Jackson Browne: Lawyers In Love (West German ''Target'' Pressing) CD Track Listing

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Jackson Browne Lawyers In Love (West German ''Target'' Pressing) (1983)
Lawyers In Love (West German ''Target'' Pressing)\n\nOriginally Released 1983\nCD Edition Released 1986 ??\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Jackson Browne's messages had always seemed so important that one tended to overlook the sheer songwriting craft that went into his work, craft that was apparent, for example, on his 1982 single "Somebody's Baby," awhich became his biggest hit ever (and which appears on none of his albums, only being available on the soundtrack to Fast Times at Ridgemont High), and on songs like "Downtown," a street-life portrait on his seventh album, Lawyers in Love. The craft seemed all the more important because Browne was so intent on turning his back on the conundrums that had obsessed him in the past. On "Cut it Away," ahe sang of his desire to remove his "desperate heart" (a phrase he had used before), to rid himself of "this crazy longing for something more/This question that I don't have the answer for." In place of such ambitions, Browne substituted the beginnings of social concern ("Say It Isn't True") and, most imaginatively, a humorous look at contemporary trash culture in the title track, one of the more exhilaratingly silly moments in Browne's generally dour catalog. But the craft, and the familiar tightness of Browne's veteran studio/live band, couldn't hide the essentially retread nature of much of this material. -- William Ruhlmann\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nGreat eighties pop and social commentary, February 14, 2006 \nBy J. Houzet "wozamoya" (Chicago, IL)\nI give this album five stars because it contains my favorite Jackson Browne song ever, "Lawyers in Love." It's a clever satire of the Cold War, ironic in its prediction that "the U.S.S.R. will be open soon, as vacation land for lawyers in love." Thanks to Ronald Reagan, such a thing did become possible, but I doubt Browne would give Reagan any credit for that. Jackson's satirical sting was aimed more at American culture and the Reagan revolution. Like most liberals, he seems incapable of criticizing leftist and non-Western atrocities. \nBut he is still a darn good songwriter and musician, that's why I love his music. The rest of this album is also very enjoyable, with my next favorite song being the ballad "Tender is the Night." Jackson intersperses his personal romantic ruminations with his social commentary. "Cut it Away" is about the break up of a relationship. "Say it isn't True" is a mix of the personal and political, expressing Jackson's fear of a nuclear holocaust and resignation that there will always be war. Both of those songs have more of the '80s synth sound that made this album markedly different from his earlier work. \nI always found "For a Rocker" a bit repetitive and annoying, but I suppose it has some merit. It's certainly one of Jackson's rarer rockier songs and it still gets radio play. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nJackson branches out, not for the better, September 14, 2004 \nBy Dave "missing person" (United States)\nIn 1982, Jackson Browne struck gold with the irresistable big hit "Somebody's Baby", from the "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" soundtrack--written by Jackson & Danny Kortchmar, the tune is what they call pure pop, which was unusual for him, yet it was easy to get carried away by its infectiousness. This 1983 album, "Lawyers In Love", is, in some ways, a continuation of this direction, but actually it's much more than that. It also sees Jackson painfully branching out into slightly grating, commercialized corporate rock/ arena rock territory, & in the end the album does not yield consistently satisfying results--compared to much of his other work, this album utterly pales in comparison. For instance, the title track is a good example of the distressing move toward arena rock--with that vocal melody, the surf-style guitars, & the satire-laden lyrics, it manages to totally scream early '80s MTV all over. Furthermore, it sounds like it was mainly written to provide a backdrop for a kooky MTV video clip--it's kind of hard to believe it was written alone by Jackson (as were all but 2 of the songs on the album). Then there's the tune "Downtown". Lyrically it recalls "Boulevard", but more than that, it's so blatantly modelled after Petula Clark's "Downtown", it'll drive you crazy. Check out at 2:52 of the track--it sounds like he's flat out breaking into the actual Petula Clark tune. I have no problem with an artist letting their hair down, but the tunes are fairly weak & contrived--he just didn't manage to pull it off. "Knock On Any Door" strongly recalls "Somebody's Baby" (it's also reminiscent of the Pretenders' "Brass In Pocket") & unsurprisingly, was also partly written by Danny Kortchmar, & it's okay, but way too repetitive & not even close to as good. Another weak track is the arena rocker (again) "For A Rocker"--Jackson's way out of his element here, & the tune is a dud in any case, & again, the fact that it's a Jackson Browne solo composition is disheartening, demonstrating that he was, to a painful extent, on the wrong track and/ or artistically exhausted. None of these aforementioned tunes are so bad that they're unlistenable--certainly some of Jackson's lyrical craftiness is on display--but the efforts are largely wasted. The relative abundance of corny (and early 80s-sounding, of course) synths doesn't help. The absolute low point is the sluggish, tedious, & dull "Say It Isn't True" (additionally marred by an annoying spoken part). Once you're past all of these tracks, you're left with a few really strong tracks. "On The Day" is a lively minor-keyed rocker that drops the synths in favor of real organ. "Cut It Away" is absolutely brilliant--like "Boulevard" before it, the song shows Jackson can rock out with a vengeance--it's a cathartic tune of romantic desperation that brings back the "hold out" undercurrent theme of his previous album & features a passionate, exciting vocal from Jackson. This tune, as well as the album's one other great track, the feel-good, catchy "Tender Is The Night", have a bit of a reggae flavor that would become increasingly prominent on isolated tracks ("Till I Go Down", "When The Stone Begins To Turn", etc) on following albums. Interestingly, I believe this album was mostly, if not entirely, recorded outdoors--the credits inform us that it was recorded in Downtown Los Angeles, & you can catch a glimpse of this on the Jackson Browne "Going Home" DVD. I think it's quite clear that with this album Jackson really wanted to rock with a capital 'R', & although "Cut It Away" proves he can do so with total success, the arena rock trap that he fell quite deeply into is a disappointment, & unfortunately this direction would continue with his subsequent album as well. Overall, "Lawyers In Love" is a very disappointing album that's often misguided, & suggests that Jackson's well had run quite dry for the moment. Considering, however, how strongly he would bounce back later, it's easy to forgive him. Certainly it's a bad place to start for someone wanting to understand the magic Jackson was/ is capable of, but it's still not a total washout, & if you don't have too hard of feelings about all the mainstream, commercialized rock of its era, you might be able to forgive it even more, but definitely proceed with caution. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\n"Moon River, Wider Than A Mile, I'm Crossing You In Style" !, July 22, 2004 \nBy billy c bowden "Jett" (dallas,texas)\n"Lawyers In Love" is easily not one of JB's best efforts..However, it's still thru the proverbial roof (note the album cover).."Tender Is the Night" is the most recognizable cut on the CD, and it is rightfully one of JB's signature anthems..Once in a while, an artist has to bring home the bacon for the benefit of the suits upstairs: so he can do what he wants on his next concept album..Quid Pro Quo..The equivalent of an actor doing "Star Wars" for the money, and "Shakespeare in the Park" for the soul..This CD is Browne's "Star Wars"..A codicil of hits to be sure, just not up to "The Pretender", "I'm Alive" standards.. "Lawyers in Love" is frankly, a mixed metaphor for starters, a purposeful blend of big business and matters of the heart..But you can buy the CD with confidence because Jackson still pounds the gavel for social justices in his inimitable style..And despite the blunt commercial overtones on display here this CD does rock, i.e. "For A Rocker"..Let's give JB, our Boy Mozart, a free hall pass for this uncharacteristic random walk-about, the CD just lacks the typical coherence realized in most Browne thematics..It is afterall the "Lawyers in Love", who are on trial here..Can you say societally alienated or perhaps as emotionally stuffed as a starched Oxford shirt?..I suppose lawyers often have some intrisically deeper sensitivities, that may surface for reasons besides a $300 hourly wage..And Jackson wants us too, to empathize with some small part of their misunderstood psyches, confusions..Perhaps why lawyers love their Mercedes-Benzes more than their wives or girlfriends?..Is the Benz then, the true love interest in this misdirected crime of passion? \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nIf you like JB but not this album, you don't get it, October 17, 2003 \nReviewer: A music fan\nJB came out of the personal folk-rock tradition of James Taylor, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Joni Mitchell, and the Eagles. By the late '70's he was changing directions (The Pretender, Hold Out) and a lot of his fans were disappointed (Disco Apocalypse has to be his alltime worst song). With Lawyers in Love JB doesn't go back to his folk acoustic days but finds a good style with good rhythms, driving guitars and melodic organs.