bruce

[Bill in CT]

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http://forums.pearljam.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=183081

[cortez the killer]

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Bruce
The E Street Band
The Roots
Tom Morello (former Rage Against the Machine guitarist)
Rushing the stage

[dime in the gutter]

i watched the fallon thing last nite. always a great interview....although i don't think he gave a shout out to the big man.

i thought the tunes sucked. never have liked him with morello. always feels like a put on. falls flat with me. the 2nd track was even worse.

music....overly everything.

still love my boy tho.

[cortez the killer]

Go figure. I really liked that performance of "The E Street Shuffle." Probably could've used more percussion though.

[emandrisdad]

I picked up the disc yesterday, mostly because my wife is a huge fan. upon first listen I really enjoyed Jack of All Trades. Good song.

[Penny Lane]

I was over at Headhunter and Mrs. Headhunter's last night, he was kind enough to show me an incredible DVD of Bruce from 1975-London show, right before BTR came out..

[cortez the killer]

I was over at Headhunter and Mrs. Headhunter's last night, he was kind enough to show me an incredible DVD of Bruce from 1975-London show, right before BTR came out..

Did you go for a ride in their Corvette?

[beantownbubba]

I was over at Headhunter and Mrs. Headhunter's last night, he was kind enough to show me an incredible DVD of Bruce from 1975-London show, right before BTR came out..

Yeah, that's an extraordinary show/disc.

[dogstar]

I picked up the disc yesterday, mostly because my wife is a huge fan. upon first listen I really enjoyed Jack of All Trades. Good song.

On first listen I would agree with that. Looking forward to seeing what they do with this in the live shows.

I'm going to speculate that the return to the Seeger sessions sound is because it's an album of protest songs and he's trying to connect to the Guthrie/Seeger thing. Musically not exactly my cup of tea but the lyrics are great - nice to see he's got excited/angry about something again.

[TrickyNick]

The title track sounds like the Gaslight Anthem, which is a good thing in my opinion.

[one belt loop]

The title track sounds like the Gaslight Anthem, which is a good thing in my opinion.

Oh my God, no. The Gaslight Anthem sounds just like Bruce Springsteen. That IS their sound. Bruce.

[TrickyNick]

The title track sounds like the Gaslight Anthem, which is a good thing in my opinion.

Oh my God, no. The Gaslight Anthem sounds just like Bruce Springsteen. That IS their sound. Bruce.

My point exactly. I wasn't thrilled with the last few Springsteen records, but if he can be inspired by younger bands that he influenced then I think that's a good thing all around.

[one belt loop]

The title track sounds like the Gaslight Anthem, which is a good thing in my opinion.

Oh my God, no. The Gaslight Anthem sounds just like Bruce Springsteen. That IS their sound. Bruce.

My point exactly. I wasn't thrilled with the last few Springsteen records, but if he can be inspired by younger bands that he influenced then I think that's a good thing all around.

Or he's maybe returning to his own sound?

[Iowan]

The title track sounds like the Gaslight Anthem, which is a good thing in my opinion.

Oh my God, no. The Gaslight Anthem sounds just like Bruce Springsteen. That IS their sound. Bruce.

I don't think they sound as Springsteeny as advertised. The influence is obvious I guess, but there's other stuff going on.

[sg207]

The title track sounds like the Gaslight Anthem, which is a good thing in my opinion.

Oh my God, no. The Gaslight Anthem sounds just like Bruce Springsteen. That IS their sound. Bruce.

I don't think they sound as Springsteeny as advertised. The influence is obvious I guess, but there's other stuff going on.

Agreed. Springsteen is obviously a major influence, but they are a LONG way from from simply being a Bruce knock off.

[Iowan]

Oh my God, no. The Gaslight Anthem sounds just like Bruce Springsteen. That IS their sound. Bruce.

I don't think they sound as Springsteeny as advertised. The influence is obvious I guess, but there's other stuff going on.

Agreed. Springsteen is obviously a major influence, but they are a LONG way from from simply being a Bruce knock off.

