JerseyGirl
Senior Member
MP edit: Dead photo removed
Bruce Springsteen (Official Thread)
- Thread starter Oblivion
- Start date
Big Ears
Music Lover
Thank you for posting both. I'm sorry, but I prefer the Johnny Cash version, because he is probably to me, what Bruce is to you. Having said this, he couldn't make a good record with a bad song and Bruce's material seems to suit him very well. It's funny how Manfred Mann removed the folky element from the songs, while Johnny Cash puts it back.
I like Bruce in the video and can remember the full version. Some singers can be embarassing, when asked to act, but I think he could have done more (like Johnny Cash). The video is loaded with symbolism which matches the song, from when the uptown girl hands him all of her keys, to where he feels he must return them without going further. I can relate to that!
I like Bruce in the video and can remember the full version. Some singers can be embarassing, when asked to act, but I think he could have done more (like Johnny Cash). The video is loaded with symbolism which matches the song, from when the uptown girl hands him all of her keys, to where he feels he must return them without going further. I can relate to that!
TheSound
An Englishman in New York
OK, I downloaded 'Wrecking Ball' first thing this morning, and have played it through completely I think now 3 times since breakfast! Since I didn't give in to the temptation to listen to all the pre-released leaks of tracks last week, 90% of this is brand new to my ears this morning.
Need another day or two to make (and post) some kind of a considered judgement in detail, but on the face of it I'm pretty relieved, he needed this to be a fine album after 'Working on a Dream' - which for me was just hideous almost from start to finish, and a career low. And I'm already certain that 'Wrecking Ball' is a genuinely and instantly loveable record, though I still worry that Bruce no longer has another truly GREAT album in him, if he does, I don't think this is it. But it's fascinating, beautifully produced, very very political (though confusingly so, I have no idea if Bruce still supports the current administration, if he does then I doubt his pal Obama will want to listen to most of this, as from what I can hear it's mostly a pretty scathing protest at the current state of America) Plus I love it that Bruce seems to be changing and expanding his horizons musically, and he's not just stuck in the old E Street Band guitar/sax formula that served him so well over the past 40 years, and trying some different things. Actually my favourite track so far is 'Rocky Ground' which has about 16 bars of rap in it, and a gorgeous gospel finale....hip hop and rap is these days the music of the streets, and so I see nothing wrong with rap as a style being used like this by a rock artist to illustrate the point he is making in a particular song.
I don't think this album is a 'grower' - fans will either love it or hate it within a couple of plays through.
Need to listen some more over the next couple of days before I decide where it fits for me into his discography as a success/failure...but so far, so good!
Need another day or two to make (and post) some kind of a considered judgement in detail, but on the face of it I'm pretty relieved, he needed this to be a fine album after 'Working on a Dream' - which for me was just hideous almost from start to finish, and a career low. And I'm already certain that 'Wrecking Ball' is a genuinely and instantly loveable record, though I still worry that Bruce no longer has another truly GREAT album in him, if he does, I don't think this is it. But it's fascinating, beautifully produced, very very political (though confusingly so, I have no idea if Bruce still supports the current administration, if he does then I doubt his pal Obama will want to listen to most of this, as from what I can hear it's mostly a pretty scathing protest at the current state of America) Plus I love it that Bruce seems to be changing and expanding his horizons musically, and he's not just stuck in the old E Street Band guitar/sax formula that served him so well over the past 40 years, and trying some different things. Actually my favourite track so far is 'Rocky Ground' which has about 16 bars of rap in it, and a gorgeous gospel finale....hip hop and rap is these days the music of the streets, and so I see nothing wrong with rap as a style being used like this by a rock artist to illustrate the point he is making in a particular song.
I don't think this album is a 'grower' - fans will either love it or hate it within a couple of plays through.
Need to listen some more over the next couple of days before I decide where it fits for me into his discography as a success/failure...but so far, so good!
JerseyGirl
Senior Member
You don't have to apologize for liking Johnny Cash's version better. We all have different tastes.
But just remember, there wouldn't even be a Johnny Cash version without Bruce. 
I hadn't seen that video in so long. He looks so young in it. It's good to go back every now and then.
