Sparks fly on E Street

[Paul]

I may have posted this else where, don't know but I'm posting it again here. This is a pretty cool vid of Bruce and the E. St. Band covering 'Betterman' w/ Mr. Vedder. It's pretty fucking cool and the E St. band goes to town on this one!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4LcC1Owprk

[Galactus]

I don't really think GoTJ is bad album...though I'm pretty sure Ken does. There are few tracks I absolutely love but I can't really listen to the whole album. In that sense I think Devils And Dust better because it's a less challenging record. GoTJ is an album you have to sit down and listen to, it's too quite to do anything else and IMO the album as a whole isn't rewarding enough for that kind of attention and effort. I usually make through Sinaloa Cowboys and then skip on to Across The Border and My best Was Never Good Enough. That's half the album. I think half of it's pretty good then.

Best songs - Ghost Of Tome Joad, Straight Time, Youngstown, Sinaloa Cowboys, Across The Border, My Best Was Never Good enough.

I actually agree that they make quite a nice trilogy...just making through that middle part without falling asleep or slitting your wrists can be dodgy.

[JACkory]

ded said:

I don't really think GoTJ is bad album...though I'm pretty sure Ken does. There are few tracks I absolutely love but I can't really listen to the whole album. In that sense I think Devils And Dust better because it's a less challenging record. GoTJ is an album you have to sit down and listen to, it's too quite to do anything else and IMO the album as a whole isn't rewarding enough for that kind of attention and effort. I usually make through Sinaloa Cowboys and then skip on to Across The Border and My best Was Never Good Enough. That's half the album. I think half of it's pretty good then.

Best songs - Ghost Of Tome Joad, Straight Time, Youngstown, Sinaloa Cowboys, Across The Border, My Best Was Never Good enough.

I actually agree that they make quite a nice trilogy...just making through that middle part without falling asleep or slitting your wrists can be dodgy.

Devils and Dust IS a less challenging record (though that doesn't hinder it in any way). And I certainly agree that Ghost is an album that you need to sit down and listen to. It IS a quiet album...I have tried to listen to it on a car stereo and it's just impossible, it's so quiet...maybe that was the intended effect, as you can't really concentrate on both driving and soaking up this album.
Where we part ways is when you suggest that the album as a whole isn't rewarding enough for that kind of tiime and attention.
I confess I felt the same way the first few times I heard it. But upon further hearings it really started to make sense to me and I found myself sucked into all the different stories he tells here. Not only that, but I loved the folk direction he was just short of travelling in. For a long time I even considered it his best album...until I finally "got" the genius of Tunnel of Love.

I'm sure he'll come around to speak for himself, but if memory serves I don't think that Ken considers The Ghost of Tom Joad a "bad" album. I just don't think he places it on the same level as several other Springsteen records that he's come to appreciate more.

[Galactus]

Ghost Of Tom Joad
youtube.com/watch?v=CwbPqA3QhqA

I remember seeing this on TV back in 98 or 99, I'd pretty much written the album off already. This is the only full band performance of Tom Joad I've ever seen. It is fantastic. It made go back and listen to the album again, at which point I heard a lot of things I was missing before. I'd mostly played it in the record store I was working in at the time and as we've established that is not the way to listen to this album. I think this was filmed as the video for the single but it never really got much airplay, I'd only seen it maybe twice.

[Galactus]

I thought there was going to be some talk about the worst Springsteen song? I'd like to hear what you guys think is his worst stuff.

I know everybody else loves it but I think 57 Channels is pretty crapass, but not his worst. That's going to take some thinking about.

[Kensterberg]

The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle.

Like JAC said, this is the hands down winner of the "longest album title in the Springsteen catalog" contest, and it's a hell of a record. Nobody was gonna mistake Bruce for being "merely" a Dylan wannabe with this set, especially with the scorching workout he gives the band with the ostensible title track ("The E Street Shuffle"), which is funkier and tougher than anything on his debut. After that, Bruce effortlessly jumps from stunning balladry ("4th of July, Ashbury Park (Sandy)") to Van Morrisonesque rocker ("Kitty's Back") to the kind of meandering set pieces that were the hallmarks of his early style (the first and last tracks on side two). In between, we meet more crazy characters than you'll see at biker bar in summer, from Wild Billy and the circus to Jack the Rabbit and Big Balls Billy, along with siren "Rosalita," Spanish Johnny, and a seemingly endless supply of extras.

