Thoughts on Jackson Browne (1 Viewer)

[The Z Machine]

Thoughts on the musician that made Somebody's Baby a hit on the Fast Times soundtrack.

I first started listening to his stuff when my father would put his records on. Honestly, I think that his singing is pretty good, his arrangements are tight, and his lyrical craftsmanship is quite good as well. Sometimes he gets a bit too sentimental for (and then I put on some AC/DC). Listening to his rantings on Reagan are pretty interesting too nowadays.

mellow pop/folk at some of its finest IMO.

 

[Osaurus]

You forgot: wifebeater

 

[Uruk-Hai]

He's placed by most critics much higher in the pantheon of singer/songwriters than I'd put him. His hits are pleasant enough, I guess, but I don't think he's nearly as talented a singer/musician as someone like the critically despised James Taylor (despised, it seems, mainly because he had hits with songs that other people wrote - as if that's the be-all & end-all of being a musical artist). Hell, I think Rick Springfield was a better composer/performer than Browne. But that's just me & I'm sure I'll be in the minority on this.

"Somebody's Baby" though is a fantastic song.

 

[The Z Machine]

You forgot: wifebeater

Was this proven? I assume you're talking about Darryl Hannah, but I wasn't really around back then.

 

[BowieMercs]

You forgot: wifebeater

His first wife offed herself... you suggesting he beat her to death?

 

[Osaurus]

You forgot: wifebeater

His first wife offed herself... you suggesting he beat her to death?

it's apparently more mathematically possible than vampires no?

 

[zamboni]

Not a big fan of his, and the song "Lawyers In Love" probably really turned me off his stuff.

Still, I agree with Uruk that "Somebody's Baby" is great, and I always envision a picture of a deserted dugout when I hear the song.

 

[Memphis Foundry]

Thoughts on the musician that made Somebody's Baby a hit on the Fast Times soundtrack.

I first started listening to his stuff when my father would put his records on. Honestly, I think that his singing is pretty good, his arrangements are tight, and his lyrical craftsmanship is quite good as well. Sometimes he gets a bit too sentimental for (and then I put on some AC/DC). Listening to his rantings on Reagan are pretty interesting too nowadays.

mellow pop/folk at some of its finest IMO.

I never really paid much attention to Jackson Browne except for his hits on the radio, which seemed OK if a bit schmaltzy. But once I got into Warren Zevon, I noticed that he collaborated with Browne a lot as part of that California clique he had put together. Since then I've bought a few of his CDs and he seems to be pretty cool. His lyrics are smooth and they often deliver the goods. He's a good vocalist, too.

 

[JuniorNB]

Somebody's Baby is a great song, but it is not really representative of the sound of Browne's body of work.

I like some of his songs, but I only own two or three of his cds.

I really like his hits Running on Empty, Doctor My Eyes, Tender Is The Night, and Boulevard.

Some of his lesser known songs that are real good are That Girl Could Sing, These Days, and Call It A Loan.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Not a big fan of his, and the song "Lawyers In Love" probably really turned me off his stuff.Still, I agree with Uruk that "Somebody's Baby" is great, and I always envision a picture of a deserted dugout when I hear the song.

I find it amusing that his best song ("Somebody's Baby") is also one of his few hits that wasn't an allegory about the Evil West & those dastardly Republicans. At least, I don't think it was; maybe it was too deep for me. On the other hand, "Lawyers In Love" - one of Browne's Great Statements - is pretty bad. I think a kindergartener could write a better song than that. The lyric & melody don't really go together, and it sounds like he's running out of breath at the end of every line.

 

[BowieMercs]

Not a big fan of his, and the song "Lawyers In Love" probably really turned me off his stuff.

Still, I agree with Uruk that "Somebody's Baby" is great, and I always envision a picture of a deserted dugout when I hear the song.

I find it amusing that his best song ("Somebody's Baby")

LOLanything after "Late for the Sky" aint worth listening to

:#6:

 

[zamboni]

On the other hand, "Lawyers In Love" - one of Browne's Great Statements - is pretty bad. I think a kindergartener could write a better song than that. The lyric & melody don't really go together, and it sounds like he's running out of breath at the end of every line.

The song has one of the cheesiest lines - "Last night I watched the news from Washington...the capital"Thanks for the insightful geography lesson there, Jackson.

