Jackson Browne: The Very Best Of Jackson Browne - Disc 1 of 2 CD Track Listing

A list by checkmate

Jackson Browne The Very Best Of Jackson Browne - Disc 1 of 2 (2004)
2004 Elektra Entertainment Group / Rhino\n\nOriginally Released March 16, 2004\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Jackson Browne long displayed an aversion to hits collections, releasing his first one 25 years after his debut album. That 1997 disc, entitled Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne, had many hits, yet it was also missing many essential songs, leaving an opening for a collection that had all of Browne's hits and signature songs in one place. Released seven years later, Rhino/Elektra's double-disc The Very Best of Jackson Browne is more or less that collection. Produced by Jackson Browne and featuring 32 songs, this set has all the major songs -- "Doctor My Eyes," "These Days," "Late for the Sky," "The Pretender," "Fountain of Sorrow," "Redneck Friend," "Running on Empty," "Somebody's Baby" -- including songs missing on Next Voice You Hear, such as "Jamaica Say You Will," "Rock Me on the Water," "Take It Easy," "Before the Deluge," "The Load-Out," "Stay," and "Boulevard." However, there are a handful of smaller hits missing -- including "That Girl Could Sing," "Cut It Away," "For a Rocker," "For America," "Chasing You Into the Night," "World in Motion," and "Call It a Loan," the latter of which was on the previous compilation -- which may frustrate some listeners. Nevertheless, this is not a major problem since the collection does contain the great majority of Browne's best and best-known material in an attractive, engaging fashion (although the cardboard packaging may be a bit too flimsy to weather heavy, repeated listening), and for listeners who want a comprehensive overview without purchasing individual albums, this suits the bill nicely. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n \nAmazon.com Album Description\nOver the past three decades, Jackson Browne has created and voiced many of the most literate and emotionally resonant compositions in popular music - and sold more than 15 million albums, including the seven-times platinum Running On Empty and the #1 Hold Out. This year Browne's artistry is celebrated with his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and with this new retrospective from Rhino. Browne's first-ever double-disc set compiles hits, singles, and choice album cuts from his acclaimed catalog, spotlighting both insightful works of personal introspection and passionately delivered songs of social and political observation. The 2002 recipient of the prestigious John Steinbeck Award (honoring those exemplifying the famed writer's environmental and social ideals), Browne is a mature artist and world citizen whose work shines on this long-awaited collection. \n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nThough Jackson Browne's albums are not plentiful--in a career that stretches 32 years, he's released just over a dozen--they're filled with songs that serve as resilient touchstones for millions who passed through those decades. Originally forging a way for himself as a songwriter, his debut, Saturate Before Using, placed him at the forefront of the southern California rock scene. His contemporaries and compatriots, the Eagles, even took his "Take It Easy" to the top of the charts. Even at his most anthemic, his songs resonate with small details that keep the proceedings human-scaled. The sympathetic accompaniment buoys a voice that's remarkable for its lack of idiosyncrasies. His unmannered singing voice is an essential component in making songs like "These Days," "Fountain of Sorrow," and "Running on Empty" flow with a casual ease that belies the high level of craftsmanship throughout. --David Greenberger \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nNice career overview , August 20, 2004\nReviewer: Dr. Emil Shuffhausen (Alabama)\nOne of the greatest lyrics from the 1970s, which perfectly sums up that decade, says: "I look around for the friends I used to turn to to pull me through/Looking into their eyes I see they're running too/Running on, running on empty/Running on, running blind/Running on, running on empty/Running into the sun, but running behind." Jackson Browne, as he so often did, provided an apt description of the times, wrapped in warm, heartfelt vocals. I could quote "Doctor, My Eyes" or "The Pretender" or "Here Come Those Tears Again" or any number of other Jackson Browne songs that would illustrate my point equally as well. But, rather than reading my review, you could just listen to this excellent 2 disc set that does a very good--though not perfect--job of collecting Browne's best work. Hardcore fans may lament the omission of certain tracks, but nonetheless, this set packs a lot into a relatively short space. Those who appreciate real music played by real musicians (especially those guitars) sung from the gut by a real guy will enjoy this set. Even if one doesn't always agree with Browne's politics or philosophy, one must admit that he is eloquent, sincere, and supremely gifted. Here's hoping he finds what he is looking for. \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nJackson Browne's 30 Year, Hall of Fame Career Celebrated, March 20, 2004\nReviewer: Anthony G Pizza "trivialtony" (FL)\nThis 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. \nIn 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." \n\nIt'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."\n\nYou'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.\n\nHalf.com Album Credits\nBonnie Raitt, Contributing Artist\nDan Fogelberg, Contributing Artist\nDavid Crosby, Contributing Artist\nDon Henley, Contributing Artist\nElton John, Contributing Artist\nGlenn Frey, Contributing Artist\nGraham Nash, Contributing Artist\nJD Souther, Contributing Artist\n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel: Jackson Browne (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, piano); David Lindley (acoustic & electric guitars, slide guitar, fiddle); Kevin McCormick (acoustic guitar, bass); Clarence White (acoustic guitar); Jesse Ed Davis (electric guitar); Sneaky Pete Kleinow (pedal steel guitar); Craig Doerge (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards, Mini-Moog synthesizer); David Paich, Elton John (piano); Benmont Tench (Hammond B-3 organ); Jai Winding (organ, synthesizer); Doug Haywood (organ, background vocals); Michael Utley (organ); Leland Sklar, Chuck Rainey (bass); Russell Kunkel (drums, congas); Jeff Porcaro (drums); Luis Conte (percussion); Vonda Shepard, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Glenn Frey, Dan Fogelberg, Don Henley, J.D. Souther, Bonnie Raitt (background vocals).\n\nProducers include: Jackson Browne, Al Schmitt, Jon Landau, Greg Ladanyi, Scott Thurston.\n\nCompilation producer: Jackson Browne.\nRecorded between 1972 & 2002. \nIncludes liner notes by Dave Marsh.\n\nBefore this double-disc dose of Jackson Browne's best came along, the influential troubadour's most extensive career summary was the 15-song THE NEXT VOICE YOU HEAR. This truly definitive anthology contains just about everything on that disc and plenty more. Browne helped define the 1970s singer/songwriter idiom, and that process is carefully documented here, as on the precociously world-weary "These Days" and the soulful, Van Morrison-like "Doctor My Eyes." The collection follows Browne through the years, as he toughens up his sound with more of a rock edge ("Running on Empty," "Boulevard") and adds a sociopolitical edge to his lyrics ("Lives in the Balance," "I am a Patriot"). Through it all, Jackson's humanity and humility, not to mention his lyrical song-craft, shine with an enviable consistency.
This rock cd contains 16 tracks and runs 77min 33sec.
Freedb: d7122b10
Buy: from Amazon.com

Categories

Latest lists

Jackson Browne: The Very Best Of Jackson Browne - Disc 1 of 2 CD Track Listing

Category

Tags

cyList

Legal