Springsteen's Latest: A Killer!

Going on three days pretty much non-stop on the Planet....


What a killer album...wow!



Anyone else listened, yet? Opinions?



Ben

 

I've only been able to catch a cut here and a cut there in the car this week. Sounds good, if not a classic. I'll get a better listen over the weekend.

 

After just a couple of listens, I think it rates among his best. I'll need a little more time to decide for sure. Having the band around must push him to try a little harder.

 

I thought it sucked. I find his new songs boring and the ultra-hype on it disgusting.

 

IMO his last good album was Born to Run. After that his singing is more screaming. He sounds like he's in pain on most songs and tries to hard to be an American Icon ala Dylan which he'll never be.

 

I think I'm somewhere in between. I taped or caught all his network TV appearances last week, and I think I like these songs more when they're performed live. In the case of "My City In Ruins," it's a good song, not a bonafide classic like "Thunder Road" or a great, lesser-known gem like "Highway Patrolman," but a good song, and I liked the charity broadcast performance more than the album performance. Not as polished and produced, the charity performance still seemed more heartfelt, more like the "prayer" Bruce called it at the opening moments of the performance.

Anyway, there's something about the way that song and the others sound on the album that I'm not too crazy about. I never thought I'd get tired of the E Street Band, but it's beginning to sound a bit too professional. The folk-flavored touches and the hip-hop beats are nice additions, but the big sound in general seems to wear a bit thin on this album. Maybe it was the production, maybe the engineering, but I think the music needed more of a subtle touch.

I think Springsteen's well past his peak, but it's still a solid album. The writing is still good, though not quite as sharp as before. Still good, but some lines here and there weren't so hot. I love Bruce, though, so I don't mind so much.

 

Well, I can see what you mean about the screaming. On a "Darkness," it's definitely a love-it-or-hate-it sort of thing, but I think he really came into his own as a singer on "Nebraska." Very natural and casual, more so than before, like he's singing to himself (almost like an interior monologue), and I really like those reverb-laden yelps and howls.

BTW, personally, I don't think his singing on "Born to Run" is his best. He had a tendency to be real mannered around that time, and to me, it seems more so on that album; understandable if he was trying to sound like Roy Orbison.

 

well, his singing style is basically that of a Dylan wannabe. I don't particularly like Dylan's voice, but I deeply respect his writing....and bruce will never, ever reach those lofty heights.
sonny bono used to imitate dylan a lot too...
that 'has-been' magazine Rolling Stone can continue to brown nose springsteen all they want, but I ain't buyin' it. I heard it at a friends house and all I could say is 'Do you have anything else to listen to?' after 40 minutes, I was ready to head for the door...thank goodness he finally changed it.

 

Friends,

I have never been a huge Springsteen fan in the true sense but, I know the recording industry is hoping that his latest album will bring up now slumping sales. With Bruce, too many of his recordings sound the same, for my tastes. Although, I do have my favorite hit singles that I still enjoy hearing such as Born To Run, Hungry Heart and Pink Cadillac.

Bob

 

Springsteen seems to be a magnet for media hype. The "Time/Newsweek" covers, the jingoism around "Born in the USA" (and everywhere else in 1984, fueled by the Olympics in LA and the presidential election), and this...it's a shame because it always sparks a backlash. I don't think "The Rising" is his best, but I don't think it deserves to be dismissed due to the massive media hype. I think it's better than the rest of the 9/11 inspired music out there, but not his best work.

 

I think The Rising is amongst Bruce's very best work. I haven't had a group of songs resonate with me as much as these have in a long, long time. I think Bruce has been writing at or near his peak for awhile now, from Joad, Land of Hope and Dreams, Back in Your Arms, American Skin, and now the new album. I love the grace and humility of Nothing Man, the suicide bomber pyschology in Paradise, the return to some soul on Let's Be Friends and Mary's Place. I love the whole fat bottom, bright, tough sound of the album - this album would be a caricature of Bruce if he stuck with the piano, sax, and glock sound of past E Street glories. The whole album feels well-balanced in its themes and the construction of what is basically a 73 minute suite. Great stuff from Bruce IMO.

 

Outside of a couple of mediocre songs, this is a remarkable album. The first time I heard it I had problems with it, but now I am enjoying it more and more with each listen.

