Elite Hotel - Emmylou - early country - remaster 2004

Elite Hotel was Emmylou’s first pure country offering following on the heels of her first major label solo work, “Pieces of the Sky.” The album came out originally in 1975, and Warner Brothers released the 2004 remaster with two bonus cuts.

While this is not my favorite Emmylou work, it is an exceptional collection of early, country work by one of the most beautiful voices ever recorded.

The background by the Hot Band (often incorrectly called “the Angel Band”) makes this a professional sounding work long before Emmylou should have been nailing it.

Certainly, it helped that Glen D. Hardin (pinao) and James Burton (electric guitar) were seasoned professionals who understood both her country and rock sounds. Hardin and Burton previously had backed Elvis Presley, so a hybrid, cutting-edge singer did not send them running for cover. In fact, the mix is so smooth, the sound is more family or long term relationship than back-up.

Rodney Crowell cut his teeth on the early Emmylou projects, and co-wrote the lead song and teamed up for a duet on “You’re Running Wild” (bonus cut). Ricky Skaggs also was an early friend and played fiddle on “Cajun Born” (second bonus cut). Emmylou has always been good at finding and hanging around with the most talented musicians and singers in the field. She even manages to find massive accordion player, Jo-El Sonnier, to give her bayou songs the spark of authenticity.

Another plus here is that Emmylou was married to producer, Brian Ahern, at the time this collection was put together and released. Though the marriage did not work out, the two worked well together for about a decade during Emmylou’s most country years.

The lead song, “Amarillo,” is the only song penned by Emmylou. It is an upbeat, backwoods country piece which reflects her interest in bluegrass. The theme is a little dated with the man being lost to the jukebox and the pinball machine. Mentally change that to an IPod and PS2, and you’ve got the idea. Kathy Mattea covered this song for her album “Lonesome Standard Time” (1992).

The rest of the album includes covers, but an Emmylou cover is never an imitation. Her version of “Sweet Dreams” (written by Don Williams and made popular by Patsy Cline) was her first number one on the country charts. That was followed by “Together Again” (a Buck Owens song). Clearly, Emmylou could take old country classics and make them popular all over again.

Other covers ranged from the Hank Williams’ rolicking “Jambalya” to the heartfelt “Here, There and Everywhere” (a Beatles song).

Some of the gems on this collection were penned by Emmylou’s mentor and love interest, Gram Parsons (best known for his work with the Flying Burrito Brothers). “Sin City,” “Ooh Las Vegas,” and “Wheels” were all written by Parsons who died of a drug overdose before be became a big name star and before he and Emmylou got a chance to follow up on a mutual attraction. It is clear that Emmylou sings from the heart as she puts the Parsons songs out for public consumption. He will always be the man she did not outgrow, because he never grew up. He did turn her on to country with a rock sound, and that does live on. For that I am thankful.

If you like old country or if you like Emmylou’s country twang songs, then this is a must-buy. Her version of “One of These Days” (Earl Montgomery) is pure rural and sounds like what I hear at family gatherings.

The original line up is excellent, but the bonus cuts are worth picking up the newest release. “You’re Running Wild” with Rodney Crowell is a sad, slow, somewhat nasal ballad. In the up tempo “Cajun Born,” Harris drops to a lower note range and has that deep south twang that is hard to imitate. She nails it. Both are interesting pieces and both include soon-to-be stars.



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My favorite CD by Emmylou is “Ballad of Sally Rose.” It’s hard to get ahold of, since it’s an import stateside. It’s well worth the extra cost if you can find it. My review is at:

http://www.epinions.com/content_158669311620

If you want a truly special Christmas collection, then Emmylou has one that sounds great no matter the time of year. My review on “Light of the Stable” is at:

http://www.epinions.com/musc_mu-536399