Track Listing
1. Pain Of Loving You
2. Making Plans
3. To Know Him Is To Love Him
4. Hobo's Meditation
5. Wildflowers
6. Telling Me Lies
7. My Dear Companion
8. Those Memories Of You
9. I've Had Enough
10. Rose Wood Casket
11. Farther Along
Review
This is probably the best traditional country music album on this list since the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, (Nanci Griffith is great as well but that is Alt Country) and that is saying something. Firstly we have the union of three of the greatest singers and performers in Country music history in Parton, Ronstadt and Harris. And as I was saying to my wife just now they aren't just great interpreters they are also very intelligent women and pretty savvy business-women.
This album is such a great move for them, particularly Parton which had been dabbling in less than tasteful country-pop, but here the electronics are trimmed down almost to no existence (with the exception of Telling Me Lies, which is nonetheless a great track) giving the album a much more authentic feel. And then they have Ry Cooder in the band.
The lyrics are the traditional women-country-fare with the bitterness towards unfaithful men taking center stage, but it is much more than that, a track like Hobo's Meditation takes on social politics for example. And the selection of tracks is a pretty good one. Well I for one missed a good traditional Country album on this list, the last really good one was in 1972 with Will The Circle Be Unbroken, and finally, 15 years later there's another one I would put in my iPod.
Track Highlights
1. I've Had Enough
2. To Know Him Is To Love Him
3. My Dear Companion
4. Making Plans
Final Grade
9/10
Trivia
From Wikipedia:
Longtime friends and admirers of one another, Parton, Ronstadt and Harris first attempted to record an album together in the mid-1970s, but scheduling conflicts and other difficulties (including the fact that the three women all recorded for different record labels) prevented its release. Some of the fruits of those aborted 1970s recording sessions did make it to the women's respective solo recordings. "Mister Sandman" appeared on Emmylou's album Evangeline (album) and Parton's "My Blue Tears" was included on Ronstadt's Get Closer.
Finally a colloboration effort went to full fruition, being produced by George Massenburg. When Trio was finally released in early 1987, it spawned four hit country singles -- including the country #1 remake of Phil Spector's 1958 hit by the Teddy Bears, "To Know Him is to Love Him" -- and reached number 1 on the U.S. country album charts, and number 6 on the U.S. pop album charts. It won Grammy Awards for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. (It was also nominated for Album of the Year.)
To Know Him Is To Love Him:
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