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Music CD - Emmylou Harris: Songbird: Rare Tracks and Forgotten Gems
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Music CD: Songbird: Rare Tracks and Forgotten Gems
Artist: Emmylou Harris
List Price: $74.98
Our Price: $46.46
Your Save: $ 28.52 ( 38% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Rhino Records
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Tracks:
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1. Clocks (alternate version)
2. The Angels Rejoiced Last Night (Gram Parsons)
3. The Old Country Baptizing (Gram Parsons & The Fallen Angels)
4. Coats of Many Colors
5. For No One
6. Ooh Las Vegas
7. Satan's Jewel Crown
8. Tulsa Queen
9. My Songbird
10. Green Rolling Hills
11. One Paper Kid with Willie Nelson
12. Sorrow In The Wind
13. Rough And Rocky
14. Jordan
15. Darkets Hour Is Just Before Dawn
16. Ashes by Now
17. How High The Moon
18. Spanish Johnny with Waylon Jennings
19. The Lst Cheaters Waltz
20. Racing In The Streets
21. Like An Old Fashioned Waltz
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0081227474423
Format: Special Edition
Label: Rhino Records
Manufacturer: Rhino Records
Number Of Discs: 5
Publisher: Rhino Records
Release Date: 2007-09-18
Studio: Rhino Records
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing
Comment: As time goes by, I find myself drawn more and more to the music of Emmylou Harris. When I began listening to country music as a child, she was still having regular hits on the Billboard charts. I liked her music, but in those days would not have listed her as one of my favorite artists. Over the years that slowly began to change, and today she is definitely on a very short list of favorites. Whether this is case of my musical tastes maturing, or an unconscious rebellion against the increasingly pop-oriented music coming out of Nashville these days, I do not know, but I've been listening to a lot of Emmylou these days and decided that I had to add Songbird to my collection.
I don't buy many CDs anymore, opting instead to download MP3 files when I buy new music. This time I decided to go with the CDs because the digital version of this album has considerably fewer tracks -- at least 20 are not available as MP3s. I'm really glad that I went with the CDs, because this is beautifully packaged with a hardcover booklet that contains a biography of Emmylou and a track-by-track commentary. This is by far the nicest boxed set I've ever purchased. I was a little concerned when I read so many other reviews that complained that the discs were difficult to remove from their sleeves. I did not find that to be the case at all, so perhaps Rhino has addressed that problem since the set was originally released.
This is not a greatest hits package, but rather, as the title suggests, rare tracks culled from Emmylou's back catalog, and collaborations that originally appeared on other artists' albums. The absence of any big hits further illustrates the consistent quality of Emmylou's body of work. There was never any filler on her albums; there isn't a weak track on this set. Each one can hold its own against any of her more familiar radio hits. Thirteen tracks were previously unreleased. Among these are the real gems of the set -- the collaborations with Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton, which were recorded in the 1970s for the aborted Trio album that was never released due to complications with three artists who were under contract to three different record labels. (In 1987, the ladies finally got together in the studio and recorded the now classic "Trio" album). Other standout tracks are "Sonny", a collaboration with Ireland's Dolores Keane and Mary Black and the live version of "Prayer In Open D".
This is a must-have for any serious Emmylou fan, and even casual fans will find much to enjoy here. It makes a fine companion piece for the 2001 Anthology (The Warner-Reprise Years), which contains the big hits that are missing from Songbird. It's a fine collection from a true artist who, unlike so many others, has never compromised her artistic integrity in pursuit of greater commercial success. It is that kind of artistry that has earned Emmylou Harris widespread respect, and a well-deserved space in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Emmylou on Emmylou
Comment: If you appeciate Emmylou Harris, then you'll appreciate this comprehensive retrospective which, she indicates in the book which accompanies the CDs, took her several years to compile. With so many tracks, clearly no one will like every song, but every Harris fan should appreciate the voice doing the song. This compilation is a "must have" for any Harris fan.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Mostly already realeased and the packaging is horrible
Comment: You can't go wrong with Emmylou BUT there really aren't that many unreleased tracks to make it worth the avid fan's money and enough can't be said about how difficult it is to get the bloody CDs out without ripping the "box". Falling is a Deep Hole is pretty awesome, though!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great music - Horrid packaging
Comment: Rhino is intentionally packaging their box sets to make the removal of the discs nearly impossible without damage to the discs and or the boxes themselves. It's true of this set and many others recently issued. It leaves the buyer with no place to store the CDs after surgically removing them from the packaging. The music on this set is wonderful and it has enough unique tracks to make it worthwhile for longtime listeners. Buyers need to complain to Rhino directly and demand replacement CDs for any damaged due to their intentionally lousy packaging.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A must have
Comment: For any Emmylou Harris fan, this is a must. What a treat to listen to the evolution of Emmylou's talent over her amazing career, there isn't a disappointing track in this entire package.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Emmylou Harris, godmother of the Americana movement, is a phenomenon for any number of reasons, one of which is that she has has managed to conduct more than four decades of her remarkable career without a single misstep. While Harris has always been committed to honoring the roots of old-school, traditional country, she also expanded the music beyond its conservative lyrics and narrow melodic structures without abandoning its core themes of enduring love, family, and prideful sense of place. Throughout, she interpreted and wrote songs of integrity and emotional depth and resonance, surrounding her keening soprano with a Who's Who of players and collaborators, including Rodney Crowell, the McGarrigle Sisters, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Daniel Lanois, and Mark Knopfler. This unusual 4-CD compilation isn't a greatest-hits package, but rather a gathering of Harris's personal favorites, most of which have never appeared on other collections. Some of the most compelling tracks are special collaborations ("Jordan," with Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash), previously unreleased live, studio, and demo tracks (the folky "Falling in a Deep Hole," circa 1970), and contributions to tribute projects (Townes Van Zandt's chilling "Snake Song"). Harris's reedy voice is one of the most empathetic instruments in all of popular music, and perhaps no other female performer of the genre has been able to capture the desperate, paralyzing sense of longing and loneliness as well as this greatly revered singer. That may be a red flag of warning for the Prozac generation, but this deeply satisfying set stands as a benchmark of 40 years of artistry, as well as an uncommonly soulful illumination of the human condition. --Alanna Nash
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