Linda Ronstadt - It’s So Easy, Blue Bayou

I was looking through my 1977 stuff, and noticed that these two singles were released so close together that they peaked in the top ten within one week of each other in December, 1977. That's really unusual.

Does anyone know/remember why Asylum released these two songs so close to each other?

I remember when both songs were climbing the pop charts together and wondered the same thing, too. Linda was reaching superstar status then and I always wondered why this was done exactly. I guess because the 2 songs were so different they figured they wouldn't compete with each other on the pop charts, and it worked. Does any radio guy here know the details of what Asylum was thinking? It could have backfired. Shortly thereafter, in 1978, as Barry Manilow's "Even Now" began climbing the chart, Arista released "Copacabana" (again, 2 songs in completely different styles & genres - ballad & disco), but just as "Even Now" was moving up in its 3rd or 4th week (at #19), "Copa" took over and killed the chances of "Even Now" getting higher than that position. I wonder where it would have peaked if Arista hadn't released "Copa" a couple weeks after "Even Now."

This singles strategy is not reserved only for Ms. Ronstadt.

Epic released "Beat It" less than a month after "Billie Jean".

LaFace previewed the latest Usher album 'Raymond v Raymond' with the R&B hit "Papers".

When the album was released the label worked four(!) tracks at *pretty much* the same time to the R&B, Rhythmic & Top-40 formats: "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)", "Lil' Freak", "There Goes My Baby" & "OMG".

All four were chart hits on at least two formats!

Andy