― Ally (mlescaut), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 03:39 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 05:21 (twenty-one years ago) link
― alext (alext), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 11:58 (twenty-one years ago) link
― H (Heruy), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 12:02 (twenty-one years ago) link
― the ponefix, Wednesday, 20 November 2002 13:33 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 16:26 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Yancey (ystrickler), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 16:47 (twenty-one years ago) link
― piscesboy, Wednesday, 20 November 2002 16:51 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 17:05 (twenty-one years ago) link
Yeah, new album is weak. Basically just an excuse for the live shows, though, which according to what I've heard remain wonderful.
Found this at the near start of the thread, dunno if Ned can be bothered to talk about it now:
La Bruce just collectively calls to my mind a stunted bastard vision of music that presumes he was the sole carrier of the 'spirit of rock and roll truth' that the Beatles and Stones 'started' in the sixties.
Odd, because Springsteen's own views are the exact opposite- he was always far less interested in The Beatles and The Rolling Stones than he was in Phil Spector and James Brown.
― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 20:17 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Kris (aqueduct), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 20:23 (twenty-one years ago) link
Though he always does look really tense and "real rock" when he performs.
It used to be such that every time I got drunk, the evening would end with me and a gentleman companion in the group deciding to put on Dancing in the Dark and imitating the Boss & Courteney Cox dance. This has thankfully not occured in a long time now.
― Ally (mlescaut), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 20:57 (twenty-one years ago) link
Ah, to explain my sense further -- there I wasn't referring to exact sound (I hope) so much as the role he seems to be in. I don't like universal idolatry, but personal, and so much around Bruce is "my god, the genius is among us all again! DO YOU SEE!" insistence that just makes me hate him even more. Like I said above in that quote, I don't get the sense that he believes that garbage (if he takes Dave Marsh at all seriously, though, that's a pisser).
And as for the music itself, a lot of people love Phil Spector and James Brown. In my mind, that doesn't give them a free pass for their own efforts. ;-)
My only realization about Bruce recently has been when I finally heard Bat Out of Hell and realized I loved that a hell of a lot more than any Springsteen I've heard.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 21:29 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Curtis Stephens, Wednesday, 20 November 2002 21:49 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Curtis Stephens, Wednesday, 20 November 2002 21:50 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Kerry (dymaxia), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 22:49 (twenty-one years ago) link
― man, Wednesday, 20 November 2002 22:52 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 3 December 2002 12:14 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 3 December 2002 12:15 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 22:46 (twenty-one years ago) link
Yeah, Nebraska is a pretty OK album, but I recall at the time that it was more noteworthy as an advertisement for Tascam's portastudio than as any kind of artistic breakthrough.
Even so, I'll give him a "Get Out Of Dud Free" card for this, which I think is pretty goddamn cool.
― Chris Barrus (xibalba), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 23:13 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 17 December 2002 23:48 (twenty-one years ago) link
― maryann (maryann), Saturday, 22 November 2003 08:55 (twenty years ago) link
― RJG (RJG), Saturday, 22 November 2003 10:55 (twenty years ago) link
― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Saturday, 22 November 2003 11:26 (twenty years ago) link
― sucka (sucka), Saturday, 22 November 2003 13:15 (twenty years ago) link
― Mark (MarkR), Saturday, 22 November 2003 13:56 (twenty years ago) link
He could have quite after Born to Run and still be classic classic classic. That album is one of the great moments in pop music history, and a cultural icon (in the States at least).
Even if you don't like his music, he's still classic.
― Debito (Debito), Saturday, 22 November 2003 16:18 (twenty years ago) link
And it is about time people start liking "Born In The USA" again. Just because the album sold zillions doesn't make it a bad album.
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 22 November 2003 18:15 (twenty years ago) link
― maryann (maryann), Saturday, 22 November 2003 21:46 (twenty years ago) link
Of course the adulation is typically overboard. But what do you expect for someone who has had, at least at moments, near-Madonna-level pop smarts and still gets content, even poetry, into his lyrics?
One of the differences between him and "heartland rock" - r&b. A greater proportion of it, at least. Who else (besides the aforementioned Californians) has had such a sound during the same period at remotely similar levels of popularity?
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Saturday, 22 November 2003 22:23 (twenty years ago) link
but he loses that card for this, the final page of the aforementioned document, in which mr. springsteen proves he can't spell "asbury park."
