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EMMYLOU HARRIS

Songbird: Rare Tracks And Forgotten Gems

$74.98 CD

"Besides possessing an exquisite voice that's immaculate in its spirit yet deeply seasoned in its poignance, Emmylou has also proven herself as a gifted instrumentalist, eloquent songwriter, and incomparable bandleader…Harris's recordings are the sound of a brave, honest, intelligent heart, digging deeper to help us all grasp music's ability to alter our inner and outer worlds for the better.”

- Billboard Magazine

 Billboard wrote this and other accolades when recognizing Emmylou Harris and her “incomparable body of work” with their prestigious Century Award in 1999, aptly calling her a “truly venturesome, genre transcending pathfinder.” Rhino pays tribute to Harris' great musical adventure and extraordinary output with the first-ever boxed set to spotlight her artistry, the 5-disc SONGBIRD: RARE TRACKS & FORGOTTEN GEMS, featuring 78 songs - from 1970-2006 - on 4 CDs plus a DVD featuring 9 videos. 

 Every selection was hand-picked by Harris, who co-produced the box with James Austin. Like the artist herself, SONGBIRD is unpredictable, sonically elegant, stylistically diverse and eloquent in every aspect. Its wealth of career-spanning treasures - including groundbreaking work with Gram Parsons, tracks with her “Hot Band” and stellar duets with a who's who of musical greats - encompasses many that will ring with familiarity, as well as lesser known wonders from this world renowned icon of American music. 

 It weaves a remarkable thread through Harris' still vital-as-ever career, now spanning five decades, over 20 albums, more than 15 million records sold, 12 GRAMMY®Awards, numerous historic collaborations, solo masterpieces and fundamental American genres including country, rock, pop, Americana, alt-country, folk, bluegrass and countless permutations in between. 

 “This is a very different retrospective,” she says in her preface to the expansive booklet, which also features an in-depth essay by Sylvie Simmons and track-by-track insights from Peter Cooper (with comments from Harris). “I've selected not greatest hits, but personal favorites…that-with a few exceptions-have never appeared on any other compilations, but were important gems in the string of pearls that each album strives to become. Also included are special collaborations, unreleased live and demo tracks, as well as contributions to tribute projects…which I may now gather into this fold.” 

 Disc One highlights include a previously unissued alternate version of “Clocks” from Harris' rare 1970 solo debut Gliding Bird, stand-outs from Pieces Of The Sky including covers of Dolly Parton's “Coat Of Many Colors,” the Beatles' “For No One” and “Tulsa Queen,” co-written with Rodney Crowell. It also features the Jesse Winchester-penned “My Songbird” (which gives the box its title), a duet with Willie Nelson on “One Paper Kid,” “Spanish Johnny” with Waylon Jennings (from '81s Evangeline) and two seminal tracks with Gram Parsons - with whom Harris first rose to fame as his vocal partner - “The Angels Rejoiced Last Night” and “The Old Country Baptizing.” 

 Disc Two stand-outs include “The Sweetheart Of The Rodeo” - from the semi-autobiographical concept album The Ballad Of Sally Rose - and tracks from the live classic At The Ryman including “If I Could Be There.” Memorable solo recordings include “Sweet Old World” and “Going Back To Harlan” from her 1995 Daniel Lanois-produced GRAMMY-winner Wrecking Ball, about which Rolling Stone wrote, “Harris fully inhabits each song without overwhelming it; she's an expert interpretative singer.” The inspired follow-up, 1998's Spyboy, is represented with live takes of past Harris favorites including “Prayer In Open D” and “All My Tears; “Bang The Drum Slowly” from Red Dirt Girl (2000) and “Lost Unto This World” from 2003's Stumble Into Grace are also featured. 

 Disc Three's highlights include previously unreleased outtakes from the Trio and Trio II sessions with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt including “Palms Of Victory” and “Softly And Tenderly” and “In The Garden,” a song recorded for but not included on the soundtrack for All The Pretty Horses. Spotlight is also shed on Return Of The Grievous Angel, the Gram Parsons tribute album Harris produced, with songs including “She” (w/the Pretenders), “Sin City” (w/Beck), and “Juanita” (w/Sheryl Crow). Other tribute tracks include ones to Tammy Wynette, Kate Wolf, Townes Van Zandt, Webb Pierce and Merle Haggard. 

 Disc Four includes two stand-outs with Mark Knopfler - the Harris-penned “Love And Happiness” and “Alone And Forsaken,” recorded for a Hank Williams tribute. Also featured are “Here We Are,” with George Jones - one of Harris' biggest inspirations - “Beyond The Blue,” a duet with Patty Griffin for the film Where The Heart Is, and outtakes from Brand New Dance and Cowgirl's Prayer including “Waltz Across Texas Tonight” and Townes Van Zandt's “Snowin' On Raton.” 

 DVD selections include two videos with the Hot Band from BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test-“Together Again” and “Making Believe,” footage from a 1978 edition of PBS's Soundstage and a duet with Elvis Costello on “Love Hurts” recorded at the legendary Grand Ole Opry in 2006. 

* Previously unreleased

Selection # 74744

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