Emmylou Harris’s 1998 Live Album ‘Spyboy’ Receives Well-deserved Vinyl Reissue (ALBUM REVIEW)

The record industry’s shift away from vinyl in the late ’80s and ’90s did a real disservice to live albums. The rise of CDs — and the ease of skipping past less familiar tracks — may have been convenient for albums padded with filler, but it taught a generation of listeners to overlook the deeper cuts and the creative intent behind track sequencing. For live records especially, it turned what once felt like the next best thing to being at a concert into something closer to a jukebox.

For all those reasons, New West Records’ decision to finally put Emmylou Harris’s brilliant Spyboy on vinyl feels long overdue — and deeply satisfying. Originally released in 1998 — and previously available only on CD and cassette — it marked the second of Harris’s five live albums to date, and arguably her best. A limited pressing of Spyboy arrived in May for Record Store Day and, unsurprisingly, sold out almost immediately.

Backed by Buddy Miller on guitar (who also produced the record), Brady Blade on drums, and Daryl Johnson on bass, the setup was lean and as a result her voice – one of the best sopranos of a generation – comes across loud and clear, not having to compete over a full electric band. The set captured on Spyboy was the culmination of her collaboration with producer Daniel Lanois on 1995’s Wrecking Ball, an album that redefined her already critically lauded musical style and took her sounds in a new direction. Now considered one of her best albums, it was built on her already established foundation of folk and country music, but tweaked with Lanois’ trademark ambient production, making for a more cinematic sound, in part by drenching the guitars in echo. As a result, Harris’ vocals sound rawer and more intimate, giving them an even stronger emotional impact.

While the initial track listing of Spyboy included three songs from Wrecking Ball (“Where Will I Be,” “Deeper Well” and “All My Tears”), Lanois’ influence can still be heard throughout this live set, specifically on the remarkably beautiful “Prayer In Open D,” which Harris performs here solo. Almost three decades later, it is still the definitive version of this classic. The oft-covered song, an emotionally wrenching meditation on grief and loss, was never released as a single but remains a favorite among critics and fans. 

Just as powerful is the live rendition of “Calling My Children Home,” immediately following “Prayer In Open D” on the set list and with her band on stage with her and offers gorgeous harmonies to back her up. The viny re-release of this record includes five previously unreleased recordings of the band performing Tom Petty & the Heartbreaker’s “Thing About You,” (the closest thing to a rock song on this album) Bob Dylan’s “Every Grain of Sand,” Bill Monroe’s “Get Up John,” Lucinda Williams’ “Sweet Old World” and “All I Left Behind,” a song co-written by Harris and sisters Kate and Anna McGarrigle. These bonus songs were all recorded on the same 1997–98 tour as the rest of Spyboy, with most of the songs here recorded from shows in Austin, Boulder and Nashville. 

Among the other strong highlights here is “Ain’t Living Long Like This,” the Rodney Crowell-penned song that Harris first recorded in 1978. Waylon Jennings would put his stamp on the song a year later, but this live track from Spyboy is one of the most spirited versions ever committed to wax. Meanwhile, “Love Hurts,” written by Boudleaux Bryant, but covered by a slew of artists from just as many genres, was recorded by Harris and her collaborator, the late Gram Parsons, in 1974. The live version from this set is powerfully emotional.  

It’s remarkable that Spyboy is only now seeing a vinyl release — a long-overdue moment, but a welcome one. Beyond being a superb document of Harris at a turning point in her career, the record serves as a remarkable testament to live music.