JerseyGirl
Senior Member
TS...I'm glad you are finally getting to hear Bruce's new music and that you seem to be enjoying it so far. This album is not an E Street album at all and therefore doesn't have the typical E Street sound to it. We never heard when the new album was coming out whether it was a solo project or an E Street band project, so people just assumed it would be with the band. Because of that some may be disappointed. But after watching Jimmy Fallon the other night, these songs became E Street for me. They made them theirs and I loved every minute of it. But whether the E Street Band is on this album or not, I love it. As I've previously mentioned, I feel that this new music is like nothing Bruce has ever done before, but at the same time it's like everything he's ever done before...combined.
I do disagree that on first listen you either love it or hate it, to a point. There were a couple of songs on the album that did not grab me at first but now after listening to them a few times I now love. Rocky Ground I originally liked, but I didn't care for the new elements in the song. Now after listening more, I don't think the song would sound as good as it does without them. I wasn't crazy about Death To My Hometown because Bruce's vocals are so different on it. But again, after listening more and seeing him perform that song on Fallon, I see it totally different now.
Bruce has been political for a very long time. Some of his songs have been political for a long time as well. Some people agree with his politics, some don't. There is no denying though that this album is a 'for the people' album and he is not happy with the way America (even the World) is today. He did previously campaign for Obama, but he said this time he is remaining on the sidelines. He feels that Obama did do some things he promised and some things he fell short on. Personally for me...I like Bruce for his music and not for what political candidate he may or may not endorse. As I've said, even though some of Bruce's songs may be political in nature, they are for the every man...something that we can all embrace and relate to.
Personally, I don't think there will be another great album like Born To Run or Darkness. It's very hard to compete with greatness like that. But Bruce has been around for 40 years and is still relevant in today's times and producing really good music. That alone tells you what a great singer/songwriter/artist he is and no one can deny that whether they like him or not or Wrecking Ball or not. I can't wait to see him perform these songs live. If you haven't seen Fallon's show from the other night, please do so. You will be amazed.
I love the entire album, but a few stand out:
Jack Of All Trades (reminds me of my Dad)
Land Of Hope And Dreams (Clarence's sax solo gives me chills)
You've Got It (sexy song)
Hope you enjoy the album and the anticipation was worth it for you. Oh and Bruce's site changed this morning. I need to give it a good look over. I look forward to your review after a few more listens.
Edited to add: Most of the reviews I have read and that are still coming in have been great.
I do disagree that on first listen you either love it or hate it, to a point. There were a couple of songs on the album that did not grab me at first but now after listening to them a few times I now love. Rocky Ground I originally liked, but I didn't care for the new elements in the song. Now after listening more, I don't think the song would sound as good as it does without them. I wasn't crazy about Death To My Hometown because Bruce's vocals are so different on it. But again, after listening more and seeing him perform that song on Fallon, I see it totally different now.
Bruce has been political for a very long time. Some of his songs have been political for a long time as well. Some people agree with his politics, some don't. There is no denying though that this album is a 'for the people' album and he is not happy with the way America (even the World) is today. He did previously campaign for Obama, but he said this time he is remaining on the sidelines. He feels that Obama did do some things he promised and some things he fell short on. Personally for me...I like Bruce for his music and not for what political candidate he may or may not endorse. As I've said, even though some of Bruce's songs may be political in nature, they are for the every man...something that we can all embrace and relate to.
Personally, I don't think there will be another great album like Born To Run or Darkness. It's very hard to compete with greatness like that. But Bruce has been around for 40 years and is still relevant in today's times and producing really good music. That alone tells you what a great singer/songwriter/artist he is and no one can deny that whether they like him or not or Wrecking Ball or not. I can't wait to see him perform these songs live. If you haven't seen Fallon's show from the other night, please do so. You will be amazed.
I love the entire album, but a few stand out:
Jack Of All Trades (reminds me of my Dad)
Land Of Hope And Dreams (Clarence's sax solo gives me chills)
You've Got It (sexy song)
Hope you enjoy the album and the anticipation was worth it for you. Oh and Bruce's site changed this morning. I need to give it a good look over. I look forward to your review after a few more listens.
Edited to add: Most of the reviews I have read and that are still coming in have been great.