This record picks up the best points of his debut (the wordplay and funky kicks of "Blinded By the Light," the narrative sweep and memorable characters of "Spirit in the Night" and "Lost in the Flood") and the bar-room rock implicit in "It's Hard to be a Saint in the City" (though not realized on record), and creates a near-masterpiece from those elements. The only real weakness this album has lies in thin production (it took a more seasoned ear, that of Jon Landau, to capture the sound of the E Street Band properly in the studio) and the fact that the two epic set-pieces on side two are both a bit meandering. For most artists, this would mark a career peak. For Springsteen, this merely served notice of what he was capable of. It still remains one of the most varied albums in his catalog, and personally I find that the title cut, "Sandy," "Kitty's Back" and "Rosalita" all rank as essential Springsteen. Everything on here is better than pretty much anything on the debut. If "Incident on 57th Street" falls just short of fully achieving its epic goals, it's still a hell of a ride, and sets the stage for later pieces such as "Jungleland" and "Racing in the Streets" which would set new standards in this genre.

The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle marked the first flowering of Springsteen's ambitions into genius. It's gritty, street-level funky rock and roll, loosely played but wildly driven. And it just got better after this.

4.5 stars.

[Kensterberg]

Worst Springsteen song ... um, harder than I thought. Firstly, b/c for much of his career, Bruce just didn't release any "bad" songs. But for better or worse, he did release Human Touch and Lucky Town back in '92, and those two probably mark the lowest ebb of his songwriting abilities. And from those, I gotta agree with DED that "57 Channels" is pretty crappy, but I also don't think it's his worse. That title belongs to "Leap of Faith," which sounds like a bad Springsteen charictature, or really good Bon Jovi.

There are a bunch of tracks on Tracks that would be in the running for this, too. But inconsistency is to be expected when we're talking about outtakes. If I make it up to sitting through all four volumes of Tracks in one go, I think that the last disc of that volume will provide some serious competition. But for now, I'm going with "Leap of Faith."

[Galactus]

I kind of like Leap Of Faith...or at least I don't dislike it. I agree it's probably something from Lucky Town or Human Touch...maybe Man's Job or Cross My Heart.

[Kensterberg]

ded said:

I kind of like Leap Of Faith...or at least I don't dislike it. I agree it's probably something from Lucky Town or Human Touch...maybe Man's Job or Cross My Heart.

I haven't heard the studio version in years, but I absolutely love the live recording of Man's Job on the MTV 'Plugged set.

The Lion's Den, from Tracks, is one that I really don't much care for. For that matter, I never really liked "Secret Garden" much, either. That's probably my least favorite song by Bruce that is reasonably well known.

[Galactus]

Really? I like Lion's Den a lot. I don't care for much of the fourth disc of Tracks...outtakes from your worst album? Yes, please! Though a few of them - Sad Eyes, Gave It Name and Loose Change are better then pretty much anything on Human Touch except the title track.

[JACkory]

Worst Springsteen song for me is probably a toss-up between "57 Channels (and Nothing On)" and "Local Hero"...I think both of those are from Human Touch (the title song from which, IMO, is also in the running for his worst song). There are actually some very good songs on that album and Lucky Town. They just get overshadowed by his other higher quality work.

For what it's worth, I absolutely love "Man's Job". Watching the version of it on the MTV Plugged video, where most of the band hook up to do the Pony. That segment fills me with unspeakable joy. I know that sounds like hyperbole, but it's the truth. It's just a great, fun song with catchy verses and a killer chorus.

Nice write-up on the second album, Ken. I agree with just about all of it except the part where you call "Incident on 57th Street" and (especially) "New York City Serenade" "meandering". I've always felt they were just about the right length. If anything is meandering it's "Rosalita" (blasphemy, I know).

I have Tracks and I listened to it a few times when I first got it, but it's such an undertaking to do because of it's sheer length. I remember there are a couple of songs on there that I thought ranked with anything he's ever released. But then again most of it pales. Take it for what it is, a collection of outtakes, and it's enjoyable enough.

"Cross My Heart" isn't a bad song at all, IMO. Maybe I'm being too kind to Human Touch and Lucky Town...I don't know, but I think they're under-rated. Some top notch songs there ("The Big Muddy", "I Wish I Were Blind", "With Every Wish" to name a few).

[Kensterberg]

Well JAC, you'll notice that I still gave E Street four and a half stars, and that half-star it's missing is almost entirely due to the production. It's just that if the album has a major flaw, I find it in "Incident" and "NYC Serenade."

