Inspirational in some ways. I have often felt that England needed a Springsteen, albeit not just a a copycat 'rocker'; I mean, someone who would write about all the lost and found small-town lives. But to be fair, I suppose there is already a UK tradition here: the probably Jarvis Cocker is a case in point.
― the pinefox, Wednesday, 28 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Robin Carmody, Friday, 2 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Michael Bourke, Sunday, 4 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
1. they don't understand that he's actually not as "pro-america" as they might think he is
2. they don't have as close a connection to "old school" code (which includes "old school" rock)
3. they are mostly college kids on their way up to some office job or whatever that is removed (if not far removed) from the "underworld" (the "blue collar" or "real" world) to get the lyrical sentiments
4. well, and...sometimes people just don't like something 'cause they just don't like it
I, however, do not apply to any of those 4. For I actually do "get" some of the appeal of Bruce (albeit, it took my until my mid or late twenties to get there). Sure, his overly sentimental (downright broadway or maudlin) look at the working class can be a bit (or a bunch) too much. And sure, his music can be too simple and/or too derivitive. But, that's a part of the whole. Familiarity in both music and lyrics, is a large part of the appeal of his stuff (and those like him, ala Mellencamp, etc). He just had the concept to put nearly a whole career on the working class/blue collar life like no other has (not in such a wide reaching broad sense, at least - other than Mellencamp, but Bruce did it a bit better and first).
Classics:
Having said all that, 'Nebraska' and 'Ghost of Tom Joad' are the only two full albums that I would declare anywhere near a "classic" state of existence (with 'Nebraska' being the one clear-cut vote). Many of the rest of his 70's and 80's albums have some good solid worthy singles on them, but. I can't go so far as to get 'The River' (for example) anywhere near a "classic" nod. That one, in particular, I find to be overrated (though still having the wonderful track "Stolen Car" and the title track deserving of 'Nebraska'-like attention).
― michael g. breece, Sunday, 1 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Anyways, I forgot to mention to huge (to the point of shadowing) element as to one of the why's (or why not's) of enjoy/appreciating Bruce. Which is: DRIVING. Cars and driving is such a central and/or reoccuring figure/subject in his work that...I can't believe I forgot to touch upon that (only after reading some of the others posts, darn it). But yea, I do LOVE to drive. Which also helps to explain the appeal of Springsteen (to me, at least).
*By the way, I do own that McCulloch album 'Shame Based Man' and...love it (some really funny stuff and one of the very rare comedy albums worthy of many plays - if not it's own discussion here on "I Love Music"...anyone?). Every single one of my girlfriends (one present, others past) hated it. "And if (after torching the stolen car) you can still hear the Doors playing...then you have become...a DOORS...FAN!" I'm not a Doors fan, however.
― michael g. breece, Monday, 2 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― the pinefox, Monday, 2 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
I hadn't listened to this record in a couple of years, but god, it still sounded great. Actually, I kept getting shivers down my spine when it was playing and it had me close to tears a few times (mostly on "Thunder Road" and "Backstreets.") Listening to this today finally settled an ILM debate for me: Music can never affect me quite as much now as it did when I was a teenager. No record I've heard in the last few years, including Loveless, has had as much affect on me as Born to Run did this morning, and I know it's not just because Born to Run is such a great album. This is a record that got to me when I was young and emotionally vulnerable in a way that I'm not anymore, at the age of 32. I still feel music very deeply and appreciate and enjoy a wider range of music than ever, but music doesn’t completely overpower me the way it did when I was 15. Oh well.
Springsteen is still a big classic, by the way, despite all the incredibly corny lines on Born to Run.
― Mark, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― DeRayMi, Thursday, 24 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 23:18 (twenty-one years ago) link
"candy's room" is the grebtest song ever written about being in love w. a prostitute when you sound a bit like david bowie
― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 23:22 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 23:25 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 23:29 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 19 November 2002 23:31 (twenty-one years ago) link
Is this a new genre? Cos that'd be fucking incredible.
I still love Bruce Springsteen. Put on Rosalita and you will see me go insane.
