Released June 24, 1980 Length 37:48 | Genre Rock Label Asylum | |
Recorded Sound Factory, Record One Los Angeles, CA Autumn 1979 – Spring 1980 Producer Jackson Browne, Greg Ladanyi | ||
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 number 1 on the Billboard chart.
Contents
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.
Reception
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." 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."
Track listing
All tracks composed by Browne except where noted:
- "Disco Apocalypse" – 5:08
- "Hold Out" – 5:37
- "That Girl Could Sing" – 4:34
- "Boulevard" – 3:15
- "Of Missing Persons" – 6:31
- "Call It a Loan" (Browne, David Lindley) – 4:35
- "Hold On Hold Out" (Browne, Craig Doerge) – 8:08
Personnel
Production notes:
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
Singles - Billboard (North America)