Where do I start with Bruce Springsteen?

[HemiBeers]

Springsteen is no more interesting than John Mellencamp.

 

they're both :zzz:

 

Not familiar with Mellencamp...

 

have bruce move to indiana...then you have mellencamp.

 

From the UK, it isn't very obvious to me what a difference moving to Indiana could be haha...

 

it's a states thing...people in the US could relate.

 

Indiana is known for being very white bread and a bit rural (lots of farming).

That's not really true for the state as a whole but does describe the part that Mellencamp is from (Seymour). If you've ever seen the movie Hoosiers, it's fairly descriptive of that area, even today.

 

Really? I would say that a large part of Indiana, outside of the northern area, is comprised of large farm fields.

I'm from Michigan, so I know a fair amount of Indiana. A whole lotta hickvilles and agriculture.

[Tombstone Mountain]

Springsteen is no more interesting than John Mellencamp.

 

they're both :zzz:

 

Not familiar with Mellencamp...

 

have bruce move to indiana...then you have mellencamp.

 

From the UK, it isn't very obvious to me what a difference moving to Indiana could be haha...

 

it's a states thing...people in the US could relate.

 

Indiana is known for being very white bread and a bit rural (lots of farming).

That's not really true for the state as a whole but does describe the part that Mellencamp is from (Seymour). If you've ever seen the movie Hoosiers, it's fairly descriptive of that area, even today.

 

Really? I would say that a large part of Indiana, outside of the northern area, is comprised of large farm fields.

I'm from Michigan, so I know a fair amount of Indiana. A whole lotta hickvilles and agriculture.

Here's the master talking 'bout Indiana

[goose]

"Born to Run" mentions suicide twice in the opening stanza. That's just dumb.

 

In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream

At night we ride through the mansions of glory in suicide machines

Sprung from cages out on highway nine,

Chrome wheeled, fuel injected,and steppin' out over the line

H-Oh, Baby this town rips the bones from your back

It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap

We gotta get out while we're young

`Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run

 

No it isn't.

 

If you look at the context, it is obvious he is making reference to the predictable future (the one awaiting the characters on Darkness?), so life is to be lived now, while still young (even if the pleasures are a little on the dangerous side!).

Then he should have said a third time to drive home the point, I guess.

 

It's bad writing.

[Segue Myles]

"Born to Run" mentions suicide twice in the opening stanza. That's just dumb.

 

In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream

At night we ride through the mansions of glory in suicide machines

Sprung from cages out on highway nine,

Chrome wheeled, fuel injected,and steppin' out over the line

H-Oh, Baby this town rips the bones from your back

It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap

We gotta get out while we're young

`Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run

 

No it isn't.

 

If you look at the context, it is obvious he is making reference to the predictable future (the one awaiting the characters on Darkness?), so life is to be lived now, while still young (even if the pleasures are a little on the dangerous side!).

Then he should have said a third time to drive home the point, I guess.

 

It's bad writing.

 

Aww...well...let's agree to disagree!

[laughedatbytime]

Springsteen is no more interesting than John Mellencamp.

 

they're both :zzz:

 

Not familiar with Mellencamp...

 

have bruce move to indiana...then you have mellencamp.

 

From the UK, it isn't very obvious to me what a difference moving to Indiana could be haha...

 

it's a states thing...people in the US could relate.

 

Indiana is known for being very white bread and a bit rural (lots of farming).

That's not really true for the state as a whole but does describe the part that Mellencamp is from (Seymour). If you've ever seen the movie Hoosiers, it's fairly descriptive of that area, even today.

 

Really? I would say that a large part of Indiana, outside of the northern area, is comprised of large farm fields.

Well, that's true of every state, with the possible exception of a couple in the northeast.

[satchmothesnowdog]

 

 

Best Bruce song, ever!!

Edited May 22, 2015 by satchmothesnowdog

[Xanadu]

Springsteen is no more interesting than John Mellencamp.

 

they're both :zzz:

 

Not familiar with Mellencamp...

 

have bruce move to indiana...then you have mellencamp.

 

Pretty much.

[Xanadu]

I just don't get how he can be so hated...I really don't!

Hate? No.

 

Unlistenable?...mostly.

 

Ohhhhhh oh oh I'm on fire.

