SACD John David Souther – Black Rose

Black Rose as a hybrid stereo SACD from Analogue Productions’ Acoustic Sounds 40th Anniversary Series, mastered to DSD by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab. All ten songs play in one sequence – from “Banging My Head Against The Moon” to “Black Rose”.

The songwriter in his own voice

Some songs first reach us through another singer. “Faithless Love” appeared on Linda Ronstadt’s Heart Like A Wheel in 1974 – before John David Souther released his own version on Black Rose. His second solo album, from 1976, puts the writer himself at the centre: all ten songs are his. If you know him mainly as J. D. Souther, the songwriter in the Eagles’ circle, here is a complete collection under his own name.

Peter Asher produced, David Campbell wrote the arrangements, and Val Garay and Greg Ladanyi appear in the recording credits; according to the publisher, the album first came out on Asylum Records. This team pairs an unmistakable author with a production that makes room for very different line-ups – every song gets its own musical setting.

A guest list in many directions

Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Linda Ronstadt are among the contributors – and so are David Crosby, Art Garfunkel, Lowell George, Andrew Gold, Stanley Clarke and Donald Byrd. These names reach far beyond a single band or style; they sketch a network in which vocal, guitar and other instrumental experience could meet.

Yet a list of names can’t tell you how a song works. It gets exciting when you listen for what each part actually does: which line carries the voice, and where does an instrument get a moment of its own? Souther’s songs are the common ground – his guests help shape them instead of turning the album into a parade of famous names.

Ten songs, one collection

“Banging My Head Against The Moon” opens the album, “Black Rose” closes it, and in between you find “Simple Man, Simple Dream”, “Silver Blue” and “Midnight Prowl”, among others. Even the titles hint at different perspectives. Souther does more here than reclaim one song made familiar by someone else: he presents a complete sequence of his own compositions.

That makes Black Rose especially rewarding next to the albums of his musical companions. Those connections are good ways in, but here they gain a new centre: the songwriter and his own voice. And “Faithless Love” can be enjoyed in two settings – on Ronstadt’s album and in Souther’s own sequence – without turning it into a contest.

The hybrid stereo SACD from Analogue Productions

CAPR 009 SA is a hybrid stereo SACD from Analogue Productions’ Acoustic Sounds 40th Anniversary Series. According to the publisher, Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab mastered it to DSD from the original analogue master tape. The SACD layer plays on SACD-capable players, the CD layer on any conventional CD player. The disc contains the ten songs of the original album.

You order from Michael 45 in Germany. We arrange the US import and ship from Hilden.

More from the series: Acoustic Sounds 40th Anniversary Series

Also in another edition: Black Rose

Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe

Musicians

Documented selection of participating musicians. Personnel may vary by track; this list does not claim to be complete.