 

[patrickmcgroin]

Somebody's Baby is a great song, but it is not really representative of the sound of Browne's body of work.I like some of his songs, but I only own two or three of his cds. I really like his hits Running on Empty, Doctor My Eyes, Tender Is The Night, and Boulevard.Some of his lesser known songs that are real good are That Girl Could Sing, These Days, and Call It A Loan.

I like Jackson Browne, I probably like That Girl Could Sing the best. Cool guitar on that one.

 

[Beaumont]

Saturate Before Using is a great album, front to back ...

 

[The Z Machine]

Doctor My Eyes is pretty damn good IMO.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Not a big fan of his, and the song "Lawyers In Love" probably really turned me off his stuff.

Still, I agree with Uruk that "Somebody's Baby" is great, and I always envision a picture of a deserted dugout when I hear the song.

I find it amusing that his best song ("Somebody's Baby")

LOLanything after "Late for the Sky" aint worth listening to

:#6:

I don't think much before is worth it either, but to each his own. I'd have a hard time filling up a Best Of... album for Mr Browne

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Doctor My Eyes is pretty damn good IMO.

I think one of the reasons I don't like Browne all that much (besides the fact that a lot of his stuff is boring) is that I think his penchant for Big Statements About Our Times rubbed off on old running buddies the Eagles, otherwise a damned fine band who should have realized that they really didn't have anything Important to say & who came off looking foolish (IMO) with their "we're rich...life is hard for us in the 70s....the critics don't give us any respect...woe is we" attitude slipping into every other song.

 

[wildbill]

He's placed by most critics much higher in the pantheon of singer/songwriters than I'd put him. His hits are pleasant enough, I guess, but I don't think he's nearly as talented a singer/musician as someone like the critically despised James Taylor (despised, it seems, mainly because he had hits with songs that other people wrote - as if that's the be-all & end-all of being a musical artist). Hell, I think Rick Springfield was a better composer/performer than Browne. But that's just me & I'm sure I'll be in the minority on this."Somebody's Baby" though is a fantastic song.

I agree with all of this.

 

[wildbill]

On the other hand, "Lawyers In Love" - one of Browne's Great Statements - is pretty bad. I think a kindergartener could write a better song than that. The lyric & melody don't really go together, and it sounds like he's running out of breath at the end of every line.

The song has one of the cheesiest lines - "Last night I watched the news from Washington...the capital"Thanks for the insightful geography lesson there, Jackson.

"The Russians escaped while we weren't watching them (like Russians do)." :X

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

All of the above.

 

[Jack Splat]

If you're going to talk about Jackson Browne, you have to include Rock Me on the Water and The Pretender.

Lawyers in Love I guess everyone has to make a living.

 

[Eephus]

On the other hand, "Lawyers In Love" - one of Browne's Great Statements - is pretty bad. I think a kindergartener could write a better song than that. The lyric & melody don't really go together, and it sounds like he's running out of breath at the end of every line.

The song has one of the cheesiest lines - "Last night I watched the news from Washington...the capital"Thanks for the insightful geography lesson there, Jackson.

"The Russians escaped while we weren't watching them (like Russians do)." :X

...and the children solemnly wait for the ice cream vendorChildren + ice cream = solemnly?

Ice cream man = ice cream vendor? l

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

I think "The Loadout" is his best song.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

He recorded the radio hit "Loadout/Stay" just a few miles from where I sit at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD back in '76 or '77.

Back to "Lawyers...", I can not believe that Dave Marsh included that song in his book The Heart Of Rock & Soul: the 1,001 Greatest Singles Of All Time. But then, Marsh is a pretty radical lefty himself so anytime someone bashed Reagan he was right with 'em.

(Btw, all music lovers should get Marsh's book. It's worth the money for the opening essays alone, but the meat of the book is the ranking section where Marsh ranks his top 1001 singles of all time. The rankings themselves aren't meant to be taken too seriously, but are more an opening for Marsh to give a little history or opinion. This book would certainly be a "desert island" top 5 for me)

 

[MEH]

Saturate Before Using is a great album, front to back ...

"Song For Adam" is one of my all-time favorite songs.I also love his live CD that just came out, I think, a year ago. The story behind "These Days" was great.

 

[The Z Machine]

A lot of his political songs can summed up by one of his lines:

"We're gonna reap what we have sown"

 

[arrow1]

Not a big fan of his, and the song "Lawyers In Love" probably really turned me off his stuff.

Still, I agree with Uruk that "Somebody's Baby" is great, and I always envision a picture of a deserted dugout when I hear the song.

