Customer Reviews

Love Is Strange

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'm surpised about the complaints about the intros being in Spanish, since actually only a little part of them is in Spanish. Anyway,I've translated the Spanish portions in the hope that somebody who might be put off by them won't pass up this terrific set (well, except for maybe three songs). I've made a few changes since Browne's Spanish needs a little fixing, but, that said, I really admire him for making the effort to speak to the audience at the shows in their language.

Intro:
Browne: Hello. Hello, hello. Thank you for coming.

Call it a loan
Browne: This song is a song written by David and me many, many years ago. It's called "Call It A Loan".

The Crow on the Cradle
Browne: This song is a little, not very, but a little old, from the 60s; a song against the war.

Mercury Blues
Browne: Well, here's a song from one of David's albums. It's a song about a car. It's called Mercury 49.

El Rayo X
Browne: This is another one of David's songs, written by Jorge Calderon and David. It's a song in, well it's not Castillian, it's not, well it's Spanish but I'm not sure what kind of Spanish...California Spanish, but via Puerto Rico, Tijuana, I don't know...

Other speaker: Mexican from the north...

Browne: It's a little Mexican. The main thing is, it's true. It's called El Rayo X.

Take It Easy
Browne: This song is a song that I wrote with a great friend, Glen Frey of The Eagles.

Your Bright Baby Blues
Browne: Javier plays an instrument called a banduria.

Tu Tranquilo
Kiko Veneno: This is a great day
Browne: Yes, a great day, yes, yes
Kiko Veneno: A great day for Barcelona, for Albeti (?), for Spain, for the world. A great day for America too.
Browne: yes, for the world. What's it called?
Kiko Veneno: It's called Tu Tranquilo

These Days
Luz Casal: Good evening.

Running On Empty
Browne:Thank you, Thank you very much for making us feel at home.

Love Is Strange is a welcome live release from Mr. Browne and his old buddy, "El Maestro David Lindley." It contains two CDs with 17 songs from across the two artists' careers (mostly JB's). The other tracks are intros or commentary. Their tour of Spain captured on these discs did not involve a full band, but rather various acoustic settings with the two guys accompanied by a few people playing the odd percussion, whistle or other instrument. (I did miss Lindley's legendary lap steel, which I guess didn't fit in with the format. He does play a tangy slide guitar on several songs.) Jackson is in pretty good voice, about the same as on his Solo Acoustic albums from a couple of years back. A drawback for me personally is that Mr. Browne is often talking in Spanish in the spoken segments. (The song lyrics are mostly in English.) It was admirable of him to speak in the local tongue, but it doesn't help a listener such as I who understands little of the language. Oh well... I suppose that's what the "skip ahead" button is for. Otherwise, I enjoyed this album a lot, especially "Your Bright Baby Blues" from The Pretender, my favorite Browne album, and "Call It A Loan."

A week ago I traveled to Washington to see the Jackson Browne with David Lindley concert with my sister. The only other time I saw Jackson Browne or paid much attention to his music was in 1979 at the No Nukes concert in San Luis Obispo. So I went to the show not expecting to be very into it. I was pleasantly surprised. It was a wonderful concert. This album is a good reflection of that show. The fact that it's acoustic makes it completely pleasant to just turn on and relax to. Last night I sat in bed reading and writing and being soothed and entertained by this album.

Now, it is a concert in SPAIN. Therefore there is Spanish being spoken and sung. In fact, the recording contains a mix of Spanish songs and well-known Jackson Browne songs. I'm studying the Spanish language and think it's beautiful so I was pleased to hear Jackson and David it speaking it to their audience. I thought the Spanish songs were good. But if you're looking for straight American Jackson Browne tunes then you may be disappointed with this recording. As for me, it renewed my appreciation for Jackson's music. In fact, I just downloaded a fresh copy of The Pretender... ah... back to my college days!

Longtime JB fan....saw him before he released his first album actually.

I'm kind of torn here....for starters, the album is a great deal; a double CD for 11 bucks. Can't beat that. Actually if you pick and choose you can create one CD worth of great material. For the value alone it's probably a 5.

But if you take the overall content, well that's another matter.

On the plus side there are some great old Browne songs on here and some of the arrangements are very nice. I guess I liked Jackson's stuff on the first CD especially. Not Lindley's but Jackson's.

On the minus side, what's with the Spanish intros? Why have a US release where we can't understand him? For that matter, the intros contained none of the interest and humor of the intros found on the two solo acoustic albums. I could have done without them entirely. Next, what's with all of the Lindley stuff and the JB songs sung by other people? Deal breaker for me. Finally, I wasn't enamoured with a number of the arrangements and some of the songs have already been released live in different forms on the earlier acoustic albums.

I wouldn't have minded hearing a few of these with a full band as I don't feel that all of the arrangements translated well to the semi-acoustic setting.