TheSound
An Englishman in New York
Nice post Jackie, like I said I still need to hear it some more, but it's all refreshingly diverse stuff, my main musical interest lies with singer-songwriters, and to me the lyrics are almost always fundamental to my enjoyment of any song, and I want to find time today or tomorrow to work out for myself what he's saying here, on the surface it seems quite an angry album lyrically. I read probably 3 or 4 reviews on line this morning, and they were all very positive, though as a rule I never take much notice of music critics. Though I bought the download - which appears with a tiny pic of the album cover when it plays on my iPod or my laptop, I'm even warming slightly to the album cover, which somehow fits the overall mood of the music. Definitely seems like his most overtly political album, there have been angry songs on other albums, and The Rising was more a celebration of life and record of patriotic defiance, but this seems relentlessly inspired by the impact of the financial crisis, there doesn't seem to be a single love song or lighter track on the whole album, which must be a first for him. I suppose it could even in time be seen as an historically important album to reflect the feeling of the times like The Rising was...one reviewer I read today said that never before has there been a more timely album, which is exactly what they said about The Rising in 2002. Generally I don't have that much patience with millionaire rock stars complaining about world poverty - like when Phil Collins released that ridiculous song about some homeless girl living on the street, as if Phil Collins had ever had to live in a cardboard box, and has no way of knowing what it's like - but it's always very different with Bruce as - maybe uniquely for somebody in his very privileged position - ordinary people still somehow feel that he can empathise with them, and that he speaks for them when they don't have much of a voice themselves on all these issues.
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Big Ears
Music Lover
You don't have to apologize for liking Johnny Cash's version better. We all have different tastes.
I hadn't seen that video in so long. He looks so young in it. It's good to go back every now and then.
I know, but I didn't want to offend you.
The video could be 26 or 27-years-old?
JerseyGirl
Senior Member
I agree TS. Bruce may be a big rock star and live in a big mansion or two, but he came from a lower middle class family, his dad lost his job, his mom had to work. He was far from being privileged. And he still knows where he came from. He still lives in New Jersey (not far from his old house), albeit in a very affluent neighborhood, but he shops downtown main street and he stops and talks to people like they are his friends. People piss me off when they say...'what does a rock star know about financial troubles', but he knows and he still cares. And sometimes we need a voice and he's ours.
BE...I think Bruce was actually mid 30's there. But as you can tell, he ages very well.
BE...I think Bruce was actually mid 30's there. But as you can tell, he ages very well.
TheSound
An Englishman in New York
OK, I think I now finally have my head around this album after quite a few plays today…but I swear I am listening to an out and out protest album here, as surely as if I was listening to Neil Young’s ‘Living with War’ album, or Steve Earle’s ‘The Revolution Starts Now’...it's strong stuff.
So, as quickly as I can!!....the opening track ‘We Take Care of Our Own’, a typical Bruce blue collar call to arms, maybe his best single he’s released since ‘Girls in Their Summer Clothes’…7/10…it gets even better with ‘Easy Money’, great vibe, first of the several ‘celtic rock’ sounds on here, though we never really find out why the character is packing a gun, unless he’s out to kill the ‘fat cats’ that the song is aimed at…8/10….another ‘gaelic’ sounding rocker next with ‘Shackled and Drawn’, at this point the album is kicking like a mule, this track owes a lot to the Seeger Sessions guys, but I can’t (yet) quite pin down what I think he’s saying in this song…8/10….next is the only real ballad on the album, ‘Jack of All Trades’, in fact it’s really a waltz, there’s the most beautiful, plaintive trumpet solo as Bruce’s character is obviously down on his luck and looking for work, but hey, he seems to be threatening some “bastards” with a gun again!! – talk about angry, Bruce!!