The very first time I heard them, I actually wanted more Springsteen out of their sound, based off of what I'd been told, but after a few listens I got to enjoy their style quite a bit.

[beantownbubba]

According to an email from Columbia Records sitting in my inbox, The Wall St Journal called Wrecking Ball "a triumph" and Rolling Stone gave it 5 stars. Anybody know if either of those things is true?

[cortez the killer]

According to an email from Columbia Records sitting in my inbox, The Wall St Journal called Wrecking Ball "a triumph" and Rolling Stone gave it 5 stars. Anybody know if either of those things is true?

I'm not ready to make those statements Bubba, but I gotta say, I do like this album a lot on first listen. Gimme another week and I can give you a more definitive opinion. In the meantime, being the Springsteen fan/music fan you are, I'd say it is worth picking up.

[beantownbubba]

According to an email from Columbia Records sitting in my inbox, The Wall St Journal called Wrecking Ball "a triumph" and Rolling Stone gave it 5 stars. Anybody know if either of those things is true?

I'm not ready to make those statements Bubba, but I gotta say, I do like this album a lot on first listen. Gimme another week and I can give you a more definitive opinion. In the meantime, being the Springsteen fan/music fan you are, I'd say it is worth picking up.

There's no question I'll be buying it possibly as soon as tomorrow (and that's even though I already have the whole thing on my ipod). Only particularly important personal matters kept me out of the stores today. I hope to like it more w/ greater familiarity and after seeing a bunch of the new songs presumably performed live in Boston in a few weeks, but i'm having a hard time hearing it as "major Springsteen" much less "5 star Springsteen".

[cortez the killer]

According to an email from Columbia Records sitting in my inbox, The Wall St Journal called Wrecking Ball "a triumph" and Rolling Stone gave it 5 stars. Anybody know if either of those things is true?

I'm not ready to make those statements Bubba, but I gotta say, I do like this album a lot on first listen. Gimme another week and I can give you a more definitive opinion. In the meantime, being the Springsteen fan/music fan you are, I'd say it is worth picking up.

There's no question I'll be buying it possibly as soon as tomorrow (and that's even though I already have the whole thing on my ipod). Only particularly important personal matters kept me out of the stores today. I hope to like it more w/ greater familiarity and after seeing a bunch of the new songs presumably performed live in Boston in a few weeks, but i'm having a hard time hearing it as "major Springsteen" much less "5 star Springsteen".

Similar statements were made about Magic. You will disagree with me, but I find Magic to be a "major Springsteen" album. However, I don't bring the same nostalgia factor regarding Springsteen to the table that you do. I also happen to love Tunnel of Love and be rather 'meh' on Born in the U.S.A. While we are at it, Darkness on the Edge of Town is the greatest Bruce album of all time and it's not even close. Taking it further, TC might be right when he says Greetings > BTR. I'm not willing to go there yet. But it is a very valid and close argument. So take my opinion with the smallest of the salt grains you can find.

[beantownbubba]

Perhaps this will surprise you, but I think Tunnel of Love is one of Springsteen's very best albums. I apparently like Born in the USA a lot more than you do, but I don't listen to it all that often (except for "Dancing in the Dark" which i find to be more compelling as the years go by).

Plenty of serious Springsteen fans agree with you about Darkness so I don't think your opinion is unjustifiable or outside the lines (i just disagree w/ it). I consider Darkness to be in the first rank of Springsteen albums as well, so all we're "arguing" about is the small space between "first rank" and "best" (I'm choosing to disregard "it's not even close" )

But, like our favorite Cowboy, you lose me re Greetings. As I've said many times, there are a number of great songs on Greetings. But not a single one of the rockers is a first rate version. While, e.g., "Mary..." and "Does This Bus Stop..." don't suffer nearly so much from the arrangements/production/performances, "Mary" just isn't the Boss's best song. I'm sorry, it's just not.

