Emmylou Harris – Anthology: The Warner, Reprise Years (2001)

Double-disc Anthology concentrates on Emmylou Harris' Reprise recordings, which is a blessing. Once she left Reprise, she started to delve into "experimental," "atmospheric" recordings a bit too heavily, certainly more than her prior recordings would justify, and it almost obscured her purest talents – that of a singer that carried on the tradition of, say, Patsy Cline, becoming the greatest country singer of her generation. Since her generation was the rock generation, her path crossed multiple times with singers that weren't strictly country, most notably at the beginning of her career, when she sung backing and harmony vocals for the incomparable Gram Parsons. This gave her exposure, and she capitalized upon it by turning in recordings that simultaneously appealed to rock and country artists, finding herself as a tremendous interpretive singer, somebody that perfectly balanced the divide between classic and contemporary. Rhino's double-disc Anthology perfectly captures that balance and if it has any faults, it's that it illustrates her career a little too well, finding that her classicist approach was as modern as it was reverent. So, there are moments here that seem a little too studied to be true, but that's an accurate representation of her career, illustrating how she walked the tightrope between genuine country and a scholarly interpretation of it. This will appeal to both factions, as it captures both sides of her personality equally well. That means it might not be the perfect choice to convert doubters, yet it still winds up representing Harris' career remarkably well, perhaps being the one disc for casual fans.

Tracklist:

CD 1:

01. Too Far Gone (3:33)
02. If I Could Only Win Your Love (2:37)
03. Boulder To Birmingham (3:38)
04. Together Again (3:56)
05. Here, There And Everywhere (3:43)
06. One Of These Days (3:09)
07. Sweet Dreams (Live) (3:03)
08. (You Never Can Tell) C'est La Vie (3:31)
09. Making Believe (3:09)
10. Easy From Now On (3:10)
11. To Daddy (2:47)
12. Two More Bottles Of Wine (3:11)
13. Save The Last Dance For Me (3:45)
14. Beneath Still Waters (3:45)
15. Blue Kentucky Girl (3:19)
16. Wayfaring Stranger (3:31)
17. That Lovin' You Feelin' Again (with Roy Orbison) (4:12)
18. The Boxer (3:33)
19. Precious Love (3:45)
20. Fools Thin Air (4:18)
21. Mister Sandman (2:23)
22. Colors Of Your Heart (4:23)

CD 2:

01. If I Needed You (with Don Williams) (3:36)
02. Tennessee Rose (3:46)
03. Born To Run (3:46)
04. Another Pot O' Tea (3:06)
05. I'm Movin' On (Live) (2:58)
06. (Lost His Love) On Our Last Night (Live) (3:27)
07. So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad) (Live) (3:25)
08. Maybe Tonight (2:59)
09. Drivin' Wheel (3:13)
10. In My Dreams (3:16)
11. Pledging My Love (3:01)
12. Someone Like You (3:20)
13. White Line (3:46)
14. Rhythm Guitar (3:10)
15. Timberline (2:53)
16. I Had My Heart Set On You (3:11)
17. Today I Started Loving You Again (3:25)
18. To Know Him Is To Love Him (with Dolly Parton & Linda Ronstadt) (3:55)
19. Heartbreak Hill (3:09)
20. Heaven Only Knows (3:44)
21. I Still Miss Someone (2:53)
22. Wheels Of Love (2:44)