Not really. I'm sitting on a sofa in Sitges, Spain. But I still remember the first time I heard the lyric in the Subject line. It was at an after-hours jam after a Linda Ronstadt concert.
At that time, her backup band consisted of several of the guys who would later become the Eagles, and Jackson Browne. It was a magical time to have seen all of them. This was before Jackson had ever released an album; he was still performing at the Troubadour on open-mike nights, not convinced that his voice was recordable. "Take It Easy" was his song. The Eagles later recorded it, and it became a big hit. Linda's candle waned, but Jackson's and the Eagles' did not; they went on to become bigger legends in the history of rock 'n roll than the woman they were backing up that night. Anyway, the other day I realized that I'd been working so hard that I hadn't really checked up on some of my favorite artists to see what they had been up to lately. To my horror, I found that I had missed an entire Jackson Browne album, and a two-CD Eagles album as well. As pen- ance for my sin, I immediately ordered them from Amazon. They arrived yesterday, and I've been saving them for today. Here's a "first listen" mini-review of them. "Time The Conqueror," by Jackson Browne To see the cover photo, with the babyfaced youth of my memories sporting a beard more grey than my own was a bit of a shock. But have no fear -- his social conscience has aged well. He can still write a liberal anthem with the best of them (as evidenced in "The Drums Of War" and "Where Were You?"). But the magic of Jackson Browne for me has always been found in his love songs, and still is. The only two songs that really knock my socks off on this album are among his best. If you know Jackson and know what I'm talking about, that is saying something. So even though I can't recommend the whole album after a first listen, I can encourage anyone who has ever fallen in love to a Jackson Browne song (or fallen out of love to a Jackson Browne song) to go to iTunes and download "Giving That Heaven Away" and "Just Say Yeah." Very happy, uptempo songs, worth the cost of the whole album to me. "Just Say Yeah" just gets it, and makes me want to say, "Yeah!" Not really dating, we were relating And we were friends It's hard to say where the relating leaves off And where love begins A friend will tell you all kinds of stuff That a lover won't And you would think that you would see love coming But of course, you don't "Long Road Out Of Eden," by the Eagles First, I got the 2-CD version of this album; there is sup- posedly a single disk version, with fewer songs. But I'm a songwriting junkie, so am I going to go for the Reader's Digest version? Duh. I knew I was in good hands from the first note. A big 12- string provides the only background to a choral piece based on John Hollander's poem "No More Walks In The Wood." Truly lovely, its last notes leave me with the proverbial peaceful, easy feeling. And then "How Long" kicks in, and I *really* know that I'm in good hands. This is is definitely *not* peaceful, easy feeling Eagles music; this is classic, kickass Eagles music (even though it's written by Eagles bud J.D. Souther). I actually got up and danced. "Busy Being Fabulous" kept the momentum going...classic Don Henley witchy woman rock. But to be perfectly honest (and I may be guilty of not paying enough attention), the rest of the songs on the first CD, while all interesting in their way and done with that Eagles recording perfection, didn't really grab me by the gnarblies, except for the stark, Waldenesque simplicity of Don Henley's "Waiting In The Weeds" -- that's lovely. Disk 2 woke me up. "Long Road Out Of Eden" is clearly Don Henley's centerpiece for the album. It starts with middle Eastern sounds, and segues into the Baghdad Blues, but with spiritual overtones: Silent stars blinking in the blackness of an endless sky Cold silver satellites, ghostly caravans passing by Galaxies unfolding; new worlds being born Pilgrims and prodigals creeping toward the dawn But it's a long road out of Eden Very, very powerful. For those who would get the comparison, it's essentially Don Henley's "The Charity Of Night." That is a compliment. "Frail Grasp On The Big Picture" and "Business As Usual" are classic Henley rants-to-music, if you like that sorta thing. I do. But far more, I am a sucker for syrupy waltz- time love songs, and "I Love To Watch A Woman Dance" is one of the most syrupy, and most lovely. And then all heaven breaks loose with "Hole In The World." This song is anthemic, and could be used as a "theme song" for a politician who wanted to inspire people instead of trying to frighten them. It worked on me, and might on you as well. If you like that sorta thing. On the whole, neither of these albums is on the level of "Late For The Sky" or "Desperado," or even close. But they each contain enough moments of magic to remind us that the creators of those albums of our youth still have a few chops in their dotage. And I don't know about you, but that inspires this particular old fart, and gives him hope.
