Ok with all the Bruce Walmart talk & Bruce Super Bowl talk, What about the latest release:
Thoughts on the songs themselves?
Which tracks are your favs?
Which are duds?,
Which ones do you think will be chosen for the live stage?
Do you like the production?
Is it better than other more recent work ala Magic and The Rising?
How will it be considered in his post Darkness era when all is said & done?

The Mez likes it better than Magic but not as much as The Rising.
Overall I like it quite a bit. Pleseantly slightly surprised
I wish it was a little less "poppy"
The mix is an improvement over the muddy mix of Magic
The duds are Good Eye and Last Carnival. I'd think I'd like those two as a quasi blues # and a homage to Danny but Good Eye mix stinks.
Outlaw Pete, My Lucky Day, WOAD, The Wrestler for sure will be done live. Probably 2-3 others of which I'm not sure. Maybe Good Eye can be done or come off well live??
I am interested in the many Bruce fans here review of the CD or answers to the questions posed. MEZ
MEZ

I'll need some time to get into it - first impression: a bit too much production and keyboards

I hate it. And I love Bruce. But WOAD sucks. Queen of the Supermarket and Surprise Surprise ooze crap.

I got it. Listened to it twice so far. At this point I don't think it's as good as Magic. I never did like The Rising so I think it's better than that. A lot of people don't like the title track. I think it's pretty good (other than the whistling). Outlaw Pete is good,I guess I'm the only one who doesn't hear the Kiss riff in it. Sounds more like ELO to me.LOL. My Lucky Day is very good. A lot of filler in the middle of the album. Queen of the Supermarket is just silly. The Wrestler is simply suberb. One of his best written songs in many years. A crime it wasn't nominated for an Oscar. I think he'll probably do 3,4 live. I wasn't all that crazy about Magic at first. But live it really grew on me. Hopefully the same thing will happen with WOAD.

"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"

Actually, I like four songs on it - the title track, Outlaw Pete, the last song and The Wrestler.

Just shit as usual (imo)

...piss poor, I'm afraid.

i'l give it a few more listens but first thing is they need to stop with this cardboard sleeve package. its cheap, scratches the cd and doesn't protect.

i think the rising and magic are both better than this. this album seems to have no upbeat tunes. i'll spin it a few more times but after 4 listens only a few songs get my attention. outlaw pete, WOAD, my lucky day, the last carnival and the wrestler are the tunes i like

Life Itself is a very good track. I also think Lucky Day is good. Nice to hear Steve's harmonies so strong. Last Carnival is growing on me. Other than those tracks, I don't like it all that much. Of his three last CD's, I'd rank them:

1. Magic
2. Rising
3. WOAD

Can't wait for the tour, though!

Magic is really a great album, I listen to it at least once or twice per week. Working On A Dream... ...overproduced without a doubt. It makes me have questions even with the best songs.
It remembers me of my graduation project architecture: decorating the building almost like a christmas tree, only to discover that it was better 'naked'. I'm afraid Bruce should have worked on it just a little further... ...to get rid of the nonsense too.

So I doubt it will grow on me like Magic did.

But I will be there, may 30th Landgraaf!! The entre day figuring out how to end up in front of the stage, because probably they will do the roulation-trick in between the main acts...

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UGot2Rollme
Life Itself is a very good track. I also think Lucky Day is good. Nice to hear Steve's harmonies so strong. Last Carnival is growing on me. Other than those tracks, I don't like it all that much. Of his three last CD's, I'd rank them:

1. Magic
2. Rising
3. WOAD

Can't wait for the tour, though!

what about the seeger sessions and devils and dust?

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keefriffhard4life

side projects from E-Street. seeger sessions was entertaining, but I don't own it. only thing I remember about devils and dust was a graphic song about having sex with a mexican whore.

A few thoughts:

1. Just like you (Mez) I like it better than Magic but I don't think it's as good as The Rising.

2. I'm cool with the production and I don't think it's (too) "poppy".

3. Fave songs (so far): "My Lucky Day", "Working On A Dream", "Good Eye" (though I admit that the mix stinks) and "Tomorrow Never Knows". I hope that all these songs will be played life.

4. Less good (imho): "Life Itself" and "Surprise, Surprise".

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LOGIE
...piss poor, I'm afraid.

I agree there, Logie. It's Human Touch 2 - on the whole.

Wonder what Gazza thinks......?

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ablett
Wonder what Gazza thinks......?

He already responded to that question in an earlier thread, I think.
As far as I can remember, he said he's constantly listening to it. But I don't remember his verdict....

