Springsteen's Letter To You thread (second try)

No, and maybe I should. Thank you. I have mostly been focused on pre-USA shows and had not given more recent shows much thought. I'll need to see what you guys think is the best Joad show to buy.

 

Belfast ‘96 is a good place to start. By ‘97, more back-catalogue selections were entering the set-lists (which was enjoyable in its own way, but a deviation from the intensity of the earlier shows).

 

I think you might be confusing that 2002-03 tour with the Working On A Dream tour from 2009. Very different animals.

 

I’ve been a fan since 1975, love the guy. But he has become a freaking blowhard. Way to much talk as the music fades. The guy is just not that interesting. He has forgotten what he was good at. That being said Western Stars and Letter to you are solid enjoyable albums.

 

Interesting observation.

 

Brixton Night, Freehold Night, Tom Joad Blues (Akron)

 

I think I like ”Western Stars” better, but ”Letter to You” is also a fantastic record, and I can’t believe how strong his voice is. I love Leonard Cohen’s last few records, and I’m sure there are a few other examples, but come on, this kind of quality is rare from anyone - and especially from a guy 50 years into his career... I am just thankful this is happening.

I didn’t see this coming after ”Wrecking Ball”, ”High Hopes” and ”American Beauty”. I dislike those records so much I don’t even own them. The last three (including the live version of ”Western Stars”) is a comeback for sure. Love it!

Let’s hope he sticks to this new, more organic sound for a while...

 

I've heard the new album over a dozen times now, and it keeps getting better with repeated play. Unfortunately, I get a bit of distortion on side 1 - track 4 (mostly on the organ) and quite a lot of it on side 3 - track 4 (sadly more pronounced on multiple instruments here) on my EU grey vinyl release. This level of distortion really stands out like a sore thumb for me, given that my VM540ML usually tracks inner grooves very well. Does anyone else have this issue?

 

I have a black EU pressing. Sounds very good. No distortion. No warping. Of course, the packaging is first-class too. This is an excellent vinyl release.

I also ordered the CD, just in case...

 

I also have the CD, and no issues with that whatsoever. It's one of his best sounding CDs of the 21st century. I may have to get the black EU pressing at some point though, hopefully at a discount then...

 

Did someone compare the vinyl and the cd release?

 

This and Janey..

 

Works much better live as did Sunny Day and Mary's Place till I heard them one too many times.

 

Petty is a treasure, his shows were great (I was lucky to catch 2) because that catalog was so well known and loved.
We don't need to compare these two rock icons but for live performance Springsteen is in his own category.

 

Love this , you just summed up his life's work and how so many of us feel about it.

 

And "Orphans."

 

Agreed on the very strong vocal tones & some of the wide open singing.

A strong but delicate balance and effective mix too.
Haven't listened much since release month. A lively sound too without being too bright or shrill imo.

The opening pair of songs make for an enjoyable duo and contrast.
They also seem to set the scorching Living Prooflike Burnin' Train up perfectly. Still blown away by Janey. Was set up to be disappointed and disillusioned by the remake. I never imagined it would be as good as it is. Harmonica solo there was a stroke of Dylan-like cleverness. Never thought Janey would be transcendent. Side 1, with the band, a triumph.

The wide and big mixes without the vocals drowning everything else out - all the instrumemtal arrangements - is most welcome and inspiring. By and large, the too many live concert series hack jobs done imo would do well to take notice listening to Letter To You. Vocals are still pretty loud & very clear but so are many other instruments smartly placed and artfully blended.

I agree with the House of A Thousand Guitars people that like this one. Fwiw I think it's beautiful all around. Rainmaker sounds awful damn loud. Like it though. Had to turn the volume down on that sucker. Another strong tune. The song reminds me some of The Band.

