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Post by Kapitan on Mar 16, 2023 18:49:10 GMT
I learned while researching the album that there are full-band versions of some of these songs. I believe some have been released later as archival things. I'm going to look into that and will let you know where. It might be interesting to hear them.
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Post by kds on Mar 16, 2023 18:53:11 GMT
I learned while researching the album that there are full-band versions of some of these songs. I believe some have been released later as archival things. I'm going to look into that and will let you know where. It might be interesting to hear them. I wasn't aware of that. Possibly on Bruce's Tracks collection, which I really haven't explored. I'm pretty sure the early demo of Born in the USA, which I think was originally considered for Nebraska, was on that.
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Post by Kapitan on Mar 16, 2023 19:00:47 GMT
I looked a little, and it appears I was mistaken. There are some of the demos from the Nebraska sessions (which included some Born in the USA songs) released, but not the other way around as far as I can tell: no E Street Band versions of Nebraska songs. They exist, they just haven't been released.
Maybe they're on boots? I'm just not familiar enough with Bruce's universe to know.
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Post by kds on Mar 16, 2023 19:05:32 GMT
Yeah, I'm not a big enough Bruce fan to really get into bootleg territory. I know there are some live versions on the 75-85 set, but I haven't listened to that in forever, so I can't recall how they were arranged.
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Post by B.E. on Mar 18, 2023 22:47:49 GMT
Funny, because I am also listening, am on "State Trooper" right now ... and love those hoots and hollers as-is! I like the way they echo with that reverb, not getting lost amidst drums and keyboards and guitars. It's like yelling into a cave rather than into a crowd. For me, I think the yelps, hoots, and hollers kind of detract from the vibe of the album. Personally, I love the hoots and hollers. Especially on "State Trooper" with that final powerful yelp and the really cool way the song fades over that sustained high note. I've come to consider that one of my favorite all-time fades! But in listening today, I also thought it worth mentioning that I think I like the yelps on this track so much because of how it relates to the lyrics and the rest of the performance. The protagonist is calm, despondent, and resigned - and he's about to explode. And that's how Bruce delivers the vocal.
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Post by B.E. on Mar 18, 2023 22:53:18 GMT
It's funny you mention Mellencamp. While I've grown to really appreciate Springsteen, I never really came around on him. I'm a big Springsteen fan, but I never really felt the urge to dig deeper on Mellencamp. I hear his hits on the radio - and I like it just fine - but he really doesn't seem to compare to Springsteen in my mind.
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Post by B.E. on Mar 18, 2023 23:07:16 GMT
I was back and forth between a 7 and 8 for Nebraska, but settled on a high 7. I think it's a good album, but, and I promise I'm not trying to be a contrarian, for me the E Street Band is one of the big reasons I like the Bruce material I like. So, without them, this album just kind of pales in comparison to the other albums of his classic period to me. I don't think there's anything wrong with that at all. I think everybody on this board seems to have a few opinions that are contrary to popular opinion. (After all, we've just wrapped up Pacific Ocean Blue and begun Bambu in the BBs forum, and lord knows my opinions on those are not quite the norm... Plus, I just rated The River above Darkness on the Edge of Town in this thread!) And your logic actually makes a lot of sense. If what you like is the E Street Band, then this obviously would not be the album for you! Yeah, it's perfectly understandable. For me, though, I'm a Bruce guy through and through! I honestly don't really care about the E Street Band (and I'd even say I dislike some of their members e.g. Steven Van Zandt). So, while I appreciate their greatness, that's not why I'm listening. It's Bruce's voice, his songwriting, how he performs...and I'm being reminded through this journey how well (and how often) he incorporates the harmonica.
