Hold Out

The song "Of Missing Persons" was written for Inara George, the daughter of Lowell George (formerly of the band Little Feat), a songwriting collaborator and longtime friend of Jackson Browne's who died a year prior to the release of Hold Out. The phrase "of missing persons" was derived from a line in a Little Feat song, "Long Distance Love".

The album was certified as a Gold and Platinum record in 1980 by the RIAA. It reached Multi-platinum in 2001.[1]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Robert Christgau	C+[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]

Despite being Browne's only album to date to reach number 1 in the Billboard charts, it received poor critical reviews. Writing retrospectively for Allmusic, music critic William Rulhmann called some of the tracks awkward or foolish. He compared the album with earlier releases: "If Browne was still trying to write himself out of the cul-de-sac he had created for himself early on, Hold Out represented an earnest attempt that nevertheless fell short."[2] Similarly, critic Robert Christgau wrote "Never hep to his jive, I'm less than shocked by the generalized sentimentality disillusioned admirers descry within these hallowed tracks, though the one about the late great Lowell George... is unusually rank."[3]

All tracks composed by Browne except where noted:

1. "Disco Apocalypse" – 5:08
2. "Hold Out" – 5:37
3. "That Girl Could Sing" – 4:34
4. "Boulevard" – 3:15
5. "Of Missing Persons" – 6:31
6. "Call It a Loan" (Browne, David Lindley) – 4:35
7. "Hold On Hold Out" (Browne, Craig Doerge) – 8:08

• Jackson Browne – lead vocals, acoustic piano, guitar
• David Lindley – electric guitar, lap steel guitar
• Craig Doerge – acoustic piano, Hammond organ, string synthesizer, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer electric piano (3)
• Bill Payne – Hammond organ on (1, 2, 5, 6, 7), string synthesizer (7)
• Bob Glaub – bass guitar
• Russ Kunkel – drums (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7)
• Rick Marotta – hi-hat (3), tom toms (3), drums (4)
• Joe Lala – percussion (1)
• Danny Kortchmar – maracas (4)
• Rosemary Butler – background vocals
• Doug Haywood – background vocals

• Producers – Jackson Browne and Greg Ladanyi
• Production Assistance – Rusty Conway and Donald Miller
• Engineer – Greg Ladanyi
• Assistant Engineers – Brent Averill, Niko Bolas, James Ledner, Jim Nipar, Sergio Reyes, Karen Siegal and George Ybarra.
• Mixed by Buford Jones
• Mastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, CA).
• Album Cover – Dawn Patrol
• Design and Photography – Jimmy Wachtel
• Management – Peter Golden & Associates

Album – Billboard (North America)

Singles – Billboard (North America)