OT: Browne / RE: (TV) re: bright eyes

["Casey, Leo J" <Leo.J.Casey@Volpe.dot.gov>]

Lori,
Maybe this will help (From Robert Christgau's Consumer Guide):

The Pretender [Asylum, 1976]
This is an impressive record, but a lot of the time I hate it; my 
grade is an average, not a judgment. Clearly Jon Landau has gotten 
more out of Browne's voice than anyone knew was there, and the 
production jolts Ol' Brown Eyes out of his languor again and again. 
But languor is Browne's best mask, and what's underneath isn't 
always so impressive. The shallowness of his kitschy doomsaying 
and sentimental sexism is well-known, but I'm disappointed as well 
in his depth of craft. How can apparently literate people mistake 
a received metaphor like "sleep's dark and silent gate" for 
interesting poetry or gush over a versifier capable of such 
rhyming dictionary pairings as "pretender" and "ice cream vendor" 
(the colloquial term, JB, is "ice cream man")? Similar shortcomings 
flaw the production itself--the low-register horns on "Daddy's Tune" 
complement its somber undertone perfectly, but when the high blare 
kicks in at the end the song degenerates into a Honda commercial. 
Indeed, at times I've wondered whether some of this isn't intended 
as parody, but a sense of humor has never been one of Browne's 
virtues. B


Hold Out [Asylum, 1980]
Never hep to his jive, I'm less than shocked by the generalized 
sentimentality disillusioned admirers descry within these hallowed 
tracks, though the one about the late great Lowell George (think 
it's him, any other El Lay rocker die recently?) is unusually rank. 
I grant that the sincere vocals and rising organ chords do make my 
heart swell in spite of itself once in a while. But I wonder whether 
the lost kids (i.e., Lost Kids) in "Boulevard" wear mohawks, and 
whether JB will ever find it in himself to sing to them. 
Inspirational Line: "That girl was sane." C+


-----Original Message-----
From: tv-owner@obbard.com On Behalf Of Lori
Inman
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2005 1:20 AM
To: tv@obbard.com
Subject: (TV) re: bright eyes


Leo, That review was great. I'm so sick of reading
about what a genius Conor is. My only problem with it
was the reviewer lumping Jackson Browne in with Neil
Young and Bob Dylan. I loved Jackson Browne in my
I'm-just-a-teenager-with-really-awful-taste days.  He
should be grouped with the Eagles, not Neil Young.


		
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