Jackson Browne - The Very Best of Jackson Browne
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Free Music Notes for The Very Best of Jackson Browne
Free Music Review: Jackson Browne's 30 Year, Hall of Fame Career Celebrated
Hit: 5 Stars
This year singer/songwriter Jackson Browne marked election to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also left Elektra/Asylum Records, which not only released 30 years' music putting him there, but in Asylum's case epitomized California's musical and social world view. His peak singer/songwriter impact came between one president returning to California in disgrace and another riding in from California promising restored American dignity and mythology. Browne's fidgety dissatisfaction and repudiation of his times and culture distinguished him among the era's dominant softer rockers, who more often than not recorded Browne's songs (the pensive "Jamaica Say You Will" has several covers). This first rate Rhino 2CD best-of bears that out. In his speech inducting Browne to the Hall,Bruce Springsteen mock jealously spoke of women forming most of his concert crowds. Certainly rock star mystique and movie star looks (including the celebrity girlfriend) helped. But the 36 songs here showed he appealed to women (and men wanting to impress them) through passionate, literate pop songs about self-presentation and preservation or what, in "Before The Deluge," he called "the resignation that living brings." This, despite chauvinism occasionally rearing in songs like "Take It Easy" and the car-ready rocker, "Redneck Friend."
It's a theme throughout Browne's beloved songs, beginning with his 1972 Top 10 debut when he wonders if he's capable of pain or feeling. (This over a dominant piano riff, a hallmark of his early sound.) The thread continues through 1976's majestic "The Pretender," (as with "Doctor My Eyes," David Crosby and Graham Nash sing backup) and even 1980's rocker "Boulevard," where he throws off the line, "Everybody walks right by like they're safe or something." Whether describing tour bus diversions or decrying Reagan-era foreign policy (his 1985 top 30 hit "For America" belongs here), Browne unsparingly writes against personal or professional politics. The mockery and in-jokes used in "Lawyers In Love" were lost on 1983's growing Yuppie culture and probably led to his political messages becoming more overt and somber on 1985's "Lives In The Balance."
You'll miss "Miles Away," "That Girl Could Sing," even his goofy but endearing Clarence Clemons duet, "You're A Friend of Mine." But uniformly, winding from early hits through two exceptional rockers from 2002's "The Naked Ride Home," the songs Jackson Browne selected for this collection show his gift for lyrical detail and passionate delivery. Both justified his success in genres (and genders), and this is an essential collection from a deserving Hall of Fame candidate.
Free Music Review: A great compilation for both new and old fans
Hit: 5 Stars
One of the best singer-songwriters of the rock era finally gets a career-spanning compilation that does justice to his long and influential career in music. It hearkens back to his early days when, along with The Eagles and Linda Ronstadt, he was one of the voices of the "California Sound," effectively blending rock and country-western into a seamless, laid-back style. Also represented are his recent efforts, which are more politcal and populist in tone, but are just as well-written as his early works and show a substantial amount of depth and maturity. This compilation contains 32 songs on 2 discs, all remastered and sounding wonderful. Most of his hits are here, including "Doctor My Eyes," "Somebody's Baby," "The Pretender," "The Load-Out/Stay," "Tender is the Night," and my all-time favorite, "Running on Empty" (also my favorite album). Other notable songs include his version of the Eagles' standard "Take it Easy" and the subtly sexually subversive "Red Neck Friend." (The chorus of that song always gives me a guilty grin). "I am a Patriot"--recorded many years ago--reminds those of us living in the post-9/11 world of what patriotism can mean. He sings of loyalty to neither Democrats or Republicans: "I only know one party/And it is freedom." Other great songs on this set include "Jamaica Say You Will," "Late for the Sky," "Lives in the Balance," the populist anthem "For Everyman" and "I'm Alive" (from the album of the same name, which may rank as his most mature work). This set does have a couple of drawbacks though: Where's "Lawyers in Love?" Come on. That's one of his best, and best-known, songs. There had better be a very good reason for its exclusion. Though represented, we don't see as many of his more politically/socially conscious songs from recent years, perhaps due to a desire to make this album more accessible to casual fans of his Top 40 hits. This libertarian may disagree with some of his leftist political views, but that's a moot point; Jackson's politics are as much a part of him as anything else and should be better represented. Also missing is the Top 20 song from 1986, "For America," and his duet with Clarence Clemons, "You're a Friend of Mine." (Since that song was from Clemons' solo effort, it may not have been available due to contractual reasons). It also would have been nice to see "The Rebel Jesus," with the Chieftains included, but that's really about all that's missing. This is the perfect way to get to know Jackson and his work, and for people like myself, a chance to get reacquainted with one of my favorite artists. Highly recommended.
Free Music Review: The Best Of Jackson Browne, Honest!
