Springsteen

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Like the Ramones thread, only with Springsteen. Discuss, argue, sing his praises, damn him

[whippoorwill]

I’ll start.

Born to Run came out when I was in 11th grade. Loved it (still do) but had no clue what he looked like.

Was home sick with strep throat when the Newsweek arrived in the mail and he was the cover story! Was pleasantly surprised and hated the author, a cute chick.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Just yesterday I texted a friend group and asked them for their favorite Bruce records post-Tunnel of Love. Aside from a couple that I really like (Tom Joad, Western Stars), I feel like I've missed a lot of those completely.

What are yours?

PS - I just ordered the No Nukes concert on vinyl so I could blast that shit (pun intended). That show is insanely good, if ya haven't already.

Edit: I forgot I used to own Devils & Dust on compact disc.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Lucky Town, the Rising and Wrecking Ball, probably, although I can't say I know all of them well enough yet. (Devils & Dust and Working on a Dream remain unfamiliar to me). Magic is good too

[A Boy Named Seo]

Lucky Town, the Rising and Wrecking Ball, probably, although I can't say I know all of them well enough yet. (Devils & Dust and Working on a Dream remain unfamiliar to me)

I'm pretty confident I've not listened to any of those start to finish. I have to chip away at those.

I love Bruce now. When I was super impressionable and Born in the USA was massive and everywhere, I got a vibe of Bruce that wasn't really who is was and is. It took me a little while to get back.

BTW - I've got another 20 minutes of so left with this book --> https://www.amazon.com/Deliver-Me-Nowhe ... 0593237412

If you're into the lore of Nebraska even a little, I recommend it.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I will read that.

I occasionally find myself overwhelmed by Springsteen's greatness. I had a fleeting thought last night that the ulcers that interrupted his tour would kill him and what would I say on that day.

[Centerfield]

I love Bruce now. When I was super impressionable and Born in the USA was massive and everywhere, I got a vibe of Bruce that wasn't really who is was and is. It took me a little while to get back.

He hates this album right?

[A Boy Named Seo]

I love Bruce now. When I was super impressionable and Born in the USA was massive and everywhere, I got a vibe of Bruce that wasn't really who is was and is. It took me a little while to get back.

He hates this album right?

I don't know. I'd kill to hear all the acoustic demos of this record though.

[Edgy MD]

I occasionally find myself overwhelmed by Springsteen's greatness. I had a fleeting thought last night that the ulcers that interrupted his tour would kill him and what would I say on that day.

I was pretty sure that, when I saw this thread pop up, that's what had happened.

I was at a friend's house for the 2009 Super Bowl. I had no interest in the game, which left me with an intense amount of interest in what Springsteen would do for the halftime show. I had already mentally drawn up his setlist, and I almost needed him to perform what I had drawn up, in the order I had drawn it, or at the very least put as much goddamn thought into it as I was giving. I was insisting to myself that there was no way he could do "Born to Run," because there was no way he could, in the time allotted, take the audience on the psychological and existential journey to get to the place where "BtR" would have its necessary impact. If he did it, it would just be a signature obligation, but of course I knew he'd do it, and that made me sad going in.

Most of the other guests were close to my age or a few years younger, and they were thrilled to see him, but it seemed ass backwards. They were social-justice oriented Washingtonians, and rather than knowing him as a rocker whose passion and commitment and integrity had turned him into a secular saint, they saw him as a secular saint first, who happened to use rock as a platform for his sainthood. When he opened with "10th Avenue Freezeout," they were all looking around, wondering what song it was. For them, it seemed, Springsteen's story had begun with Born in the USA, I guess, and lacking the older sisters and brothers I had, or perhaps because they weren't deep divers, or they were just a little too young for having known FM rock formats before they became classic rock, "10AF" was somehow alien to them. But, holy shit, come on!

It makes it doubly ironic that "10th Avenue Freezeout" was, despite it's 1975 date, was already a moment of him autobiographically looking back at his career to date, and in 2009, 34 years later, here were party-goers asking me, "Is this new?"

This made me sadder than sad, feeling old, and then, of course BS did "Born to Run," and I think I left early. I've liked some of the stuff he's done since then, and I really love "Girls in Their Summer Clothes," and perhaps one or two others, but I've found it hard to trust him again.

Springsteen on Broadway? Get the fuck out of here.

On "Better Days," he describes himself as "a rich man in a poor man's shirt," so I like to think he generally retains his self-awareness, and I credit him for that, and I continue to give him chances to surprise me. Here's hoping he has one or two surprises left.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Western Stars was a really nice surprise for me. Letters to You didn't land quite the same and the soul covers album I listened to once. But this record and the accompanying film were wonderful and I ended up revisiting enough that I bought both.

[kcmets]

I too feared Bruce had expired when I saw this thread.

Like the Ramones thread, only with Springsteen.

We can do both in one post, I think...

Legend has it that Bruce liked punk rock and the Ramones. He supposedly
saw them in Asbury Park and decided to write a song for them. He wrote some
song called Hungry Heart, people here may have heard of it, and got a demo
together to send to the band. Johnny Ramone thanked him but told him to keep it
for himself. Brilliant!

Could all be a bunch of hooey or a true story. I've heard it that way several times
and figured not to research it before posting but rather just throw it out there.

[Edgy MD]

... and the soul covers album I listened to once.

