Hold Out

Hold Out
Studio album by Jackson Browne
Released June 24, 1980
Recorded Sound Factory, Record One Los Angeles, CA Autumn 1979-Spring 1980
Genre Rock
Length 37:48
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 (see 1980 in music). Although critically the album has not been as well received as other Browne recordings, it remains his only album to date to reach #1 on the Billboard chart.

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
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]
Robert Christgau C+ [3]
Rolling Stone [4]

Despite being Browne's only album to date to reach number 1 in the Billboard charts, it received poor critical reviews. Writing 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] Rolling Stone wrote Hold Out "... returned to the popification program begun on The Pretender, though even the catchiest ruminations don't sink in over time like Browne's thoughtful hooks of old."[4]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Jackson Browne; except where indicated

  1. "Disco Apocalypse" – 5:08
  2. "Hold Out" – 5:37
  3. "That Girl Could Sing" – 4:34
  4. "Boulevard" – 3:15
  5. "Of Missing Persons" – 6:31
  6. "Call It a Loan" (Browne, David Lindley) – 4:35
  7. "Hold On Hold Out" (Browne, Craig Doerge) – 8:08

Personnel

Production notes:

References

  1. RIAA Gold and Platinum award. Retrieved July 20, 2010
  2. 2.0 2.1 Ruhlmann, William. "Hold Out > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Christgau, Robert. "Hold Out > Review". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Coleman, Mark. "Hold Out > Review". Rolling Stone.

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year Chart Position
1980 Pop Albums 1

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year Single Chart Position
1980 "Boulevard" Pop Singles 19
1980 "That Girl Could Sing" Pop Singles 22
Preceded by
Emotional Rescue by The Rolling Stones
Billboard 200 number-one album
September 13–19, 1980
Succeeded by
The Game by Queen