John David Souther – Black Rose

The songwriter steps forward

Some songs first become familiar in another singer’s voice. “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, issued in 1976, places the writer himself at its centre. All ten compositions are his. Listeners who know him chiefly as J. D. Souther, a songwriter associated with the Eagles, encounter a complete collection under his own name.

Peter Asher produced, with arrangements by David Campbell. Val Garay and Greg Ladanyi appear in the recording credits. That division of work brings a distinctive author together with a production able to accommodate different ensembles. The focus is on the songs and on the musical setting chosen for each of them.

Connections beyond one circle

Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Linda Ronstadt are among the contributors. David Crosby, Art Garfunkel, Lowell George, Andrew Gold, Stanley Clarke and Donald Byrd also participate. The names extend beyond a single band or stylistic category. They point towards a network in which vocal, guitar and other instrumental experiences could meet.

A personnel list alone, however, cannot explain how a song works. It becomes more interesting when listening turns towards the specific function of an accompaniment: which part supports the voice, and where does an instrument have a moment of its own? Souther’s compositions supply the common reference point. His guests contribute to their shape rather than making the record simply a procession of famous names.

A collection in its own right

“Banging My Head Against the Moon” opens the album and “Black Rose” closes it. Between them are “Simple Man, Simple Dream”, “Silver Blue” and “Midnight Prowl”, among others. Even the titles suggest different perspectives. Souther is doing more here than reclaiming one song familiar from somebody else’s performance: he presents a complete sequence of his own compositions.

That makes the album particularly interesting beside records by his musical associates. Those connections offer entry points, but Black Rose gives them a different centre: the songwriter and his own voice. “Faithless Love” can be explored in two settings, as part of Ronstadt’s album and within Souther’s sequence, without requiring a competition between the performances.

This edition

Analogue Productions’ AAPR 009-45 is part of the Acoustic Sounds 40 Series, presented on two 180-gram LPs at 45 RPM. Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab is named as mastering engineer, with the original analogue master tape identified as the source. QRP presses the records and Stoughton supplies the tip-on gatefold. The programme comprises the ten original tracks. The complete transfer chain is not documented; the original 1976 mastering and Michael Graves’ work on the later expanded edition are separate credits.

Also on SACD: Black Rose

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.