Yeah, we need to talk about "Night Shift," but sort of in the We Need to Talk about Kevin sense.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

That's true as far as I know.

I didn't like the idea of what folks were paying to see "Springsteen on Broadway" but I would have enjoyed that show if I could've afforded it.

[A Boy Named Seo]

... and the soul covers album I listened to once.

Yeah, we need to talk about "Night Shift," but sort of in the We Need to Talk about Kevin sense.

Definitely playing the over-70-I-can-do-whatever-I-want card.

[A Boy Named Seo]

I didn't like the idea of what folks were paying to see "Springsteen on Broadway" but I would have enjoyed that show if I could've afforded it.

Same. And same for the prices on the current tour. I haven't seen him live yet and don't suspect it'll get cheaper. :/

[Fman99]

I've never understood his appeal, musically. I don't play any of his songs, own any of his albums, or perform any of his songs in my own sets.

He just doesn't do it for me. Not sure why that is.

[Edgy MD]

My only live Springsteen experience was seeing him do two encores with Sting at the end of the Nothing Like the Sun tour, as a way to set up the Amnesty International mini-tour that they were about to co-headline.

Springy had just gotten back from Europe, and he was probably as jacked as he had ever been, coming onstage doing one of those super-jacked walks that muscle-guys do when it's like they're using their whole body to try and hold in a shit.

He also suddenly had a dozen piercings in his left ear and had just thrown over his wife for his backup singer. The guy was even a superstar when it came to mid-life crises.

[cal sharpie]

On December 15, 1978 I went to see Bruce playing the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco (it closed two weeks later) on the Darkness tour. The show was broadcast and was widely bootlegged and is now available. It is ione of my top few rock concerts ever -- I ended up going back to Winterland the next night to see him again, the only time I have ever done that. Anyway, Bruce and I go back a long ways.

As far as post Tunnel Of Love albums, I would vote for The Rising, Magic, The Seger Sessions and Western Skies as worthy efforts. Have to admit that I have owned most of his catalog but haven't listened to much of the later stuff in recent years and I haven't heard the soul covers album. He kind of sounds like Bill Clinton when he talks these days.

Deliver Me From Nowhere was good (the book referenced earlier).

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I saw Springy twice-- once in middle school opening up the Brendan Byrne arena and another time with his fake Lucky Town band in 92.

I probably should have gone at least once since, but what are you gonna do. I feel like most Springsteen concert goers would get more nuance out of it than me since they've all seen him dozens of times.

[A Boy Named Seo]

I saw Springy twice-- once in middle school opening up the Brendan Byrne arena and another time with his fake Lucky Town band in 92.

I probably should have gone at least once since, but what are you gonna do. I feel like most Springsteen concert goers would get more nuance out of it than me since they've all seen him dozens of times.

I'm very hazy on the fake band stuff. Did he ditch the whole E Street Band for a good while? What brought em all back together and when? Bruce scholars, I need you.

[cal sharpie]

Last big show of his I saw was at Shea.

[Edgy MD]

I saw Springy twice-- once in middle school opening up the Brendan Byrne arena and another time with his fake Lucky Town band in 92.

I probably should have gone at least once since, but what are you gonna do. I feel like most Springsteen concert goers would get more nuance out of it than me since they've all seen him dozens of times.

I'm very hazy on the fake band stuff. Did he ditch the whole E Street Band for a good while? What brought em all back together and when? Bruce scholars, I need you.

Yeah, he tried to ditch the E Street lineup for Tunnel of Love (he initially began recording it as a true solo album, with synths and drum machines), but got his arm twisted by his management, and so brought in the band but used them in a pared-down manner, only a few at a time, with Bittan switching from piano to synths, etc. He then went five years without a release (apart from a live boxed set) before simultaneously releasing Lucky Town and Human Touch in 1992, each backed by different non-E Street musicians. Each got mixed reviews and while each sold through the roof upon initial release, neither had the long tail of his previous E-Streety catalog, either as far as sales or as far as iconic status, but that was in part due to the death of non-classic non-grunge rock radio formatting.

The band had all mostly relocated to the West Coast with him by this point, so it was disappointing for some of them. Clarence vowed never to cut his hair again until the band re-formed, and he and Nils went on tour with Ringo Starr. After a few solo/folk/acousting turns, by 2002, as we all looked to Brooce as some sort of rock poet laureate to lead us through the devastation of September 11, the time was ripe, and he and the band re-formed to cut The Rising. It was largely looked on as the slammy-dunky favorite for album of the year — for the magnitude of the gesture as much as for the musical accomplishment — but a Grammy upset gave the award to Norah Jones' debut album Come Away with Me.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

The band were all pretty butthurt to be whacked the way they were but Springsteen's a tough boss.

[MFS62]

I've never understood his appeal, musically. I don't play any of his songs, own any of his albums, or perform any of his songs in my own sets.

He just doesn't do it for me. Not sure why that is.

Same here.
I can understand his appeal. Friends of ours are big Springsteen fans and have seen him in person countless times. But I'm not one of his fans.
Later

[kcmets]

Oh yay, post 24 and no one will read it...

Not a fan, find his voice often irritating.

I lump him in with Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, Kiss and maybe Sinatra too.
I don't know why.

I like this song, and was just going to post the studio version but
found this... he's basically just a cooler Neil Diamond hahaha...