 

That's one song by him that I do like. Mainly I like the music a lot.

[goose]

I just don't get how he can be so hated...I really don't!

Hate? No.

 

Unlistenable?...mostly.

 

Ohhhhhh oh oh I'm on fire.

 

That's one song by him that I do like. Mainly I like the music a lot.

Yep.

[Entre_Perpetuo]

Funny I ran into this thread and didn't have to wonder about making one myself. I listened through Bruce's greatest hits on Spotify today and dug a couple of tracks. I did this because I have realized that, despite all of my obsessions with classic rock and it's stories and history and everything, I have constantly overlooked this guy because a couple (okay, more than a couple)!of his eighties hits tend to get way overplayed on classic rock radio and sometimes they annoy me so I cast him out. However, my curiosity has at last gotten the better of me and I now really want to give Springsteen a fair shot like all the other bands and artists I've found in the past. Plus, after reading through a couple rankings of his albums and a brief summary of his career, I can't help but be impressed by his long, storied, and arduous career.

 

So here is my question to the great Segue, acknowledging that a great number of member here despise Bruce Springsteen and calmly ignoring their opinions for the sake of discovery:

Where do I begin?

[Segue Myles]

Funny I ran into this thread and didn't have to wonder about making one myself. I listened through Bruce's greatest hits on Spotify today and dug a couple of tracks. I did this because I have realized that, despite all of my obsessions with classic rock and it's stories and history and everything, I have constantly overlooked this guy because a couple (okay, more than a couple)!of his eighties hits tend to get way overplayed on classic rock radio and sometimes they annoy me so I cast him out. However, my curiosity has at last gotten the better of me and I now really want to give Springsteen a fair shot like all the other bands and artists I've found in the past. Plus, after reading through a couple rankings of his albums and a brief summary of his career, I can't help but be impressed by his long, storied, and arduous career.

 

So here is my question to the great Segue, acknowledging that a great number of member here despise Bruce Springsteen and calmly ignoring their opinions for the sake of discovery:

Where do I begin?

 

If the cheesy studf turned you off, I'd start with Darkness On The Edge Of Town, and maybe The River.

 

In fact, start slowly with the early years, because once you hit Born In The USA (which is his biggest album, but in my opinion one of his least imlressive) something is missing from then on, with a couple of terrific comebacks.

 

But Darkness is an absolute masterpiece, a real classic with some interesting guitarwork.

 

If you like folk and jazz, the first two album, Greetings and Wild, may be worthy of your time.

 

If his bombastic styled hits turned you off, avoid the Born albums for a while (but Born To Run is a masterpiece).

 

Which songs intrigued you? I probably should have asked that first!

[Entre_Perpetuo]

Funny I ran into this thread and didn't have to wonder about making one myself. I listened through Bruce's greatest hits on Spotify today and dug a couple of tracks. I did this because I have realized that, despite all of my obsessions with classic rock and it's stories and history and everything, I have constantly overlooked this guy because a couple (okay, more than a couple)!of his eighties hits tend to get way overplayed on classic rock radio and sometimes they annoy me so I cast him out. However, my curiosity has at last gotten the better of me and I now really want to give Springsteen a fair shot like all the other bands and artists I've found in the past. Plus, after reading through a couple rankings of his albums and a brief summary of his career, I can't help but be impressed by his long, storied, and arduous career.

 

So here is my question to the great Segue, acknowledging that a great number of member here despise Bruce Springsteen and calmly ignoring their opinions for the sake of discovery:

Where do I begin?

 

If the cheesy studf turned you off, I'd start with Darkness On The Edge Of Town, and maybe The River.

 

In fact, start slowly with the early years, because once you hit Born In The USA (which is his biggest album, but in my opinion one of his least imlressive) something is missing from then on, with a couple of terrific comebacks.

 

But Darkness is an absolute masterpiece, a real classic with some interesting guitarwork.

 

If you like folk and jazz, the first two album, Greetings and Wild, may be worthy of your time.

 

If his bombastic styled hits turned you off, avoid the Born albums for a while (but Born To Run is a masterpiece).

 

Which songs intrigued you? I probably should have asked that first!

