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''Heart Like a Wheel'' is the fifth solo studio album by
Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...
, released in November 1974. It was Ronstadt's last album to be released by
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
. At the time of its recording, Ronstadt had already moved to
Asylum Records Asylum Records is an American record label, founded in 1971 by David Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts. It was taken over by Warner Communications (now the Warner Music Group) in 1972, and later merged with Elektra Records to become Elektra/Asyl ...
and released her first album there; due to contractual obligations, though, ''Heart Like a Wheel'' was released by Capitol. ''Heart Like a Wheel'' reached the top of the ''Billboard'' 200, becoming her first number one album in the United States. The lead single a cover of Dee Dee Warwick's " You're No Good" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. At the 18th Annual Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for
Album Of The Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...
, while her version of "
I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love with You "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)" is a song written and originally recorded by Hank Williams on MGM Records. It hit number two on the ''Billboard'' country singles chart in 1951. In his autobiography, George Jones printed the fi ...
" won the award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female. Widely considered as Ronstadt's breakthrough album; it was selected by the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The librar ...
to be inducted into the
National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservati ...
in 2013. The album was also placed on the 2020 revised version of ''Rolling Stone'''s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.


Reception

''Heart Like a Wheel'' became Ronstadt's first album to hit the top spot on the Billboard Top 200 album chart and spent four weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Country Album chart in early 1975. " You're No Good," the first single release from the record company, reached number 1 on Billboard's Hot 100. A cover of
The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...
' " When Will I Be Loved" spent two weeks at number 2 on the Hot 100 in June 1975 and reached number 1 on the Cash Box Pop singles chart and on the Hot Country Songs chart. Buddy Holly & the Crickets song, " It Doesn't Matter Anymore", also appeared on the Pop, Adult Contemporary and Country charts.
Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...
's 1975 review ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'' described the title track as "a masterpiece of writing and arrangement" and lauded the album's expansive repertoire, production and song selection. The album's cover of
Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...
's " I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)," peaked at number 2 on ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart. ''Heart Like a Wheel'' spent 51 weeks on the album chart. Retrospective reviews of ''Heart Like a Wheel'' widely regard it as a high-point in Ronstadt's oeuvre. In his review for
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
,
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...
described it as "a landmark of '70s mainstream pop/rock." John Lingan claimed in his review for ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' that " onstadthad one power, but it was a superpower. Viewed from one angle, Linda Ronstadt’s career is the story of a woman gradually recognizing the power of her own voice. She had the tone early, but you can hear her control improve in each successive album. Her breaths sound more natural, her vibrato becomes more pronounced. By Heart Like a Wheel, she’d mastered it." In 1976, the album earned Ronstadt four nominations at the
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
s. She won Best Country Vocal Performance, Female for the track, "I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love with You". She was also nominated for
Album Of The Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...
and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. Producer Peter Asher was among the nominees for Producer of the Year. In 2006, CMT ranked "Heart Like a Wheel" No. 34 on its list of the 40 greatest albums in country music. The album was ranked No. 490 on the September 22, 2020 edition of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. ''Heart Like a Wheel'' was selected for preservation in the
National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservati ...
in 2013 for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important."


Track listing


Personnel

Adapted from album's
liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the record sleeve, sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner n ...
. * Linda Ronstadt – lead vocals, backing vocals (2, 4, 6, 9) * Andrew Gold – electric piano (1, 3), electric guitar solo (1), drums (1, 2, 3, 7), percussion (1, 2, 3), acoustic piano (3, 4, 5, 8, 10), electric rhythm guitar (4), tambourine (4, 6), guitars (6), backing vocals (6, 7), acoustic guitar (7, 8),
ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...
(8). Credit on album cover: "Special thanks to Andrew Gold for his help with the arrangements." * Eddie Black – electric guitar (1) * Bob Warford – acoustic guitar (2, 4, 8), electric guitar solo (4), electric guitar (7) * Sneaky Pete Kleinow
pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all steel guitars, it can ...
(2, 7, 8) * J. D. Souther – acoustic guitar (3), harmony vocals (3) * Herb Pedersen
banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
(3), backing vocals (7) * Paul Craft – acoustic guitar (9) * John Starling – acoustic guitar (9) * Danny Pendleton – pedal steel guitar (9) * John Boylan – acoustic guitar (10) *
Glenn Frey Glenn Lewis Frey (; November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016) was an American singer, guitarist and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. Frey was the co-lead singer and frontman for the Eagles, roles he came to share with fellow member Don H ...
– acoustic guitar (10) * Kenny Edwards – bass guitar (1, 2, 6–8), backing vocals (6, 7) *
Chris Ethridge John Christopher Ethridge (February 10, 1947 – April 23, 2012) was an American country rock bass guitarist. He was a member of the International Submarine Band (ISB) and The Flying Burrito Brothers, and co-wrote several songs with Gram Parsons ...
– bass guitar (3) * Emory Gordy Jr. – bass guitar (4) * Tom Guidera – bass guitar (9) * Timothy B. Schmit – bass guitar (10) * Dennis St. John – drums (4) * Russ Kunkel – drums (6) * Lloyd Myers – drums (8) *
Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. He is the drummer and one of the lead singers for the Eagles. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles hits such as " Witchy Woman", " D ...
– drums (10) * Peter Asher – percussion (2),
cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are ...
(6), backing vocals (10) * Jimmie Fadden –
harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica in ...
(2, 7) * David Lindley – fiddle (5, 8) * Gregory Rose – string arrangements and conductor (1, 2, 10) * David Campbell – string arrangements (5), viola (5) * Dennis Karmazyn – cello (5) * Richard Feves – double bass (5) * Clydie King – backing vocals (1) *
Sherlie Matthews Sherlie Matthews (born November 10, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter and former Motown Records producer, best known as a backing vocalist for pop, R&B and rock groups from the mid-1960s to the present time. Early life Matthews started ...
– backing vocals (1) * Wendy Waldman – backing vocals (2) * Cissy Houston – backing vocals (4) * Joyce Nesbitt – backing vocals (4) * Maria Muldaur – backing vocals (5) *
Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, includin ...
– harmony vocals (8) Production * Peter Asher – producer * Val Garay – engineer, mixing * David Hassinger – engineer, mixing * Dennis Ferrante – assistant engineer * John Haeny – assistant engineer * Peter Kelsey – assistant engineer * George Massenburg – assistant engineer * Peter Swettenham – assistant engineer *
Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and ...
– mastering at A&M Mastering Studios (Hollywood, California). *
Rod Dyer Rod Dyer (born in South Africa) is an American graphic artist, illustrator, photographer and restaurateur. Career Dyer has been described as a "prominent graphic designer who created many of the album covers for Capitol Records in the 1960s." L ...
– design * Leandro Correa – photography * Eve Babitz – photography


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Reissues


References


External links


''Heart Like a Wheel''
at Myspace (streamed copy where licensed)
Linda Ronstadt: “Heart Like a Wheel” , Studio 360
on
WNYC WNYC is the trademark and a set of call letters shared by WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City. WNYC is owned by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a nonprofit organization th ...
's Inside The Recording Registry {{Authority control 1974 albums Linda Ronstadt albums Albums produced by Peter Asher Capitol Records albums United States National Recording Registry recordings Albums recorded at Trident Studios United States National Recording Registry albums