…8.5/10….then we get ‘Death to my Hometown’ which is the third of his ‘tin-whistle and fiddle’ rockers on the album, but not a track that I like at all, in fact it’s quickly going to start to irritate me, it’s just way too karaoke for words, and I have no idea why a musician of Bruce’s genius and stature is here so deliberately sounding exactly like a Dropkick Murphys wannabee, though the meaning of the song could hardly be more explicit, Bruce just wants to send the robber barons “straight to hell, the greedy thieves who came around and ate the flesh of everything they found” …..but only a 4/10…. next up is ‘This Depression’ which is a bit of a funeral dirge tempo-wise, but features the most ear splitting John Bonhamesque drum sound on any Springsteen track on any album, I mean this is just Zeppelin’s ‘When the Levee Breaks’ updated with beautiful lyrics – not just about the general economic depression, as people will assume, but he’s actually talking to his girl about his own state of mind - an enigmatic and hypnotic track….8.5/10….then the title track ‘Wrecking Ball’ is up next, one of the two tracks which Bruce fans will recognise, as it’s an older song, it’s basically a love-letter to the old Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands which they knocked down a few years ago, the scene of many Bruce concert triumphs, and I love it, or as much as any Redkins fan can ever love a song about the old home of the Giants and the Jets – though of course it’s not just about a football stadium, Springsteen would never do something as crass as that on such a finely crafted album, it’s a much wider analogy of the ‘wrecking ball’ financial system destroying the economy, and it fits perfectly with the mood of the album…8/10….next up is ‘You’ve Got It’ which begins less stridently, but burns like a fuse from a gentle acoustic opening, to suddenly kick into some seriously rocking slide guitar and blazing horns, again, one of the best tracks, I can’t wait to hear this song given the E Street Band treatment live in Manchester in June…9/10… next is my absolute favourite track on the album, maybe the best song he has written since ‘The Rising’, the soulful ‘Rocky Ground’ – again this will be just amazing live, to me it’s ‘Streets of Philadelphia Mk II’ with a delicious Michelle Moore rap and gospel topping, just glorious captivating stuff, and unlike anything he has ever tried before, breathtakingly daring for Bruce to merge rap, gospel, and soul, and yet manage to totally pull it off…10/10… then next we have the amazing ‘Land of Hopes and Dreams’ the old Bruce concert favourite which is so fitting for this album, plus I’m guessing it has the very last exquisite sax solo Clarence ever gave on record before he died, so this is surely a tribute to him, a great rock anthem of a track, actually based partly on ‘This Train’ the old negro spiritual…9/10…finally the album ends with the defiant ‘We Are Alive’ which is Bruce at his most compelling lyrically, starts off so reflectively, then he suddenly moves into an addictive banjo-based barn dance with a hint of Mexican tijuana brass, it’s just so uplifting and absorbing, this is Bruce with his campfire folkie hat on, telling us stories, almost shades of Tom Joad and Devils and Dust….8.5/10
There is very little to find fault with at all on this album, I mean really, one bad track actually, the rest is triumphant on every level, to me it’s not even the same artist that gave us the last album, I really don’t know who that was. I’m just so happy that we still have an artist like Bruce, a guy of 62 years old who is still creating, still challenging his audiences to listen to something new and different, and most of all unafraid to write hard-hitting songs like this, America (and the world) is so f***** up just now, and we need somebody to stick their neck out and say something like this, instead of all the bland vacuum-packed posturing we get from many established star bands and artists, ‘Wrecking Ball’ is better than I could ever have hoped for, best Springsteen album for a decade, and one of his most important ever, because this record speaks directly to the uncertain times we live in, it's uncompromising and very thought provoking stuff lyrically, as well as being so rich and clever musically. It's fantastic.
So, as quickly as I can!!....the opening track ‘We Take Care of Our Own’, a typical Bruce blue collar call to arms, maybe his best single he’s released since ‘Girls in Their Summer Clothes’…7/10…it gets even better with ‘Easy Money’, great vibe, first of the several ‘celtic rock’ sounds on here, though we never really find out why the character is packing a gun, unless he’s out to kill the ‘fat cats’ that the song is aimed at…8/10….another ‘gaelic’ sounding rocker next with ‘Shackled and Drawn’, at this point the album is kicking like a mule, this track owes a lot to the Seeger Sessions guys, but I can’t (yet) quite pin down what I think he’s saying in this song…8/10….next is the only real ballad on the album, ‘Jack of All Trades’, in fact it’s really a waltz, there’s the most beautiful, plaintive trumpet solo as Bruce’s character is obviously down on his luck and looking for work, but hey, he seems to be threatening some “bastards” with a gun again!! – talk about angry, Bruce!!