| The Pretender | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1976 | |||
| Recorded | 1976 | |||
| Studio | Sunset Sound (Hollywood) | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 35:07 | |||
| Label | Asylum | |||
| Producer | Jon Landau | |||
| Jackson Browne chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Pretender is the fourth album by the American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1976. It peaked at No. 5 on Billboard's album chart. The singles from the album were "Here Come Those Tears Again", which reached No. 23, and "The Pretender", which peaked at No. 58.
The Pretender was released after the suicide of Browne's first wife, Phyllis Major, and one of the album's songs "Here Come Those Tears Again" (co-written by Major's mother Nancy Farnsworth) is dedicated to her. The album has production by Jon Landau and a mixture of styles.
The title track was used in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus .
The album was certified as a gold record in 1976 and platinum in 1977 by the RIAA. It reached multi-platinum in 1997 and 2006. [1]
The back cover of The Pretender shows Pablo Neruda's poem Brown and Agile Child, translated by Kenneth Rexroth, in its entirety.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B [3] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
The Pretender was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1978, but did not win.
Record World said that "Browne's tender concerns are as insightfully expressed as has become the norm, Jon Landau's production adding a subtle broadening of the rock base" and said that "'The Fuse,' 'The Pretender,' 'Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate' and 'The Only Child' are particularly moving and beautifully arranged." [6]
In his review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann was equivocal about the album, stating Browne "took a step back from the precipice so well defined on his first three albums, but doing so didn't seem to make him feel any better... The man who had delved so deeply into life's abyss on his earlier albums was in search of escape this time around." [2]
In The Rolling Stone Album Guide , Marc Coleman wrote, "...even when his songwriting is sharp, the mellowing trend in his music dulls the impact. Browne eerily predicts the rise of the yuppie on The Pretender's title track, only to have his point undercut by a creeping string section." [5] Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a B grade, but explained, "This is an impressive record, but a lot of the time I hate it; my grade is an average, not a judgment" and "The shallowness of his kitschy doomsaying and sentimental sexism is well-known, but I'm disappointed as well in his depth of craft." [7] In 2012, the album was ranked number 391 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. [8] The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll says, "Its sense of despair is derived in part from the suicide of his first wife, Phyllis, in 1976, two and a half years after the birth of their son, Ethan." The single "Here Come Those Tears Again" was credited as co-written with Nancy Farnsworth, Phyllis Major's mother.
Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated three songs from the album as being among Browne's ten greatest songs – "The Fuse", "Here Come Those Tears Again" and the title track – and said that "just about every song from the album could have made this list." [9]
All tracks are written by Jackson Browne except where noted.
Side 1
Side 2
harmony vocals:
Album – Billboard (United States)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Pop Albums | 5 |
Singles – Billboard (United States)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | "Here Come Those Tears Again" | Pop Singles | 23 |
| 1977 | "The Pretender" | Pop Singles | 58 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) [10] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA) [11] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Clyde Jackson Browne is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States.
Excitable Boy is the third studio album by American musician Warren Zevon. The album was released on January 18, 1978, by Asylum Records. It includes the single "Werewolves of London", which reached No. 21 and remained in the American Top 40 for six weeks. The album brought Zevon to commercial attention and remains the best-selling album of his career, having been certified platinum by the RIAA and reaching the top ten on the US Billboard 200. A remastered and expanded edition was released in 2007.
Jackson Browne is the debut album of American singer Jackson Browne, released in 1972. It peaked on the Billboard 200 chart at number 53. Two singles were released with "Doctor, My Eyes", which peaked at number 8 on the Pop Singles chart, and "Rock Me on the Water", which reached number 48.
For Everyman is the second album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1973. The album peaked at number 43 on the Billboard 200 chart and the single "Redneck Friend" reached number 85 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2012, the album was ranked number 450 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (An Anthology) is a two-disc compilation album by American singer-songwriter Warren Zevon, released on Rhino Records in 1996. It spans his career from his eponymous debut album on Asylum Records to date of release, ignoring his disowned initial album from 1969, Wanted Dead or Alive. It contains tracks from all ten of his albums released during this period, and includes contributions to soundtracks and his one-off album with members of R.E.M., Hindu Love Gods.
