Bruce Springsteen - Classic or Dud ?

But there's a period in between Ghost of Tom Joad and Western Stars where Springsteen is still trying to be the writer of the working class, and imo you can tell that his heart isn't really in it

this may be true but it also gives me an excuse to bring up my favorite(????) springsteen song, “long time comin” from devils & dust. i mean he was doing a lot of character work at the time, it doesn’t all work or feel grounded in its setting but that one reaches in pretty deep imo

sorry that is a totally distracting sidepoint from lily's (as usual) excellent springsteen scholarship

No, it's not! and thank you!

Springsteen just cancelled some European gigs due to voice issues after having done UK gigs. Some tweets are saying he has Covid again (but that could be just twitter x)

2024 marks the 40th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born In The U.S.A.’ Although it would become his biggest selling album with seven top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, Luther Dickinson of North Mississippi Allstars says “any of those songs could be played with acoustic guitar alone and still be great.” Taking this idea as its premise, ‘Dead Man’s Town: A Tribute to Born in the U.S.A’ strips the album’s twelve indelible originals to the core, with contributions from Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires, Low, Nicole Atkins, Justin Townes Earle, Blitzen Trapper, Joe Pug, Trampled by Turtles, and more.

Rolling Stone described Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires’ Dave Cobb-produced cover of “Born In The U.S.A." as “reimagining ‘Born inthe U.S.A.’... with a reduced approach more influenced by that of the acoustic ‘Nebraska.’” Isbell says of his cover, “”Born In The U.S.A.” is one of my favorites because so many people have seemingly misunderstood the lyrical content and the song’s overall tone. When you listen to the demo, the dark, minor key
arrangement makes it clear that this is not strictly a song of celebration. We wanted to stay true to that version.” Amanda Shires adds, “I love that the song paints a picture of struggle in the face of the American dream, and the irony in the chorus is delivered with such force that it nearly transcends irony altogether.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AEqTSwtmms

RACKLIST:

Side A -

Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires - Born in the U.S.A.
Apache Relay - Cover Me
The Quaker City Night Hawks - Darlington County
Blitzen Trapper - Working On The Highway
Joe Pug - Downbound Train
Low - I'm On Fire

Side B -

Holly Williams - No Surrender
Ryan Culwell - Bobby Jean
Trampled By Turtles - I'm Goin' Down
Justin Townes Earle - Glory Days
Nicole Atkins - Dancing In The Dark
North Mississippi Allstars - My Hometown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuQweCkWUe0

That's on Lightning Rod Records.

I don't know. Doing a downbeat version of BITUSA because people misunderstand the lyrics kind of misses the point. The song was a huge sounding anthem with downer lyrics. The collision of patriotic fantasy and harsh reality.

Springsteen could see that that song needed a different approach than he used on the demo.

This reminds me of when Sub Pop did that Nebraska tribute and Son Volt made "Open All Night" suck.

https://www.subpop.com/releases/various_artists/badlands_a_tribute_to_bruce_springsteens_nebraska

Springsteen could see that that song needed a different approach than he used on the demo.

Was gonna say, we already have a stripped down version of BITUSA.

Backstory of the album, and spotlight on Arthur Baker's remixes (Bruce picked him, some true believers haated) https://www.npr.org/2024/07/02/nx-s1-5017760/bruce-springsteen-born-in-the-usa-remixes-arthur-baker"> https://www.npr.org/2024/07/02/nx-s1-5017760/bruce-springsteen-born-in-the-usa-remixes-arthur-baker includes some w vid, also this link to all of 'em, if you want to go dancing in the dark right now:

...the only way you can hear the remixes these days is if you own the vinyl or find a carefully digitized upload from a dance music historian

Damn--sorry, don't know what I did with duplication of the npr link, but the second one works.

That Cover Me remix absolutely rules. Thanks!

See, if they could collect up the remixes, all the B-Sides and relevant outtakes, throw in a new documentary and maybe even a new live video of Bruce & Co. doing the songs... that's enough for a box set. Nobody will miss the vintage live audio/video, which seems to be the thing holding such a collection back.

Collect up the music videos too, and add in all the Nebraska stuff too--this isn't hard, Bruce Reissue Team!

“Streets of fi-yah!”

what are the odds i was just practicing that on guitar!

Collab

Are you practicing the solo I assume ? Or the composition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLK-Z9QilVk

Bruce Springsteen covers Jessie Malin “She Don’t Love Me Now” from 2015 for benefit album for Malin who got temporarily (?) paralyzed from waist down and is now trying to regain usage of legs .