 

Well, I don't remember a ton from listening through his greatest hits (I was multitasking), but I do like Born To Run (the song; I play saxophone, great solo). The River seemed to stand out as an interesting track along with Thunder Road and Atlantic City.

[Segue Myles]

Funny I ran into this thread and didn't have to wonder about making one myself. I listened through Bruce's greatest hits on Spotify today and dug a couple of tracks. I did this because I have realized that, despite all of my obsessions with classic rock and it's stories and history and everything, I have constantly overlooked this guy because a couple (okay, more than a couple)!of his eighties hits tend to get way overplayed on classic rock radio and sometimes they annoy me so I cast him out. However, my curiosity has at last gotten the better of me and I now really want to give Springsteen a fair shot like all the other bands and artists I've found in the past. Plus, after reading through a couple rankings of his albums and a brief summary of his career, I can't help but be impressed by his long, storied, and arduous career.

 

So here is my question to the great Segue, acknowledging that a great number of member here despise Bruce Springsteen and calmly ignoring their opinions for the sake of discovery:

Where do I begin?

 

If the cheesy studf turned you off, I'd start with Darkness On The Edge Of Town, and maybe The River.

 

In fact, start slowly with the early years, because once you hit Born In The USA (which is his biggest album, but in my opinion one of his least imlressive) something is missing from then on, with a couple of terrific comebacks.

 

But Darkness is an absolute masterpiece, a real classic with some interesting guitarwork.

 

If you like folk and jazz, the first two album, Greetings and Wild, may be worthy of your time.

 

If his bombastic styled hits turned you off, avoid the Born albums for a while (but Born To Run is a masterpiece).

 

Which songs intrigued you? I probably should have asked that first!

 

Well, I don't remember a ton from listening through his greatest hits (I was multitasking), but I do like Born To Run (the song; I play saxophone, great solo). The River seemed to stand out as an interesting track along with Thunder Road and Atlantic City.

 

Born To Run, Darkness and The River are very closely connected albums musically and thematicaly, and if the sax is what you are after, Born To Run is the one to go for!

[Entre_Perpetuo]

Funny I ran into this thread and didn't have to wonder about making one myself. I listened through Bruce's greatest hits on Spotify today and dug a couple of tracks. I did this because I have realized that, despite all of my obsessions with classic rock and it's stories and history and everything, I have constantly overlooked this guy because a couple (okay, more than a couple)!of his eighties hits tend to get way overplayed on classic rock radio and sometimes they annoy me so I cast him out. However, my curiosity has at last gotten the better of me and I now really want to give Springsteen a fair shot like all the other bands and artists I've found in the past. Plus, after reading through a couple rankings of his albums and a brief summary of his career, I can't help but be impressed by his long, storied, and arduous career.

 

So here is my question to the great Segue, acknowledging that a great number of member here despise Bruce Springsteen and calmly ignoring their opinions for the sake of discovery:

Where do I begin?

 

If the cheesy studf turned you off, I'd start with Darkness On The Edge Of Town, and maybe The River.

 

In fact, start slowly with the early years, because once you hit Born In The USA (which is his biggest album, but in my opinion one of his least imlressive) something is missing from then on, with a couple of terrific comebacks.

 

But Darkness is an absolute masterpiece, a real classic with some interesting guitarwork.

 

If you like folk and jazz, the first two album, Greetings and Wild, may be worthy of your time.

 

If his bombastic styled hits turned you off, avoid the Born albums for a while (but Born To Run is a masterpiece).

 

Which songs intrigued you? I probably should have asked that first!

 

Well, I don't remember a ton from listening through his greatest hits (I was multitasking), but I do like Born To Run (the song; I play saxophone, great solo). The River seemed to stand out as an interesting track along with Thunder Road and Atlantic City.

 

Born To Run, Darkness and The River are very closely connected albums musically and thematicaly, and if the sax is what you are after, Born To Run is the one to go for!

 

Well thanks! I'll be sure to check it out from my library over the next few weeks. I was probably gonna end up picking that one anyway, but I figured I'd better ask an expert opinion first, and your one of the only Springsteen experts I know! I will be back with my opinions at a later date. Ty again!