I like the Country Music Rock take on If I Was The Priest and the final chorus and lead guitar at the out made it prime for another listen too. I do think fwiw Bruce found the right niche for this take on the tune. Some of the lyrics are relatively 'subversive' but his phrasing of them and how he pitches them through the melody and mood of the performance, he works them all in seamlessly, and still pretty convincingly too as to their original intent. Also a stroke of genius with the singalong chorus with extra vocals before the harmonica solo. Impressed. An epic-like track.

Similar approach imo used on Orphans. Would have liked to hear just a little more vocal maybe on this one per the lyrics. There's one live version from '72 or '73 that fwiw I consider my favorite. A definitive one imo. Just Bruce & Danny iirc. Perhaps this take on Orphans tends to maybe 'melodify' and 'rush' a little too much to my ears through the weight of each line. It's almost as if Bruce is trying to draw a little attention away from the words at times, but again thru repeat listens the word are there and clear through a tuneful song.


Great album.

Ghosts is alive and representin' well.

 

Really good review but what do you like about House of..?
To each their own but I find it completely cringe worthy , unlike Bruce. I tried it a few times and now I have to bypass it.

 

I've really gotten into this album since my initial few "meh" listens. The playing and singing and production are fantastic and I never would have imagined that the troika of 50 year old songs would ever be recorded--let alone sound so good, like the missing link between Highway 61 Revisited and Darkness on the Edge of Town.

I wouldn't have lead the album with "One Minute You're Here"--I would have placed the title track first in order to kick off the album on a blistering note--and some of Bruce's lyrics are trite---" faded pictures in an old scrapbook/faded pictures that somebody took" (really?) -and "Last Man Standing" and "The Power of Prayer" share almost the exact same vocal melody, but this is Bruce's second winning record in a row. Second winning album after I pretty much wrote him off.

About "House of 1,000 Guitars", there's really nothing much to say. Like Western Stars' lone clunker "Sleepy Joe's Cafe" , these two deserve a place at a Monmouth County strip mall of Avoidable Springsteen Tracks.

 

Agree. Not a huge fan of this album. It has some high points, however "House..." may be the worst thing he ever recorded, IMHO.

 

Thank you.
It"s some pages back fwiw for what I like about it, I'll have to look back in the thread.

 

I agree about the opener. On a few more listens, maybe lyrically it sets the table for what's to come. I've gotten good with it.

"Faded pictures in an old scrapbook/faded pictures that somebody took" I like. Because the first line is delivered sort of matter of fact through the melody. The second line sort of rises with an exclamation point and here's why I think that's 'significant' in this line. Most people are fixated on who or what is in the picture. Who's that picture of? What place is that? Or isn't that a great picture or funny photos of so and so? In this case, the focus shifts from who's in the pic, to who 'took' the pic. Isn't it often or sometimes more a mystery as to who actually took the pic or photo. I find that fascinating he would think of that to include in that line, if that's what he intended. What might be even as of much interest to me, is knowing who took the pic, and knowing they are no longer present. There's that too. Or not.

 

Imo one of , especially the way he sings "a thousand guitars , a thousand guitars .."

 

It is/was the hip thing to do for 'legacy' artists.

 

i've had this album since release but didn't get around to listening to it until this past week.
i was in the middle of marathon listening session for 'something' that lasted about 6 months...and i wanted to give this a 'proper' listen, so i resisted until i was finally done

my impression is...wow, what a fine late career album. i thought Western Stars was his most cohesive since TOL but this eclipses it.
his vocal delivery is really strong throughout...perhaps at its finest since his voice noticeably 'changed' around the reunion era.

those 3 old songs really brings out the 'classic' feel to the whole thing, without sounding too out-of-place (that's a neat trick ~).
it seems Power Of Prayer / 1,000 Guitars has gotten the most hate in this thread...perhaps having them sequenced back-to-back has made them sound worse than actually is.
Power of Prayer is maybe bit much regardless of sequencing but i like Thousand Guitars...certainly not my 'least' favorites on the album (Last Man Standing & Rainmaker ~).

anyhows, i'm glad both Dylan & Bruce are putting a fine finishing touch(es) to their illustrious careers...'wouldn't wanna have it any other way