…8.5/10….then we get ‘Death to my Hometown’ which is the third of his ‘tin-whistle and fiddle’ rockers on the album, but not a track that I like at all, in fact it’s quickly going to start to irritate me, it’s just way too karaoke for words, and I have no idea why a musician of Bruce’s genius and stature is here so deliberately sounding exactly like a Dropkick Murphys wannabee, though the meaning of the song could hardly be more explicit, Bruce just wants to send the robber barons “straight to hell, the greedy thieves who came around and ate the flesh of everything they found” …..but only a 4/10…. next up is ‘This Depression’ which is a bit of a funeral dirge tempo-wise, but features the most ear splitting John Bonhamesque drum sound on any Springsteen track on any album, I mean this is just Zeppelin’s ‘When the Levee Breaks’ updated with beautiful lyrics – not just about the general economic depression, as people will assume, but he’s actually talking to his girl about his own state of mind - an enigmatic and hypnotic track….8.5/10….then the title track ‘Wrecking Ball’ is up next, one of the two tracks which Bruce fans will recognise, as it’s an older song, it’s basically a love-letter to the old Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands which they knocked down a few years ago, the scene of many Bruce concert triumphs, and I love it, or as much as any Redkins fan can ever love a song about the old home of the Giants and the Jets – though of course it’s not just about a football stadium, Springsteen would never do something as crass as that on such a finely crafted album, it’s a much wider analogy of the ‘wrecking ball’ financial system destroying the economy, and it fits perfectly with the mood of the album…8/10….next up is ‘You’ve Got It’ which begins less stridently, but burns like a fuse from a gentle acoustic opening, to suddenly kick into some seriously rocking slide guitar and blazing horns, again, one of the best tracks, I can’t wait to hear this song given the E Street Band treatment live in Manchester in June…9/10… next is my absolute favourite track on the album, maybe the best song he has written since ‘The Rising’, the soulful ‘Rocky Ground’ – again this will be just amazing live, to me it’s ‘Streets of Philadelphia Mk II’ with a delicious Michelle Moore rap and gospel topping, just glorious captivating stuff, and unlike anything he has ever tried before, breathtakingly daring for Bruce to merge rap, gospel, and soul, and yet manage to totally pull it off…10/10… then next we have the amazing ‘Land of Hopes and Dreams’ the old Bruce concert favourite which is so fitting for this album, plus I’m guessing it has the very last exquisite sax solo Clarence ever gave on record before he died, so this is surely a tribute to him, a great rock anthem of a track, actually based partly on ‘This Train’ the old negro spiritual…9/10…finally the album ends with the defiant ‘We Are Alive’ which is Bruce at his most compelling lyrically, starts off so reflectively, then he suddenly moves into an addictive banjo-based barn dance with a hint of Mexican tijuana brass, it’s just so uplifting and absorbing, this is Bruce with his campfire folkie hat on, telling us stories, almost shades of Tom Joad and Devils and Dust….8.5/10
There is very little to find fault with at all on this album, I mean really, one bad track actually, the rest is triumphant on every level, to me it’s not even the same artist that gave us the last album, I really don’t know who that was. I’m just so happy that we still have an artist like Bruce, a guy of 62 years old who is still creating, still challenging his audiences to listen to something new and different, and most of all unafraid to write hard-hitting songs like this, America (and the world) is so f***** up just now, and we need somebody to stick their neck out and say something like this, instead of all the bland vacuum-packed posturing we get from many established star bands and artists, ‘Wrecking Ball’ is better than I could ever have hoped for, best Springsteen album for a decade, and one of his most important ever, because this record speaks directly to the uncertain times we live in, it's uncompromising and very thought provoking stuff lyrically, as well as being so rich and clever musically. It's fantastic.
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JerseyGirl
Senior Member
Very nice review TS! And I pretty much agree with your individual song assessments. Death To My Hometown was also my least favorite. I couldn't get around Bruce's fake Irish accent. But then he performed it on Jimmy Fallon and it took on a totally different sound with the E Street Band and his voice was very subtle accent wise. So while I may not like the album version as much as some of the other songs, I think it will be a great concert song.
I LOVE You've Got It also! It's got such a sexy vibe to it. I've heard some say they didn't like it, but I do.
You should copy your post and put in in the Album Review forum. That took a lot of work and it should shine on it's own and not end up buried in this thread.
So happy you love the album as much as I do. Our boy did good. Really, really good.
I LOVE You've Got It also! It's got such a sexy vibe to it. I've heard some say they didn't like it, but I do.
You should copy your post and put in in the Album Review forum. That took a lot of work and it should shine on it's own and not end up buried in this thread.
So happy you love the album as much as I do. Our boy did good. Really, really good.