[Segue Myles]

Funny I ran into this thread and didn't have to wonder about making one myself. I listened through Bruce's greatest hits on Spotify today and dug a couple of tracks. I did this because I have realized that, despite all of my obsessions with classic rock and it's stories and history and everything, I have constantly overlooked this guy because a couple (okay, more than a couple)!of his eighties hits tend to get way overplayed on classic rock radio and sometimes they annoy me so I cast him out. However, my curiosity has at last gotten the better of me and I now really want to give Springsteen a fair shot like all the other bands and artists I've found in the past. Plus, after reading through a couple rankings of his albums and a brief summary of his career, I can't help but be impressed by his long, storied, and arduous career.

 

So here is my question to the great Segue, acknowledging that a great number of member here despise Bruce Springsteen and calmly ignoring their opinions for the sake of discovery:

Where do I begin?

 

If the cheesy studf turned you off, I'd start with Darkness On The Edge Of Town, and maybe The River.

 

In fact, start slowly with the early years, because once you hit Born In The USA (which is his biggest album, but in my opinion one of his least imlressive) something is missing from then on, with a couple of terrific comebacks.

 

But Darkness is an absolute masterpiece, a real classic with some interesting guitarwork.

 

If you like folk and jazz, the first two album, Greetings and Wild, may be worthy of your time.

 

If his bombastic styled hits turned you off, avoid the Born albums for a while (but Born To Run is a masterpiece).

 

Which songs intrigued you? I probably should have asked that first!

 

Well, I don't remember a ton from listening through his greatest hits (I was multitasking), but I do like Born To Run (the song; I play saxophone, great solo). The River seemed to stand out as an interesting track along with Thunder Road and Atlantic City.

 

Born To Run, Darkness and The River are very closely connected albums musically and thematicaly, and if the sax is what you are after, Born To Run is the one to go for!

 

Well thanks! I'll be sure to check it out from my library over the next few weeks. I was probably gonna end up picking that one anyway, but I figured I'd better ask an expert opinion first, and your one of the only Springsteen experts I know! I will be back with my opinions at a later date. Ty again!

 

I am honestly fining it so hard to reign myself in! The temptation to bombard you with bootlegs, unreleased superior studdio recordings, and OTT live performances is HARD!

 

Springsteen is an artist whose work begs patience from the listener. The lyrics are a big key to enjoying his work. He is an artist, and one that sadly is very easy to disregard as another piano man from his reputation.

 

 

But there exists no other artist quite like Springsteen.

Edited June 19, 2015 by Segue Myles

[Entre_Perpetuo]

Funny I ran into this thread and didn't have to wonder about making one myself. I listened through Bruce's greatest hits on Spotify today and dug a couple of tracks. I did this because I have realized that, despite all of my obsessions with classic rock and it's stories and history and everything, I have constantly overlooked this guy because a couple (okay, more than a couple)!of his eighties hits tend to get way overplayed on classic rock radio and sometimes they annoy me so I cast him out. However, my curiosity has at last gotten the better of me and I now really want to give Springsteen a fair shot like all the other bands and artists I've found in the past. Plus, after reading through a couple rankings of his albums and a brief summary of his career, I can't help but be impressed by his long, storied, and arduous career.

 

So here is my question to the great Segue, acknowledging that a great number of member here despise Bruce Springsteen and calmly ignoring their opinions for the sake of discovery:

Where do I begin?

 

If the cheesy studf turned you off, I'd start with Darkness On The Edge Of Town, and maybe The River.

 

In fact, start slowly with the early years, because once you hit Born In The USA (which is his biggest album, but in my opinion one of his least imlressive) something is missing from then on, with a couple of terrific comebacks.

 

But Darkness is an absolute masterpiece, a real classic with some interesting guitarwork.

 

If you like folk and jazz, the first two album, Greetings and Wild, may be worthy of your time.

 

If his bombastic styled hits turned you off, avoid the Born albums for a while (but Born To Run is a masterpiece).

 

Which songs intrigued you? I probably should have asked that first!

 

Well, I don't remember a ton from listening through his greatest hits (I was multitasking), but I do like Born To Run (the song; I play saxophone, great solo). The River seemed to stand out as an interesting track along with Thunder Road and Atlantic City.

 

Born To Run, Darkness and The River are very closely connected albums musically and thematicaly, and if the sax is what you are after, Born To Run is the one to go for!

