Simple Dreams is the eighth studio album by the American rock singer-songwriter Linda Ronstadt, released by Asylum Records. One of the most successful albums of Ronstadt’s career, Simple Dreams spent five successive weeks at number 1 on the Billboard album chart in late 1977, displacing Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours after it had held that position for a record-breaking 29 weeks. It also knocked Elvis Presley out of the number 1 position on the Billboard Country Albums chart after “The King” had held it for fifteen consecutive weeks following his death in August. It won the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package and was nominated for several other Grammy awards.
Simple Dreams was Ronstadt’s fifth consecutive million-selling platinum album and sold over 3½ million copies in less than a year in the United States alone—a record for a female artist. Among female recording artists at that time, only Carole King, with her album Tapestry, had sold more copies of one album.
Originally, the cover photograph was to show Ronstadt dressed in a mini-slip and seated in front of multiple mirrors. Uncomfortable with the physical exposure, she changed into a robe, and the picture was made artificially grainy. A retouched photo from the original photo sessions was included on the inner sleeve of her platinum-plus album Greatest Hits, Volume 2, released in 1980. At the 20th Grammy Awards, John Kosh won the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package for Simple Dreams.
Tracks
1 It’s So Easy (Buddy Holly; Norman Petty) 2:29
2 Carmelita (Warren Zevon) 3:07
3 Simple Man, Simple Dream (John David Souther) 3:13
4 Sorrow Lives Here (Eric Kaz) 2:57
5 I Never Will Marry (Traditional) 3:15
6 Blue Bayou (Joe Melson; Roy Orbison) 4:00
7 Poor Poor Pitiful Me (Warren Zevon) 3:44
8 Maybe I’m Right (Waddy Wachtel) 3:07
9 Tumbling Dice (Mick Jagger; Keith Richards) 3:10
10 Old Paint (Traditional) 3:04
Musicians
1 It’s So Easy
Bass | Kenny Edwards |
Drums | Rick Marotta |
Guitar | Waddy Wachtel |
Acoustic Guitar | Dan Dugmore |
Clavinet | Don Grolnick |
Background Vocals | Kenny Edwards |
Background Vocals | Peter Asher |
Background Vocals | Waddy Wachtel |
Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
2 Carmelita
Bass | Kenny Edwards |
Drums | Rick Marotta |
Guitar | Waddy Wachtel |
Acoustic Guitar | Dan Dugmore |
Acoustic Guitar | Waddy Wachtel |
Organ | Don Grolnick |
Background Vocals | Kenny Edwards |
Background Vocals | Waddy Wachtel |
Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
3 Simple Man, Simple Dream
Bass | Kenny Edwards |
Double Bass | Richard Feves |
Drums | Rick Marotta |
Piano | Don Grolnick |
Cello | Dennis Karmazyn |
Viola | David Campbell |
Violin | Charles Veal |
Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
4 Sorrow Lives Here
Piano | Don Grolnick |
Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
5 I Never Will Marry
Acoustic Guitar | Linda Ronstadt |
Acoustic Guitar | Waddy Wachtel |
Dobro | Mike Auldridge |
Background Vocals | Dolly Parton |
Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
6 Blue Bayou
Bass | Kenny Edwards |
Drums | Rick Marotta |
Steel Guitar | Dan Dugmore |
Acoustic Guitar | Waddy Wachtel |
Mandolin | Kenny Edwards |
Piano | Don Grolnick |
Marimba | Steve Forman |
Background Vocals | Don Henley |
Background Vocals | Kenny Edwards |
Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
7 Poor Poor Pitiful Me
Bass | Kenny Edwards |
Drums | Rick Marotta |
Guitar | Waddy Wachtel |
Acoustic Guitar | Dan Dugmore |
Clavinet | Don Grolnick |
Percussion | Peter Asher |
Background Vocals | Kenny Edwards |
Background Vocals | Larry Hagler |
Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
8 Maybe I’m Right
Bass | Kenny Edwards |
Guitar | Waddy Wachtel |
Acoustic Guitar | Waddy Wachtel |
Background Vocals | John David Souther |
Background Vocals | Peter Asher |
Background Vocals | Waddy Wachtel |
Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
9 Tumbling Dice
Bass | Kenny Edwards |
Drums | Rick Marotta |
Guitar (solo) | Waddy Wachtel |
Guitar | Dan Dugmore |
Slide Guitar | Waddy Wachtel |
Piano | Don Grolnick |
Background Vocals | Kenny Edwards |
Background Vocals | Waddy Wachtel |
Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
10 Old Paint
Acoustic Guitar | Linda Ronstadt |
Dobro | Mike Auldridge |
Background Vocals | Herb Pedersen |
Background Vocals | Kenny Edwards |
Background Vocals | Peter Asher |
Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
Liner Notes
Producer – Peter Asher
Arranged By – Linda Ronstadt (Track 10)
Arranged By (Strings) – David Campbell (Track 3)
Mastered By – Doug Sax
Mixed By – Val Garay
Mixed By (Assistant) – Mark Howlett
Recorded By – Val Garay
Recorded By (Assistant) – Mark Howlett
Design, Art Direction – John Kosh
Photography By – Jim Shea
Record Company – Warner Communications Inc.
Recorded At – The Sound Factory
Mixed At – The Sound Factory
Mastered At – The Mastering Lab
Pressed By – PRC Recording Company, Richmond, IN
Manufactured By – Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch Records
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Elektra/Asylum Records