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Jackson Browne
Alternative Press - Editorial Intern on 3/11/09 @ 11:18 AM - altpress.comYEARS OF DECENT EXISTENCE: 1970-something...
BEST RECORDS: Jackson Browne (1972), For Everyman (1973), Hold Out (1980)
WORST RECORDS: Running On Empty (1977), Lawyers In Love (1983), World In Motion (1989)
GO DOWNLOAD: "Doctor My Eyes," "Take It Easy," "Rosie," "Hold On Hold Out," "Lawyers In Love, "Going Down To Cuba"
FILE UNDER: The Paper Towel Roll To Wrap Your Bleeding Heart
SIMILAR SOUNDING DINOSAURS: Eagles, Poco, James Taylor, Orleans
THE MUSIC: Armed with good looks, a plaintive voice and a couple notebooks of emphatic lyrics, Jackson Browne practically set the course for Wussy Singer-Songwriters Who Have Something To Say, ManTM during the '70s. While a formidable talent in his own right, he'd hobnob with the rest of those peaceful, easy feeling Cali-types whose records also made the lure of Black Sabbath and amphetamine sulphate abuse seem attractive. (Mitigating factor: The late Velvet Underground doyenne and human pin-cushion Nico covered Browne's "These Days" on her Chelsea Girl album.) At the height of his fame in the '80s, Browne got all politically uppity, singing about the plight of Salvadoran rebels, aligning himself with the anti-nuclear power movement and other areas of activism when all his granola-farting fans really wanted to know was why actress Daryl Hannah left him for John F. Kennedy Jr. in the early '90s. When will they understand, J, when will they...
WHAT THEY SAY: "In many ways, Jackson Browne was the quintessential sensitive Californian singer-songwriter of the early '70s." -Allmusic
WHAT I SAY: California simply didn't have enough earthquakes back then. Still, give J-Bro a pass for a) mentoring Warren Zevon, the original Hunter S. Thompson of rock; b) keeping excellent guitarist/multi-instrumentalist David Lindley on retainer for so many years; and c) making the most half-assed '70s punk rock feel positively ebullient, back then.
WHY YOUR (GRAND)PARENTS LIKE HIM: They were told their generation needed "a new Dylan," despite the old one being still serviceable. I'm sure Browne discs are in high rotation in the BMWs of Wall Street brokers this very second, to help them cope in these troubling times. Stand up, Generation Warped: Punch out a baby boomer today!
CURRENT WHEREABOUTS: Tell the old guy who owns the head shop with the huge patchouli-scented "NO NUKES" banner hanging near the rest room: Browne has started his own label, Inside Recordings, to issue Time The Conqueror, his first batch of new music in six years. To his credit, he hasn't found the need to catch up with the times and has conducted himself accordingly. Wait: You realize I'm talking about the head-shop owner, right? -Jason Pettigrew
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