funny "Running on Empty" (the song) came up last night - strange how much I wanted to like this stuff 5 years ago.
― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Tuesday, 30 March 2010 10:47 (fourteen years ago) link
his live album with David Lindley this year, Love Is Strange, is pretty fucking great - I think in the absence of a producer with hunger & vision, his studio albums have really suffered (although I love his schtick so much that at this point I will even rep for "I'm the Cat" from Looking East), but his live records are just insanely good. his live singing voice - I don't know how they mic'd him on the last studio album, but it muffled him & made him sound tired; live, he's a little weathered, but singing with this sort of studied ease - enviable, awesome. and Lindley...I mean, cards on the table, we're from the same town so I know him some, but ask anybody, what an incredible musician he is.
― aerosmith: live at gunpoint (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Sunday, 19 September 2010 03:43 (fourteen years ago) link
there's a version of "call it a loan" on this that's just ridiculously effective - emotional, but so measured; subservient to the melody, standing in service to it. unbelievable.
― aerosmith: live at gunpoint (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Sunday, 19 September 2010 03:49 (fourteen years ago) link
singing with studied ease indeed; his voice has aged extraordinarily well, barely any deterioration to my ears, esp. for a guy in his 60s who's been pro singer since his teens.
― mars bonfire (m coleman), Sunday, 19 September 2010 12:08 (fourteen years ago) link
okay... um... looks like I'm nearly a year late on this (sorry amateurist!) and i hate hate hate to go all songmeanings on such a finely-crafted lyric... so i'ma keep a gentle touch here but...
Of course, the title means what it says - "we've both got places to be that aren't this bed."
But it gets its punch from some pretty clever songcraft. Up until the final lines, we're drifting in the night... the last sleepless hours of a failed affair, the eyes shut tight, the dream of getting it right this time... and then against that, suddenly, at last, the volta. The rising sun. The morning flight that it will surely carry you up, away, into daylight and romantic love, if only this time you can catch it. It's as much a fantasy as the hope of making this one the right one, but and if we trace our steps from the beginning we know it's there waiting for us, but we dust ourselves off and grab our bag and step into the morning and gun the engine and we're off down the canyon in a plume of dust toward the 101 and LAX and if we can just drive fast enough, this time, this time we can make the sky.
Or something, no?
― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Tuesday, 21 September 2010 21:18 (fourteen years ago) link
Somebody's Baby describes my defeatist attitude towards approaching women to a T -- circa 2008.
― turn in yer badge (San Te), Wednesday, 22 September 2010 16:25 (thirteen years ago) link
I don't know how they mic'd him on the last studio album but it muffled him & made him sound tired
The title track, Time The Conqueror was his best song in decades
― kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 22 September 2010 16:28 (thirteen years ago) link
This is really great:http://www.indierockreviews.com/2011/02/a-tribute-to-jackson-browne-by-grails/
― reallysmoothmusic (Jamie_ATP), Friday, 18 February 2011 23:29 (thirteen years ago) link
fav cover of one of his songs i think
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MHdPKCOB2A
― buzza, Tuesday, 25 September 2012 07:20 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqYiHkx7ils
kills me.
― Jamie_ATP, Saturday, 10 November 2012 11:44 (eleven years ago) link
"Last night I watched the news from Washington, the capitolThe Russians escaped while we weren't watching them, like Russians willNow we've got all this room, we've even got the moonAnd I hear the U.S.S.R. will be open soonAs vacation land for lawyers in love"
--in 1983! motherfucker predicted the end of history six years in advance.....pretty good for an El Lay softhead, no? (#fakechristgau)
― theStalePrince, Saturday, 10 November 2012 18:38 (eleven years ago) link
Binging on 'Late for the Sky' today. JB is undoubtedly classic in my book (doesn't mean he's the coolest guy in the world, btw), but what is even more classic is JB + David Lindley. The latter consistently elevates every thing of Browne's he's on.
This is pretty nice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZFRPwrYeNA
― Mule, Monday, 14 October 2013 13:04 (ten years ago) link
One more - 9 minutes of 'Before the Deluge':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8y45mAGJRA
― Mule, Monday, 14 October 2013 13:16 (ten years ago) link
side one is just unfathomably perfect. The Road and the Sky however - fucking hell what a terrible terrible way to start side 2.
― Jamie_ATP, Monday, 14 October 2013 14:40 (ten years ago) link
Otm on both accounts. That tune sure sticks out like a sore thumb.
― Mule, Monday, 14 October 2013 15:53 (ten years ago) link
totally unbelievable live. his band kills
ok wait i think the lines were "you've heard that hollow sound/of your own steps in flight." what a precious-precious line.
quoting this v v old post to say i think this is an incredible lyric
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Thursday, 26 February 2015 07:49 (nine years ago) link
indeed - and they played for 2½ hours when I saw them friday!
― niels, Monday, 22 June 2015 08:45 (nine years ago) link
Few things are able to make the flesh crawl all the way off of my body quite like David Lindley's falsetto in the middle of 'Stay'.
― Feeding My Whole Family With A Pack Of Taco Shells (Old Lunch), Monday, 22 June 2015 12:11 (nine years ago) link
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Thursday, February 26, 2015 2:49 AM (1 year ago)
an ilxor mentioned this line on his FB page recently and yes this is a devastating piece of writing imo
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 19 July 2016 20:42 (eight years ago) link
I love this song, but I don't see the full magic in any one line in particular. It takes a lot of words for him to get at what he's describing, but it's the whole analysis of his experience that I love:
But when you see through love's illusions, there lies the dangerAnd your perfect lover just looks like a perfect foolSo you go running off in search of a perfect strangerWhile the loneliness seems to spring from your lifeLike a fountain from a pool
― veggie sticks potato snacks (Sufjan Grafton), Tuesday, 19 July 2016 21:14 (eight years ago) link
Maybe I'll try again. His voice tends me to vague me out pretty quickly. But always loved Bonnie Raitt's versions of "Under The Falling Sky" and "I Thought I Was A Child"---did she do any more of his? A whole album of Bonnie Sings Jackson would be a definitive Boomer move, but/and I'd buy it (maybe not even wait for the NPR pledge drive). Equally definitive: Nico, "These Days."
