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Late for the Sky by Jackson Browne (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Late for the Sky
  • Artist name: Jackson Browne
  • Year: 1974
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Asylum Records
  • Collection: Brenner / Gessner
  • Who owned it: probably my mother
  • Buy it on Amazon: $36.31

Late for the Sky by Jackson Browne

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve never listened to this record before, but it will be my fourth by Jackson Browne. The previous three were:

What I expected

More folk rock, country and easy listening.

What it was actually like

Late for the Sky and Fountain of Sorrow were pretty boring soft rock.

Farther On, The Late Show, For a Dancer and Before the Deluge all had more of a country sound, but not good country. They were more modern country songs, like you would hear on country radio stations, if for some reason you were being punished in that way.

The Road and the Sky and Walking Slow were more blues rock songs, far better than the others, and the latter had an electric guitar solo that was good.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

Running on Empty by Jackson Browne (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Running on Empty
  • Artist name: Jackson Browne
  • Year: 1977
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Asylum Records
  • Collection: Selman
  • Buy it on Amazon: $39.99

Running on Empty by Jackson Browne

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I have no familiarity with this record, but I’ve previously reviewed two others by Jackson Browne:

What I expected

The other two Jackson Browne records were folk rock and country rock, and I was not that impressed. This one appears to be a live record, so maybe I will enjoy it better.

What it was actually like

This was mostly a country rock record, and for the most part, although I could generally tell that the songs were recorded outside of a normal studio setting, they did not sound like songs recorded live at concerts, and generally had the “produced” sound that comes from a studio.

Undoubtedly, the best song by far on the record was the Stay cover, but that’s really because it’s just an incredible song, and everyone should just listen to The Zodiacs doing it.

The title track Running on Empty was not a bad song at all and I was pretty sure that I had heard it before. I liked the droning background sound.

Cocaine was acoustic and the guitar and vocals made it sound folk, but then the violin gave it a bit of a country sound, and to me, it did not really sound much like a song about cocaine, but fortunately Eric Clapton‘s is a banger, and the Grateful Dead’s Casey Jones also fits.

Rosie was mostly piano and was bad enough to be an Elton John song, but still sounded a little country.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

The Pretender by Jackson Browne (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: The Pretender
  • Artist name: Jackson Browne
  • Year: 1976
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Asylum Records
  • Collection: Selman
  • Buy it on Amazon: $44.96

The Pretender by Jackson Browne

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I listened to Jackson Browne (Saturate Before Using) in October and was not really a fan, but I’m not familiar with this record.

What I expected

The previous Jackson Browne record was from 1972 and this one is from 1976, so I’m afraid my prediction is that this one will be more easy listening and less rock.

What it was actually like

Well, it was not about James III & VIII or Charles III, but no surprise there.

I would not say that it was worse than the previous Jackson Browne record, but it was still pretty boring.

The first track, The Fuse, was an ok rock song with a tiny country twang, and many others had that tiny country sound without sounding very much like rock, such as Your Bright Baby Blues and The Only Child.

Linda Paloma was set in Mexico and it had a Mexican sound, which was actually done pretty well, but it struck me as very weird to hear that Mariachi-like musical style with English lyrics.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me

Jackson Browne (Saturate Before Using) by Jackson Browne (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Jackson Browne (Saturate Before Using)
  • Artist name: Jackson Browne
  • Year: 1972
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Asylum Records
  • Collection: Brenner / Gessner
  • Who owned it: my mother
  • Buy it on Amazon: $19.95

Blood, Sweat & Tears

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve heard of Jackson Browne, but wasn’t even sure if Jackson was a man or a woman, and the picture on the album cover didn’t help, so I looked Jackson up, and Jackson is a man.

What I expected

Maybe folk rock?

What it was actually like

This was folk rock and I thought it was ok, but not special.

A few of the songs sounded weirdly like Elton John, such as Jamaica Say You Will that had a piano and was very melodic, and Doctor, My Eyes, which was actually much better, more rhythmic, with some good electric guitar and percussion.

Song for Adam was folky with some good acoustic guitar.

Under the Falling Sky almost sounded at the beginning like some kind of carnival music, but got much better with faster tempos and excellent guitars, even though the bongo drums were so weird.

A Child in These Hills, though not inventing anything new, felt familiar and comfortable, and I liked the harmonica.

Mostly the rest of the record was just boring.

Grade

3/5: interesting, but not for me