You're correct, Lorenz.

I was a bit on the fence about it first. I liked half of it and thought half of it was sub-par. Its grown on me with several listens.

There's a couple on it I'm still not that keen on, but when any artist can put out four very diverse albums in under four years (as well as touring constantly in that time), it's not that big a deal. It's still a good time to be a fan.

As for 'Human Touch' - any album that contains a song as great as "I Wish I Were Blind" is worth getting. Bruce's weakest ever studio release IMO is the one which is his biggest seller - Born In The USA.

So Lorenz - are you getting into Bruce's Music? Sure you do. Anyway, I have listened to the album many times and I have to say I really like it. Sure there are better and weaker moments, I don't want to go into that. I just have to say that when I heard it for the first time, during the Outlaw Pete I couldn't help but I heard I Was Made For Loving You from the Kiss. The riff is just there. I really don't think much of Kiss, that is what makes this song a bit difficult for me. So I am surprised that people are generally very excited about this particular song. A lot of people say that it is the best track of the album. Well...but I really enjoy the album as such. I even enjoy the QOTS. is it a sin? I don't know

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Gazza
when any artist can put out four very diverse albums in under four years (as well as touring constantly in that time), it's not that big a deal. It's still a good time to be a fan.

That's something that cannot be denied, and nobody forces me to listen to it, and still I am. Hoping I will find the clue/key to the album, but it is decent enough. Just lacking a little... ...Magic ;-)

Jelle

I'm really enjoying it as an album, not just a set of songs. I actually like 'Queen of the Supermarket' quite a lot... great vocals, funny little topic. The album is not mind-blowing or anything, it's just a good modern rock album from a great artist. Everything there has substance.

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Tate
I'm really enjoying it as an album, not just a set of songs. I actually like 'Queen of the Supermarket' quite a lot... great vocals, funny little topic. The album is not mind-blowing or anything, it's just a good modern rock album from a great artist. Everything there has substance.

Pretty much what I wrote above. I fully agrree with you

I am listening the album for first time, and it sounds to me, a Christmas album, honestly, dont saying it´s good or bad, but I think Magic and of course The Raising are better than this one. But first impression it sounds christmas songs to me. Let me finnish it, and listened a couple times....

Carlitos
Tenerife

Bruce Springsteen Shows Taylor Swift Who's Boss

There's a reason they call him the Boss.

Bruce Springsteen just accomplished what eight weeks of challengers failed to do, namely knock out Taylor Swift from atop the Billboard 200. The Boss and his E Street Band took the No. 1 spot as Working on a Dream worked up 224,000 in sales for the week ended Sunday, per Nielsen SoundScan.

With his ninth chart-topper, Springsteen is tied with the Rolling Stones for the fourth most No. 1 albums of all time. The Beatles have the most with 19, followed by Elvis Presley and Jay-Z, both with 10.

The Boss' album clearly got a boost from Super Bowl XLIII hype. The Jersey rocker played an electrifying halftime set, which will have a further impact on next week's sales chart as the game averaged 96 million viewers.

Partial Lyrics from Queen of the Supermarket:

"With my shopping cart I move through the heart
Of a sea of fools so blissfully unaware
That they're in the presence of something wonderful and rare
The way she moves behind the counter
Beneath her white apron her secret remains hers
As she bags the groceries her eyes so bored
And sure she's unobserved

I'm in love with the Queen of the Supermarket
There's nothing I can say
Each night I take my groceries and I drift away
And I drift away"


It seems to me when in the Supermarket most folks are keying in on each other, not the cashier. Sorta like the atmosphere at your local athletic club.

This release and Walmart deserve each other, Bruce has a major disconnect with
real blue collar workers, and therefore he loses credibility. The "music" suffers because it becomes just an ad for itself, there is no music worth noting here.

The Rising is really the only one of his last three that I like. I have not listened to this new one much but at first I'm not a big fan of it but I was that way with the Rising as well. That one really grew on me over time.

KInda like Magic Part II to me. Some real good stuff on there - some not so strong. Better than 98% of the s$#t out there.

I enjoy the byrds/beach boys harmonies on surprise surprise and this life. My lucky day is great, but a little to reminescent of a U2 song for my taste. I actually like woad, though I didn't think if fit at the superbowl. The wrestler has a good organic sound to it, kinda a Nebraska feel to it. I just wish they would put a little more guitar and drums, and a little less horns and keyboards in the mix. Same problem as the superbowl. I couldn't even hear nils at that show, and a little of van zandt. I think they would have been more powerful live, than with the recording.