Linda Ronstadt: Bad You (CD/SACD Hybrid) [Pre-order item - Shipping expected after December 14th] 12월18일입고예정
Linda Ronstadt
■ Release Date: December 12, 2026
■ Catalog Number: ESSJ-90334
■ Format: CD/SACD Hybrid
■ JAN: 4907034226443
■ Label: Capitol Records
■ Audio Source: Universal Music LLC
■ Genre: Popular
■ DSD Mastering
■ Super Audio CD Layer: 2-channel Stereo [No Multi-channel]
■ Beautiful and luxurious paper digipak packaging
*This product cannot be sold overseas. If the shipping address is an overseas seller or forwarding service, or if we determine that the order is for overseas forwarding or resale purposes, we reserve the right to cancel the order without notice. Thank you for your understanding.
This is a representative work from 1974, when Linda Ronstadt, one of America's leading popular singers, achieved her first number one album on the charts. The success of this album and its songs solidified her position as a superstar. In addition, this work is packed with know-how on sound production that is completely different from classical and jazz.
■Linda Ronstadt, the diva who continues to sing of America's "heart" and music
For music fans who have been familiar with rock and pop for many years, Linda Ronstadt is perhaps the singer who most deserves the title of "diva." Anyone who knew Linda in the 1970s will immediately remember her superstar status at that time. Linda's music is characterized by a solid, cutting-edge West Coast rock sound, an unadorned, free-flowing voice, and an endearing, charming appearance—a description that might sound like that of a typical pop singer. However, Linda was not a manufactured superstar, but rather a natural-born talent who played a central role in guiding the West Coast/Southern California rock scene toward maturity. The Eagles were born from Linda's backing band, and her early adoption of works by outstanding singer-songwriters such as Jackson Browne, JD Souther, Karla Bonoff, and Warren Zevon, spearheading the revitalization of West Coast rock, are also significant achievements.
Looking back at the genres Linda has sung, a grand vision emerges, covering almost every aspect of American and surrounding music. Starting with folk and folk rock, Linda Ronstadt's career spanned country, country rock, singer-songwriter works, rock and roll, R&B, and numerous masterpieces of West Coast rock, which propelled her to the forefront of the 70s music scene. After establishing her fame, she boldly ventured into fields such as opera, a trilogy of popular standards arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle, movie theme songs, Mexican folk songs, Latin music, and jazz vocals. There is no other example of a single singer tackling such a wide range of genres head-on. Moreover, these achievements were not due to a music business strategy, nor were they the result of talent nurtured through gifted education; rather, they were accomplished by Linda's grassroots individuality, which has allowed music fans to continue dreaming forever. This is why she went from being praised as the "diva of the West Coast" in the 70s to being called "America's representative diva."
Linda Ronstadt, who continued her path to superstardom starting with this album,
was born on July 15, 1946, in Tucson, Arizona, into a musical family with German-Mexican ancestry on her father's side, and grew up surrounded by music from a young age. She began singing folk songs in high school and performed locally. In 1965, she formed the folk trio The Stone Poneys in LA. Eventually, they signed with the major label Capitol and made their album debut in 1967, releasing three albums in total. She continued her solo contract with Capitol. Her fourth solo album, "Don't Cry Now" (September 1973), was released on Asylum, a trendy label where emerging West Coast forces were gathering, but because she still had one album left on her contract with Capitol, her fifth album, "Bad You" (November 1974), was released by Capitol. From this point, the title track became a No. 1 hit in the US, followed by the single "When Will I Be Loved?" which reached No. 2, creating a huge hit and securing No. 1 on the album charts. Linda had finally achieved
a breakthrough. As you know, after this, Linda returned to Asylum Records and continued to climb the ladder to superstardom, releasing hit albums and hit singles one after another. To date, she has released a total of 23 original solo albums, excluding greatest hits compilations. She has achieved platinum status (selling over 1 million copies) with 15 albums, won 11 Grammy Awards, and had 10 hits that ranked in the top 10 of the pop charts, building a brilliant career. In particular, her 1980s trilogy of standards arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle was a bold and courageous challenge she took on as an "American singer." In addition to this, she also worked on a "trio" project with her friends Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton (who sadly passed away in August 2026), a duo album with Emmylou, and produced masterpiece albums by Aaron Neville, Jimmy Webb, and David Lindley. She also collaborated and made numerous guest appearances, continuously proving her immense presence and high acclaim.