I'm actually hoping that Wrecking Ball rises to the level of Magic in my esteem (i.e. i like but don't love that one) so again, there may be less difference between us than you think. Though there definitely is some

[sg207]

I like it. I like it a lot. I don't love it so far. As others have said, it sounds more like the Seeger sessions than E Street.

And for what it's worth, I'm with Cortez regarding Magic. It's not his best album, but it's in the general area.

[Iowan]

-Darkness is probably my favorite. It's just so fucking raw, tense and ragged. I love the weariness of "Racing In the Streets" and the rage of "Adam Raised a Cane". It's just a compelling album that moves me.

-BTR>Greetings. I can see why people would have a major attachment to Greetings, and its a good album, but BTR is close to perfect. Its colossal, its staggering, its one of the most important rock and roll albums of all time. I think it might be "better" than Darkness in some objective sense, but I still like Darkness more. It hits my musical sweet spots. But that doesn't take away from the sheer staggering hulk of BTR and the wall of sound blown wide open and all of that shit.

-Born In The USA has some incredible songs and might be an album I listen to as much any. "We're Going Down" is my favorite Bruce song depending on the day.

-That "We Take Care of Our Own" song sounds like garbage to me and I have a hard time believing I'll really enjoy "Wrecking Ball", but I put a lot of stock in Cortez's opinion, so I'll at least listen to it with an open mind, assuming I can find a stream of it, or most of the songs on Youtube.

[sactochris]

I thought the song they played at the Grammy awards was really fuckin' terrible.

[Flying Rabbit]

Consider myself a fan, own all the records, etc.

First single didn't really grab me, nor freak me out. Just a meh.

Concerning RS and their 5-star treatment. Let's not forget that they gave "Working On A Dream" 5 stars and compared it to BTR

Last Bruce record I spun and spun was The Seeger Sessions, which I thought was criminally overlooked.

Stand-out tracks:

Jack of all Trades
This Depression
We Are Alive

There could be more that I glossed over, but upon first listen, those are the ones that jumped at me.

[Bill in CT]

According to an email from Columbia Records sitting in my inbox, The Wall St Journal called Wrecking Ball "a triumph" and Rolling Stone gave it 5 stars. Anybody know if either of those things is true?

The Rolling Stone thing is true. I got the new issue in yesterday's mail. The review is by David Fricke who is Rolling Stone's best music writer. That doesn't necessarily mean I'll agree with the review though. I've ordered the album but it hasn't arrived yet.

[beantownbubba]

According to an email from Columbia Records sitting in my inbox, The Wall St Journal called Wrecking Ball "a triumph" and Rolling Stone gave it 5 stars. Anybody know if either of those things is true?

The Rolling Stone thing is true. I got the new issue in yesterday's mail. The review is by David Fricke who is Rolling Stone's best music writer. That doesn't necessarily mean I'll agree with the review though. I've ordered the album but it hasn't arrived yet.

Got the album today. Listened to it 2x (plus i've been listening to it "unofficially" anyway). Won't read Fricke's review 'til i post mine, which is thru 1 draft anyway. Obviously I know his conclusion but when you care, the details matter too I agree that Fricke seems to be the best they've got (I don't read it often or thoroughly enough to really know, but that's my strong impression).

[beantownbubba]

Here's my review of Wrecking Ball.

Bruce Springsteen has never lacked ambition which is a good thing because on his new release, Wrecking Ball, he takes on the biggest, most complex issues of the day. Unfortunately, he only wrestles them to a draw.

The Boss doesn’t like what he sees happening to his people, the 30 to 70 percenters. He burns with outrage and frustration as he tries to hold on to his belief in his version of the American Dream. But most of that emotion just doesn’t translate into great rock n roll. Throughout the first half of the album the music is mostly uninspired but there are some occasional highlights when the songs are closer to the folk of The Seeger Sessions than the mainstream rock for which Springsteen is best known.

Part of the problem is that The Boss has seemingly abandoned his own employees. The E Street Band does not make a collective appearance and other than his wife Patti individual members of the band make only a few scattered contributions. In their place is mostly, well, The Boss. And not surprisingly the weakest elements of this album are the musical arrangements and the lack of fire of the sort that is created by sympatico musicians playing together and pushing each other.