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.
The Glow is the seventh album by the American musician Bonnie Raitt, released in 1979. It was one of the first albums to be recorded and mixed digitally.
Lawyers in Love is the seventh album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1983 by Asylum Records. It was Browne's fourth straight Top 10 album and stayed on the charts for 33 weeks, peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard 200. Out of eight tracks, four were released as singles. The title song reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was accompanied by one of Browne's first music videos released on MTV.
Lives in the Balance is the eighth album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1986. It reached number 23 on the Billboard 200 chart. The title track as well as "For America" and "In the Shape of a Heart" were released as singles. The album was ranked number 88 on Rolling Stone's list of the best 100 albums of the 1980s. The album reached number 2 in Sweden.
World in Motion is the ninth album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1989. It peaked at number 45 on The Billboard 200 and was Browne's first album to obtain neither gold nor platinum status. The album took three years to complete and makes statements about nuclear disarmament and the "secret" government that brought forth Oliver North and the Iran-Contra scandal.
Running on Empty is the fifth album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne. Featuring songs themed around life on the road, the entire album was recorded on tour, either live on stage, or in locations associated with touring, such as backstage, on tour buses, or in hotel rooms. Released in 1977, the album reached No. 3 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart in 1978 and stayed on the charts for 65 weeks. The single for the title track, "Running on Empty", peaked at No. 11 and the follow-up single, "The Load-Out"/"Stay", reached No. 20 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart.
The Wheel is the eighth studio album by singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash. Most of the songs on the album reflected Cash's feelings on embarking on a new relationship after the dissolution of her marriage to Rodney Crowell. Though neither of its two singles, "The Wheel" and "You Won't Let Me In", charted on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, the album received considerable critical acclaim. A video was produced for "The Wheel".
The Very Best of Jackson Browne is a double-disc compilation album by Jackson Browne, released on March 16, 2004, by Rhino Entertainment and Elektra Records in celebration of Browne's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a day earlier. It reached number 46 on The Billboard 200.
"Take It Easy" is the debut single by the American rock band Eagles, written by Jackson Browne and Eagles band member Glenn Frey, who also provides lead vocals. It was released on May 1, 1972, and peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on July 22, 1972. It was also the opening track of the band's eponymous debut album and has become one of their signature songs, included on all of their live and compilation albums. It is listed as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
"Running on Empty" is a song by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne. It is the title track of his 1977 live album of the same name, recorded at a concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, on August 27, 1977. A number 11 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 when it was released as a single, it spent seventeen weeks on the chart after debuting on February 11, 1978 at position 72. Rolling Stone ranked it at number 496 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2010 and number 492 in 2004 and it is one of Browne's signature songs. "Running on Empty" was most popular in Canada, where it spent two weeks at number four.
Late for the Sky is the third studio album by American singer–songwriter Jackson Browne, released by Asylum Records on September 13, 1974. It peaked at number 14 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.
"The Load-Out" is a song co-written and performed live by Jackson Browne from his 1977 album Running on Empty. It is a tribute to his roadies and fans. The song was recorded live at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, on August 27, 1977, as part of the tour in support of the album The Pretender.
"Here Come Those Tears Again" is a song co-written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne and included on his 1976 album The Pretender. Released as a single, it reached #23 one year to the week after the death of Browne's wife, Phyllis Major, spending nine weeks on the chart, after entering the Billboard Hot 100 on February 5, 1977, at position #64, the highest debut of the week. It also reached #15 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The single was the eighth-highest charting of his Hot 100 career. It was also released as a single in the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan.
Karla Bonoff is the RIAA Gold-certified first album by singer/songwriter Karla Bonoff. It includes several of Bonoff's compositions which had previously been prominently recorded: three by Linda Ronstadt and one by Bonnie Raitt ("Home").
"Late for the Sky" is a song written by Jackson Browne. It is the opening track and title track from Browne's 1974 album Late for the Sky.
