Re: Anyone allready heard the new Springsteen
Date: April 8, 2005 21:19
I think Bruce made 4 or 5 real good albums out of the chute, but since Born in the USA he's found it tough to match his previous high standards. This has happened to the Stones, David Bowie, Van Morrison, Lou Reed and a lot of people. All of these performers still put out very credible and entertaining music, it's just that there will never again be that great blast of creativity and "new" expression.
I don't care much for Bruce's stuff anymore, and I often find his political messaging unattractive. But I have a lot of respect for him in that he respects his audience, puts on great shows, and works all the time (unlike my favorite 60s band, huh-huh). I also always liked that he dropped his Hollywood wife for a good-old working class Jersey girl.
The comparison with Bob Seger is pretty apt. Good blue-collar rock n roll. Check out some early Seger like Seven. He did become a little easy-listening by the 1980s.
It's been my experience though that a lot of Bruce's audience is people who don't otherwise listen to much music. In the mid-1980s Bruce albums were like fashion accessories for a lot of the preppy-yuppie crowd. These are the same people who made Peter Frampton, Stevie Nicks and Boston big.
Bruce can play some nasty guitar. But, I think his E Street mate Nils Lofgren is far superior. Speaking of whom, find Nils' first solo album (self-titled), or some of his work with Grin. The Nils Lofgren album contains the great ode "Keith Don't Go" , which was written when it looked like Keith might go to jail in Canada for H possession. A really excellent disc.
Karl