Emmylou Harris' "Heartaches & Highways" Compilation Was Released In 2005

A compilation like this one is particularly useful when it comes to artists whose catalogs are colossal in depth. You see, “Heartaches & Highways” (2005) is an anthology which was assembled by Emmylou herself. It is interesting to listen to the story the way she wants to tell it. If you are an old fan, you get to see which songs she deems as the ones that shaped her career. And if you are a newcomer, you have the chance of sampling the songs she might like to be remembered by, effectively getting acquainted with her music like that.

Although not strictly a “best of” album, the CD definitely leans on hits, as her first song to hit the charts with force (“If I Could Only Win Your Love”) is included amid a series of tunes that she has either turned into standards or rejuvenated completely, such as “Two More Bottles Of Wine”, “Lost His Love In Our Last Date” and the sweet “To Know Him Is To Love Him” from the celebrated “Trio” album:

A nice choice (and one that clearly strays from a “very best” motif) is “Pancho & Lefty”. Emmylou’s version precedes the successful take by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. While the ones who struck gold where the two outlaws, Emmylou at least pointed the way to the treasure in a very elegant way indeed.

An absolute highlight is her duet with Roy Orbison on “That Lovin’ You Feelin’”. The mix is crisper than the one I had listened to on her “Duets” album, too. The difference is not pronounced, but the guitars have more space and the song on the whole sounds even more refined.

It goes without saying that both “Love Hurts” and “Boulder To Birmingham” are included. These are the songs that open the disc, actually, and they do mark her birth as an artist. She probably feels that part of Gram lives inside her. Every person who ever lost an artistic collaborator or a mentor feels like that. Did Gram instill the love/obsession for sad songs into her? Emmylou thinks as much. I think he instilled a true love for music into her. Events were to dictate that such a love would manifest itself in sad compositions.

Fast forward to the year 2000. The album “Red Dirt Girl” was released. It established Emmylou as a true composer, and reaffirmed her as an overall artist that owed nothing to no-one, and to whom many owed far too much to be repaid. The one selection from that album found here is “Michelangelo”. “It was forgotten long ago” Emmylou writes and sings. What? That love hurts? I don’t know. That she has two more bottles of wine to pass the night? I can’t tell. That she lost love in a last date? We can’t be certain.

That to know others is to love them? No. That is definitely never forgotten. It is what her music will always convey. And this single disc carries that message right into every listener. No wonder the tracks were handpicked by her.

Would I recommend purchase of this compilation: Yes
Do I feel like digging deeper into her catalog after listening to it: Yes

The Album Earned Emmylou A Grammy

This celebrated live album had Emmylou backed by one of the best ensembles of her whole career (The Nash Ramblers), and it earned her a Grammy. The concert was so significant that the Ryman auditorium (which was set to be demolished) was actually preserved and remodeled.

The set Emmylou played that night paid equal debt to both classic and contemporary American tunesmiths. Songs by Stephen Foster (“Hard Times”) were played side to side with songs by John Fogerty (“Lodi”) and Bruce Springsteen (“Mansion On The Hill”).

The performance itself is not only very well-recorded, but Emmylou is charming from start to finish, interacting with the public at every turn, cracking jokes and narrating stories of her life on the road – the one before “Lodi” is one of the funniest I have ever listened to.

One of the definitive highlights of the album is the vocal “Calling My Children Home”, whereas the bluegrass numbers (most notably “Walls Of Time”) basically redefine the expression “raise the roof”. The same can be said about the instrumental piece “Scotland”.

I could find no video of Emmylou & The Nash Ramblers that night, but I did find this one. It was their last performance together, circa 1995. Enjoy!

I am also very fond of “Like Strangers”, yet another Everly Brothers’ cover. Emmylou is one of the very few performers I know that can do their songs in a way that is natural and effective at the same time. Remember what I said about Emmylou’s ability to render other people’s songs? This particular tune is a prime example.

