The Pretender (1976)

The Pretender is the fourth album by the American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1976. It peaked at No. 5 on Billboard's album chart. The singles from the album were "Here Come Those Tears Again", which reached No. 23, and "The Pretender", which peaked at No. 58.

Background

The Pretender was released after the suicide of Browne's first wife, Phyllis Major; however, contrary to popular perception, only one of the songs was written after her death: "Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate". One of the album's songs "Here Come Those Tears Again" (co-written by Major's mother Nancy Farnsworth) is dedicated to her. The album has production by Jon Landau and a mixture of styles.

The back cover of The Pretender shows Pablo Neruda's poem "Brown and Agile Child", translated by Kenneth Rexroth, in its entirety.

Reception

Record World said that "Browne's tender concerns are as insightfully expressed as has become the norm, Jon Landau's production adding a subtle broadening of the rock base" and said that "'The Fuse,' 'The Pretender,' 'Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate' and 'The Only Child' are particularly moving and beautifully arranged."

In his review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann was equivocal about the album, stating Browne "took a step back from the precipice so well defined on his first three albums, but doing so didn't seem to make him feel any better... The man who had delved so deeply into life's abyss on his earlier albums was in search of escape this time around."

In The Rolling Stone Album Guide, Marc Coleman wrote, "...even when his songwriting is sharp, the mellowing trend in his music dulls the impact. Browne eerily predicts the rise of the yuppie on The Pretender's title track, only to have his point undercut by a creeping string section." Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a B grade, but explained, "This is an impressive record, but a lot of the time I hate it; my grade is an average, not a judgment" and "The shallowness of his kitschy doomsaying and sentimental sexism is well-known, but I'm disappointed as well in his depth of craft." In 2012, the album was ranked number 391 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll says, "Its sense of despair is derived in part from the suicide of his first wife, Phyllis, in 1976, two and a half years after the birth of their son, Ethan." The single "Here Come Those Tears Again" was credited as co-written with Nancy Farnsworth, Phyllis Major's mother.

Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated three songs from the album as being among Browne's ten greatest songs – "The Fuse", "Here Come Those Tears Again" and the title track – and said that "just about every song from the album could have made this list."

The title track was used in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus.

Personnel

Jackson Browne – vocals, acoustic guitar (1, 2)

Leland Sklar – bass guitar (1, 6, 7)

Chuck Rainey – bass guitar (2, 5)

Russ Kunkel – drums (1)

Jim Gordon – drums (2, 4)

Jeff Porcaro – drums (5–8)

Craig Doerge – acoustic piano (1, 6, 7, 8)

Roy Bittan – acoustic piano (2)

Bill Payne – Hammond organ (2), acoustic piano (4, 5)

David Lindley – slide guitar (1, 6), violin (5)

Lowell George – slide guitar (2), harmony vocals (2)

Arthur Gerst – harp (3), backing vocals (3), musical arrangements (3)

Roberto Gutierrez – guitarrón (3), violin (3), backing vocals (3)

Luis Damian – acoustic guitar (3), backing vocals (3)

Michael Utley – Hammond organ (4)

John Hall – guitar solo (4)

Fred Tackett – acoustic guitar (4, 5, 7, 8), electric guitar (4, 7, 8), guitar left (6)

Bob Glaub – bass (4, 8)

Albert Lee – electric guitar (5)

Waddy Wachtel – guitar right (6)

Jim Horn – saxophone (6), horn arrangements (6)

Quitman Dennis – saxophone (6)

Dick Hyde – trombone (6)

Chuck Findley – trumpet (6)

David Campbell – string arrangements (7, 8)

harmony vocals:

Rosemary Butler (4), Bonnie Raitt (4)

Don Henley (5), JD Souther (5)

David Crosby (8), Graham Nash (8)

Production

Producer – Jon Landau

Engineers – John Haeny (Tracks 1, 2 & 4–8); Greg Ladanyi (Track 3).

• Additional recording – Mark Howlett
• Assistant recording – Paul Black

Mixing – Greg Ladanyi (Tracks 1–6 & 8); Val Garay (Track 7).

Mix assistant – Dennis Kirk (Tracks 1–6 & 8)

Mixed at The Sound Factory (Hollywood, CA).

Mastered by Bernie Grundman at A&M Mastering Studios (Los Angeles, CA).

• Management – Mark Hammerman
• Art direction and design – Gary Burden
• Back cover photo – Jackson Browne
• Front cover photo – Tom Kelley

Other photography – Howard Burke, Peter Golden and Tony Lane.

Liner notes – Pablo Neruda and Kenneth Rexroth