Black Rose (J. D. Souther album)

Black Rose is the second album by American singer-songwriter J. D. Souther, released in 1976. It includes Souther's version of "Faithless Love" released by Linda Ronstadt in 1974. Ronstadt would later cover "Simple Man, Simple Dream" and "Silver Blue" from this album.

Black Rose
Studio album by J. D. Souther
Released	1976
Studio	The Sound Station
Genre	Soft rock
Length	39:45
Label	Asylum
Producer	Peter Asher
J. D. Souther chronology
John David Souther (1972) Black Rose (1976) You're Only Lonely (1979)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

In his retrospective review for Allmusic, critic William Ruhlmann called it an "excellent album steeped in the Southern California country-rock sound of the '70s".^[1] In a review for Rolling Stone, Stephen Holden wrote, "John David Souther’s second solo album benefits from a beautiful, all-star Peter Asher production. More sophisticated than either his first album or the two Souther-Hillman-Furay albums, Black Rose underscores Souther’s melodic writing, his strongest point, with some genuinely innovative arrangements by David Campbell, the classically trained musician who scored “Prisoner in Disguise" for Linda Ronstadt. "Silver Blue," much of which Campbell has scored as a duet for voice and plucked double bass and violas, is a starkly arresting production, while setting "Faithless Love" into a semiformal piece for voice, acoustic guitar and chamber ensemble transforms a prettier-than-average country-rock ballad into an eloquent one. "Doors Swing Open," a complex tune based on ninth and minor sixth chords, boasts an elegantly lush arrangement that both gives it shape and highlights its lovely chromaticism."^[2]

"Midnight Prowl" was a minor hit in Boston in 1976.

Track listing

All songs written by J. D. Souther.

1. "Banging My Head Against the Moon" – 3:41
2. "If You Have Crying Eyes" – 5:05
3. "Your Turn Now" – 3:48
4. "Faithless Love" – 3:33
5. "Baby Come Home" – 3:47
6. "Simple Man, Simple Dream" – 1:49
7. "Silver Blue" – 4:15
8. "Midnight Prowl" – 5:09
9. "Doors Swing Open" – 4:42
10. "Black Rose" – 3:56

Personnel

J. D. Souther – acoustic guitar, congas, ARP String Ensemble, lead vocals, backing vocals Peter Asher – percussion, piano, electric piano, cabasa, shaker, vocals, backing vocals James Bond – double bass Michael Botts – drums Donald Byrd – flugelhorn, horn David Campbell – arranger, conductor, viola Stanley Clarke – bass, double bass Ronald Cooper – cello David Crosby – vocals, backing vocals Vincent De Rosa – horn, French horn Ned Doheny – guitar, backing vocals Chuck Domanico – bass Robert Dubow – violin David Duke – horn, French horn Earl Dumler – flute, oboe James Dunham – viola Kenny Edwards – bass Glenn Frey – guitar, electric guitar, electric piano, backing vocals Art Garfunkel – vocals, backing vocals Lowell George – guitar, slide guitar Andrew Gold – guitar, piano, electric guitar, ARP String Ensemble, tambourine, vocals, backing vocals Pamela Goldsmith – viola John Guerin – drums Don Henley – vocals, backing vocals Dennis Karmazyn – cello Ray Kelly – cello Jim Keltner – drums Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar – guitar, electric guitar Russ Kunkel – drums Kathleen Lenski – violin Don Menza – flute Roy Poper – flugelhorn, horn, French horn Linda Ronstadt – vocals, backing vocals, harmony vocals, gut-string guitar Sheldon Sanov – violin Harry Shlutz – cello Haim Shtrum – violin Paul Stallworth – bass Charles Veal – violin Waddy Wachtel – electric guitar Joe Walsh – guitar, slide guitar John Wittenberg – violin[3][4][5]

Production

• Producer: Peter Asher
• Engineers: Val Garay, Greg Ladanyi
• Mastering: Doug Sax
• Arranger: David Campbell
• Direction: Elliot Roberts
• Art Direction: Jimmy Wachtel
• Design: Jimmy Wachtel
• Photography: Lorrie Sullivan

Charts

Album – Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1976	Pop Albums	85

References

1. Ruhlmann, William. "Black Rose > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
2. Holden, Stephen. "J.D. Souther". music stack. Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
3. "John David Souther – Black Rose (vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs. 1976. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
4. "Release "Black Rose" by John David Souther". MusicBrainz. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
5. Souther, John. "Black Rose – J.D. Souther Credits". allmusic.com. allmusic. Retrieved April 2, 2015.