This fifth solo album can be said to be an album that records the trajectory of Linda Ronstadt's birth, and we hope you will enjoy her youthful and straightforward singing voice once again.
■The collaboration between Linda and the talented producer Peter Asher who supported her behind the scenes
For fans who had long been paying attention to Linda, this album, released in November 1974, was a thrilling breakthrough. It was her fifth solo album, "Bad Girl," and she commissioned Peter Asher to produce it. From then on, the long-lasting golden collaboration between Linda and Asher was born. As you may know, Usher was a member of the duo Peter & Gordon, which had numerous hits during the British Beat era of the 1960s. In the late 1960s, he became the producer/A&R for The Beatles' Apple Records, and produced James Taylor's debut album, which was recorded in England. He later moved to the United States and started his independent production/management business in LA. He worked with James Taylor again and achieved great success. In this work as well, Usher was deeply involved in everything from song selection and arrangement to sound creation, brilliantly bringing out Linda's charm.
"Bad Boyfriend" topped both the album charts and the country album charts. With hit singles like "Bad Boyfriend" (No. 1), "When Will I Be Loved?" (No. 2), and "It's Over" (No. 47), this album generated an unprecedented response. Linda's meteoric rise continued until the late 1970s, propelling her to superstardom from the West Coast. This album is the starting point of that career, and simultaneously a masterpiece that showcases Linda's musical vision and image as a singer with the best possible production and balance. Even setting aside her subsequent success and super-hit albums, many fans would consider this album Linda's greatest work.
■ This album incorporates the essence of the unique sound production characteristic of popular music. Esoteric unearths this from the master tapes.
Regardless of the label, stereo became established in rock/popular music after the later Beatles era; before that, many originals were monaural. The stereo sound image and sound field were created with a completely different feel and image than classical or jazz. It was rare for everyone to gather in a hall or studio and record the sound in a natural state. Instead, each instrument and vocal was recorded individually, and the producer would place each sound like painting on a canvas within the stereo sound field they had envisioned, and then overdubs were added. In the analog era, techniques developed to create the sound image by actively using EQ and compression while considering the noise and sound quality changes caused by multi-track recording and overdubbing. As a result, a dead, solid, and tight sound became mainstream, which was also called the "dry sound of the West Coast." This work, produced under such recording conditions, can be seen as a representative work of the 1970s West Coast, and can be considered a symbol of stereo recording in rock and pop music. In that sense, this series wanted to restore it from the original master tapes that captured the essence of the sound. It has been
newly remastered from the master for Super Audio CD. As with previous Esoteric projects, every step, from selecting the master tapes to the final DSD mastering process, has been carried out without compromise. In particular, for the DSD mastering, meticulously adjusted Esoteric brand's top-of-the-line equipment was used for the DA converter and rubidium clock generator, and the company's MEXCEL cables were used without reservation, allowing us to transfer all the information contained in the original master tapes to the disc without any loss. We hope you will be able to
hear the essence of the "dry sound of the West Coast" and the know-how and intentions of the producers etched into the master tapes through this Super Audio CD.
Tracklist
Heart Like a Wheel / Linda Ronstadt
01 You're No Good (Clint Ballard, Jr.)
02 It Doesn't Matter Anymore (Paul Anka)
03 Faithless Love (JD Souther)
04 Dark End of the Street (Dan Penn & Chips Moman)
05 Heart Like a Wheel (Anna McGarrigle)
06 When Will I Be Loved (Phil Everly)
07 Willin' (Lowell George)
08 I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You) (Hank Williams)
09 Keep Me From Blowing Away (P. Craft)
10 You Can Close Your Eyes (James Taylor)
[Recording]
June-September 1974
[First Release] US Capitol Records ST-11358 (1974)
[First Japanese Release] Toshiba EMI ECS 80129 (1974)
[Original Recording]
[Producer] Peter Asher
[Recording Engineers] David Hassinger, Val Galley
[Mastering Engineer] Bernie Grundman
[Recording Studio] Sound Factory, LA, etc.