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Post by B.E. on Mar 18, 2023 23:28:55 GMT
I looked a little, and it appears I was mistaken. There are some of the demos from the Nebraska sessions (which included some Born in the USA songs) released, but not the other way around as far as I can tell: no E Street Band versions of Nebraska songs. They exist, they just haven't been released. Maybe they're on boots? I'm just not familiar enough with Bruce's universe to know. I don't think they're out there. That would be so cool to hear! Not terribly unlike hearing Smile versions of Smiley Smile songs! That said, I doubt I'd come away thinking that the material could have been better served in another context. I think Nebraska serves that material perfectly. As is, it's really a one-of-a-kind record. The mood, the atmosphere, is unlike any other. And the songwriting, and performances, live up to that. I gave it a 9/10 because I do think there are a few "lesser" tracks (e.g. "Used Cars" and "Open All Night") but I could have pretty easily given it a 10 as an album. kds mentioned only really listening to two tracks ("Atlantic City" and "Highway Patrolman") on their own, and I'll be honest, I don't really listen to any of these tracks on their own. I always listen to this album in its entirety. It's a singular piece of work. And I agree with everyone - it's certainly a "mood" album. And whatever mood that is, this is the only album that will satisfy it! I also just want to say how great the lyrics are throughout. There are so many memorable lines and passages. And, again, Bruce's delivery of the lyrics is so good. The whole album is just imbued with a sense of meaningfulness - which I think is no small feat and quite in contrast to a lot of the upbeat tracks on The River and the effect of the production values of Born in the USA. I also just want to give a shoutout to the glockenspiel, which I think added a lot to the atmosphere of the album.
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Post by Kapitan on Mar 19, 2023 11:33:01 GMT
Five voters rated Nebraska an average of 9.
Thanks for participating; we'll move on later today.
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Post by Kapitan on Mar 19, 2023 12:40:14 GMT
Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA (1984)
A more stark contrast between two albums is hard to imagine than that of Nebraska and its follow-up, Born in the USA—which makes it all the more remarkable that Springsteen and the E Street Band worked on both simultaneously. In fact, in summer 1982, Springsteen at least considered putting out a double album composed of both.
Those early-to-mid 1982 sessions—those that blurred with the Nebraska sessions—included numerous of the songs that became classics: “Born in the USA,” “I’m Going Down,” “Glory Days,” and “I’m On Fire,” among others. But of course, he did not release a double album. Instead, as preparations for the release of Nebraska were being finalized and no major tours scheduled to promote the album, Springsteen and the band began popping up in clubs, especially along the Jersey Shore, for surprise guest spots throughout summer and fall of 1982 and into 1983.
In early 1983, he again contemplated his next album, first again focusing on already completed material, and then expanding the possible source material with early 1983 recordings done in Los Angeles. By spring 1983, there was a possible album planned: Murder Incorporated. By this time, Steven Van Zandt had effectively left the group to pursue a solo career.
Springsteen eventually continued with still more sessions on and off throughout 1983 and even into 1984. Estimates of the number of songs recorded throughout all these sessions range from 70 to 80, but in February 1984, manager-producer Jon Landau told Springsteen he thought the album as it stood lacked a strong single. According to biographer Dave Marsh, Springsteen responded, “Look, I’ve written 70 songs. If you want another one, you write it.”
However, he returned the next day with a newly written song: “Dancing in the Dark,” which would be the first of seven singles from the album. But while it was indeed the highest charting of the singles, reaching #2, the other six all landed in the Top 10 in the US. Landau was wrong: even without “Dancing in the Dark,” the album did not lack singles.
On June 4, 1984—about a month after “Dancing in the Dark” was released as a single—Columbia Records released Born in the USA. More than two years in the making, recorded on both coasts and in fits and starts, going through assorted reimaginings and possible formats, it was a massive hit.
The album was stylistically the opposite of its predecessor, not only featuring the E Street Band, but making liberal use of modern production, of shiny synthesizers, of singalong choruses. It was omnipresent for several years, and it was something of a Rorschach test for listeners. Some noticed the progressive politics in the lyrics, while conservatives found especially its title track edifying: Ronald Reagan even used it in his 1984 campaign and referred to Springsteen in a speech. The album was also said to have raised the profile of the subgenre “heartland rock,” giving the likes of John Mellencamp, Tom Petty, and Bob Seger career boosts.
