The Very Best of Jackson Browne

History

1997's earlier Browne collection, The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne, while competent, had been missing many essential songs by the singer-songwriter, such as "Rock Me On the Water" and "Lawyers in Love". Thus, The Very Best of Jackson Browne is seen by many as the more complete of the two, although it is still also lacking two of Browne's most successful singles, "For America" and "That Girl Could Sing."

Disc 1 encompasses the material from Browne's early career (1972–1977) and Disc 2 contains the material from his later years (1977–2002).

The album was certified as a Gold record in 2006 by the RIAA.

Reception

Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the release, writing "the collection does contain the great majority of Browne's best and best-known material in an attractive, engaging fashion... and for listeners who want a comprehensive overview without purchasing individual albums, this suits the bill nicely."

Nigel Williamson of Uncut wrote "Browne's default mode has always been delicious melancholy, as this double-CD collection proves once again... for a one-stop career retrospective, this is hard to beat."

Track listing

All songs by Jackson Browne unless otherwise noted

Disc one

1. "Doctor My Eyes" – 3:20 (from the album Jackson Browne)
2. "Jamaica Say You Will" – 3:24 (from the album Jackson Browne)
3. "Rock Me On the Water" – 4:13 (from the album Jackson Browne)
4. "Take It Easy" (Browne, Glenn Frey) – 3:41 (from the album For Everyman)
5. "These Days" – 4:39 (from the album For Everyman)
6. "Redneck Friend" – 4:01 (from the album For Everyman)
7. "For Everyman" – 5:58 (from the album For Everyman)
8. "For a Dancer" – 4:45 (from the album Late for the Sky)
9. "Fountain of Sorrow" – 6:51 (from the album Late for the Sky)
10. "Late for the Sky" – 5:36 (from the album Late for the Sky)
11. "Before the Deluge" – 6:21 (from the album Late for the Sky)
12. "Your Bright Baby Blues" – 6:03 (from the album The Pretender)
13. "The Pretender" – 5:52 (from the album The Pretender)
14. "Here Come Those Tears Again" (Browne, Nancy Farnsworth) – 3:37 (from the album The Pretender)
15. "The Load-Out" (Browne, Bryan Garofalo) – 5:35 (from the album Running on Empty)
16. "Stay" (Maurice Williams) – 3:24 (from the album Running on Empty)

Disc two

1. "Running on Empty" – 4:59 (from the album Running on Empty)
2. "You Love the Thunder" – 3:55 (from the album Running on Empty)
3. "Boulevard" – 3:21 (from the album Hold Out)
4. "Somebody's Baby" (Browne, Danny Kortchmar) – 4:24 (from the soundtrack to Fast Times at Ridgemont High)
5. "Tender Is the Night" (Browne, Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel) – 4:53 (from the album Lawyers in Love)
6. "Lawyers in Love" – 4:20 (from the album Lawyers in Love)
7. "In the Shape of a Heart" – 5:47 (from the album Lives in the Balance)
8. "Lawless Avenues" (Browne, Jorge Calderón) – 5:39 (from the album Lives in the Balance)
9. "Lives in the Balance" – 4:15 (from the album Lives in the Balance)
10. "I Am a Patriot" (Steven Van Zandt) – 4:05 (from the album World in Motion)
11. "Sky Blue and Black" – 6:05 (from the album I'm Alive)
12. "I'm Alive" – 5:10 (from the album I'm Alive)
13. "The Barricades of Heaven" (Browne, Luis Conte, Mark Goldenberg, Mauricio Lewak, Kevin McCormick, Scott Thurston, Jeff Young) – 5:40 (from the album Looking East)
14. "Looking East" (Browne, Conte, Goldenberg, Lewak, McCormick, Thurston, Jeff Young) – 4:56 (from the album Looking East)
15. "The Naked Ride Home" – 5:58 (from the album The Naked Ride Home)
16. "The Night Inside Me" (Browne, Goldenberg, Lewak, McCormick, Young) – 4:39 (from the album The Naked Ride Home)

Production

Compilation produced by Jackson Browne.

All original recordings produced by Jackson Browne except for those from Jackson Browne, The Pretender and Looking East. Some albums were co-produced:

Chart positions

Billboard (North America)