― Ally (mlescaut), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 03:01 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 03:23 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ally (mlescaut), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 03:24 (twenty-one years ago) link
― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 03:24 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 20 November 2002 03:34 (twenty-one years ago) link
― 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
TIny bit of Rashomon to this but still a great story
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 6 March 2024 15:53 (three weeks ago) link
The third Passaic night (sept 21st) of the legendary 1978 Darkness tour has now been released officially too (aka Coup De Grace) - and even though it may not one of The Big Five (the 5 shows that were broadcast on the radio & became the most bootlegged & wellknown), you can't go wrong with any of these shows, really.
― StanM, Saturday, 9 March 2024 09:36 (two weeks ago) link
Been digging a live version of “Because the Night” by Patti…Lupone. She makes it sound like an outtake from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 9 March 2024 11:50 (two weeks ago) link
From this: https://playbill.com/article/patti-lupone-at-les-mouches-vintage-lupone-club-act-arrives-in-stores-nov-11-com-155028
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 9 March 2024 11:57 (two weeks ago) link
Which was a midnight Saturday cabaret show she was doing in 1980 while she was in the midst of doing Evita.
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 9 March 2024 11:59 (two weeks ago) link
From old cassette tapes! Pretty appropriate.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMRF7PiJBAs
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 9 March 2024 12:04 (two weeks ago) link
Anyway, sorry for the seeming derail. It’s just the only version I’ve heard that seems to take the Patti version and put a tiny bit of spin on it rather than just being…okay and similar but not quite as good like every other version.
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 9 March 2024 12:06 (two weeks ago) link
The performance clips from the video are on the verge of being an SCTV parody, and I mean that in the best possible way.
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 9 March 2024 12:18 (two weeks ago) link
Even redeems a crummy Kinks song.
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 9 March 2024 12:24 (two weeks ago) link
If one can redeem something terrible by making it terrible in a brand new way. You weren't kidding about SCTV!
― Halfway there but for you, Saturday, 9 March 2024 12:59 (two weeks ago) link
Listening to that album now. Almost laughed out loud at the veiled Tina Turner reference in “Heaven Is a Disco”
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 9 March 2024 13:35 (two weeks ago) link
This thing is from the same universe as that Lou Reed live with The Toys albums.
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 9 March 2024 13:42 (two weeks ago) link
The Tots, not The Toys. American Poet.
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 9 March 2024 16:00 (two weeks ago) link
Springsteen joined Mellencamp onstage last night at NJ PAC for "Pink Houses":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qo_-W4lBe4
― birdistheword, Monday, 11 March 2024 19:47 (two weeks ago) link
Bruce looking lithe, limber and ready to get back on the road.
Wait, hold up, is that Lisa Germano?! She's back!!
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 11 March 2024 21:50 (two weeks ago) link
Yes it is! I saw Mellencamp at the Beacon and he was awesome. At one point, he let a kid get on stage and let HIM sing one of his hits while he walked off for what seemed like a smoke.
― birdistheword, Monday, 11 March 2024 23:12 (two weeks ago) link
Tour resumes tonight, Bruce lookin' good!https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/432766426_949567229858904_5539654209860653751_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=VIQrTwEDuDIAX-pUF_u&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-2.xx&oh=00_AfAb_AU3DFryU1mnOECcjxasUkZHb2Bs1-l5gM3TKWfI8A&oe=65FE75E5
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 19 March 2024 21:13 (one week ago) link
hottest silver fox in town
― werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 19 March 2024 22:51 (one week ago) link
Some nerd livestreamed the whole show, if you want to watch it:
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1083363189561218&id=1182636260&mibextid=qi2Omg
More or less the same set, slight tweaks.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 20 March 2024 16:22 (one week ago) link
Had no idea he was even on tour!
― paisley got boring (Eazy), Wednesday, 20 March 2024 16:58 (one week ago) link
Interesting:https://pitchfork.com/news/bruce-springsteen-movie-starring-jeremy-allen-white-in-the-works/
― lord of the rongs (anagram), Wednesday, 27 March 2024 08:05 (yesterday) link
The Bruce
― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 27 March 2024 14:28 (yesterday) link
The movie is just gonna be him floating down a river in a canoe listening to the songs on a boom box. Would watch!
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 27 March 2024 15:10 (yesterday) link