VIA PRESS RELEASE | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MoFi), the renowned leader in high-fidelity audio reissues, is proud to announce the definitive reissue of Linda Ronstadt’s landmark 1975 album Prisoner in Disguise, is available now as a numbered 180g 45RPM 2LP set at mofi.com. Celebrating its 50th anniversary and the ongoing Elektra 75 campaign, this edition offers a revelatory listening experience—remastered from the original analog master tapes and pressed with unparalleled care and detail.
Sourced from the original analog master tapes (1/4” / 15 IPS Dolby A analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe), this 45RPM edition provides exceptional clarity, depth, and warmth. Pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California and housed in a Stoughton Printing gatefold jacket, the reissue delivers elevated degrees of clarity, presence, and separation, revealing new detail and dimension throughout. The definitive vinyl edition of Prisoner in Disguise, it lifts prior veils that impeded the gorgeous singing and spectacular craftsmanship gracing the 11 songs.
A platinum-certified success and the follow-up to Heart Like a Wheel, her No. 1 breakthrough album, Prisoner in Disguise cemented Ronstadt’s status as the leading female voice of the 1970s. Working again with producer Peter Asher and joined by an elite lineup including James Taylor, JD Souther, Russ Kunkel, Emmylou Harris, and more, Ronstadt delivered a masterclass in emotional interpretation and genre-blending artistry.
“It’s hard to believe that it’s been fifty years since the initial release of my sixth solo album, Prisoner in Disguise,” Ronstadt writes in a newly penned personal letter. “I remember being very glad to get a demo from my friend Neil Young… I was immediately taken with a song called ‘Love is a Rose.’ It became the opening track on the album.”
Her remarkable ability to reimagine songs from across the musical spectrum shines throughout the album. Her Motown-inspired rendition of “Heat Wave” became a Top 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, while her tender cover of Smokey Robinson’s “Tracks of My Tears” reached the Adult Contemporary Top 5. “Smokey has a beautiful, soprano-like voice and sings in my keys,” she notes. “So I could easily sing along with him on the radio. This made me want to record the song.”
In her letter, she also recalls a backstage poker game with Smokey and her band (then including Don Henley and Glenn Frey) four years prior. She humorously remembers admonishing Frey not to win against Smokey because she had a crush on him and “he wouldn’t like me if he lost too much money to my guitar player.”
The title track, written by JD Souther, stands as one of the album’s most poignant moments. “I sang the opening verse with just JD on acoustic guitar,” she recalls. “Listening to it now, I am struck mostly by JD’s utterly original harmony vocal.” Also unforgettable is her duet with Emmylou Harris on “The Sweetest Gift,” foreshadowing their later work together on the Trio project.