 

Well thanks! I'll be sure to check it out from my library over the next few weeks. I was probably gonna end up picking that one anyway, but I figured I'd better ask an expert opinion first, and your one of the only Springsteen experts I know! I will be back with my opinions at a later date. Ty again!

 

I am honestly fining it so hard to reign myself in! The temptation to bombard you with bootlegs, unreleased superior studdio recordings, and OTT live performances is HARD!

 

Springsteen is an artist whose work begs patience from the listener. The lyrics are a big key to enjoying his work. He is an artist, and one that sadly is very easy to disregard as another piano man from his reputation.

 

 

But there exists no other artist quite like Springsteen.

 

I can do patience. My favorite band is Queen and I've been slowly buying each of their studio albums (minus Flash Gordon) in chronological order at the rate of roughly three or four per year so I can really digest each release and its context within the band's catalogue. I have two albums to go and I'm looking to go backwards and grab Flash Gordon and the live album I skipped in order to purchase their final two albums around the end of my senior year. Long story short, even if I adore an artist to death, I will be patient to absorb the art fully if I see the need to. Heck, when my dad bought five Rush albums he found at half prices books that I'd not gotten to yet, I thought I'd listen to them all within a month. It took AT LEAST three, and it was mostly nineties stuff at that.

 

However, feel free to bombard me with your suggestions once I give Born To Run a good listen through. That'll probably be in about a week since I'm going to be out of town when it comes in at my library unless they somehow get it in today.

[Entre_Perpetuo]

Okay so it took more than "a week or so," but I did finally give BTR some moderate listening (focused on a few tracks), and I will be back later today/tonight after I listen fully through it once more to give my full "first" impressions. For now I will say I've loved what I've listened to on it so far, and surprisingly so has my dad. You may have a fellow fanatic of The Boss out there yet Segue! And ty for the great rec!

[Segue Myles]

Okay so it took more than "a week or so," but I did finally give BTR some moderate listening (focused on a few tracks), and I will be back later today/tonight after I listen fully through it once more to give my full "first" impressions. For now I will say I've loved what I've listened to on it so far, and surprisingly so has my dad. You may have a fellow fanatic of The Boss out there yet Segue! And ty for the great rec!

 

I think Born To Run is a major masterpiece. I am so glad you enjoyed this gift of an album! I treasure the seventies and early eighties work of this man more than most artists in any medium, so I hope this album proves to be a gateway for you into a wonderful career!

 

If you proceed further, I insist you select the now individually released remastered albums. All previously released CD versions of the seventies works pale in comparison. Just a suggestion! They are beyond perfect, as the earlr CD's were flat and lifeless in comparison to the vinyl.

 

Have fun with him! And be patient!

[Entre_Perpetuo]

Okay so it took more than "a week or so," but I did finally give BTR some moderate listening (focused on a few tracks), and I will be back later today/tonight after I listen fully through it once more to give my full "first" impressions. For now I will say I've loved what I've listened to on it so far, and surprisingly so has my dad. You may have a fellow fanatic of The Boss out there yet Segue! And ty for the great rec!

 

I think Born To Run is a major masterpiece. I am so glad you enjoyed this gift of an album! I treasure the seventies and early eighties work of this man more than most artists in any medium, so I hope this album proves to be a gateway for you into a wonderful career!

 

If you proceed further, I insist you select the now individually released remastered albums. All previously released CD versions of the seventies works pale in comparison. Just a suggestion! They are beyond perfect, as the earlr CD's were flat and lifeless in comparison to the vinyl.

 

Have fun with him! And be patient!

 

Okay, so I've just finished my first true listen through, only stopping in the middle where the record would have originally been flipped over, and I'm still not sure what to say. But I'll try and say some stuff anyway.

1. Thunder Road is one of the best album openers I've ever heard, especially that moment right after the "we're not here to win" line when the toms break in and the sax outro starts (pure bliss actually). Just the way it builds so subtly from that harmonica intro (which is IMO the musical equivalent of the "once upon a time" at the start of your favorite childhood story) is majestic. I have it even totally read the lyrics, but the buts of phrases I manage to catch seem to explain the feelings the music is meant to evoke perfectly. Great song!

