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Post by Kapitan on Feb 4, 2023 14:46:55 GMT
He’s the Boss. Bruce Springsteen, born in September 1949, has won 20 Grammys, two Golden Globes, an Academy Award, and Tony. He is in the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has received a Kennedy, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and was once named MusiCares Person of the Year. He has released 21 studio albums, 23 live albums, and 77 singles. He has sold over 150 million albums worldwide, including 65.5 million in the United States alone. This thread will focus on Springsteen, at least initially in the format of one album-focused discussion week. As with the Beatles albums thread, the albums to be discussed will be the studio albums as listed by Springsteen’s wiki page. (Some selected singles, live albums, or compilations might be incorporated along the way, but I don’t plan on it.) I have said elsewhere that while I’m a fan of Springsteen, I cannot call myself a fan of Springsteen. I have half a dozen, maybe 10 of his albums. I know his biggest hits, and I know some smaller ones—even some non-hits. But I don’t know or have them all. I don’t know everyone in his bands through the years. I don’t know his personal story, a few broad strokes or specific details aside. I certainly don’t know how each album came together, under what circumstances, what might have been or what almost was. And so also as with previous threads, because I plan to look at this from the angle of informing myself about Springsteen, I will begin introduce each album with a summary based on my own research. If I am going to inform myself, I’ll try to make each listen easier for others. To give them the same context for listening I am trying to get. But because I’m a relative novice about Springsteen, I look forward to those of you with more information, or who are doing your own digging simultaneously, to chime in. It’s important everyone understand I don’t pretend my introductory summaries are by any means exhaustive or definitive! Despite those introductory posts, I don’t imagine myself to be the teacher, but the first student giving his book report. My current plan is to launch each new album on Saturdays. That’s probably more time than we need, but I also want to give time for people to listen, or even to give multiple listens for those who are interested. If we are going to rate each album, I will set up the thread to include polls and will tally them at the end of each week, and post the average ratings in this post. To that end, please let me know if you’d like to rate albums, or just discuss.We'll begin later today with Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.Album RatingsGreetings from Asbury Park, N.J., 5.8 (4 votes) The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, 6.3 (4 votes) Born to Run, 9.7 (3 votes) Darkness on the Edge of Town, 9.0 (3 votes) The River, 8.7 (3 votes) Nebraska, 9.0 (5 votes) Born in the USA, 9.3 (3 votes) Tunnel of Love, 6.7 (3 votes) Human Touch, 7.3 (3 votes) Lucky Town, 7.3 (3 votes) The Ghost of Tom Joad, 5.0 (3 votes) The Rising, 7.0 (3 votes) Devils & Dust, 6.7 (3 votes) We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, 5.7 (3 votes) Magic, 7.7 (3 votes) Working on a Dream, 7.0 (3 votes) Wrecking Ball, 6.0 (3 votes) High Hopes, 5.7 (3 votes) Western Stars, 7.0 (3 votes) Letter to You, 7.0 (3 votes) Only the Strong Survive, 6.0 (3 votes)
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Post by B.E. on Feb 4, 2023 15:03:04 GMT
One week sounds perfect. The thread might be quiet for days at a time but it gives everyone time and gives the on-topic Beach Boys threads space. And I vote heartily for rating the albums. I mean, if we’re listening and discussing already, why not? If you use the poll feature then there will be separate threads for each album? Up to you if you want to do it that way or just manually keep track and post the results within one thread.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 4, 2023 15:08:40 GMT
If you use the poll feature then there will be separate threads for each album? Up to you if you want to do it that way or just manually keep track and post the results within one thread. My thinking was that I'd just keep it to one thread, as otherwise we're adding almost two dozen Springsteen threads, which seems excessive. I can easily enough just tally and post the results of each album (in the first post), and then create new polls each week. I believe that's what we did on some ratings threads I've managed.
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Post by kds on Feb 4, 2023 15:45:12 GMT
I'm about the same level of Bruce fan as Kap. I have almost all of his albums up to Born in the USA (the lone exception being The Wild, The Innocent, and the E St Shuffle), plus a couple after, the live set, and some comps. I'm fairly familiar with his classic era, but I wouldn't call myself a diehard. To some here on the East Coast, Bruce is less an artist, but more a religion.
I was on the verge of really getting into him in my mid 30s, in my pre Spotify says when exploring a back catalog meant buying CDs. Luckily, by then, 70s and 80s catalog CDs had mostly become very cheap. But, I think I got distracted by the whole getting ready to get married thing, and kinda fell out of my Bruce phase.
I still very much enjoy his music, and look forward to this chronological journey.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 4, 2023 18:16:38 GMT
Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)
About fifty and one-half years ago, a working musician who had kicked around the New Jersey area for the previous half-decade or so signed a record deal. And not just any record deal, but one with the legendary talent scout John Hammond, and to Capitol Records.
