Maps of Music

Running on Empty (1977)

Where the lyrics of Running on Empty take you, and where it was really made.

Not one track on this live album had appeared on an earlier studio album, and most of it was recorded in hotel rooms, backstage areas, and a tour bus.

Key places

Title track recorded live in Maryland (1977)

Live show Merriweather Post Pavilion — The title track, along with The Load-Out and Stay, was recorded live at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, on 27 August 1977. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Holmdel concert recording (1977)

Live show PNC Bank Arts Center — Tracks recorded live at the Garden State Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, on 6 September 1977 include You Love the Thunder. This point marks the Holmdel venue area. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Backstage recording at Saratoga (1977)

Recording site Saratoga Performing Arts Center — Rosie was recorded backstage in the big rehearsal room at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York, on 1 September 1977. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Universal City live recording (1977)

Live show Universal Amphitheatre — Love Needs a Heart was recorded live in Universal City, California, on 17 September 1977, the last concert recording on the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Hotel room recording in Illinois (1977)

Recording site Holiday Inn (Edwardsville) — Cocaine was recorded in room 124 of a Holiday Inn in Edwardsville, Illinois, on 17 August 1977. The point marks the town centre. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Hotel and bus recordings on a remote truck (1977)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — Hotel and bus recordings were made on the Record Plant NY Remote Truck, a mobile unit, so this point marks New York City as a city-centre reference only. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Running on Empty: fifth album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne
• Live album, with the entire record recorded on tour
• Released in 1977
• Songs themed around life on the road
• None of its tracks had appeared on an earlier studio album
• Browne was sole writer on only two songs, co-wrote four, and covered four

Background

• Tracks were recorded on stage, in hotel rooms, on the tour bus, and backstage
• Browne told Rolling Stone he was pleased to finally afford the session musicians he wanted on the road
• Album reached No. 3 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart in 1978 and stayed on the charts for 65 weeks
• Title track peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart
• Follow-up single 'The Load-Out'/'Stay' reached No. 20 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart

Recording

• Concert tracks came from Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, Garden State Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York, and Universal City, California
• Hotel room tracks were recorded in room 124 of a Holiday Inn in Edwardsville, Illinois, in August 1977
• 'Nothing but Time' was recorded aboard the band's tour bus while en route from Portland, Maine to New Jersey
• Hotel and bus recordings were made on the Record Plant NY Remote Truck
• Recording dates in the source run from 17 August to 17 September 1977

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Clyde Jackson Browne, born October 9, 1948 in Heidelberg, Germany, is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter and political activist.
• He began as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles and became a staff writer for Elektra's publishing company, Nina Music, before he was eighteen.
• His songs were recorded early by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Joan Baez, Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, the Byrds and others.
• He signed with David Geffen's Asylum Records in 1971 and released his self-titled debut album in 1972, which included "Doctor My Eyes" and "Rock Me on the Water".
• Running on Empty (1977), recorded on tour, is his signature work and his biggest commercial success, peaking at number 3 on the album chart.
• Hold Out (1980) was his only number 1 album on the US pop albums chart.
• "Somebody's Baby" from the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack became his biggest hit, peaking at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, inducted by Bruce Springsteen.
• Rolling Stone ranked him 37th on its 2015 list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.

Activism

• Browne co-founded the antinuclear organization Musicians United for Safe Energy in March 1979.
• He performed frequently at benefits in the 1980s and campaigned for causes including Farm Aid and Amnesty International.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone (1978, Paul Nelson): praised the album, placing the credit on Jackson Browne himself and the humanity in his art
• Robert Christgau: gave the album a B+, calling it his most attractive album while noting that devotees might see its self-effacement as a deprivation
• Bill Shapiro: called the album audio verité and one of the most conceptually fascinating recordings in the history of rock and roll
• Hamish Camp (2004, The 100 Best-Selling Albums of the 70's): wrote that many regarded it as lacking ambition, yet it was Browne's most commercially successful album to date

Reappraisal

• William Ruhlmann (AllMusic, retrospective): called it Browne's least ambitious but perhaps most accessible album, which ironically became his biggest seller
• Ruhlmann added that others would always regard it disdainfully as 'Jackson Browne lite'
• Camp: at that time it was the twenty-third best-selling album of the 1970s

Records

• Certified Gold in 1977 and Platinum in 1978 by the RIAA
• Reached multi-platinum in 1997 and 2001, and 7× platinum overall
• Browne's best-selling album to date
• Billboard Pop Albums chart No. 3, with 65 weeks on the charts
• UK: peaked at No. 28; 'Stay' became his only major UK hit single, reaching No. 12
• Two 1979 Grammy nominations: Album of the Year, and Pop Male Vocal Performance for the title track

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album cover hangs framed on the wall beside the front door of the apartment on the set of Mork & Mindy.
• 'Nothing but Time' was recorded aboard the band's Continental Silver Eagle tour bus, and the engine can be heard throughout.
• 'Rosie' features harmony from Doug Haywood and tour photographer Joel Bernstein.
• 'Stay' is a cover of Maurice Williams, with Rosemary Butler and David Lindley sharing lead vocals with Browne.
• Browne was the sole writer on only two songs, while four others were co-written and four were covers.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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