I must admit that I am not very keen on live albums. To give you an idea of how deep that aversion runs, I don’t even listen frequently to the many live Who CDs I have. On the other hand, this album and the 10,000 Maniacs “Unplugged” disc are the live recordings I put into motion most often.

The only complain I have is that not a single signature tune of hers is included. No “Love Hurts”, no “Beneath Still Waters” and no “Two More Bottles Of Wine”. The last one in particular would have stood its ground like nothing else here.

As a conclusion, Emmylou’s live recording is one that warrants all the hype. It is professional, charming, evocative and hard-driving at the same time. It is also an excellent point of entry into her discography, even if not a single hit is featured. I have no reservations recommending it to you.

Rating: 9/10

A '90s Picture Of Emmylou Stands As The Cover Of The Album

As I mentioned in the general introduction, this was the first album by a country artist that I ever bought. Leaving aside the sentimental value that I consequently attach to the CD, I must say that it is consistently good – even when I know that it was assembled more or less in a hurry to capitalize on the success of the “Trio” album.

Emmylou’s duet partner include Gram Parsons, Willie Nelson, John Denver, Roy Orbison and Ricky Scaggs along with The Band and Southern Pacific (the band Stu Cook from Creedence Clearwater Revival was to join shortly).

The highlights of the record are undoubtedly the three songs that hit the top 10 upon their respective release dates: “Love Hurts” (with Parsons),”That Lovin’ You Feelin” (with Orbison) and the duet with John Denver on “Wild Montana Skies”.

From where I stand, other songs that make this compilation worth a try include “Thing About You” (a Tom Petty song) and the take on “Green Pastures” with Ricky Scaggs (for an excellent live version of the song check out the “Spyboy” album or the “Heartbreaks and Highways” compilation).

And if I had to pick just one song from the 12-track CD I would go for “Gulf Coast Highway”, a duet with Willie Nelson so brilliant that I became actively interested in the famous outlaw musician.

Conversely, the duet with Neil Young on “Star Of Bethlehem” is very listless and “All Fall Down” doesn’t cause that much of a lasting impression.

At the end of the day, the album is nothing but a cut-and-paste affair. But when you are gluing together individual pieces so enduring as the ones mentioned above, it is difficult not to come with an appealing collage.

Rating: 7.5/10

Emmylou Harris In The '70s

Emmylou Harris was born in 1947 in Birmingham, Alabama. She was discovered by Gram Parsons and assumed vocal duties with the man who we now deem as one of the fathers of country rock, cutting the timeless duet “Love Hurts”. She was to eventually establish herself as one of the most distinguished female performers within country music along with Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton, and as a true point of reference within music as a whole.

Some of her best-remembered songs include her elegy to Parsons (“Boulder To Birmingham”), the swinging “Two More Bottles Of Wine” (a number 1 hit), “Beneath Still Waters” and the songs she recorded with Linda and Dolly in the “Trio” album (1987).

Emmylou is characterized by her inventiveness and willingness to experiment. This desire to break down barriers is all the more evident on some recent day albums such as “Wrecking Ball” and “Spyboy”. Her versatility as a performer is evidenced by the number of collaborations Emmylou has cut. She must be the most active female country musician in that respect, with Willie Nelson occupying the same spot as far as male country performers are concerned.

Besides being a skilled performer of other people’s songs, Harris has also proven to be a realized composer. “Boulder To Birmingham” is arguably her most cherished composition, and beginning with “The Ballad Of Sally Rose” (1985) she has taken an even more active role when it comes to the material she performs. But (as it is the case with Linda Ronstadt) Emmylou has such an ability to render other people’s tunes that she makes them her very own almost effortlessly, and raise the emotional stakes even higher than the original performer.

The first country album I ever bought, incidentally, was one of Emmylou’s: the “Duets” CD. I am reviewing that soon along with her other pivotal works, including the legendary “Live At The Ryman” set with the Nash Ramblers.