So the bottom line is that for $11 you can probably find enough here to keep you happy. As I said above, if I could pick and choose from the list I could come away with a very solid single CD of material. If taken in its entirety though, I was a bit disappointed. I can think of five songs right off the bat that I'll never bother listening to again. There's probably 2-3 others that won't get much more than a second listen. The rest, minus the intros, I'm cool with.

I have not purchased music from Jackson Browne for many years, but heard a few cuts from his live albums, and was prompted to see what all the great music was about. The obvious pleasure he had singing in Spain on his recent release cannot be overlooked. His classic songs and covers, supporting cast, instrumentation, and that voice all come ringing through. Highly recommended! I only wish I had made it to the Love is Strange concert he had a few weeks befrore I reecived the cd's.

I first heard a couple of cuts on our local FM station and was immediately taken with the music and musicianship of the players. I have never followed JB's career very much but have always enjoyed David Lindley's playing and his musical ideas. There is so much musical detail to discover and enjoy that I have yet to take the double CD out of my car's player. I find that after a couple of months I have yet to grow tired of the music. A great buy if you enjoy fine acoustic music, impeccably performed by two musical friends.

I just picked this up last night at the Jackson Browne-David Lindley concert at Maryhill Winery, outside Goldendale, Washington and I'm on my 3rd listen today. Many of the songs they played last night are represented here, on these 2 CD's, so it's kind of like re-living the show every time I listen to them. Great tunes, written by one of America's premier singer/songwriters and performed by top-notch musicians. David Lindley's mastery of stringed instruments just blew me away... Now I have a whole new catalogue of music by another artist to explore! Buy this CD set, pour a glass of your favorite beverage, put on a pair of headphones, close your eyes and give these CD's a listen, you won't be disappointed... and who knows, you just might feel a little of the magic that I experienced last night, under the stars in the Pacific Northwest's wine country.

A great live album showcasing the extraordinary compatibility and talent of these two long time collaborating musicians. Jackson is never better than when he is playing with that fabulously eccentric David Lindley. Great interpretation of some of the best tunes they have played for years. Yes, they play many old tunes which are evocative of their early days, yet played with compelling new takes. If you are a fan of these two characters, you will enjoy this album and their Spanish compatriots. Yes, love is strange.

First of all, I am a long time Jackson Browne fan. He has been my favorite artist since I was in High School when Running on Empty was released. His lyrics just crush it. I also respect his convictions to stand up for the less fortunate in society. His outspoken political and social viewpoints have no doubt cost him some commercial success, which I give him kudos for.

Wow. Amazing record. I expected a lot as I have always felt that many of JB's best songs involved David Lindley playing along with Jackson. Lindley is a master. On the "Going Home" DVD, there is a segment in which Lindley and Jackson Browne are taking about playing music "in the moment" and JB states that Lindley gets in that zone, every time. Lindley is gifted and a very special talent. Perhaps the most overlooked musician of the last 30 years, from a mass audience standpoint. It's a shame that more people don't know just how brilliant this guy is.

Highlights for me:
Late For The Sky. What can you say. A brilliant song. Anyone who has a pulse and has gone through the emotions of a loving someone deeply and then seeing that relationship end will be deeply moved by this version of Late for The Sky. This is where you will need the Kleenex. Jackson has probably performed this song a thousand times, and yet, you would think he was singing it for the first time. He channeled something deep here from his past on this performance. You can hear it. His vocals are remarkable. I don't often cry, but I wept when I heard this version of the song. A truly remarkable performance. Lindley nails his parts, as usual.

Your Bright Baby Blues. Best version of this song I have ever heard. They have a couple of guest musicians from Barcelona playing with them on this song and they add some very rich layers. Jackson crushes the vocals on this one.
It's so hard to come by. That feeling of peace...

Mercury Blues
Turn it up. Really Loud. I dare you not to smile. If driving while listening to this song, just hope there are no cops around as you will surely break the speed limit by a whole bunch. Costly ticket, but might be worth it.


These Days
Sung by a guest musician, Luz Casal. She sounds a bit vocally like Natalie Merchant. I missed JB's voice on this one, but she does a fine job. This song has been covered by a lot of other musicians.

Sit Down Servant
JB still has decent range. Shows nicely in this tune.

Call it a Loan
Nice harmonies on this acoustic version. Simple and stark but effective.

The Crow on The Cradle
This song hasn't been heard by many casual fans. A terrific version. Not a song to lift your spirits but it does make one ponder the possible outcome(s) of having massive military might.

The Next Voice You Hear
I like this version far more than the studio version. Some of the song song in Spanish by guest musicians. Well done.

Jackson Browne's longtime fans and new alike will appreciate the delicate dances between expert musicians, ethereal harmonies, meaningful lyrics, and gutsy, raw accoustic guitar riffs...you will love...I mean, LOVE this live album. Set against a backdrop of a lively audience, Jackson delivers pure and true vocal performances, with David Lindley bringing his unbelievable trademark vocals and slide guitar style, which adds a deep patina only attained by years of working together on albums and on the road.