Hold Out

Last updated

Hold Out
Jackson Browne Hold Out.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 24, 1980
RecordedAutumn 1979 – Spring 1980
Studio
Genre Rock
Length37:48
Label Asylum
Producer Jackson Browne, Greg Ladanyi
Jackson Browne chronology
Running on Empty
(1977)
Hold Out
(1980)
Lawyers in Love
(1983)

Hold Out is the sixth album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1980. Although critically the album has not been as well received as other Browne recordings, it remains his only album to date to reach number 1 on the Billboard chart.

Contents

History

The song "Of Missing Persons" was written for Inara George, the daughter of Lowell George (formerly of the band Little Feat), a songwriting collaborator and longtime friend of Jackson Browne's who died a year prior to the release of Hold Out. The phrase "of missing persons" was derived from a line in a Little Feat song, "Long Distance Love".

The album was certified as a Gold and Platinum record in 1980 by the RIAA. It reached Multi-platinum in 2001. [1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Robert Christgau C+ [3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Despite being Browne's only album to date to reach number 1 in the Billboard charts, it received mixed critical reviews. Writing retrospectively for AllMusic, music critic William Rulhmann called some of the tracks awkward or foolish. He compared the album with earlier releases: "If Browne was still trying to write himself out of the cul-de-sac he had created for himself early on, Hold Out represented an earnest attempt that nevertheless fell short." [2] Similarly, critic Robert Christgau wrote: "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... is unusually rank." [3] The New York Times deemed Hold Out "a fine record; perhaps his finest, overall... It confirms his growth as an artist." [5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jackson Browne except where noted.

Side One

  1. "Disco Apocalypse" – 5:08
  2. "Hold Out" – 5:37
  3. "That Girl Could Sing" – 4:34
  4. "Boulevard" – 3:15

Side Two

  1. "Of Missing Persons" – 6:31
  2. "Call It a Loan" (Browne, David Lindley) – 4:35
  3. "Hold On Hold Out" (Browne, Craig Doerge) – 8:08

Personnel

Production

Charts

AlbumBillboard (United States)

YearChartPosition
1980Pop Albums1

Singles – Billboard (United States)

YearSingleChartPosition
1980"Boulevard"Pop Singles19
1980"That Girl Could Sing"Pop Singles22

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References

  1. RIAA Gold and Platinum award. Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved July 20, 2010
  2. 1 2 Ruhlmann, William. "Hold Out > Review". AllMusic . Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  3. 1 2 Christgau, Robert. "Hold Out > Review". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  4. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0195313734.
  5. Rockwell, John (July 13, 1980). "Recordings Reaching Across Racial Barriers". The New York Times. p. A20.