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Lawyers in Love

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Lawyers in Love
Studio album by
Jackson Browne
ReleasedAugust 2, 1983
Recorded1983
StudioA warehouse, Downtown Los Angeles
GenreRock
Length35:30
LabelAsylum
ProducerJackson Browne, Greg Ladanyi
Jackson Browne chronology
Hold Out
(1980) 		Lawyers in Love
(1983) 		Lives in the Balance
(1986)

Lawyers in Love is the seventh album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1983 by Asylum Records. It was Browne's fourth straight Top 10 album and stayed on the charts for 33 weeks, peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard 200. Out of eight tracks, four were released as singles. The title song reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100[1] and was accompanied by one of Browne's first music videos released on MTV.

Background and recording

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In the intervening years between 1980's Hold Out and Lawyers in Love, Browne had released the single "Somebody's Baby", which became his biggest commercial hit to date,[2] peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.[3] Lawyers in Love was the first Browne album since his 1972 self-titled debut not to feature guitarist David Lindley. Replacing Lindley were guitarists Rick Vito and Danny Kortchmar.

Co-producer and engineer Greg Ladanyi explained the album's unusual recording sessions: "For this record, Jackson wanted to be downtown, where the people were. So we found a warehouse in downtown L.A., and just turned it into a studio. We set it up so that the band could play without the distractions of a normal studio because, for the most part, Jackson was writing the songs – in terms of the key changes and chord changes – based on what he was hearing when the band was playing. There was no 'Okay, it's take one or take two.' We kept the tape rolling just about all the time. And there are very few overdubs."[4]

On the track "Downtown", Browne ad-libs a line to the melody of the Petula Clark song of the same name at the end of the song.

Reception

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Critical

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert ChristgauC+[5]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[7]
Rolling Stone[6]

Critic Robert Christgau called the album "a satire on, celebration of, and lament for the upper-middle classmates an Orange County liberal knows like he knows his neighbor's backyard".[5] Rolling Stone critic Christopher Connelly felt that the record was "a more nervy, intelligent LP than its predecessor" and "a welcome widening of perspective that allows Browne to escape, once and for all, the L.A. albatross that has hung around his neck." However, he despised the "wretched" 5:20 of "antinuke agitprop" that is "Say It Isn't True" for displaying the worst traits of the album: "No quarrel here with the sentiments he's expressing, but to gravely intone, 'There always has been and always will be war,' over a 'Kum BaYa'-like coo of 'Say it isn't true' — surely, you say to yourself, he can't be that stupid."[6]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann referred to Browne's often overlooked songcrafting, but wrote "the craft, and the familiar tightness of Browne's veteran studio/live band, couldn't hide the essentially retread nature of much of this material."[2]

Commercial

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Lawyers in Love reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200.[8] The album was certified as a gold record in 1983 and platinum in 2001 by the RIAA.[9]

Track listing

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All tracks composed by Jackson Browne, except where noted.

Side one

  1. "Lawyers in Love" – 4:18
  2. "On the Day" – 3:56
  3. "Cut It Away" – 4:45
  4. "Downtown" – 4:37

Side two

  1. "Tender Is the Night" (Browne, Danny Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel) – 4:50
  2. "Knock on Any Door" (Browne, Craig Doerge, Kortchmar) – 3:39
  3. "Say It Isn't True" – 5:20
  4. "For a Rocker" – 4:05

Personnel

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Musicians

Technical

  • Jackson Browne – producer
  • Greg Ladanyi – producer, engineer
  • James Geddes – engineer
  • Danny Kortchmar – arrangements
  • Ed Wong – technical engineer
  • Brian Reed – production assistant
  • Doug Sax – mastering
  • Mike Reese – mastering
  • Jimmy Wachtel – art direction, design
  • Dawn Patrol – art direction, design
  • Matti Klatt – front cover photography
  • Randee St. Nicholas – back cover photography
  • Joe Sohms – moon shot
  • Elmi Graphics – front cover print
  • Howard Carriker – front cover retouching
  • Gloria Von Jansky – front cover type
  • John Rothschild – set, light
  • Tim Griffith – set, light

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 - WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 10, 1983". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Ruhlmann, William. "Lawyers in Love > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 - WEEK OF OCTOBER 16, 1982". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Slater, Andrew (June 9, 1983). "Greg Ladanyi: The L.A. Sound". Rolling Stone. No. 397. pp. 44–45.
  5. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Lawyers in Love > Review". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  6. ^ a b Connelly, Christopher. "Lawyers in Love > Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  7. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  8. ^ "Billboard 200 - WEEKEND OF SEPTEMBER 10, 1983". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  9. ^ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  10. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 48. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4335a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Jackson Browne – Lawyers In Love" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Jackson Browne – Lawyers In Love" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  14. ^ "Charts.nz – Jackson Browne – Lawyers In Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  15. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Jackson Browne – Lawyers In Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  16. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Jackson Browne – Lawyers In Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  17. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  18. ^ "Jackson Browne Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4435". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
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