― fact checking cuz, Sunday, 23 November 2003 16:48 (twenty years ago) link
― keith m (keithmcl), Sunday, 23 November 2003 16:53 (twenty years ago) link
i otherwise kinda like springsteen, so perhaps i'm not the best to answer this, but i'd say his career mathematically boils down to this:
1. great singer2. damn good songwriter (despite a huge drop-off in the '90s)3. fair-to-average, overrated bar-band backing (playing mostly hackneyed arrangements)4. poor production (i like "born to run" just fine, but after that it's just so completely lacking in punch and warmth i can't believe he's ever been lauded for it)
"nebraska" discards with (3) and (4), leaving him playing entirely to his strengths. and as it happens his songwriting hit a peak at the same time. i'd say it's far and away his best.
― fact checking cuz, Sunday, 23 November 2003 17:16 (twenty years ago) link
i'd have to guess anyone owns the record knew, what with him screaming those lyrics out for the entire length of the song, not to mention the fact that he included a lyric sheet. that'd be 15 or 20 million people right there.
― fact checking cuz, Sunday, 23 November 2003 17:19 (twenty years ago) link
― keith m (keithmcl), Sunday, 23 November 2003 17:30 (twenty years ago) link
― fact checking cuz, Sunday, 23 November 2003 17:57 (twenty years ago) link
― amateur!st (amateurist), Sunday, 23 November 2003 18:05 (twenty years ago) link
Wonderful and glorious. No, no need to thank me.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 23 November 2003 19:35 (twenty years ago) link
― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 16 July 2004 13:57 (nineteen years ago) link
the 2nd verse of "41 shots" is heartbreaking, astonishing. the rest of the song doesn't quite live up to it.
― amateur!st (amateurist), Tuesday, 20 July 2004 04:52 (nineteen years ago) link
also the man can sing. i don't like the way he pronounces "somewhere" (mumbled: "some-wahr") BUT: "lit-tle-world-fal-lin-apart"!!!
― amateur!st (amateurist), Tuesday, 20 July 2004 04:56 (nineteen years ago) link
― jack cole (jackcole), Tuesday, 20 July 2004 04:58 (nineteen years ago) link
― amateur!st (amateurist), Tuesday, 20 July 2004 04:59 (nineteen years ago) link
― amateur!st (amateurist), Tuesday, 20 July 2004 05:00 (nineteen years ago) link
My mom loved his music, and I think it has something of a sentimental value for me for that reason. But I think it's deserved. Perhaps this is a cheap shot (bcuz I know there are poor ppl who don't like him) but I think most people who have ever been on the underside of reaganomix will agree that he spoke for people who needed someone like him. I don't care how un-hip it is to say that I like his music because it speaks to me from a place that few kinds of music do - certainly moreso than Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
― djdee2005, Tuesday, 20 July 2004 05:17 (nineteen years ago) link
― djdee2005, Tuesday, 20 July 2004 05:21 (nineteen years ago) link
Favorite work of his: side two of Tunnel of Love. A perfect piece.
― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Tuesday, 20 July 2004 05:42 (nineteen years ago) link
― djdee2005, Tuesday, 20 July 2004 05:47 (nineteen years ago) link
That embarrasment aside, I do still like Bruce, though. For one thing, I like that (apart from Nebraska), his most depressing songs are also his most clappy-singalong songs. "Hungry Heart," "Born in the USA," "Cadillac Ranch", etc.
― spittle (spittle), Tuesday, 20 July 2004 05:50 (nineteen years ago) link
The sound at the show last week was almost unbearably loud (forgot to bring ear protection which i basically always tote to a show). The horn section was just blaring and after 2 hours I was semi covering the ear most exposed to a speaker stack when they came in. But I am really happy that I went and jeez feel like we really got our money's worth. Band sounded great and was awesome to see those legends.
― gneiss, gneiss, very gneiss (outdoor_miner), Friday, 5 April 2024 16:58 (two weeks ago) link
it's quite remarkable to see him in 2024 and consider that he is more or less 40 years past his live peak.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 5 April 2024 17:06 (two weeks ago) link
I love, for the boss' sake, that he has a "Little Big Man" in the band
― gneiss, gneiss, very gneiss (outdoor_miner), Friday, 5 April 2024 17:42 (two weeks ago) link