― dow, Tuesday, 19 July 2016 21:29 (eight years ago) link
Oh yeah, and his own performance of the epic "You Know The Night" on Note of Hope, where various artists provide new music for words from W.Guthrie's notebooks, diaries, letters, telephone pads etc---this is a 14 minute setting (there's also ace 4-minute "Radio Edit") of G.'s note to self after meeting Marjorie, his next wife and mother of Nora, Arlo etc. Browne said he wrote out the whole thing on loose pages and set them up around the room while he was recording, maybe writing too. Another artist's inspired verbosity rang a bell!
― dow, Tuesday, 19 July 2016 21:38 (eight years ago) link
But when you see through love's illusions, there lies the danger
I'm surprised this fusspot didn't write "therein."
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 19 July 2016 21:39 (eight years ago) link
ha, alfred, your take on Jackson itt completely baffles me!
― veggie sticks potato snacks (Sufjan Grafton), Tuesday, 19 July 2016 21:42 (eight years ago) link
It baffles me too.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 19 July 2016 21:49 (eight years ago) link
Three songs are all I need for my Browne fix: "Lawyers in Love" on the political end, "In the Shape of a Heart" for L-O-V-E, and "Running on Empty" for '70s angst.― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, January 24, 2006 12:27 PM (10 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
i mean you are completely right that these are the best songs ever
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Tuesday, 19 July 2016 22:57 (eight years ago) link
it's possible i mentioned in some other jb thread that i saw him live in orlando last year and "in the shape of a heart" was particularly incredible
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Tuesday, 19 July 2016 23:00 (eight years ago) link
People speak of love don't know what they're thinking of
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 19 July 2016 23:08 (eight years ago) link
xxp they are good songs, but I'd take the first 4 albums over them
― veggie sticks potato snacks (Sufjan Grafton), Tuesday, 19 July 2016 23:21 (eight years ago) link
gotta do what you can to keep your love alive
― brimstead, Tuesday, 19 July 2016 23:26 (eight years ago) link
I know "These Days" has been mentioned a number of times but I really love his original
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcJDI7a_1lk
― reggae mike love (polyphonic), Tuesday, 19 July 2016 23:29 (eight years ago) link
The '67 demo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtZ04BxrYf0
― timellison, Wednesday, 20 July 2016 05:01 (eight years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzCD8YzDFD4
― timellison, Wednesday, 20 July 2016 05:32 (eight years ago) link
beautiful '67 demo
can't believe he came up with (most of?) it at age 16
― niels, Wednesday, 20 July 2016 09:38 (eight years ago) link
i think browne was a better melodist than a lyricist, actually
― wizzz! (amateurist), Thursday, 21 July 2016 00:59 (eight years ago) link
most of his lyrics from his 'confessional' period -- the ones that sing well -- don't really add up to much IMO. they are often either needlessly vague or just break down into banalities. he did hit a few out of the park, though.
― wizzz! (amateurist), Thursday, 21 July 2016 01:00 (eight years ago) link
this song's pretty flawless
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6pT_BDpnog
― wizzz! (amateurist), Thursday, 21 July 2016 01:01 (eight years ago) link
I love the electric strummin'.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 21 July 2016 01:12 (eight years ago) link
never heard the demo! nice
― reggae mike love (polyphonic), Thursday, 21 July 2016 05:09 (eight years ago) link
Somebody's Baby is anything I could want in a song, so good
it's from Fast Times at Ridgemont High OST iirc, always liked it, after getting to know Jackson from the Pretender I was happy to find out this was his song
― niels, Thursday, 21 July 2016 10:58 (eight years ago) link
highlight of the album
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeM6pX2kCtc
― jamiesummerz, Thursday, 21 July 2016 13:58 (eight years ago) link
um, so 'The Pretender' the song - I always thought of it as a personal song of, I dunno, existential ambivalence... but according to this 'article' "Browne is writing about a guy who could easily be described as a yuppie"
https://americansongwriter.com/2012/05/the-pretender-by-jackson-browne/
can we all agree this is bullshit or should I change my view on this song?
― niels, Saturday, 21 January 2017 10:09 (seven years ago) link
well, I'm glad Jackson himself is well aware of the complexity of the songs protagonist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNKT_tfWx6w
― niels, Saturday, 21 January 2017 10:27 (seven years ago) link
It's a beautiful and complex song.
― Badmotorfinger Debate Club (MFB), Saturday, 21 January 2017 10:32 (seven years ago) link
love these two dudes in the audience as Browne starts the piano riff:
https://media.giphy.com/media/pl9Y1c82F2wWQ/giphy.gif
― niels, Saturday, 21 January 2017 11:30 (seven years ago) link
also, thx MFB :)
in the intro to this one he 'dedicates' it to a session player
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76uSiz6fQh0
― niels, Saturday, 21 January 2017 12:14 (seven years ago) link
(not a v good video apart from that, sry 4 embed)
― niels, Saturday, 21 January 2017 12:20 (seven years ago) link
it's a very complex song and you should probably change your view
― though she denies it to the press, (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Saturday, 21 January 2017 12:28 (seven years ago) link
with every listen
― niels, Saturday, 21 January 2017 12:36 (seven years ago) link
yuppies are very complex people!
― schrute dwyte (unregistered), Saturday, 21 January 2017 13:11 (seven years ago) link