 

2. I never used to care much for Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out when I had only heard it on the radio. However, after actually listening to it and paying attention to the details of its sunny, groovy soundscape, I've found this is easily one of my favorites on the album. Once again, while. I haven't yet made sense of the lyrics, what I have caught perfectly describes the music behind it. Another great tune!

 

3. Night seems to be a solid mid- album track. Not outstanding, but with a nice saxophone feature for the main theme. Good energy.

 

4. Backstreets strikes me much the same way Digital Man and The Weapon did back when I first listened to Signals. That is to say, I can tell there's a great deal of goodness going on here, but being in the middle of the album seems to have caused it to blend in with much of the rest of the album, not yet standing out for much more than its catchy melody. Perhaps reading the lyrics would enhance my enjoyment of the song, or perhaps only repeated listens will grant it the recognition by me I'm guessing it deserves. The lack of saxophone certainly has aided it in not standing out on initial listens, but I do like it. Great coda/vamp at the end!

 

5. ...I don't think I need to discuss this song. Let's just leave it at "it's got an amazing sax solo, the fake ending still hasn't gotten old, and the song is every bit as classic as it's been determined to be by the public eye." Moving on! :)

 

6. She's The One ranks similarly to Night for me. Seems to be Springsteens equivalent of "filler material," which admittedly is still good. Not much to say about this song though, but it certainly doesn't drag the album down.

 

7. Love the trumpet in Meeting Across The River. It sounds like it's off in a world of it's own, playing a soulful jazzy extended solo to no one in the middle of the night. The rest of the song evokes a similar feeling of soulful loneliness, dreaming of escape. The lyrics sound as though the narrator is talking to himself. Very cinematic, but then again the whole album is. Feels much shorter than it actually is. I love it.

 

8. I really don't know what to make of Jungleland yet. I tried following the lyrics as I listened, but there was too much to take in at once. Nevertheless, I could sense the penultimate, climactic nature of the piece from the ways the words were sung. The sax solo seems to build and build but fails to reach past the breaking point. Dissappointment? Perhaps, but it sounds beautiful. Not as beautiful, however, as the solo piano interlude as the song reaches its final verses, Bruce coming in to sing over it after a few verses worth of sullen beauty in the form of mere piano chords. Love it. Need much more time to let it sink in. But still, I love it.

 

Great, great album! I will be looking to purchase a copy of this in the near future, on one of the remastered CD's if not on vinyl (Ty for that tip Segue). This is definitely one of my new favorites, further proving to me that the mid-seventies produced some of the greatest music in the history of...music...yes, of music. That wording was so totally not akward...

 

Thank you so much for the recommendation Segue! I will not forget this! :D

[Segue Myles]

Thunder Road- perfect. Hear the live version on the Live: 1975-85 (I think that is what its called)

 

Tenth Avenue- fun song, even Bruce is unsure what the title means haha!

 

Night- great song, gets a little lost in the mix but is a revelation when it hits home!

 

Backstreets- I can imagine a movie written around this song. Fantastic.

 

BTR- nothing new to say here. Perfect.

 

She's the One- one of my favourite songs, I love this!

 

Meeting- possibly my favourite song on the album, an excellent and atmospheric beauty that leads perfectly into the monster closer:

 

Jungleland- perhaps the best song on the album. That sax solo is amazing.

 

One of my favourite albums.

[Segue Myles]

Okay so it took more than "a week or so," but I did finally give BTR some moderate listening (focused on a few tracks), and I will be back later today/tonight after I listen fully through it once more to give my full "first" impressions. For now I will say I've loved what I've listened to on it so far, and surprisingly so has my dad. You may have a fellow fanatic of The Boss out there yet Segue! And ty for the great rec!

 

I think Born To Run is a major masterpiece. I am so glad you enjoyed this gift of an album! I treasure the seventies and early eighties work of this man more than most artists in any medium, so I hope this album proves to be a gateway for you into a wonderful career!

 

If you proceed further, I insist you select the now individually released remastered albums. All previously released CD versions of the seventies works pale in comparison. Just a suggestion! They are beyond perfect, as the earlr CD's were flat and lifeless in comparison to the vinyl.

 

Have fun with him! And be patient!