 

"The Rising" is Rolling Stone's first 5-star (reviewed) album of the year.

I'd think if RS was a media whore/hype machine, they'd throw out more pandering 5-star reviews than that! To me that shows some credibility. (And I haven't even heard the new CD yet!).

Ray

 

Bob, I know you don't need me to tell you this, but you sure do know great singles. These 3 singles together represent, IMHO, Springsteen's best music distiled to its essence.
Well said.
Ben

 

You can say a lot of things about the E. Street Band, but "subtle" is not a word I'd ever use to describe them, even if they are a little more reserved (Clemons especially) on some of the newer material.

 

What about the five-star review for that mediocre Jagger record?

 

Ben,

I am glad to know that my ear is on target. No question, I am a Singles collector over everything else!

Regards,

Bob

 

Well, I didn't call them subtle, I said a "more subtle" touch, as in steering a bit away from the big, arena-filling sound they have on a bunch of the tracks (reserved or not, the album still sounds like a big production).

But otherwise, I know what you mean.

 

I think The Rising is fantastic, great songs, beautifully executed. The production, on the other hand, is not so good. The mix is terrible, everything kind of smushed (is that a word?) together, sort of wall of soundish, without Spector's brilliance. Then again, has there ever been a great sounding Bruce album (well, maybe Tunnel Of Love, but that's it). I love the guy, have been a big fan since 1973, but he sure doesn't have much of a clue as to what a great sounding album is.

That being said, I reiterate that the album is brilliant. When Bruce has something to say, he writes his best material. I don't like or believe in the comparisons to Born In The USA. The Rising is a much better album, and will, I believe, stand the test of time much better. BITUSA is one of my least favorite Bruce albums (the title track and No Surrender being the exceptions). It sounds thin and shallow in many spots, both material-wise and producion wise.

Just wish I could get a ticket to one of the shows. First time I've been shutout in a long while. Ah well.

Jeff

 

"Darkness.." was a good sounding record. The sound on "The Wild.." fits the mood and intent of the songs.

I think the murky sound on some of the other recordings is by design, so as not to focus on the recording quality but the heart and soul of the songs. "Tunnel Of Love" is a great record, but a bit of an icy cold digital glaze over it.

Kind of interesting how two rock icons, Springsteen and the Rolling Stones, went from murk ("Born To Run", "The River"/ "Exile" "Goats Head Soup") to clinical cold ("Tunnel Of Love"/Steel Wheels")

 

Guess I agree with you on Tunnel, it is a little icy, and I really don't have much of a problem with the Wild & The Innocent. Can't agree on Darkness though. It always sounded thin and harsh to my ears. Bruce himself has said that he didn't like the production on this album, and that the songs only came alive for him in concert. He was right on the money there.

Jeff

 

All of Bruce's songs come alive in concert. His recorded work is IMO a pale imitation of what they are in concert. Go see him live if you can.

 

What's your favorite concert, Joseph?

I'm kind of partial to the Agora Theater show on the Darkness Tour (I think it was originally bootlegged as Summertime Bruce).

 

Wow, some of you guys are a bit harsh on Springsteen! 'Darkness...' is a classic, and so is 'The River.' These albums (along with 'Born to Run') form his great trilogy from which his greatest reputation rests. 'The Wild...' is a good record but not on par with the next three. His next great trilogy is 'Nebraska,' 'Born in the USA,' and 'Tunnel of Love.' While this later series of albums doesn't quite resonate with me like the former trio, they're still great (it sounds like a few people here haven't quite listened to 'Tunnel..' enough, trust me, the quality is there).

Hell, if pressed, I'd even say that his first album is fair-to-good. It's weird when you consider Bruce. I mean, he never was all that original, you know what I mean? He brings nothing new to the table. All of his influences were firmly pre-late '60s. You can't really hear the influence of The Beatles at all in his music, yet he did what he did very well. For a songwriter who wasn't interested in pushing the envelope at all he wrote songs which undoubtedly moved me for years. All in all I'd say he is definately one of the greats...

 

Hi Ben,

I too love Bruce's new CD! I think the E-Street Band is what makes it great...

Just my humble opinion...

-Kevin