As so often happens with many writers, when Springsteen tries to approach political issues head on, the songwriting suffers: Plenty of earnestness and outrage, not much artistry. The first half of the album is full of songs in this category, e.g. the first single, “We Take Care of Our Own” (unconvincing and stilted).

“Jack of All Trades” mixes the personal, the political and the metaphorical and is the better for it. Unfortunately, the piano motif comes directly from Chicago’s “Colour My World” which I find to be hugely distracting.

The songs with the most potential are bunched just past the album’s midpoint but all are flawed and leave the listener wishing that the results were better. “Depression” and “Wrecking Ball” may be the best of the overtly political songs but “Depression” is sunk by its dirge-like musical setting and “Wrecking Ball” is diminished by odd and disconcerting echoes of George W. Bush’s infamous “bring it on” challenge to terrorists.

“You’ve Got It” is the album’s unpolished gem. It stands out as the album’s only personal/romantic/sexual song and is also its rockingest and best written, with just enough forward momentum that one senses that it’s poised for take-off. Unfortunately it never gets airborne making the listener acutely aware that there’s a big gap between a one man band and the E Street Band. My hope is that this song will realize its potential as the full band burnishes it during their upcoming tour.

The last 3 songs are typical Springsteen in that they are intended to leave the listener feeling optimistic and energized. It didn’t work for me but your mileage may vary. Perhaps you will not be disappointed that “Land of Hope and Dreams,” a fine song well done, does not live up to the live versions fans have been hearing for over a decade. Perhaps you will enjoy (as opposed to simply appreciate) Springsteen’s attempt to broaden his palette with “Rocky Ground’s” gospel touches and short (and awkward) rap. And perhaps “We Are Alive” will not sound to you way too much like the theme song for a late 50’s TV western series rather than the folk or country anthem Springsteen presumably intended. His bold but not fully realized attempt to link the labor movement of the late 1800’s to the civil rights movement of the 1960’s to the struggles of today’s illegal immigrants reflects the album’s strength of vision and lack of execution.

Also noted: “Land of Hope and Dreams” is sadly notable for what is presumably Clarence Clemons’s last solo. Springsteen delivers a nice tribute to The Big Man in the liner notes as well.

Edited to clean up a few typos/errors

[headhunter]

Personally, I like the album and think it's the best thing he has done in a long, long time.
I've been listening to Bruce since the mid-late 70's and have seen him over 100 times.
Although his best music is from long ago, he still (like Neil Young) writes some great new stuff from time to time, is still relevant and refuses to just be an oldies act (ie, billy joel). It's his live shows that set him apart. Like DBT.

Any comparison to any of his work from the 1970's or even The River or Nebraska will almost always fall short. Still, I have tix to see him at MSG on April 9 and can't wait for that show.

Like a DBT show, I have NEVER left a Bruce concert disappointed. He is a class act and a great bandleader. How many others who have been making music for 40 years are still relevant today?

[beantownbubba]

I've been listening to Bruce since the mid-late 70's and have seen him over 100 times...
I have tix to see him at MSG on April 9 and can't wait for that show.

Like a DBT show, I have NEVER left a Bruce concert disappointed.

I didn't know bona fides were necessary to comment. I hope mine are enough for accreditation. I've been listening to Bruce since the early 70's and have seen him over 50 times in at least 9 states* (exact memory fades) starting in 12/74. I have tix to see him at Boston Garden on 3/26 and can't wait for that show.

I have left a Bruce concert disappointed twice. Once in Boston on the Tom Joad tour, which IMO was a bad idea gone wrong. The other time wasn't nearly as bad, just not transcendent, though not from lack of the customary energy, effort and commitment from the boss man. It was in Worcester, MA during the Human Touch/Lucky Town tour. That wasn't his best band, those weren't his best albums, that isn't a great venue and the show reflected all of that. Still pretty damn good, just not "Springsteenian."

*Including the District of Columbia.