Pieces of the Sky

Pieces of the Sky is the second studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in February 1975 through Reprise.

Pieces of the Sky
Studio album by
Emmylou Harris
ReleasedFebruary 1975
StudioEnactron Truck, Los Angeles, California; Track Recorders, Silver Spring, Maryland
GenreCountry
Length38:40 (1975 release)
43:17 (2004 reissue)
LabelReprise
ProducerBrian Ahern
Emmylou Harris chronology
Gliding Bird
(1969)		 Pieces of the Sky
(1975)		 Elite Hotel
(1975)
Singles from Pieces of the Sky
  1. "If I Could Only Win Your Love"
    Released: June 1975
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[2]
The Guardian[3]

Although she had released the obscure folk-styled Gliding Bird five years earlier, Pieces of the Sky became the album that launched Harris's career and is widely considered to be her début. In those intervening years she forged a musical relationship with Gram Parsons that altered the musical direction of her career. The album includes Harris's first high-charting Billboard country hit, the #4 "If I Could Only Win Your Love," and the relatively low-charting #73 "Too Far Gone" (originally a 1967 hit for Tammy Wynette). The overall song selection was varied and showed early on how eclectic Harris's musical tastes were. In addition to her own "Boulder to Birmingham" (written for Gram Parsons, who had died the previous year), she included the Merle Haggard classic "The Bottle Let Me Down," The Beatles' "For No One," and Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors." (Parton, in turn, covered "Boulder to Birmingham" on her 1976 album All I Can Do (album).) On Shel Silverstein's "Queen Of The Silver Dollar," Harris's longtime friend and vocal collaborator, Linda Ronstadt, sings harmony.

Pieces of the Sky rose as far as the #7 spot on the Billboard country albums chart.

Pieces of the Sky was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Bluebird Wine"Rodney Crowell3:18
2."Too Far Gone"Billy Sherrill4:05
3."If I Could Only Win Your Love"Charlie Louvin, Ira Louvin2:36
4."Boulder to Birmingham"Emmylou Harris, Bill Danoff3:33
5."Before Believing"Danny Flowers4:44
6."The Bottle Let Me Down"Merle Haggard3:16
7."Sleepless Nights"Felice and Boudleaux Bryant3:25
8."Coat of Many Colors"Dolly Parton3:42
9."For No One"John Lennon, Paul McCartney3:40
10."Queen of the Silver Dollar"Shel Silverstein5:14

Bonus tracks

A 2004 CD reissue added two previously unissued bonus tracks:

  1. "Hank and Lefty" (Dallas Frazier, Doodle Owens) – 2:50
  2. "California Cottonfields" (Dallas Frazier, Earl Montgomery) – 2:47

Personnel
  • Emmylou Harris – vocals, acoustic guitar
  • Brian Ahern – acoustic guitar, guitar, bass
  • Bruce Archer – acoustic guitar
  • Duke Bardwell – bass
  • Byron Berline – fiddle, mandolin
  • James Burton – electric guitar, Gut-string guitar, Dobro
  • Mark Cuff – drums
  • Rick Cunha – acoustic guitar, guitar
  • Nick DeCaro – string arrangements
  • Amos Garrett – electric guitar
  • Richard Greene – fiddle
  • Tom Guidera – bass
  • Glen Hardin – piano, electric piano, string arrangements
  • Ben Keith – pedal steel
  • Bernie Leadon – acoustic guitar, bass, banjo, dobro, backing vocals
  • Bill Payne – piano
  • Herb Pedersen – acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, banjo, backing vocals
  • Danny Pendleton – pedal steel
  • Ray Pohlman – bass
  • Linda Ronstadt – backing vocals
  • Ricky Skaggs – fiddle, viola
  • Fayssoux Starling – backing vocals
  • Ron Tutt – drums
  • Brian Ahern – producer, engineer
  • Chris Skene – engineer
  • Paul Skene – engineer
  • Fran Tate – engineer
  • Stuart Taylor – engineer
  • Lisa Phillips – angel drawings on cover

References
  1. Ankeny, Jason. Pieces of the Sky at AllMusic
  2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: H". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. Sweeting, Adam (9 April 2004). "Emmylou Harris, Pieces of the Sky". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
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