Three voices and a long-awaited record
Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris had wanted to record together during the 1970s. Different record companies and crowded schedules kept the idea from becoming an album at the time. When “Trio” finally appeared in 1987, singing together was already familiar territory. The record grew out of a connection that extended well beyond a conveniently arranged studio date.
George Massenburg handled both production and recording engineering. Sessions took place during 1986 at studios including The Complex and Ocean Way in Los Angeles and Woodland in Nashville. Three highly individual singers meet a production whose central task concerns the relationship between their voices: a melody needs a lead, while the other lines must remain both audible and connected.
From Jimmie Rodgers to Kate McGarrigle
The eleven songs reach across different generations of American songwriting. Jimmie Rodgers’ “Hobo’s Meditation” appears alongside Parton’s “Wildflowers” and Kate McGarrigle’s “I’ve Had Enough”. Linda Thompson and Betsy Cook wrote “Telling Me Lies”. Even this small selection suggests that the collaboration involved a shared sense of which stories the three singers could tell together.
“To Know Him Is to Love Him” brings Phil Spector’s composition into that setting. “Rosewood Casket” reaches into Parton’s own family: the traditional song is credited with an arrangement by her mother, Avie Lee Parton. “Farther Along” closes the record. Following these connections offers a way to discover the programme as a whole, beyond its best-known track.
The musicians behind the voices
The instrumental cast is equally considered. David Lindley, Albert Lee, Steve Fishell and Herb Pedersen contribute different stringed instruments, with Bill Payne on keyboards. Ry Cooder adds tremolo guitar to “To Know Him Is to Love Him”. Those names point to an extensive palette encompassing acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin and steel guitar, rather than a single unchanging accompaniment.
To follow the vocal interplay, listen to the transition from an individual line into a shared entry. Notice, too, when an instrument fills a gap and when it leaves space. The singers do not have to set their individual identities aside. The movement between a recognisable solo voice and ensemble singing provides one of the most useful ways into the album.
This edition
Analogue Productions’ AAPR 005-45 is part of the Acoustic Sounds 40 Series: two 180-gram LPs at 45 RPM, pressed at QRP and supplied in a Stoughton tip-on gatefold. According to the publisher, Matthew Lutthans mastered this edition at The Mastering Lab from the original analogue tape. All eleven songs are retained. George Massenburg’s credit concerns the production and recording of “Trio”, rather than the mastering of this reissue.
Michael 45 keeps the records in Germany and ships them from Hilden, removing the need for a personal US import and the related customs wait.
Also on SACD: Trio
Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe
Series: Acoustic Sounds 40th Anniversary – all 25 albums, recommendations and musicians
Musicians
Documented selection of participating musicians. Personnel may vary by track; this list does not claim to be complete.
| Name | Instrument / role |
|---|---|
| Emmylou Harris | Acoustic guitar, Backing vocals |
| Dolly Parton | Backing vocals |
| Linda Ronstadt | Backing vocals |
| Bill Payne | Electric piano, Piano, Organ |
| Albert Lee | Acoustic guitar, Mandolin, Guitar |
| Steve Fishell | Pedal steel guitar, Guitar, Dobro |
| David Lindley | Acoustic guitar, Mandolin, Autoharp, Guitar |
| Ry Cooder | Guitar |
| John Starling | Acoustic guitar |
| Herb Pedersen | Banjo |
| Mark O'Connor | Acoustic guitar, Mandolin, Fiddle, Viola |
| Kenny Edwards | Electric bass, Bass |
| Leland Sklar | Bass |
| Russ Kunkel | Drums |
| Marty Krystall | Clarinet |
| Brice Martin | Flute |
| Jodi Burnett | Cello |
| Dennis Karmazyn | Cello |
| Novi Novog | Viola |
| David Campbell | Conductor |
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