\nSome reviewers cringe at the title song but after Tender is the Night I think it's the best one on the album. I find it to be a continuation of the Pretender theme: disillusioned grown-ups from the '60's succumbing to the materialism of the '80's. This lyric snippet is one of my favorites:\nGod sends his spaceships to America, the beautiful\nThey land at six o'clock and there we are, the dutiful\nEating from TV trays, tuned into to Happy Days\nWaiting for World War III while Jesus slaves\nTo the mating calls of lawyers in love\n\nOf course, the soulfulness and beauty of Tender is the Night has to be considered the high point of this album and one of JB's best musical achievements. The gentle opening and JB's voice as he sings still gives me the chills:\nBetween the darkness on the street\nAnd the houses filling up with light\nBetween the stillness in my heart\nAnd the roar of the approaching night\nSo, if you gave up on Mr. Browne long ago, you might want to revisit this one--I hope you find it was worth it! \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nGreat ALbum By AnEnduring Artist!, July 17, 2002 \nBy Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States)\nThis is a terrific album, both because it represents a snapshot taken of Browne as he continued his evolvement from sixties folk-rocker to seventies rocker to eighties (and beyond) social commentator. While he still cuts quite a raucous swath through the material with his electrical accompaniment, the lyrics, once dreamy and intensely introspective, are showing much more flagrant concern with social issues and the contemporary political scene. So, while he opens the song cycle with an amusing take called "Lawyers In Love', he reminds us with a number of the lyrics in the song that he may use this irony to try to say a few things between the lines. \nAnd increasingly, with each song as the cycle progresses, he comes farther and farther along the road of doing so, so that in "Cut It Away", he's describing the illusions he is being disabused of with the break-up of his romantic relationship, while in the next song, "Downtown", he is talking about the differences among different kinds of people sharing physical proximity in an urban setting. So too, in "Tender Is The Night", he mixes romantic overtones with undertones reflecting the nature of living in an urban landscape. Finally, though, he gets to the crux o the matter, for he uses "Say It Isn't True" to admit his horror in thinking about the reality of what human nature seems to be (with the haunting refrain of "yet there always has been/and always will be war' echoing throughout the song). \n\nThis is indeed a song one must listen closely to, one that has a lot of verve and relevance even now, after the arms race has subsided, for the threat of nuclear has not been erased. \nThis is one of the major milestones in Browne's continuing evolution toward maturity, and while he has made a number of detours back into more personal ruminations in albums such as the celebrated "Alive", which chronicles his infamous break-up with Darryl Hannah, he keeps returning to concerns with social political, and philosophical issues. This is a great album; enjoy! \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nNOT HIS BEST, BUT A SOLID EFFORT, November 20, 2000 \nBy "craig_paul" (Pittsburgh, PA)\nJackson Browne can't be expected to match "Late For The Sky" with each album he releases any more than Bob Dylan should be expected to conjur up another "Blood On The Tracks" every two years, or for Van Morrison to produce "Astral Weeks" on a regular basis.\nThe point here is that this is NOT a bad album. It's certainly not Browne's best, or most introspective work, but it's better than most music churned out by his peers. Being compared to yourself is a tough thing, and the critics jumped all over Jackson Browne when "Lawyers In Love" was released. \n\nDoes EVERY Jackson Browne song have to drip emotion and deal with lost love, loneliness, despair, grief, or death? Actually "Cut It Away" and "Tender Is The Night" are excellent examples of the brooding Browne. These are good songs. OK, so the genius came up a little short in his attempt to show his cynical side while poking fun at middle America on the title track, but that's no reason to ditch the entire album. Isn't this guy allowed to have any fun? \n\nMaybe the critics and some fans look to Browne to sum up their problems, worries and crises in neat little four minute packages. Browne, more than any other artist of his generation, is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, for holding nothing back. He HAD been admired for that, and that honesty is probably what caused some dissatisfaction with this effort. Maybe he was just content here to give us a small dose with the songs mentioned above, but also delivering some honest - to - goodness rock and roll. "Downtown" and "For A Rocker" are terrific examples. \n\nEvery so often, even with an artist of Jackson Browne's immense talent, you just have to stop yourself from analyzing the crap out of every word he writes, and just enjoy the "listenability" of the recording. This is one of those times.