 

Okay, so I've just finished my first true listen through, only stopping in the middle where the record would have originally been flipped over, and I'm still not sure what to say. But I'll try and say some stuff anyway.

1. Thunder Road is one of the best album openers I've ever heard, especially that moment right after the "we're not here to win" line when the toms break in and the sax outro starts (pure bliss actually). Just the way it builds so subtly from that harmonica intro (which is IMO the musical equivalent of the "once upon a time" at the start of your favorite childhood story) is majestic. I have it even totally read the lyrics, but the buts of phrases I manage to catch seem to explain the feelings the music is meant to evoke perfectly. Great song!

 

2. I never used to care much for Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out when I had only heard it on the radio. However, after actually listening to it and paying attention to the details of its sunny, groovy soundscape, I've found this is easily one of my favorites on the album. Once again, while. I haven't yet made sense of the lyrics, what I have caught perfectly describes the music behind it. Another great tune!

 

3. Night seems to be a solid mid- album track. Not outstanding, but with a nice saxophone feature for the main theme. Good energy.

 

4. Backstreets strikes me much the same way Digital Man and The Weapon did back when I first listened to Signals. That is to say, I can tell there's a great deal of goodness going on here, but being in the middle of the album seems to have caused it to blend in with much of the rest of the album, not yet standing out for much more than its catchy melody. Perhaps reading the lyrics would enhance my enjoyment of the song, or perhaps only repeated listens will grant it the recognition by me I'm guessing it deserves. The lack of saxophone certainly has aided it in not standing out on initial listens, but I do like it. Great coda/vamp at the end!

 

5. ...I don't think I need to discuss this song. Let's just leave it at "it's got an amazing sax solo, the fake ending still hasn't gotten old, and the song is every bit as classic as it's been determined to be by the public eye." Moving on! :)

 

6. She's The One ranks similarly to Night for me. Seems to be Springsteens equivalent of "filler material," which admittedly is still good. Not much to say about this song though, but it certainly doesn't drag the album down.

 

7. Love the trumpet in Meeting Across The River. It sounds like it's off in a world of it's own, playing a soulful jazzy extended solo to no one in the middle of the night. The rest of the song evokes a similar feeling of soulful loneliness, dreaming of escape. The lyrics sound as though the narrator is talking to himself. Very cinematic, but then again the whole album is. Feels much shorter than it actually is. I love it.

 

8. I really don't know what to make of Jungleland yet. I tried following the lyrics as I listened, but there was too much to take in at once. Nevertheless, I could sense the penultimate, climactic nature of the piece from the ways the words were sung. The sax solo seems to build and build but fails to reach past the breaking point. Dissappointment? Perhaps, but it sounds beautiful. Not as beautiful, however, as the solo piano interlude as the song reaches its final verses, Bruce coming in to sing over it after a few verses worth of sullen beauty in the form of mere piano chords. Love it. Need much more time to let it sink in. But still, I love it.

 

Great, great album! I will be looking to purchase a copy of this in the near future, on one of the remastered CD's if not on vinyl (Ty for that tip Segue). This is definitely one of my new favorites, further proving to me that the mid-seventies produced some of the greatest music in the history of...music...yes, of music. That wording was so totally not akward...

 

Thank you so much for the recommendation Segue! I will not forget this! :D

 

I am just glad when I read posts on here from individuals with an open mind. Even if you didnt like this I get the impression you would have still been polite!

[treeduck]

start with a psychiatric hospital and end with the dustbin

[Segue Myles]

start with a psychiatric hospital and end with the dustbin

 

This is the guy who whinges when his favourite threads are full of posts he doesnt like.

 

Figures haha

[Entre_Perpetuo]

Okay so it took more than "a week or so," but I did finally give BTR some moderate listening (focused on a few tracks), and I will be back later today/tonight after I listen fully through it once more to give my full "first" impressions. For now I will say I've loved what I've listened to on it so far, and surprisingly so has my dad. You may have a fellow fanatic of The Boss out there yet Segue! And ty for the great rec!

 

I think Born To Run is a major masterpiece. I am so glad you enjoyed this gift of an album! I treasure the seventies and early eighties work of this man more than most artists in any medium, so I hope this album proves to be a gateway for you into a wonderful career!