I find it amusing that his best song ("Somebody's Baby")

LOLanything after "Late for the Sky" aint worth listening to

:#6:

 

[WainiacS]

His early stuff is really good; masterfully written I think. As others have said, side two of the HOLD OUT is great. That Girl Could Sing (written about Bonnie Raitt) and Boulevard simply rock. One of my favorite more recent songs is "In the Shape of a Heart" Lyrically it tells a great story.

Though I do agree the cheesy stuff, is really cheesy.

I saw him in concert in the early 90's. He along with two other musicians came out on stage. A guitar, a piano, and percussion section; throughout the whole show depending on the song, they would switch from instrument to instrument. The set was totally comprised from whatever the crowed yelled out. He kept saying, “It’s your concert, what do you want to hear next? Very cool. We were sitting in the way back and I was pretty buzzed, I kept screaming BOULAVARD, BOULAVARD! Jackson Browne finally said, "Is there some kind of accent here in Michigan that I do not understand?" About 300 people turned around and looked at me. :wasted:

http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/med...k=14&disc=1

 

[The Z Machine]

His early stuff is really good; masterfully written I think. As others have said, side two of the HOLD OUT is great. That Girl Could Sing (written about Bonnie Raitt) and Boulevard simply rock. One of my favorite more recent songs is "In the Shape of a Heart" Lyrically it tells a great story.Though I do agree the cheesy stuff, is really cheesy.I saw him in concert in the early 90's. He along with two other musicians came out on stage. A guitar, a piano, and percussion section; throughout the whole show depending on the song, they would switch from instrument to instrument. The set was totally comprised from whatever the crowed yelled out. He kept saying, “It’s your concert, what do you want to hear next? Very cool. We were sitting in the way back and I was pretty buzzed, I kept screaming BOULAVARD, BOULAVARD! Jackson Browne finally said, "Is there some kind of accent here in Michigan that I do not understand?" About 300 people turned around and looked at me. :wasted:

Great story.This is why I hate getting wasted at concerts though. I enjoy them during, but not so much after. I'd prefer to enjoy the music.I just wonder if there's a lot of Phish, Greatful Dead, etc. fans that missed out on some fantastic music because they were too high.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

The song has one of the cheesiest lines - "Last night I watched the news from Washington...the capital"

Thanks for the insightful geography lesson there, Jackson.

Eating from tv trays/tuned into Happy Days.And an atrocious video (even by early 80's standards). It was filmed on videotape, and consisted mainly of Browne staring blankly out a window with his mouth hanging open.

 

[Black&Gold]

Running On Empty, the album, is one of my top10 albums of all time. I love Jackson Browne when I drive. Just great cruising tunes. Somebody's baby isn't close to being his best song. The Load Out is great. Here are my favs:

Doctor my Eyes

Fountain of Sorrow

Late For the Sky

Looking Into You

In The Shape of a Heart !!!

Call it a Loan

Love needs a Heart !!!

Cocaine

Downtown

Jamaica Say you Will

Lawyers In Love

I'm Alive

The Load Out/Stay !!!

Running on Empty

Tender is the Night !!!

These Days

Under the falling Sky

My Opening Farewell

Somebody's Baby

Shakytown !!!

Rock me on the Water !!!

Rosie

Sky Blue and Black

You Love the Thunder !!!

The Rebel Jesus

The Pretender

I just get a big on my face everytime I hear "Rosie".

 

[zamboni]

(Btw, all music lovers should get Marsh's book. It's worth the money for the opening essays alone, but the meat of the book is the ranking section where Marsh ranks his top 1001 singles of all time. The rankings themselves aren't meant to be taken too seriously, but are more an opening for Marsh to give a little history or opinion. This book would certainly be a "desert island" top 5 for me)

Nice - I'm going to check it out.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

(Btw, all music lovers should get Marsh's book. It's worth the money for the opening essays alone, but the meat of the book is the ranking section where Marsh ranks his top 1001 singles of all time. The rankings themselves aren't meant to be taken too seriously, but are more an opening for Marsh to give a little history or opinion. This book would certainly be a "desert island" top 5 for me)

Nice - I'm going to check it out.

It was originally written in 1988. There was a revised edition in the late '90s that added an additional forward (but didn't change the rankings). I don't know if any newer additions have come out since. I've only ever seen it in large paperback. Some of the song essays only consist of a line or two & others take several pages.