Bruce gives song a blue eyed soul flavor plus nice Jake Clemons sax near end . Jesse’s band is on this also

Bruce's rescheduled Orioles Park show in Baltimore finally happened Friday night. He opened with "Hungry Heart" so as to get a reaction quickly from the crowd to "got a wife and kids in Baltimore" line. Good show. I found myself very moved by all the spoken bits and songs about mortality. Between news about his wife's blood cancer, his own status as last man standing from his teenage band, these portions of his live show clearly resonate with him. His intro bit for Backstreets with him saying
he holds audience members in his heart , and then softly sings in a melancholy voice "to the end" touched me. It had me also thinking about my dad's death in 2020 & my Mom's in 2023, and this year a high school friend who I had seen Springsteen with in 1978. Bruce was also demonstrating his resilience in the face of aging and loss. Other songs also fit the theme-- "Atlantic City," "Youngstown," "Nightshift," "Last Man Standing," "Wrecking Ball," and of course the final show encore with Bruce alone on acoustic guitar on "I'll See You in My Dreams." I know he's been doing this for awhile but I just wanted to say how emotional resonant it still is.

Nitpicks- Musically Springsteen transformed "Reason to Believe" from Nebraska into a John Lee Hooker meets blues rock number that lessened it. It was done right after "Darlington County" that felt a bit too 70s southern rock at times. Encore "Twist & Shout" didn't rock like Mitch Ryder and Detroit Wheels medley once did (I get that Bruce is older but he rocked other songs well enough )

One other thought - Seeing him do "E Street Shuffle" and "Rosalita" and the Commodores "Nightshift" with this touring band with the added percussionist, and backing Black singers, had me thinking about Greg Tate's thoughts and ILXOrs also addressing how in an alternate world Springsteen could have gone in a more funky direction rather than a more stripped down rock direction.

Softy me had tears in my eyes for some of those songs .

relatable!
sounds like a fantastic show <3

Last night's Asbury Park show sounds pretty amazing - Patti Scialfa even made an appearance.

Yes ! Bruce had a busy day w/ his own show plus sitting in with other acts . The review notes: "The format of the show did not follow the rocking mortality format of the current tour."

Live from Roberto's Freehold Grill:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DArLPGnIJD3/?igsh=ZWx5cWZyeHI3ZGNt

hahaha as usual I love seeing the comments from so-called "fans" completely furious at his political stances

https://preview.redd.it/only-the-strongest-lungs-will-survive-v0-228bezyqwj531.jpg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=a77cc42dd48c59d34bc4bdf471bfa29c79c960a2

The rocker Bruce Springsteen will perform at a rally on Thursday in Atlanta, appearing alongside Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama, as Democrats seek to energize voters with a series of concerts before Election Day.

Mr. Springsteen will also join a rally on Monday in Philadelphia with Mr. Obama.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all…. @springsteen and the #estreetband open up Montreal with….. GHOSTBUSTERS!! 👻 #springsteen #springsteentour2024 pic.twitter.com/c7nd4sFpXy

— Spring-Nuts (@SpringNuts_) October 31, 2024

Brucin' makes 'em feel good!

awesome

what a world

love!

I love that he's still so goofy.

dear boss, never stop being a huge dork xx

I ain't afraid of Tom Joad

hats off to Ray Parker Jr for smuggling "bustin' makes me feel good" into a song to be sung by children for the rest of the existence of humanity

Thereby succinctly summing up the gist of the rest of his oeuvre

I like him adding this to his live songs, in part because similar bubblegum 1960s songs have the sheen of Smithsonian history to them, but this one musically and lyrically fits with those. And who better to do the horn parts?

I only needed to hear this song once, which was at the end of the movie as they drive away down Central Park south

ooh ...

We Take Care of Our Own traces the evolution of Bruce Springsteen's beliefs, beginning with his New Jersey childhood and ending with his most recent works from Springsteen on Broadway to Letter to You. The author follows the singer's life, examining his albums and a variety of influences (both musical and nonmusical), especially his Catholic upbringing and his family life, to show how he became an outspoken icon for working-class America--indeed for working-class life throughout the world. In this way, the author emphasizes the universality of Springsteen's canon and depicts how a working-class sensibility can apply to anyone anywhere who believes in fairness and respect. In addition, the author places Springsteen in the historical context not only of literature (especially John Steinbeck) but also of the art world (specifically the work of Thomas Hart Benton and Edward Hopper). Among the themes explored in the book include community, a sense of place, America as the Promised Land, the myth of the West, and, ultimately, mortality.