\n\nI wouldn't recommend this album as a FIRST taste of Jackson Browne, but for those who have listened to, and enjoyed his music, I would suggest that you add this recording to your collection. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nCome On Guys, Give The Guy A Break, October 12, 2000 \nBy "brotherjoe" (NC)\nNo, it's not Pretender. That's right. He was older, wiser and not still living in the '70's. Times and people change. "Hold Out" is a great song. "Call It A Loan" is a great song. The others are solid additions to his work. You know, if you'd rate the 9th by Ludwig Von as a five star piece of music, the 5th would only get three stars, Eroica only two, and Pastorale one. The 4th and 8th would get no stars at all, in comparison. And they are wonderful. Lighten up. Understand that the worst he's ever done, in comparison to much of the music that is available from others is truly fine. \n\n\nHalf.com Details \nProducer: Greg Ladanyi, Jackson Browne \n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel: Jackson Browne (vocals, guitar); Bob Glaub (guitar, organ, bass); Rick Vito (guitar, background vocals); Craig Doerge (piano, synthesizer); Doug Haywood (organ, bass, background vocals); Bill Payne (organ); Russell Kunkel (drums).\nRecorded at Downtown, Los Angeles, California.\nThis was Browne's New Wave album, which means you can expect (and get) a lot of tick-tock eighth note rhythms, catchy guitar riffs, and lyrics that are less personal and introverted than usual. There's also more pop, in the Brill Building sense.\nThe standout is the title tune, hands down the funniest song Browne ever wrote--admittedly, a short list. It's a gleeful skewering of Reagan era Cold War paranoia and yuppie greed, with a killer chorus hook and a neat falsetto break that may or may not be a homage to the Four Seasons. Also noteworthy are the hits "On the Day," "Tender is the Night," and "Downtown," a celebration of winos, bible thumpers and assorted other habitues of the urban jungle that includes a witty quote from Petula Clarke's '60s classic of the same name.\n\n\nROLLING STONE REVIEW\nHard cases make bad law, lawyers like to say, and no rock & roll case is harder to pin down than Jackson Browne. For many listeners, Browne is the quintessential guilty pleasure, a navel-gazing singer/songwriter whose moony ruminations and hokey melodies ought to give anyone the giggles. But they don't. When Browne has all his talents in register, his work is almost appallingly moving. Lawyers in Love, Browne's seventh album, marks a significant change from the feckless hyperconfessionality of 1980's Hold Out ("Anyway, I guess you wouldn't know unless I told you ... but I love you!"), a welcome widening of perspective that allows Browne to escape, once and for all, the L.A. albatross that has hung around his neck for the last eleven years. Even though Lawyers in Love does send Browne into uncharted waters--where he occasionally sounds a bit lost--it nevertheless is a more nervy, intelligent LP than its predecessor.\n\nBrowne's desire to pluck his head out of his navel is evident right from the title cut. "I can't keep up with what's been going down," he laments in the opening line, and the big surprise is not that he's out of touch, but that he cares about being in touch in the first place; for all of Browne's admirable work on behalf of the peace movement, his personal politics seem keyed toward some sort of postapocalyptic utopia ("Before the Deluge"). And in "Lawyers in Love," God's interplanetary travelers discover Americans "waiting for World War III," shoveling down fast food in front of the television. All told, it's an unusually whimsical lyric from a man not noted for his sense of humor. Instrumentally, "Lawyers in Love" is Browne's headiest track to date: a solid keyboard-and-guitar attack flavored by a chanting falsetto figure, a church-organ swell, sha-la-la backup vocals, even an old-fashioned modulation out of the middle eight. Hey, does this guy want a hit single or what?\n\nPlenty of people will choose to read the songs that follow "Lawyers in Love" as romans

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