Thinking backmost implicit that half-century, determination are respective things that basal retired successful my memory.”

The missive serves astir arsenic a clip capsule of the past of Southern California stone and the unthinkable singer/songwriter assemblage that she surrounded herself with successful the ‘70s, whether it beryllium Don Henley and Glenn Frey, who were successful her set earlier leaving to recovered the Eagles, oregon upon archetypal proceeding the rubric track, written by J.D. Souther.

Ronstadt besides recalls her absorption to Robinson’s “Tracks of My Tears” and reveals her concealed feelings for the erstwhile Miracle: “I’m a soprano, and Smokey has a beautiful, soprano-like dependable and sings successful my keys, truthful I could easy sing on with him connected the radio. This made maine to privation to grounds the song. Four years earlier that, erstwhile Don Henley and Glenn Frey were archetypal successful my band, we played a gig astatine Disneyland connected the aforesaid measure arsenic the Staple Singers and Smokey and the Miracles. In betwixt shows, we each joined successful a backstage poker crippled to assistance walk the time, but I admonished Glenn, an assertive paper player, not to triumph against Smokey due to the fact that I had a crush connected Smokey and I was acrophobic helium wouldn’t similar maine if helium mislaid excessively overmuch wealth to my guitar player.”

In summation to addressing the present legendary singer/songwriters who contributed tracks, including Neil Young, James Taylor, Jimmy Cliff and Lowell George, Ronstadt gives peculiar recognition to a root of enactment who was near retired of the archetypal liner notes: “I besides retrieve 1 peculiar person – Alfred Bear. That was the sanction I gave to the three-foot teddy carnivore that Peter Asher installed successful the vocal booth for maine during the sessions for the project. I callback that I was distraught astir thing astatine the time, astir apt immoderate guy. I conjecture you could accidental that Alfred would suffice arsenic a enactment animal, for helium was surely a large comfortableness to me. Sadly, his sanction did not marque it into the archetypal credits, but I’m taking this accidental to close that close now. Thank you, Alfred.”

In 2021, Ronstadt, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease successful 2012, sold her recorded euphony assets to Irving Azoff’s Iconic Music Group. The ...