Hit: 5 Stars
What do you say about an album that does fatrithfully reprise an artist's career with as much verve and excitement as is in this compilation of hits that stretches out over nearly thirty years of public acclaim? My best word is "Wow"! There are many fine songs here, beginning with the early success of "Doctor My Eyes", whose success baffled and surprised Browne, and set his career on a slow burning and long to extinguish flame still blazing with millions of fans world-wide. Perennial favorites like "Late For The Sky", "Fountain Of Sorrow", and "The Pretender" are included, as are the previously unavailable "Somebody's Baby", along with "Running On Empty", "Tender Is The Night", and "Lives In The Balance". More importantly, a number of very strong Jackson compositions that were ommited from his previous collections are included, such as the Eagles mega-hit "Take It Easy" that Jackson co-wrote with Glenn Frey, along with other notable absentees like " Boulevard", and "The Load Out", and "Stay". I'm sure you can think of several others that escape my notice at the moment.
Of course, allowing for notable omissions suggests to me that perhaps the marketeers at Elektra have their eyes out for a second greatest hits album that might give us "That Girl Could Sing", "For Everyman", and my own personal favorite, "Our Lady Of The Well". Otherwise, this should have been a double CD. One can always hope. There are a number of newer songs here, such as the gorgeously written, arranged and sung "In The Shape Of A Heart", "The Barricades OF Heaven", and the absolutely soaring "Sky Blue And Black", which in my opinion is his single best song since "Late For The Sky", proving our amazing Mr. Browne still has the genius he has been sharing so well with us since he first stepped onto the stage and into the comfortable lap of public acclaim in the very early 1979s, a fresh and deeply personally autobiographical artist bridging the folk/popular divide with astonishing ease and virtuosity. This album provides a nice overview of his work, but given his considerable output over the last three decades, I recommend you also listen to his individual original releases. Enjoy!
Free Music Review: Highly recommended 2CD collection from a great artist.
Hit: 5 Stars
I bought this album last week and have been playing it in my car and at home. It is brilliant, and represents 30 years of Jackson Browne songs from 1972-2002. I do not know all that much else about Jackson Browne, but the songs here speak more eloquently than any biography you might read. This guy can really write, and his songs are always tuneful with strong messages, emotional truths, excellent use of words, and quite a lot of up-to-the-moment social commentary where he writes about the times we are living in from an American perspective (he's from California originally, I think) . Particularly fine, I think, are his mid-70's songs from albums For Everyman (the title tune has wonderful lyrics) , Late For The Sky ( rated by many as his best-ever studio album) , The Pretender and Running On Empty. I love the lyrics of songs like For A Dancer and Before The Deluge. Running On Empty is an acutely-observed road trip of how you have to try and keep going even when the pace of your life seems to be getting out of your control.The Load-Out/ Stay is a familiar tune that tells all about life as a touring musician. Somebody's Baby was a pop/rock tune I always really liked from the radio back in Grade 7 in 1982, and it's on here too ( previously it was only on a film soundtrack album ), while the satirical Lawyers In Love and the lovely In The Shape Of A Heart were great songs from the 80's. Not all songs are in the tuneful West Coast style of his 70's stuff, but he does not stray too far away from the lyrical style that brought him to prominence back then. Later stuff from the 90's and early 2000's shows that Jackson Browne's songwriting is still as fine as ever, and he is still touring , I believe.
There is a lot to love about this 2CD set and really I can't find anything on here I do not like.
Just one thing - fans of his 1986 duet hit with E Street band saxophonist / vocalist Clarence Clemons : You're A Friend Of Mine should note that this song is not on here. I'm hoping it'll turn up on the next Best Of... in a few years !
Highly recommended 2CD collection from a great artist.
Free Music Review: Stand B4 the Father
Hit: 5 Stars
"When my life is over, I'm going to stand before the Father; but the sisters of the sun are going to rock me on the water now," Jackson sings on this stunning track from his debut album. Browne burst onto the scene marrying unique melodies with provocative lyrics that grabbed a generation. This Rhino/Elektra compilation is an excellent overview of his incredible career. The engineering on this disc is first-rate, although like many have expressed, I'm perplexed by the packaging that lets the discs fall out -- perhaps they should have labeled this collection "Handle With Care"!
My favorite JB album is his 3rd. "Late for the Sky" was one that I connected with when it was released and still moves me today. "For A Dancer" is one of the most powerful songs of lament and grieving that I've ever heard. That Jackson can marry this message to a catchy melody with a beat that sets your toe tapping is sheer brilliance, "I don't know what happens when people die...It's like a song I can hear playing right in my ear that I can't sing, but I can't help listening." Then David Lindley's fiddle brings all the emotional pathos to a head. It's entrancing.
The mark of a truly great musician is that everyone has different favorites with which they connect. From "These Days" to "The Pretender" to "Boulevard" to "I'm Alive," Browne has kept me thoroughly engaged. The one time I saw him play at the Cellar Door in Washington D.C. with David Blue early in his career still stays with me. I was so young that I couldn't drive and had to have my mom take me! Now my mom has had the "one dance you'll do alone" and I have children of my own. Through it all, Browne's music has played in my head & heart. Jackson Browne is an American original. This comprehensive collection of this master musician's work is a fitting review. Bravo!