New Springsteen Album "Western Stars" June 14*

Finally got hold of Western Stars - the film - and, needless to say, this live version of the record is quite an improvement to the studio's counterparts.
Hard to pick any favourites. It's really an album that ranks among Bruce's best.

The title track sounds even more fantastic on its live clothes, imho. It picks up where Over The Rise (from Tracks) left off.

 

They did a great job of pulling off that special sound that Western Stars has.

 

Revisited this for the first time since Letter To You came out.

I still think this is the better work as a full-scale piece. I think the ESB could figure out a way to play some of this material live, like the title track, Tucson Train, and Moonlight Motel.

Bruce having two strong new albums to pull from for future shows is pretty exciting.

 

...maybe not "Sleepy Joe's Cafe," though. Ha!

 

It was a shame he didn't tour behind this in 2019 with arena shows. If he had the hindsight of what was to come in terms of the pandemic he no doubt would.

It's a more even piece of work than LTY which I like but is quite fragmented as an album.

Sleepy Joe's Cafe is a bit out of place but was probably on there as a bit of light relief. Funnily enough it'd have been the song out of the album he'd have most likely played live.

 

I liken "Sleepy Joe's Cafe" to "Old King" from Neil Young's Harvest Moon, or of any Andy Summer's songs from Police albums. They're intended to lighten the mood, but instead, they jarringly disrupt the flow of what would otherwise be perfect albums.

Interestingly, though, I think that in the right context, both "Sleepy Joe's Cafe" and "Old King" could be fun songs that really worked on the right albums. Just not where they are.

And yeah, I could actually see "Sleepy Joe's Cafe" working pretty well live with the ESB. It would be one of those fun live songs like "Crush On You" or "Sherry Darling." YMMV.

 

These two albums greatly differ so I don't think you can compare.
Western Stars is an impressive work for an artist at the latter stage of his career but many of the melodies are similar.
I think the songs in LTY all sound different and it would be one to play more often, where the former is more of a mood record.

 

For sure, they are very different works, and they're both very strong.

I guess what I mean is that Western Stars - being a composite of different eras, crafted over several years - still has a more coherent "voice" than LTY. I love the 70s tracks the ESB cut for the album - but the lyrical approach is so different from the general tone Bruce has settled into (as reflected on the newer LTY material). It's fine, but it isn't as seamless a listening experience, imo. Not a bad thing, I just think it speaks to how finely crafted an album WS came to be.

Agreed that LTY is a more diverse album, melodically.

 

Greetings, how does it sound now? Thank you.

 

You didn't ask me, but, one year down the road, I think Western Stars is one of his best albums ever. Truly an exceptional release.
It so holds up as an album and by its individual tracks, standing alone. It was a true change of pace from Springsteen's body of work, but a welcomed one. Could have done without the film, though. We could have figured out what he was trying to say, all by ourselves.
I don't think that Letter to You will have such status in a year or so. While some of the tracks are great, particularly the three based on older compositions, many strike me as just falling back on the old E Street Band formula. Unlike Western Stars, it smacks as product for this year's holiday season.

 

This! You absolutely nailed it.

Western Stars is a classic album and my favourite Springsteen record. Letter To You is a very good album overall but not distinctive or consistently strong enough to set it apart from Springsteen's other albums from the past 33 years.

 

Agreed. His best record of the century by far. I love it, and the film cd is also well worth owning.

 

I'll take it though! Always interesting to step back a bit after initial hearings, let some time pass, and revisit. Everyone is different, of course, but I often find that albums I did not much care for at first seem to "improve" over time.

 

Forgot about this thread as well as this album. Gonna spin it later. Good stuff, gave it a few months to go back to it and let it further sink in with more listens.

 

Was I dreaming or mistaken but I read somewhere that Bruce was working on another Western-styled album. However, I don't want to call it WS II although I'd be thrilled with something like that. What I love about it was that it was a bit of a departure for him while still maintaining his sound. Whereas Letter to You while a good album, was the state of Bruce and ESB in 2020.

 

Funnily enough, I gave this a play just a couple of days ago. An album that only improves with age.

Western Stars, gets the full Five Stars. A true classic. My wife adores this album too, despite the sad ending.

 

This one still pales in comparison to Bob Weirs similar concept “Blue Mountain” from a couple years earlier. Imho

 

"Blue Mountain" is a truly great album, thanks for the reminder. And I say this as someone with only a passing interest in the Dead or Weir in terms of how much time I spent listening to their catalogues.

 

Moonlight Motel really tugs at my heartstrings. It's a stunning finish to a wonderful album. Someone said this and I agree wholeheartedly, Bruce makes the personal universal. He feels a lot of the same things we do and expresses it in our voice.

 

love Western Stars...

 

And Sleepy Joe's Cafe...love the steel drums, squeezebox and island beat -- makes me want to go to Joe's an kick up my heels.

 

Stones & There Goes My Miracle...a perfect medley if they were performed live. Brilliant and heart tugging.

 

Yeah, me too. I’ll see you there.

 

I am loving seeing a little love for Sleepy Joe's Cafe. Often derided, I like it too. It's a nice little break in the record. I've always thought it's what the protagonist sees and hears when he walks into this little joint. Kind of like a Holiday Inn band doing a Buffet song. And your summation is perfect!

 

Glad to see this thread flare up again. I still enjoy the tracks, but I only consume them via shuffle mode on my iPhone. I think it’s time to sit down and listen start to finish again.