 

If you proceed further, I insist you select the now individually released remastered albums. All previously released CD versions of the seventies works pale in comparison. Just a suggestion! They are beyond perfect, as the earlr CD's were flat and lifeless in comparison to the vinyl.

 

Have fun with him! And be patient!

 

Okay, so I've just finished my first true listen through, only stopping in the middle where the record would have originally been flipped over, and I'm still not sure what to say. But I'll try and say some stuff anyway.

1. Thunder Road is one of the best album openers I've ever heard, especially that moment right after the "we're not here to win" line when the toms break in and the sax outro starts (pure bliss actually). Just the way it builds so subtly from that harmonica intro (which is IMO the musical equivalent of the "once upon a time" at the start of your favorite childhood story) is majestic. I have it even totally read the lyrics, but the buts of phrases I manage to catch seem to explain the feelings the music is meant to evoke perfectly. Great song!

 

2. I never used to care much for Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out when I had only heard it on the radio. However, after actually listening to it and paying attention to the details of its sunny, groovy soundscape, I've found this is easily one of my favorites on the album. Once again, while. I haven't yet made sense of the lyrics, what I have caught perfectly describes the music behind it. Another great tune!

 

3. Night seems to be a solid mid- album track. Not outstanding, but with a nice saxophone feature for the main theme. Good energy.

 

4. Backstreets strikes me much the same way Digital Man and The Weapon did back when I first listened to Signals. That is to say, I can tell there's a great deal of goodness going on here, but being in the middle of the album seems to have caused it to blend in with much of the rest of the album, not yet standing out for much more than its catchy melody. Perhaps reading the lyrics would enhance my enjoyment of the song, or perhaps only repeated listens will grant it the recognition by me I'm guessing it deserves. The lack of saxophone certainly has aided it in not standing out on initial listens, but I do like it. Great coda/vamp at the end!

 

5. ...I don't think I need to discuss this song. Let's just leave it at "it's got an amazing sax solo, the fake ending still hasn't gotten old, and the song is every bit as classic as it's been determined to be by the public eye." Moving on! :)

 

6. She's The One ranks similarly to Night for me. Seems to be Springsteens equivalent of "filler material," which admittedly is still good. Not much to say about this song though, but it certainly doesn't drag the album down.

 

7. Love the trumpet in Meeting Across The River. It sounds like it's off in a world of it's own, playing a soulful jazzy extended solo to no one in the middle of the night. The rest of the song evokes a similar feeling of soulful loneliness, dreaming of escape. The lyrics sound as though the narrator is talking to himself. Very cinematic, but then again the whole album is. Feels much shorter than it actually is. I love it.

 

8. I really don't know what to make of Jungleland yet. I tried following the lyrics as I listened, but there was too much to take in at once. Nevertheless, I could sense the penultimate, climactic nature of the piece from the ways the words were sung. The sax solo seems to build and build but fails to reach past the breaking point. Dissappointment? Perhaps, but it sounds beautiful. Not as beautiful, however, as the solo piano interlude as the song reaches its final verses, Bruce coming in to sing over it after a few verses worth of sullen beauty in the form of mere piano chords. Love it. Need much more time to let it sink in. But still, I love it.

 

Great, great album! I will be looking to purchase a copy of this in the near future, on one of the remastered CD's if not on vinyl (Ty for that tip Segue). This is definitely one of my new favorites, further proving to me that the mid-seventies produced some of the greatest music in the history of...music...yes, of music. That wording was so totally not akward...

 

Thank you so much for the recommendation Segue! I will not forget this! :D

 

I am just glad when I read posts on here from individuals with an open mind. Even if you didnt like this I get the impression you would have still been polite!

 

Why thank you! :) That's quite right, in fact, and even if I had not liked it, I probably would've asked for other recs since I've heard Springsteen's catalogue is quite varied.

[Union 5-3992]

"Born to Run" mentions suicide twice in the opening stanza. That's just dumb.

 

In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream

At night we ride through the mansions of glory in suicide machines

Sprung from cages out on highway nine,

Chrome wheeled, fuel injected,and steppin' out over the line

H-Oh, Baby this town rips the bones from your back

It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap

We gotta get out while we're young

`Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run

The Camera Eye mentions rain twice in the same verse

War Pigs also mentions masses twice close together