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"Before the Deluge" has always been one of my all-time favorite Jackson Browne songs. Yes, it's political - and therefore controversial - but it also has a gorgeous melody that was helped in no small part by the late, great - and always drug free - David Lindley whose sad violin work on this track is the highlight regardless of its intended message. "Before the Deluge" is one of Browne's most memorable songs. It's from Late for the Sky (1974) - an album most people consider his best. I loved the original studio recording, but it was easily topped five years later by this live version from the historic No Nukes soundtrack that made the original sound lifeless by comparison. To me, it's the definitive performance of this great song and it made me realize just how important Lindley was to Browne's music.  Browne continued to have a long and moderately successful recording career, but I always believed that after Lindley left...

"The Rebel Jesus" is a Christmas song composed by Jackson Browne and performed with The Chieftains, the eclectic, veteran Irish folk band on  The Bells of Dublin,  their 1991 holiday album. Browne wrote the song specifically for his guest appearance on this record. The singer-songwriter, who is deservedly in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, can be a bit preachy when he wants to be, and he is again here, but no one can dispute what the man is saying.  The last two verses are the key to the song. Browne points out that people often feel more generous at Christmas so they'll give to those who were less fortunate than themselves during the holidays. But, if anyone tries to dig deeper and root out the poverty that envelops the downtrodden they are often scorned like Jesus was. This message is coming from a man who is admittedly a "heathen and a pagan," but on this occasion he is "on the side of the rebel Jesus." At the same time Browne doesn't want to sp...

Jackson Browne’s 1986 single "In the Shape of a Heart" was a big hit in certain circles. It went to No. 10 on the adult contemporary chart, but rose to only No. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100. Those stats prove that even though it was a very large cult fourteen years into his recording career the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was still largely devoid of a mass audience. Additional proof lies in this story behind the song from the album Lives in the Balance . On the surface "Heart" was one of Browne’s more melodic and mainstream offerings, but lyrically it's a bit heavy for the Top 40. The singer-songwriter said it's about his first wife, Phyllis Major, who took her own life in 1976. The mostly forgotten tune's sadness is in complete contrast to its moderately paced, bright arrangement. If you’re not listening closely, "Heart" sounds like a typical love song but it's really another example of the deeply personal and sad tone Browne frequently s...

I've never been one to delve into politics on this blog and that's because I only want it to be about music but, on occasion, their paths do cross. For example, almost three years ago I posted an article, Kent State & The Protest Song , in which I discussed how much I missed these songs of substance and how we continue to need them today. I'm still not going to talk politics or about the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. but I am going to show you the official video for the finest protest song I've heard in a long, long time. In December 2017 Jackson Browne, a deserving member of the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, released a new single, "The Dreamer," with Eugene Rodriguez and Los Cenzontles who Browne met through his friend, Linda Ronstadt. Rodriguez told Browne about one specific dreamer's story and the star used it to complete the unfinished piece. In an article published in Forbes Browne says that Rodriguez's input was vital ...

During his superb Independence Day concert at Tanglewood Music Center , the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the cozy Berkshire Mountains, Rock 'n roll Hall-of-Famer Jackson Browne told the audience he was honored to be "a guest in James Taylor's house." The latter has been the regular host of the venue's Fourth of July celebration for nearly two decades but this year, with Taylor unable to attend, the night was handed over to Browne. The Southern Californian paid tribute to his fellow American music legend mid-concert when he and two of his elite sidemen, siblings Sean and Sara Watkins , sang the title track from Taylor's career making masterpiece album with a harmony laced arrangement of "Sweet Baby James." The choice was especially appropriate because JT is a local favorite who mentioned nearby Stockbridge, Massachusetts in his song. The above story is relevant because it's an example of Browne's unusual song choices th...

During the 70s Jackson Browne had staked out a great reputation for himself as one of the elite poets of rock. His often introspective (some would say self-absorbed) songwriting enabled him to be elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.  It's one of their selections that I agree with wholeheartedly. Hold Out , Browne's first album of the new decade is considered one of his minor efforts. This disc was his immediate followup to Running On Empty (1977) and it was released around turning points in both the singer-songwriter's personal life and his career. It was an album that discussed his brand new marriage (which unfortunately failed quickly) several years after the suicide of his first wife. This was also the last record with the same band he had used for most of his career. His main sideman, David Lindley, would never again be a permanent member of his group although the two would remain great friends and continue to work together often throughout the yea...

Most singer-songwriters seem to have a short shelf life. They issue three or four excellent albums early in their careers, win over the critics and much of the public, and then coast for the next twenty-five or thirty years. Perhaps they just run out of things to say. Finally, after they shake off all of the rock 'n roll demons, they return with a comeback album that almost rivals the quality of their early output. Such is the case with one member of the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame, Jackson Browne. Running On Empty was Browne's fifth album and, for some, it was the beginning of the end of a great five year run. For other listeners, like me, it was the album that made me a big fan. Is this Browne's best album? Probably, not. Those honors are usually reserved for his 1972 self-titled debut or, my personal favorite, his superlative 1974 disc, Late For The Sky . Also included in that hitting streak are For Everyman (1973) and The Pretender (1976). Running On Empty w...

Photo by Deanna Cohen courtesy of   Wallyingram.com   and predates the folk festival. A huge rock festival type crowd assembled to see Jackson Browne and David Lindley , his main sideman through most of the 70s, perform live at the famous Philadelphia Folk Festival on a hot summer Saturday afternoon. The two had just returned from a European tour and this was their only stop on the way home to California. Browne and Lindley performed an all acoustic show. The star played his usual acoustic guitar and piano while Lindley, as always, played every string instrument he could get his hands on. He even used two different violins. If they were tired and suffering from jetlag it certainly didn't show in their playing or their enthusiasm. The set list spanned Browne's entire career. Most of the first half of the show featured later material including "I'm Alive," "Too Many Angels," and "The Barricades of Heaven." He also played "The Crow and The...