Springsteen, whose band had dissolved only a couple of months before he signed the solo deal with Hammond, recorded much of what would become his debut album within just a few weeks of signing the deal. The sessions carried on for several months, however, through October 1972.
Without a permanent band, Springsteen engaged several musicians who formed what became the E Street Band to perform on the album: Vini Lopez, drums; Garry Tallent, bass; David Sancious, keyboards; and Clarence Clemons, saxophone (with Springsteen himself on acoustic and electric guitars, bass, keyboards, and of course, vocals). But the album was also to include solo material, as Springsteen had been signed as a solo artist.
The precise balance between solo and band material was not fully envisioned, nor was it agreed upon as the sessions proceeded. Springsteen and producer Cretecos reportedly preferred the full-band arrangements to dominate the album. Hammond and Springsteen’s manager, Mike Appel, preferred solo material to predominate.
In August 1972, a compromise incorporated five full-band recordings and five solo recordings. However, while the album was being prepared for release, CBS president Clive Davis weighed in that he preferred the full band, but also that he didn’t hear a hit single in the bunch. Springsteen responded by quickly writing and recording two more songs that he thought had hit potential, “Blinded By The Light” and “Spirit In The Night.” With both Sancious and Tallent unavailable to travel to New York on short notice to record again, Springsteen handled all bass, guitar, and keyboard parts for the songs, with Lopez and Clemons on drums and sax, respectively.
The label eventually selected a nine-song track list, with seven full-band numbers and two solo numbers. While it was ready for release in late 1972, the label chose to wait until after the pre-Christmas glut of material and released it in January 1973.
Neither of the album’s singles, the aforementioned “Blinded By The Light” and “Spirit In The Night,” charted, but the album did peak at #60 on the Billboard charts. (It has since gone double platinum.) Critical reception was very positive.
Please listen to and, if you’re so inclined, rate the debut album from Bruce Springsteen, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.
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Post by jk on Feb 4, 2023 18:30:23 GMT
I've bookmarked it on YouTube (I have a love-hate relationship with Spotify) and will report on my findings in due course.
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Post by jk on Feb 5, 2023 10:05:16 GMT
I've bookmarked it on YouTube (I have a love-hate relationship with Spotify) and will report on my findings in due course. Listened to it last night. Like a lot of stuff, it's just not music I can warm to. That said, I await the following album with interest! And, I'll wait until everyone's voted before doing likewise -- probably one below the lowest score.
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Post by B.E. on Feb 5, 2023 20:44:00 GMT
Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)About fifty and one-half years ago, a working musician who had kicked around the New Jersey area for the previous half-decade or so signed a record deal. And not just any record deal, but one with the legendary talent scout John Hammond, and to Capitol Records. Springsteen, whose band had dissolved only a couple of months before he signed the solo deal with Hammond, recorded much of what would become his debut album within just a few weeks of signing the deal. The sessions carried on for several months, however, through October 1972. Without a permanent band, Springsteen engaged several musicians who formed what became the E Street Band to perform on the album: Vini Lopez, drums; Garry Tallent, bass; David Sancious, keyboards; and Clarence Clemons, saxophone (with Springsteen himself on acoustic and electric guitars, bass, keyboards, and of course, vocals). But the album was also to include solo material, as Springsteen had been signed as a solo artist. The precise balance between solo and band material was not fully envisioned, nor was it agreed upon as the sessions proceeded. Springsteen and producer Cretecos reportedly preferred the full-band arrangements to dominate the album. Hammond and Springsteen’s manager, Mike Appel, preferred solo material to predominate. In August 1972, a compromise incorporated five full-band recordings and five solo recordings. However, while the album was being prepared for release, CBS president Clive Davis weighed in that he preferred the full band, but also that he didn’t hear a hit single in the bunch. Springsteen responded by quickly writing and recording two more songs that he thought had hit potential, “Blinded By The Light” and “Spirit In The Night.” With both Sancious and Tallent unavailable to travel to New York on short notice to record again, Springsteen handled all bass, guitar, and keyboard parts for the songs, with Lopez and Clemons on drums and sax, respectively. Interesting stuff. I might be the biggest Bruce fan here, but I've mostly just listened to his music. It's really only the Beatles and Beach Boys' histories that I'm very familiar with. It's pretty incredible that both "Blinded by the Light" and "Spirit in the Night" were hastily written and recorded after the fact. I think they're pretty obviously the highlights of the album, the best tracks. I also didn't realize that Bruce played all the bass and keyboard parts on those songs. I hadn't thought of him as an instrumentalist to that degree.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 5, 2023 20:48:29 GMT
Sorry, to be clear, I don't believe he was the only keyboardist on those songs. Without double-checking the material I'd read, I am pretty sure there was at least one other keyboardist involved. But not Sancious.