Not having toured Nebraska, Springsteen and the E Street Band launched a 16-month, 156-show tour in June 1984 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Most of the tour was within the US, though the group did a few dozen shows in Australia, Japan, Europe, and the UK.
While it went on to top the charts, sell as many as 30 million albums worldwide, and was certified 17x platinum in the US alone, Springsteen himself has expressed mixed feelings about the album. He is quoted in an Arizona Republic 25-year retrospective on the album as saying he thought Nebraska contained some of his strongest writing, while Born in the USA “a group of songs about which I've always had some ambivalence.” He also said of its powerful effect and positive reception, "It forced me to question the way I presented my music and made me think harder about what I was doing.”
Please listen to, discuss, and rate Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA.
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Post by B.E. on Mar 20, 2023 0:49:02 GMT
I've always considered the title track my favorite on the album (one of many), but I think it might finally be time to concede that "My Hometown" has eclipsed it. I also love the popular "Glory Days', "I'm on Fire", and "Dancing in the Dark". Beyond those, though, I also consider "Cover Me" and "Downbound Train" big-time favorites as well. I think the following minute-long section of "Downbound Train" might be one of the highlights of the entire album (with lyrics very reminiscent of "My Father's House"):
I know that "No Surrender" and "Bobby Jean" have a lot of fans too, and while I like them, I rate them lower than the previously mentioned tracks (but higher than "Darlington County", "Working on the Highway", and "I'm Goin' Down"). This is a great album. All the tracks are good, most are great. The sequencing is strong and the production consistent. It's the sort of album you can put on and enjoy at pretty much any time. It's got a lively sound, a commercial sound, and the writing is strong.
9/10
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Post by kds on Mar 20, 2023 12:46:41 GMT
By all accounts, I should be sick of a lot of the material from this album. But, I'm not. Dancing in the Dark has always been a favorite. I love how it steadily builds tension throughout the song without ever really releasing it.
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Post by Kapitan on Mar 20, 2023 12:51:47 GMT
I am looking forward to this one. As I said in the Nebraska discussion, this album was what I knew as Bruce Springsteen when I was a kid: it was all over the place in the mid-80s. I didn't know of his older music, I only knew this. And it was current for much longer than an album typically is, with the singles streaming out for well over a year and getting airplay beyond that.
Also as I said in that previous discussion, I didn't like it at all. Now, I have come around on it through the years, and bought a copy probably two decades ago. But it's never been in especially heavy rotation for me, with my residual bad feelings coloring my impressions. This fresh listen, and putting it in context of prior albums (not to mention having researched its history), should make for a fun experience and reassessment.
Most likely I'll give it my first listen already today, with several more to come this week.
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Post by Kapitan on Mar 20, 2023 14:54:41 GMT
My listen this morning was a little underwhelming, actually. Maybe I was getting too excited with my reading and the past couple of albums.
I can't argue what this album is: an album of hit singles. As noted, it had seven of them. Fair enough, they're all catchy at worst, and great at best. But I'd be lying if I said the production didn't bother me: the gigantic drums, the synth sounds ... as is my complaint about a lot of music of the 80s, I just don't enjoy those sounds.
It'll take several more listens to decide where I land on this, but my initial reaction is that this is a solid couple of steps lower than the past few albums. Maybe in the 8 range at best, 7 at worst? (But it feels just crazy giving this a 7...such a massive success with undeniable hits.)
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Post by kds on Mar 22, 2023 15:05:51 GMT
I've listened to Born in the USA a couple times this week. Each listen is an absolute pleasure. Granted, I'd prefer the more organic production of the other Born album, but it doesn't bother me too much over all.
If I had one tiny gripe about the album, it's the song My Hometown. I think it's a good song, but for an album with so much life and energy, it seems like a very anticlimactic album closer.
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