And "Rosalita is the perfect length!

FWIW, I agree with you about both "Human Touch" (talk about meandering!) and "I Wish I Were Blind." That latter one is IMO one of Bruce's most affecting songs about love gone wrong. "Now these eyes that once filled me with your beauty now fill me with pain." I get chills listening to that track (again, the rendition on the MTV show, which IMHO is far superior to the studio cut). It's almost like the couple from "I Wanna Marry You" come out the other end of a tragic break-up. I'm need to put together a mix featuring some transitions like that.

BTW, I listened to Born to Run this afternoon ... not only is it better than most people think it is, it's better than I think it is. If Bruce had died in a plane crash after this was released, he'd STILL be in the running for America's greatest rock and roller.

[JACkory]

From the other board, this is my Greetings From Asbury Park NJ piece. It has a few mistakes in it, but the tried and true Springsteen fan will catch them, and I'm not up to changing them right now. The song-by-song approach, also employed in the piece on the second album, will likely not be repeated on future records.



In the same vein as I went through Tom Petty's catalogue I am now embarking on a trek through the Boss's oeuvre. It is a much more daunting task than the Petty binge. First of all there are so many more albums to listen to. Second of all I fear that I will not be able to come up with enough superlatives, as I like so much of his stuff. Third, I am much more familiar with Springsteen's output than I am with Petty's, so my opinions are pretty much already formed.
But I'm gonna get through this...I hope. Don't be disappointed if I give up mid-stream 'cuz you never know, I might be stricken with "Springsteen Burnout", especially around the time of Live 1975-1985 or, if I make it that far, the Tracks box set.
Gonna use a star rating system this time around, all ratings are relative to Springsteen's other work, and I'm also going to list "Favorite Tracks" and "Least Favorite Tracks" (both of which will be limited to, but not necessarily including, 4 songs...this is going to be hard on albums like Darkness on the Edge of Town and Tunnel of Love.
And one last thing before I get to the man's debut album...I am DREADING the time when I get to the dismal Pete Seeger Sessions.


As for Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., it's a wildly uneven affair. I wouldn't blame anyone for turning the damn thing off after the silly, meaningless and pointless "Blinded by the Light". It's junk like this that garnered the "Next Bob Dylan" accolade, but the only thing he has in common with Zimmy is a tendency to be verbose. At least Dylan's wordy stuff makes a little bit of sense. "Blilnded by the Light" seems to revel in it's inability to be anything more than an exercise in the proper use of a rhyming dictionary.
And it doesn't get much better with "Growin' Up", which for some bizarre inexplicable reason is a fan favorite. But just take a gander at this lyric: "When they said come down I threw up". Huh?
There are lots of silly lines scattered throughout this album that seem written just to fill up a verse. Even "Mary, Queen of Arkansas", a song I quite like, contains this horrendous line" "I've been a shine boy for your acid brat and a wharf rat of the stage". What the fuck is an acid brat, I want to know? And why does he need a shine boy?
"Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street" is a monotonous affair with such sage wisdom as "Don't trust men who walk with canes". Why not? Why are they less trustworthy than those who have full use of their legs? I'm sure there's some deep symbolism involved, but it sure as hell went over my head.
After this 1 for 3 hitter we finally get to a good, possibly great song, "Lost In The Flood", a precursor in many ways of "Jungleland". It took me awhile to figure out what he was really saying with "Nuns run bald through Vatican halls, pleading immaculate conception"...I thought, well why would they be bald? Then I realized he was playing with words and the implication was "Nuns run BALLED...". Maybe I'm wrong on this one.
"The Angel" has long been my favorite song on this album. It starts out kind of like something you might expect from Nebraska until a cello comes in at about the half-way mark. The singing is equal parts weary and impassioned. My only question is, Who are "The Servants", what is their purpose, and why do they keep popping up in this song? I've ALWAYS wondered this.
Another fan favorite, "For You" has never been a favorite of mine (especially after hearing Manfred Mann's Earth Band's version). That said, I have to say it sounded better to me now than it did in the past. It has a minimal share of ding-dong lyrics, and that's saying something.
Likewise, "Spirit In The Night" is another one I never cared much for in the old days. But aside from the music, which I'll probably never cotton to, the song was actually pretty impressive (which would mean that I thought the lyrics, vocal performance and melody were pretty good). Nice story song, and who can resist a line like "Janey's fingers were in the cake"?
Taking it all home, where most of it belongs, is "It's Hard To Be a Saint In The City". It's not too bad, but it has it's share of goofy lines. Reminds me too much of "Does This Bus Stop...". They should have closed the whole show with "Lost In The Flood" and who knows why they chose this one. Not me.