 

[saintfool]

His early stuff is really good; masterfully written I think. As others have said, side two of the HOLD OUT is great. That Girl Could Sing (written about Bonnie Raitt) and Boulevard simply rock. One of my favorite more recent songs is "In the Shape of a Heart" Lyrically it tells a great story.Though I do agree the cheesy stuff, is really cheesy.I saw him in concert in the early 90's. He along with two other musicians came out on stage. A guitar, a piano, and percussion section; throughout the whole show depending on the song, they would switch from instrument to instrument. The set was totally comprised from whatever the crowed yelled out. He kept saying, “It’s your concert, what do you want to hear next? Very cool. We were sitting in the way back and I was pretty buzzed, I kept screaming BOULAVARD, BOULAVARD! Jackson Browne finally said, "Is there some kind of accent here in Michigan that I do not understand?" About 300 people turned around and looked at me. :wasted:

Great story.This is why I hate getting wasted at concerts though. I enjoy them during, but not so much after. I'd prefer to enjoy the music.I just wonder if there's a lot of Phish, Greatful Dead, etc. fans that missed out on some fantastic music because they were too high.

i did something very similar at a juliana hatfield show, back when she was first solo after Blake Babies. She had this great little acoustic song "feed me" that i caught a clip of once. i was really lit and like 3 feet from the stage, in her face practically, in this tiny nashville club. in between songs, i would shout "feed me" and people, including Juliana, would look at me like i was crazy. finally, after i shouted it, some guy yells out "will someone get that ####### guy a ###### sandwich!" i never got my song either.ETA: Browne is a hack and totally overrated.

 

[zamboni]

(Btw, all music lovers should get Marsh's book. It's worth the money for the opening essays alone, but the meat of the book is the ranking section where Marsh ranks his top 1001 singles of all time. The rankings themselves aren't meant to be taken too seriously, but are more an opening for Marsh to give a little history or opinion. This book would certainly be a "desert island" top 5 for me)

Nice - I'm going to check it out.

It was originally written in 1988. There was a revised edition in the late '90s that added an additional forward (but didn't change the rankings). I don't know if any newer additions have come out since. I've only ever seen it in large paperback. Some of the song essays only consist of a line or two & others take several pages.

Checked my local library - it's a reference book, so I can't check it out. Maybe I can find a cheap copy on-line.

 

[simey]

Saturate Before Using is a great album, front to back ...

It is a great album, and so are his albums "Late for the Sky" (my favorite by him), "The Pretender", and "Running on Empty."

 

[Bevo]

Saturate Before Using is a great album, front to back ...

It is a great album, and so are his albums "Late for the Sky" (my favorite by him), "The Pretender", and "Running on Empty."

Those are the four that I own and I listen to all of them fairly frequently. I doubt that I will ever get any of the others.

 

[cosjobs]

I think "The Loadout" is his best song.

Yes, definitely his best work. He was always a bit mellow / POPpy for me overall, but I really liked that song. And I don't dislike him, just preferred James Taylor when I was in that kind of mood.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

"In The Shape Of A Heart" is a great song.

 

[DSP]

Hes cheesy and forgetable

 

[Ilov80s]

Great singer/songwriter, one of the great debut albums of all time.

 

[LinusMarr]

Tree huggin, liberal hippy is what I think of....

 

[Apple Jack]

Tree huggin, liberal hippy is what I think of....

Whoa...who brought the tuff guy?

 

[Abraham]

Hes cheesy and forgetable

Your face is cheesy and forgettable.

 

[LinusMarr]

Tree huggin, liberal hippy is what I think of....

Whoa...who brought the tuff guy?

Those are the facts, and they are undisputed....

 

[cstu]

Elevator music.

 

[Ketamine Dreams]

His music is hit or miss with me. It definitely gets a little too light and cheesy at times. Where I think he's underappreciated is helping musicians get exposure and contracts. Off the top of my head I know he helped Warren Zevon, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Dawes come to light. I know there are a bunch more.

 

[mphtrilogy]

Running on empty, doctor my eyes, these days, somebody's baby are all great songs

 

[dmac37]

You Love the Thunder is my favorite song of his, very underrated.

 

[Abraham]

His music is hit or miss with me. It definitely gets a little too light and cheesy at times. Where I think he's underappreciated is helping musicians get exposure and contracts. Off the top of my head I know he helped Warren Zevon, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Dawes come to light. I know there are a bunch more.

The eagles...