Prisoner In Disguise is Linda Ronstadt‘s sixth solo LP release and her second for the label Asylum Records, released in 1975 It followed Ronstadt’s Multi-Platinum breakthrough album, Heart Like a Wheel, which became her first of three #1 albums on the Billboard album chart in early 1975.
Linda Ronstadt chose songs from friends and songwriters such as James Taylor, Lowell George of Little Feat, J. D. Souther and Anna McGarrigle as well as one written and originally recorded by Jimmy Cliff and a interpretation of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You”. The album features string arrangements by David Campbell. Among the guest musicians, Emmylou Harris joined Ronstadt on the standard “The Sweetest Gift”.
The original vinyl album release was a gatefold design, and the center section featured a photo of various sheets with written lyrics to the songs, most of which were in the original songwriters’ own handwriting.
Trisha Yearwood cited Prisoner in Disguise as an inspiration, bringing the album to her producer at the start of her career saying, “This is the kind of music that I want to make.”
Tracks
1 Love Is a Rose (Neil Young) 2:46
2 Hey Mister, That’s Me up on the Jukebox (James Taylor) 4:09
3 Roll Um Easy (Lowell George) 2:56
4 The Tracks of My Tears (Warren Moore, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Tarplin) 3:14
5 Prisoner in Disguise (John David Souther) 3:55
6 Heat Wave (Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Eddie Holland) 2:49
7 Many Rivers to Cross (Jimmy Cliff) 4:07
8 Sweetest Gift (James B Coats) 3:03
9 You Tell Me That I’m Falling Down (Carol S. Holland, Anna McGarrigle) 3:19
10 I Will Always Love You (Dolly Parton) 2:58
11 Silver Blue (John David Souther) 3:05
Musicians
1 Love Is A Rose
| Bass | Kenny Edwards |
| Drums | Russ Kunkel |
| Acoustic Guitar | Andrew Gold |
| Banjo | Herb Pedersen |
| Harmonica | Jim Connor |
| Fiddle | David Lindley |
| Percussion | Peter Asher |
| Background Vocals | Andrew Gold |
| Background Vocals | Herb Pedersen |
| Background Vocals | Kenny Edwards |
| Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
2 Hey Mister, That’s Me Up On The Jukebox
| Bass | Kenny Edwards |
| Drums | Russ Kunkel |
| Guitar | Andrew Gold |
| Steel Guitar | Dan Dugmore |
| Piano | Andrew Gold |
| Synthesizer | Andrew Gold |
| Percussion | Andrew Gold |
| Background Vocals | Andrew Gold |
| Background Vocals | Herb Pedersen |
| Background Vocals | Kenny Edwards |
| Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
3 Roll Um Easy
| Bass | Kenny Edwards |
| Drums | Nigel Olsson |
| Slide Guitar | Lowell George |
| Acoustic Guitar | Andrew Gold |
| Percussion | Andrew Gold |
| Percussion | Peter Asher |
| Background Vocals | Andrew Gold |
| Background Vocals | Kenny Edwards |
| Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
4 The Tracks Of My Tears
| Bass | Kenny Edwards |
| Drums | David Kemper |
| Guitar | Danny Kortchmar |
| Steel Guitar | Dan Dugmore |
| Acoustic Guitar | Andrew Gold |
| Piano | Andrew Gold |
| Percussion | Andrew Gold |
| Percussion | Peter Asher |
| Background Vocals | Don Francisco |
| Background Vocals | Peter Asher |
| Background Vocals | Andrew Gold |
| Background Vocals | Herb Pedersen |
| Background Vocals | Kenny Edwards |
| Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
5 Prisoner In Disguise
| Acoustic Guitar | John David Souther |
| Piano | Andrew Gold |
| Background Vocals | John David Souther |
| Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
6 Heat Wave
| Bass | Kenny Edwards |
| Drums | Andrew Gold |
| Guitar | Andrew Gold |
| Synthesizer | Andrew Gold |
| Acoustic Guitar | Andrew Gold |
| Background Vocals | Andrew Gold |
| Background Vocals | Kenny Edwards |
| Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
7 Many Rivers To Cross
| Bass | Kenny Edwards |
| Drums | Russ Kunkel |
| Guitar | Andrew Gold |
| Steel Guitar | Dan Dugmore |
| Organ | Andrew Gold |
| Piano | Andrew Gold |
| Percussion | Andrew Gold |
| Background Vocals | Andrew Gold |
| Background Vocals | Kenny Edwards |
| Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
8 Sweetest Gift
| Bass | Kenny Edwards |
| Drums | Russ Kunkel |
| Acoustic Guitar | Emmylou Harris |
| Mandolin | David Grisman |
| Piano | Glen Hardin |
| Piano | Andrew Gold |
| Fiddle | David Lindley |
| Background Vocals | Emmylou Harris |
| Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
9 You Tell Me That I’m Falling Down
| Bass | Kenny Edwards |
| Drums | Russ Kunkel |
| Guitar | Andrew Gold |
| Acoustic Guitar | James Taylor |
| Acoustic Guitar | Andrew Gold |
| Fiddle | David Lindley |
| Bagpipes | Andrew Gold |
| Bagpipes | Peter Asher |
| Background Vocals | Maria Muldaur |
| Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
10 I Will Always Love You
| Bass | Kenny Edwards |
| Drums | Russ Kunkel |
| Guitar | Ed Black |
| Guitar | Andrew Gold |
| Steel Guitar | Dan Dugmore |
| Piano | Andrew Gold |
| Percussion | Andrew Gold |
| Background Vocals | Julia Tillman Waters |
| Background Vocals | Maxine Willard Waters |
| Background Vocals | Patricia Henderson |
| Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
11 Silver Blue
| Bass | Kenny Edwards |
| Drums | Russ Kunkel |
| Guitar | Andrew Gold |
| Steel Guitar | Dan Dugmore |
| Acoustic Guitar | John David Souther |
| Piano | Andrew Gold |
| Background Vocals | John David Souther |
| Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
Liner Notes
Producer – Peter Asher
Engineer – Val Garay
Conductor – David Campbell (Tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 10)
Mastered By – Doug Sax
Cover – John Kosh
Photography By – Ethan Russell
Manufactured By – Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch Records
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Asylum Records
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch Records
Copyright (c) – Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch Records
Recorded At – The Sound Factory
Mixed At – The Sound Factory
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab
Prisoner In Disguise is Linda Ronstadt‘s sixth solo LP release and her second for the label Asylum Records, released in 1975 It followed Ronstadt’s Multi-Platinum breakthrough album, Heart Like a Wheel, which became her first of three #1 albums on the Billboard album chart in early 1975.