2 Stars
Favorite Tracks: "The Angel", "Lost In the Flood"
Least Favorite Tracks: "Blinded by the Light", "Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street"

[JACkory]

The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle is a rarity amongst rock albums. It's a sophomore release that not only completely outshines it's debut predecessor but also still stands as one of the artist's finest works over 30 years after it's release. And furthermore with all that passage of time this record still sounds as fresh as if it had come out just last Tuesday.
Heavy duty praise, no doubt, but surely not hollow.
The opening "horn tuning" on "The E Street Shuffle" and the quick, congo-laden follow-up lets you know that this ain't going to be like Greetings From Asbury Park NJ which, admit it, suffered from some pretty lousy arrangements. This song is sort of a precursor to most of the others insomuch as Springsteen uses his lyrical prowess to create characters and whole worlds for them to interact within (sort of like he did with "Spirit In The Night").
This is followed by one of his absolutely most beautiful love songs, "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)", another character driven song, only most of the people described are caricatures ("boys from the boardwalk", "boys in their high heels", "actors", etc.)...it's all revolving around this scene in Asbury Park, carnival and all. I love the line where he says "You know that Tilt-a-Whirl down on the south beach track? I got on it last night and my shirt got caught...and they just kept me spinning, they didn't think I'd ever get off..." Funny, to be sure, but I can't help but to think that it's also an analogy of this guy who wants to take his girlfriend and run off with the carnival, not even sure if he'll love her forever.
After this sweet song comes the first of two serious rockers on the album. "Kitty's Back" is simply unrelentless in it's performance and the way it utilizes tension-release, climaxing in a wondrous "Kitty's back in town!" sung like a true celebration of a long-awaited homecoming. This material is so far removed from what you heard on Greetings that you'd be excused for looking at the album covers to see if it's the same guy responsible.
Following such exuberance is no easy task. Springsteen is smart enough not to try and top "Kitty's Back" with another blistering rocker. Instead he gives us another caricature (as well as character) driven carnival ballad "Wild Billy's Circus Story". What a great way to end side one than with this one-of-a-kind track. At one point he sings of the Ringmaster leaving the circus and this sets up one of the best lines Springsteen has ever written: "A ragged suitcase in his hand he steals silently away from the circus town...and the highway's haunted by the carnival sounds, they dance like a great grease-paint ghost on the wind". Awesome.
"Incident on 52nd Street" is another one that makes Greetings pale in comparison (but then again, they all do that). A somewhat lengthy story of Spanish Johnny and his exploits after returning from "the Underworld". The pimps all call him a cheat and a liar, but he seems to have found love in a girl he calls Puero Rican Jane (not her real name, as he asks "Oh won't you tell me what's your name?"). It's a very believable saga, even to the point where the cops find "the vein" and Johnny is driven to murder. Great story song that opens side 2 admirably.
"Rosalita" is the second rocker, perched between two other long-ish songs that form a loose trilogy. Every Springsteen fan in the world has surely heard "Rosalita". The first "video" his record company ever released was a rousing live version of this song, complete with young girls jumping out of the audience to grab a hug from him. Suffice to say it is one of his chestnuts. It's a crying shame that it wasn't included of the Greatest Hits package.
And finally we go out with yet another hauntingly beautiful song, "New York City Serenade". Opening with the sound of piano strings being strummed and then a flourish of piano, it then settles into a nice, down-tempo ballad. Basically a song about sex couched in the music of a love song...not that it stays on the subject throughout it's entirety, but all that comes after the initial erotic lyrics has to do with that. It's a very gentle way to end the album, something so different than "Rosalita", which would have made a fine end-piece, but could not ease the listener into wanting to hear the whole album again then and there. "New York City Serenade" does just that.

5 Stars (easy!)
Favorite Tracks- "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)", "New York City Serenade", "Kitty's Back". "Wild Billy's Circus Story"
Least Favorite Tracks: "The E Street Shuffle" (Not that it's a bad song, I just had to pick one, which is very hard to do when there's really not a bad song on the album)

[Fuzznuts]

Meh, he's no Seger, though.