Personnel: Jackson Browne (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, piano); David Lindley (acoustic & electric guitars, slide guitar, fiddle); Kevin McCormick (acoustic guitar, bass); Clarence White (acoustic guitar); Jesse Ed Davis (electric guitar); Sneaky Pete Kleinow (pedal steel guitar); Craig Doerge (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards, Mini-Moog synthesizer); David Paich, Elton John (piano); Benmont Tench (Hammond B-3 organ); Jai Winding (organ, synthesizer); Doug Haywood (organ, background vocals); Michael Utley (organ); Leland Sklar, Chuck Rainey (bass); Russell Kunkel (drums, congas); Jeff Porcaro (drums); Luis Conte (percussion); Vonda Shepard, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Glenn Frey, Dan Fogelberg, Don Henley, J.D. Souther, Bonnie Raitt (background vocals).

Producers include: Jackson Browne, Al Schmitt, Jon Landau, Greg Ladanyi, Scott Thurston.

Compilation producer: Jackson Browne.

Recorded between 1972 & 2002. Includes liner notes by Dave Marsh.

Personnel: Jackson Browne (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, sequencer); David Lindley (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, lap steel guitar, fiddle); Doug Haywood (vocals, organ, background vocals); Rosemary Butler (vocals); Mark Goldenberg (guitar, electric guitar); Scott Thurston (guitar, keyboards); Danny Kortchmar (guitar, maracas); Rick Vito (guitar, background vocals); John Hall, Waddy Wachtel, Kevin Dukes (guitar); Fred Tackett (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Clarence White, Kevin McCormick (acoustic guitar); Greg Leisz (acoustic 12-string guitar, electric 12-string guitar); Jesse Ed Davis , Val McCallum (electric guitar); Mike Campbell (electric 12-string guitar); Lowell George (slide guitar); Jorge Strunz (nylon-string guitar); Hugo Pedroza (tiple, charango); Craig Doerge (piano, electric piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards, synthesizer, mini-Moog synthesizer); Jai Winding, Bill Payne (piano, organ, synthesizer); David Paich, Elton John, Jeff Scott Young, Roy Bittan (piano); Michael Utley (organ); Russ Kunkel (drums, congas); Larry Zack (drums, percussion); Mickey McGee, Jeff Porcaro, Jim Gordon , Jim Keltner, Mauricio-Fritz Lewak, Rick Marotta, Stan Lynch, Michael Jochum (drums); Walfredo Reyes (congas); Luis Conte (percussion); Arnold McCuller, Valerie Carter (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: David Tickle; Dennis Kirk; Ed Cherney; Greg Ladanyi; James Geddes; Al Schmitt; Richard Sanford Orshoff; Bob Clearmountain.

Audio Remasterers: Robert Hadley; Doug Sax.

Liner Note Author: Dave Marsh.

Recording information: Crystal Studios, Hollywood, CA (08/27/1977/09/06/1977); Downtown, Los Angeles, CA (08/27/1977/09/06/1977); Elektra Sound recorders, Los Angeles, CA (08/27/1977/09/06/1977); Groovemasters, Santa Monica, CA (08/27/1977/09/06/1977); Sunset Sound Factory, Hollywood, CA (08/27/1977/09/06/1977); Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, CA (08/27/1977/09/06/1977); The Garden State Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ (08/27/1977/09/06/1977); The Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD (08/27/1977/09/06/1977); The Outpost, Los Angeles, CA (08/27/1977/09/06/1977); The Sound Factory, Los Angeles, CA (08/27/1977/09/06/1977).

Photographer: Henry Diltz.

Jackson Browne long displayed an aversion to hits collections, releasing his first one 25 years after his debut album. That 1997 disc, entitled Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne, had many hits, yet it was also missing many essential songs, leaving an opening for a collection that had all of Browne's hits and signature songs in one place. Released seven years later, Rhino/Elektra's double-disc The Very Best of Jackson Browne is more or less that collection. Produced by Jackson Browne and featuring 32 songs, this set has all the major songs -- "Doctor My Eyes," "These Days," "Late for the Sky," "The Pretender," "Fountain of Sorrow," "Redneck Friend," "Running on Empty," "Somebody's Baby" -- including songs missing on Next Voice You Hear, such as "Jamaica Say You Will," "Rock Me on the Water," "Take It Easy," "Before the Deluge," "The Load-Out," "Stay," and "Boulevard." However, there are a handful of smaller hits missing -- including "That Girl Could Sing," "Cut It Away," "For a Rocker," "For America," "Chasing You Into the Night," "World in Motion," and "Call It a Loan," the latter of which was on the previous compilation -- which may frustrate some listeners. Nevertheless, this is not a major problem since the collection does contain the great majority of Browne's best and best-known material in an attractive, engaging fashion (although the cardboard packaging may be a bit too flimsy to weather heavy, repeated listening), and for listeners who want a comprehensive overview without purchasing individual albums, this suits the bill nicely. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Before this double-disc dose of Jackson Browne's best came along, the influential troubadour's most extensive career summary was the 15-song THE NEXT VOICE YOU HEAR. This truly definitive anthology contains just about everything on that disc and plenty more. Browne helped define the 1970s singer/songwriter idiom, and that process is carefully documented here, as on the precociously world-weary "These Days" and the soulful, Van Morrison-like "Doctor My Eyes." The collection follows Browne through the years, as he toughens up his sound with more of a rock edge ("Running on Empty," "Boulevard") and adds a sociopolitical edge to his lyrics ("Lives in the Balance," "I am a Patriot"). Through it all, Jackson's humanity and humility, not to mention his lyrical song-craft, shine with an enviable consistency.

Spin (p.104) - "He started as Nico's boy toy, then joined the dashboard confessional set of '70s L.A. rock, playing the emo-folkie foil to the Eagles' faux cowboys and Linda Rondstadt's denim diva."

Uncut (p.171) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[F]or a one-stop career retrospective, this is hard to beat."

Mojo (Publisher) (p.130) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Reflective, honest, articulate."