Doing a 180: Jackson Browne, LATE FOR THE SKY

Today isn’t Good Friday, but it’s definitely still a good Friday if you’re a Jackson Browne fan with a penchant for purchasing vinyl: as of this writing, you can pick up a copy of Rhino’s new 180-gram vinyl reissue of Browne’s classic 1974 album LATE FOR THE SKY.

Co-produced by Browne with Al Schmitt, who was also busy working on tracks for Neil Young’s ON THE BEACH album that year, LATE FOR THE SKY has long been held up as one of the strongest albums in Browne’s back catalog. Indeed, it’s his highest-ranking album on Rolling Stone’s 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, although an arguably more impressive accomplishment is that it was cited as his masterpiece when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Bruce Springsteen.

Although the songs “Walking Slow” and “Fountain of Sorrow” were both released as singles, neither made the charts, but various songs from the album have become standards over the years, including the title track, which can be heard in the film Taxi Driver, and “For a Dancer.” In addition, Joan Baez drew attention to “Before the Deluge” when she covered it for her 1979 album HONEST LULLABY.

Now that it’s on 180-gram vinyl, LATE FOR THE SKY sounds better than ever. But don’t just take our word for it: go pick up a copy for yourself.