Hold Out is the sixth album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1980. 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.
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.[1]
Despite being Browne's only album to date to reach number 1 in the Billboard charts, it received mixed critical reviews. Writing retrospectively 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."[2] 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."[3]The New York Times deemed Hold Out "a fine record; perhaps his finest, overall... It confirms his growth as an artist."[5]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Jackson Browne except where noted.
