Emmylou Harris - Profile: Best of Emmylou Harris

Less than two years after her mentor Gram Parson's death, Harris recorded her first album for Reprise. Pieces of the Sky inaugurated a suite of four mid-'70s albums and a surprising number of hits: her sound was clearly traditional, but also tastefully up-to-date with folk-rock and singer/songwriter styles, and her cyrstalline, febrile vocals took standards such as "Sweet Dreams" and "If I Could Only Win Your Love" back up the charts. Profile focuses on these early hits, and if it's too brief to capture all the best songs from four-star albums such as Elite Hotel, Luxury Liner, and Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town, it shows why Harris is important and why she continues to make adventurous country music. Through unfailingly tasteful song selection, brilliant occasional songwriting, and her cool, velvety soprano, Harris extended Gram Parsons's vision of "cosmic American music" and made it her own. --Roy Kasten Amazon.com

Emmy's Best

I have had an LP copy of this album since it came out, which was before CDs. I wore out two cassette tapes and then purchased two CDs of it. It was one of the first albums on which I found that I liked every song on it.

No doubt about it, Boulder To Birmingham is my favorite.

Not many have the staying power of Emmy Lou Harris. She is, quite simply, wonderful. August 24, 2008

Wonderful!

This is my 3rd copy of this wonderful album/CD. The original album had to make way for the world of CDs. The first CD was accidently broken and I replaced it the same day. I think it's one of her top 5 albums. I love them all. September 10, 2005

Small sample of her early work

Although Profile is a wonderful listening experience, it doesn't quite do justice to the early work of this amazing songbird. It draws heavily on the Pieces Of The Sky album with these great songs If I Could Only Win Your Love, Too Far Gone and Boulder To Birmingham, her moving elegy to Gram Parsons.

Other very beautiful songs include the gentle love ballad Sweet Dreams, the sad story song To Daddy, Making Believe, a yearning song of lost love, and the stirring Together Again. With her crystalline vocals, her expert phrasing and her tasteful choice of material, Emmylou has created a magnificent body of work.

Now for the omissions! When I Stop Dreaming from Luxury Liner is Emmylou at her best. Till I Gain Control Again and Satan's Jewel Crown from Elite Hotel are must haves. And the sublime My Songbird from Quarter Moon In A Ten Cent Town is one of the most spiritual songs she ever recorded.

In the light of this, I award this album only four stars, but Profile is still a great sample of her work from that time. I recommend that you get all of the aforementioned albums so as not to miss out on any of her gems.
April 9, 2005

To EmmyLou from Dave.

This is a wonderful piece of art that I have owned since 1978 and am ordering again to give as a gift for someone. It delivers all of the pleasing elements that I look for in vocal music; a lovely female singing voice, beautifully crafted harmonies and tight instrumentals. Of course, it doesen't hurt that the songs performed are well chosen for my taste! Thank you for this classic. March 22, 2004

The classic country rock years

This compilation includes three tracks from each of her first four albums, when her style was country-rock - very different from her music of the nineties and beyond. Apart from Hello stranger, all these tracks are available on the more recent double CD titled Anthology, which covers her whole career with Warner Reprise.

During these years (1975 to 1978), Emmylou had many hits on the American country charts including three solo number one hits, all cover versions and all included here. They were Together again (Buck Owens), Sweet dreams (Patsy Cline) and Two more bottles of wine (Delbert McClinton). Emmylou had many other big country hits with cover versions, including If I could only win your love (Louvin brothers) and You never can tell C'Est la vie (Chuck Berry).

Dolly Parton wrote To Daddy and recorded it for her 1976 album All I can do, but Emmylou heard it and recorded it herself. When Dolly heard Emmylou's version, she substituted another song for her own album, although Dolly's version was eventually released on a compilation CD many years later. Thus, Emmylou's version, included here, is the first one the public heard.

This is a great introduction to Emmylou's early music. January 24, 2004

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