About the Author: Born in Glasgow, Scotland, June Sawyers is the author or editor of more than thirty books, including Racing in the Street: The Bruce Springsteen Reader (Penguin), Reading the Beatles (Penguin), Tougher than the Rest: The 100 Best Bruce Springsteen Songs (Omnibus), Long Walk Home: Reflections on Bruce Springsteen (Rutgers)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpiqHxz8soM

The latest doc, "Road Diary," is essentially a glorified EPK, but it's OK. There were little details here and there that were somewhat illuminating, though there was other stuff that seemed kind of self serving in a particularly labored way. For example, a pretty thorough if imo still unconvincing defense of the static setlist, as well as the insistence that said setlist tells a specific story, at least beyond the obvious beats of a handful of related songs spread throughout. Bruce is and always will be the focus, so he will always be the theme and story, and I'm not sure this tour is any more or less effective/affecting than any past tour, especially since Danny and Clarence died.

A couple of other odd things I caught: Stevie insisting, proudly, that the setlist Bruce brought to the first rehearsal was the one they picked and stuck with (I caught "Tucson Train" in passing on one of the prototype setlists, but they never played any "Western Stars" stuff); this unconvincing argument that the live performance of "Night Shift" (as lovely as the song is) is a successful showstopper tribute to his fallen band members; or this real insistence that Barcelona is a uniquely enthusiastic stop in the already enthusiastic European market (I always heard Dublin was the place to be, or places in Italy, or ... yeah, all of those Euro stadium stops seem like a blast).

There are some inevitable nods toward immortality, but as my wife alluded to as we watched it, I'd like to see a doc about what it takes for this guy to look, play and perform so well in his mid-70s - his diet, his exercise regiment, his routine - but I suspect Bruce is too private, despite all the other secrets he's slipped out over the years. We might have to wait for a doc packed with real revelations, though the omerta may be too strong. For example, I've always heard that Garry Tallent may be a squeaky wheel in the band, and that his place these days is kinda transactional, but who knows? I'm also always a little dubious when the (many) band members insist that the gigs these days are still spontaneous, anything can happen situations; I saw three dates this tour, and they were all solid but more or less interchangeable, so I suspect it's just the band puffing up Bruce and his vision.

I dunno. It's a testament to the man and his music and story that there have been so many docs and behind the scenes looks and books and interviews and yet I still feel he and the band are keeping a lot of secrets close. Which is their prerogative and probably in no small way a part of keeping the myth and mystery alive. Same probably goes for any big still-active act. Anyway, doc was effective enough in that I started eyeing some 2025 dates. (Canada in October?)

Just found myself in a Darkness on the Edge of Town mood so listened to it again, and I kind of love Bruce's weird commitment to making drag racing stand in for any and all addictions; it becomes almost like a Philip K. Dick imaginary drug in that way.

"Racing in the Street" is growing on me, but I will never not laugh at Bruce intoning "in a Camaro with this dude from LA" with dirge-like melancholy.

Hmm, I never really thought of drag racing/cars in his songs as metaphors for addiction. I always heard them as literal death traps, like someone who takes the car out when they shouldn't in the suicidal hope they might crash. Like, the narrator and his baby in "Racing," the "ride to the sea" has always felt to me like a literal and figurative end of the road; I feel the same way about "The River," where he and his baby head down to the river they used to dive into "though I know the river is dry." And of course there's "Stolen Car" ("I wanna get caught but I never do") and "State Trooper" (where he begs not to be stopped, but at the same time prays "deliver me from nowhere," like he *wants* to be stopped ... and maybe killed). "Cadillac Ranch" sums it up pretty well: all roads lead to the same place.

Yeah, SEX IN A CAR!

We don't have to drive it
Honey we can park it out in the back
And have a party in your pink Cadillac

What I mean is that Springsteen pulls off this very odd feat of chronicling small-town despair without ever, as far as I can think of, explicitly mentioning drugs. And yet I don't feel the lack of it, because something like "Darkness on the Edge of Town," with this central story of someone being pulled away from his home and his family by this compulsion to chase "things that can only be found/ in the darkness on the edge of town," feels like it's potentially about a lot of things - drugs, or sex, or just being with people who are kind of fucked up and out of the mainstream, or some combination thereof. But when you actually look at the lyrics and try to pin down what these things are that the narrator wants - well, the only thing that's actually mentioned is drag racing, in the first line. Not that the song can't be about everything else, too; I just take it that racing is functioning as a shorthand for everything compulsive and self-destructive and outside of the daily round of work and home.

He won't ever have to ride in no used car again