Jackson Browne - Downhill From Everywhere

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by rjp, May 17, 2021.

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  1. JamieLang

    JamieLang Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nashville, TN
    Did I miss news? Is Lindley ill? I thought they were best buds….
     
  2. rrbbkk

    rrbbkk Forum Resident

    Does the album title refer to his career?
     
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  3. tenor1

    tenor1 Forum Resident

    Downhill from Everywhere is another winner from Jackson. I had missed the single releases but A Little Soon To Say is my current favorite on the album, though there are lots of strong songs. So far it doesn't seem to me to be as great as Standing in the Breach, which I think is one of his all-time greatest albums. But albums don't have to reach that highest level of achievement to be very enjoyable and welcome.

    Lindley hasn't been in Jackson's band for a long time; he's been doing his own thing musically.
     
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  4. rjp

    rjp Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ohio
    :doh:
     
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  5. modela

    modela Forum Resident

    Location:
    Azusa, CA
    Come on ... the guy's been at it for 50+ years. Even if it was, would that really surprise anyone? Is it realistic for his career to soar to new heights at this stage?
    :doh:
     
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  6. rjp

    rjp Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ohio
    well, it has.

    this album is right up there with his best.

    jackson browne is SO much more than 'doctor my eyes".

    you really should go on spotify and give a listen or three to his catalog, you might be pleasantly surprised.
     
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  7. madsurfer

    madsurfer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    +1
    The latest 5 albums are really fantastic.
     
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  8. musicaner

    musicaner Forum Resident

    doesnt do anything for me. his last decent album was looking east.
     
  9. rjp

    rjp Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ohio
    :yikes:

    the naked ride home the one right after 'looking east', is a perfect album in every way, not a single bad note on it.
     
  10. Cantina BarFly

    Cantina BarFly Forum Resident

    Listened to Downhill a couple times yesterday and really enjoyed it. Particularly the title song, A Human Touch and A Little Soon To Say.

    Looking East was really the last album that I thought was great though. Remember being a little bored by Naked Ride Home but I will give it another listen to see what I missed.
     
    dee likes this.
  11. ccbarr

    ccbarr Forum Resident

    Location:
    Iowa, USA
    This was a surprise! I check out HDtracks today and see Jackson Browne has a new album, had no clue one was coming. Checked Amazon and the CD won't arrive until August 9th, might have to download the hi-res to tide me over.
     
    dee likes this.
  12. milankey

    milankey Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, Ohio, USA
    its ok. but don't even compare it to Late For The Sky or The Pretender. You'll just look silly.
     
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  13. Cantina BarFly

    Cantina BarFly Forum Resident

    I do really enjoy but I agree with this. Not comparable to his best. That is what makes it difficult to get new stuff from your favorite legacy artists. I have only so much time to listen to all the music I have so how often am I going to listen to Downhill From Everywhere when I can play Late For the Sky again when I want to hear Jackson Browne? Probably not very often.
     
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  14. tenor1

    tenor1 Forum Resident

    I play Standing in the Breach a lot more than I play Late for the Sky or The Pretender. I think artistically it's right up there with his very best. Downhill from Everywhere doesn't strike me as quite that strong but we'll see how it grows over time. For me, Looking East and The Naked Ride Home are the ones that fall into that category of "when will I listen to this instead of one of my favorites"?

    Naturally he's not at the highest level of commercial success from the time of The Pretender and Running on Empty. But nobody sustains at their highest commercial level for new album sales over 50 years in a youth-oriented medium.
     
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  15. rjp

    rjp Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ohio
    :pineapple: this is the best 'looking silly' that i can find.

    its a different time in a different place with different life occurrences influencing his writing. you are comparing apples and oranges, think of it as a 2021 jackson browna album not a 1975 one.

    for 50 years later, its pretty ****ing good.
     
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  16. milankey

    milankey Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, Ohio, USA
    "this album is right up there with his best."
    You're the one comparing apples to oranges sir.
     
  17. madsurfer

    madsurfer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    Last time I checked, music appreciation was a matter of taste. The ones looking silly are the ones who always have to present their own opinion as facts. I agree mainly with @tenor1 in this case, but it's just, like... our opinion, man...
     
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  18. Cantina BarFly

    Cantina BarFly Forum Resident

    Well it is certainly true that all music/art appreciation is subjective it is also true that there is a generally accepted consensus about many of these things. Such as the Beatles are “better” than Herman’s Hermits. That is not a fact and someone could certainly like HH better but you would have a difficult argument to make regarding their superiority to the Beatles without looking silly. And I think that the general consensus is that the Late For the Sky era is peak Jackson Browne. Not everyone has to agree though. I really enjoy JB’s last few albums and am just glad that he is still putting out new stuff.
     
  19. rjp

    rjp Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ohio
    :doh:
     
  20. rjp

    rjp Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Ohio
    correct.

    but,

    his opinion is right.....and mine is wrong.....happens around here a whole lot.

    his counts, of course....and mine does not, of course.

    thanks for trying to explain it to him, it is appreciated

    :shrug::tiphat:
     
  21. IMHO there has never been a bad Jackson Browne album.
    That being said there are obviously tiers based on personal preference.The 2 albums I like least are Time The Conqueror and Looking East but even they had some very good songs.
    The last album I would place in my personal top tier is I’m Alive although Standing In The Breach wasn’t far off and certainly the best album he had put out in 20 years.
    My copy of Downhill From Everywhere hasn’t arrived yet and for now I am resisting the temptation to stream it.
    Whether you are Jackson,Neil,Bruce or just about anyone else it is not possible to have either the songwriting productivity or freshness of youth.Creativity is not a routine task that can be switched on on demand.
     
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  22. Chief

    Chief Over 12,000 Served

    I’m two listens in and I need to give it more time. My first impression is that it’s a lot like the last few JB albums. It’s sounds nice and the playing is impeccable. But it’s missing “something”.

    I think Jackson has followed a loosely similar path as David Crosby, moving from a solo writer to more of writer who is part of the band - the most important part, but more of a collaborator. For someone who wrote such personal songs that’s a difficult transition. Of course, there is no way for Jackson to write material like his seventies stuff. As a man in his seventies (or even thirties), I just don’t think it’s possible to be so invested in one’s emotions and inner experience to write more songs like “Late For The Sky” or “Farther On”. It’s really not even advisable from a mental health standpoint, IMO. It’s good that Jackson moved beyond that phase in his life. But his maturity has created a permanent challenge to his creativity - one that he has mostly resolved through collaboration.
     
  23. madsurfer

    madsurfer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    From an recent interview with JB (Jackson Browne, 72, on his 'shelf life' and cancel culture - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)):

    You once said that your standards plague you. Do you still feel that way?
    I think I was talking about the fact that it’s not a good idea to try to write a song as good as some other song you’ve already written. Because when you wrote that song that you thought so highly of, you weren’t holding it up to some other standard; you were just trying to write something new. Look, I’ve got a high opinion of some of my songs, but to write something new you have to forget everything you’ve ever done.
     
  24. Satrus

    Satrus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cork, Ireland
    More likely to be the state of the world and America in 2020/2021? We all have some real problems to confront and overcome to safeguard future generations. Jackson's career is just fine!
     
    dee likes this.
  25. slipkid

    slipkid Senior Member

    Am listening to it now. It's good (like I think of most JB albums). Nothing hugely standing out on first listen. Am only 1/2 way through. I'm not a big fan of his south american music type songs (don't know the right term to describe them) and the song spinning now (The Dreamer) is one of those though.
     
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