Emmylou Harris-Luxury Liner (1977)




 

Artist: Emmylou Harris

Title: Luxury Liner

Label: Warner Bros

Format: LP

Cat #: BSK 3115

Year of Release: 1977

Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 1977 Jacksonville pressing

Listed Condition: VG+/G+ water damage to sleeve

Sell Date: 2/6/21

Sell Price: $2.99

Discogs Last Sold: 9/6/20 VG+/VG $4.00

Low: $1.00

Median: $4.00

High:  $23.23

Current low price: $4.66

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 

Have/Want: 810/58

Where Sold:  New York, NY

Time it took to sell: 5 years

Where and When Bought: Boston, Nuggets 90's

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: B+

Sad To See It Go: No

Emmylou is probably my favorite harmony vocalist via Dylan's Desire and Gram Parsons "Return of the Grievious Angel."  I got on a completist kick in the mid-90's around Wrecking Ball after hearing the Lucinda Williams cover "Sweet Old World" at Sounds on St. Marks flipping through used cds.

Until that point, I didn't really follow her solo records, so I had quite a bit of catching up to do.  I saw that Wrecking Ball tour at the Beacon Theater and bought Luxury Liner sometime within the next five years.  I can't remember where, maybe Worcester or Boston on a road trip where used records were cheaper and more plentiful than NYC at the time.

So more interpreter than a writer, Emmylou gets in Townes Van Zant, Chuck Berry, Rodney Crowell, The Louvin Brothers and of course a couple from Gram Parsons including the opening title track.  Guest stars included James Burton, Albert Lee, Ricky Scaggs, Nicolette Larson, Rodney Crowell and Dolly Parton.    Some are more famous than others, but if you buy records you see these names all over the place.  This peaked at #21 on the Billboard charts in March 1977.  The hits on this on the country chart: Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell" was #6 and "Making Believe"  (duet with Larson) followed that up at #8, the album was #1 country.

Emmylou's use of talent and top writers set her apart.  Her albums aren't overly slick for commercial productions.  Nashville but close enough to rock n' roll.  This made her perfect to last beyond "country" and into "Americana."  Emmylou was a bit more suited for this approach than Dolly was, with more earthy appeal than Hollywood kitsch.  Also much less bombast than Linda Ronstadt, the "Rock" wing of her 80's trio project.  

 For me, the one-two punch of "Luxury Liner" and "Pancho and Lefty" carry the album, even if their songwriters did more definitive versions.  But who made the rule that a great singer has to crank out great songs too?  Why not make a country hit of "You Never Can Tell" 20 years later?  Why not nick Elvis' comeback guitar player (and Ricky Nelson's formative one) to close out the album with "Tusla Queen," the one song she had a writing credit (with Crowell)?

She puts her otherworldly stamp on whatever she does.

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