Continuing my look at the albums of 1977…
I have commenter RussParis to thank for today’s selection. He offered up his own list of favorite 1977 albums, naming several I’ve covered here and others I considered and at least one name that was completely new to me — Karla Bonoff. I promptly gave the album a listen and discovered what may well be a new favorite.
Bonoff is a singer-songwriter best known for songs of hers that other people recorded. Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Lynn Anderson, and Wynona Judd have all had hits with her tunes.
I guess that makes her a kind of poor man’s Carole King, and that’s an appropriate comparison, because this self-titled album has a bit of a Tapestry feel. I don’t mean to oversell it, but it does have a similar vibe to that contemplative classic. I also hear a bit of Bonnie Raitt here, which makes it appropriate that the two collaborated.
Linda Ronstadt had the closest association with Bonoff, and three tracks on this debut were recorded by Ronstadt first. I’ve been planning a Linda Ronstadt deep dive (spoilers: more on that next week) and I’m curious to hear her versions of these songs.
Bonoff doesn’t have the voice of Ronstadt or Raitt, but she has a warm and comforting sound — again, not unlike Carole King. And what she definitely has is a batch of great songs — memorable, melodic, and meaningful.
Bonoff released a few more solo albums and landed songs on the soundtracks of Footloose and 8 Seconds (‘Somebody’s Eyes’ on Footloose turns out to be the one song of hers I’ve already heard). At 74, she maintains a fairly active touring schedule.
One of my favorite things about writing this blog is that it continuously introduces me to new talent. Thanks to Russ for making that happen again.
There’s somebody waiting alone in the street
For someone to walk up and greet
Here you are all alone in the city
Where’s the one that you took to your side?
Lonely faces will stare through your eyes in the night
[Verse 2]
And they’ll say
Woman, sweet woman, please come home with me
You’re shining and willing and free
But your love, it’s a common occurrence
Not like love that I feel in my heart
Still, you know that may be what I need
[Chorus]
Is someone to lay down beside me
And even though it’s not real
Just someone to lay down beside me
You’re the story of my life
[Chorus]
Just someone to lay down beside me
And even though it’s not real
Just someone to lay down beside me
You’re the story of my life
[Verse 3]
Well morning is breaking, the street lights are off
The sun will soon share all the cost
Of a world that can be sort of heartless
Not like love that you feel in your heart
Still, you know that may be all you get
[Chorus]
Is someone to lay down beside you
And even though it’s not real
Just someone to lay down beside you
You just can’t ask for more
Meet Me In Montauk 
well, not a new talent, but new to you…. and me. Thank you Russ for bringing this to our attention!
Outstanding track and an outstanding singer. Captures the 70’s West Coast sound perfectly. Been a fan for a long time.
Definitely has a Carole King vibe. Like her voice and this song a lot
Quality tune here. I prefer this version to the Ronstadt one, despite the fact that LR has the more powerful voice. That version is sort of over-produced for me, and I’m in favor of the guitar break versus the “lalalas”, and after all, Karla did write the song!
I’ve been a huge Karla Bonoff fan since her incredible debut album in 1977. Even saw her in concert in the ’70s. I recall her opening for James Taylor some years later. All four of her studio albums are excellent. Although she’s known best for her songwriting, her biggest solo hit was “Personally” (1982), which was a cover!
Karla started off in the late ’60s in a band called Bryndle with Andrew Gold, Wendy Waldman, and Kenny Edwards. Kenny was part of Linda Ronstadt’s early band Stone Poneys, and he and Andrew Gold were part of Linda’s band throughout the ’70s, which is how Karla’s songs came to Linda’s atttention. Andrew Gold produced most of Linda’s 1970’s hits.
Bryndle finally released a self-titled album in 1995, an album that is in my top tier not only for that year but for the ’90s. I’m a fan of everything that Karla, Andrew, Wendy, Kenny, and Linda released.