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Post by B.E. on Feb 5, 2023 21:16:43 GMT
While I consider myself a big fan of Bruce Springsteen, I've never really been a fan of early Bruce. I very rarely listen to his first two albums and there are even aspects of Born To Run that I'm not too keen on (that I identify as sort of the last remnants of early/young Bruce). That said, I'm beginning to think that I've been too dismissive of the era, as I enjoyed a few tracks much more than I remembered. I'm thinking that next week, after listening to The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle, I should put together a one-album playlist combining my favorite songs from each. I'm thinking I've really been missing out on about half of this material through the years. As I've already mentioned, I really do enjoy "Blinded by the Light" and Spirit in the Night". And I'm realizing now that I overlooked "Growin' Up" a bit and I completely overlooked "Lost in the Flood". "For You" is solid, too. And while there's nothing wrong with "Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?", it sort of comes and goes without leaving a mark. The remaining three tracks still do little for me, with "The Angel" and "Mary Queen of Arkansas" being particularly skippable. The latter, though, does have some pretty cool, dynamic acoustic guitar playing and I especially like what the harmonica adds to the atmosphere. In getting back to my initial comment above, I think there's a bit of sensory overload when combining the fairly busy, upbeat band with the verbose Dylan-esque lyrics (of the nonserious variant, in particular), and Bruce's youthful exuberance. (But then again, two of the slower/quieter tracks are my least favorite...) I also just think, in a few more years' time, Bruce's voice matured, his writing matured, and he learned restraint. His debut was solid. It was promising. But he still had a ways to go before becoming The Boss.
6/10, barely.
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Post by kds on Feb 6, 2023 13:30:59 GMT
I'm going to make some time tomorrow to revisit Bruce's debut, as I probably haven't listened to it in at least a year.
But, I think it's one of those debuts where you can hear hints of the greatness to come. I think the best example is the song Growin' Up, which even features the kind of piano riff that Roy Bittan would become famous for a couple albums later.
But, overall, I kinda have a hard time believing that critics heard this album in 1973 and declared "this is the future of rock and roll." That's some next level soothsaying if you ask me.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 6, 2023 15:19:17 GMT
I think there's a bit of sensory overload when combining the fairly busy, upbeat band with the verbose Dylan-esque lyrics (of the nonserious variant, in particular), and Bruce's youthful exuberance. (But then again, two of the slower/quieter tracks are my least favorite...) I also just think, in a few more years' time, Bruce's voice matured, his writing matured, and he learned restraint. His debut was solid. It was promising. But he still had a ways to go before becoming The Boss. This roughly sums up where I stand with the album. If I were going to try to characterize the album with a single word, the word would be busy. Springsteen's lyrics and vocal parts are often busy. The arrangements on some of the full-band numbers are busy. There's just a lot going on, I'd say to the songs' detriment. I assume the fault lies with Springsteen himself. While his co-managers Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos were both songwriters, too (they collaborated on a handful of songs for the Partridge Family!), and Cretecos was co-producer with Springsteen, I haven't seen anything that discusses anyone doing the arrangements. It feels to me as if he finally got his shot, and so he put everything he could think of into the record. At times, including on "Blinded By The Light," it feels like a mediocre Dylan impression. In some ways, the album reminds me of Lou Reed's solo debut album, which was recorded only slightly earlier, albeit in England. It isn't bad at all, and there are glimmers of his talent. But it feels like a mismatch between artist and final product. My rating will probably be in the 5 range, though I am in no hurry, since we've got several days. I'd like to listen more, and maybe do some more specific comments on the songs.
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Post by kds on Feb 6, 2023 15:32:40 GMT
"Busy" is a good word. There are a few times on the album where it sounds like the band is struggling to keep up with Bruce's vocals. Blinded by the Light and For You are the best examples of this off the top of my head. They just seem a little out of synch.
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Post by jk on Feb 6, 2023 18:03:23 GMT
"Busy" is a good word. There are a few times on the album where it sounds like the band is struggling to keep up with Bruce's vocals. Blinded by the Light and For You are the best examples of this off the top of my head. They just seem a little out of synch. I'm afraid I'm too hung up on Manfred Mann's Earth Band's cover, "Chopsticks" and all, to appreciate the original:
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Post by kds on Feb 6, 2023 18:10:28 GMT
"Busy" is a good word. There are a few times on the album where it sounds like the band is struggling to keep up with Bruce's vocals. Blinded by the Light and For You are the best examples of this off the top of my head. They just seem a little out of synch. I'm afraid I'm too hung up on Manfred Mann's Earth Band's cover, "Chopsticks" and all, to appreciate the original: I was never really into Manfred Mann's version. I think I heard it enough for three lifetimes back when I used to listen to Classic Rock radio in my high school and college years. While I prefer Bruce's original, I don't really think either version is particularly great.
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