Bruce Springsteen

Despite being a man of fine and varied musical taste and ability, The Boss is one artist I have never ever took the time out to get into, despite probably being the kind of stuff that I would love.

As an absolute Springsteen amateur starting fresh, where would you suggest I start? Is there a particular album, just start at the beginning and work my way through the albums, or a greatest hits effort?

All sensible and stupid replies are welcome.

Mux

There's no bad place to start imo.

Early years.


90's


More recent (ish).



All pretty different but all quality. A great example of an artist where you can just enjoy the experience of discovering 40 years of back catalogue.
 


Darkness was my favourite Bruce album for years. Recently gravitated towards Tunnel of Love as my choice

I think most Springsteen fans who weren’t around in his Glory days ( see what I did there ) gravitate later to his post BITUSA stuff later so take a bit longer to appreciate it.
I never listened to anything from pre BTR to post BITUSA for years. Wasn’t until later I fully appreciated his ‘other’ stuff.
Tunnel of love is superb and Tougher than the rest in particular is a stonewall classic.
 
I think most Springsteen fans who weren’t around in his Glory days ( see what I did there ) gravitate later to his post BITUSA stuff later so take a bit longer to appreciate it.
I never listened to anything from pre BTR to post BITUSA for years. Wasn’t until later I fully appreciated his ‘other’ stuff.
Tunnel of love is superb and Tougher than the rest in particular is a stonewall classic.
Love the Boss but can't get away with his late 80s early 90s, non E Street, drum machine shit. It's shit.
 
Love the Boss but can't get away with his late 80s early 90s, non E Street, drum machine shit. It's shit.
There's a really good album in Human Touch/Lucky Town somewhere. I'd be curious to here how it would sound with say, the best 14 tracks on those albums recorded with the E-Street band. It does sound horribly 90s as it stands. As good as the songs are on BITUSA, I hate how it sounds.
 
Patti did a recent interview with Rolling Stone hinting that because of covid any tour is
likely to be 2022 :(
Stands to reason like. He'd do the arenas over there before he came here anyway. Let's just hope they all stay fit and well enough to see it through!
Probably the two albums it's hard to be critical of.

It took me ages to work out what it was about Darkness that I wasn't keen on. I bought it pre CD and obviously played side 1 then side 2. It works better as an album, IMHO, with side 1 second. It sounds extremely harsh to say, but Badlands is such a euphoric song, it sets a standard that would be almost impossible to keep up. It sits better in the middle and the other songs don't suffer by comparison. The Promised Land is a cracking album opener. If an albums perceived weakness is only the ordering of the songs, then I realise this sounds a trivial complaint.

BTR...never liked 'Night'. The rest is pretty much near perfect.
Interesting. I can't agree though. I've seen him on talking about it and he put a lot of thought into how each side of the record should open and close - not to mention the wealth of stuff he left off it completely that we eventually got on The Promise, which is mint by the way.
 
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Class mate thanks! Just the kind of input I was looking for.

Turns out there's some proper Bruce fans on here like! Mad with him being a Geordie and that!! ;)


Oh and @Thackeray chill out man I'm just winding you up - I blow my own trumpet on here all the time but I'm generally just f***ing about (although I am mint like). You're a canny poster but it's been funny biting at each other all day but I'll call a truce now mate :D

@Thackeray , I had a beer with @mux earlier in the week and he reckons he called skinchies when he offered you this olive branch. He's had your trousers down here mate.

@mux, how did the Springsteen experiment go?
 
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I feel spoiled this year....new albums from St. Bob and Neil Young, and now BS.

I thought Wrecking Ball ended a run of rather unmemorable albums...and I wasn't exactly bowled over by Western Stars. That said it will be a pleasure to revisit them over the next few days and see if I've been missing something.
 
Despite being a man of fine and varied musical taste and ability, The Boss is one artist I have never ever took the time out to get into, despite probably being the kind of stuff that I would love.

As an absolute Springsteen amateur starting fresh, where would you suggest I start? Is there a particular album, just start at the beginning and work my way through the albums, or a greatest hits effort?

All sensible and stupid replies are welcome.

Mux
He is one of those people who I don't mind and on paper he is exactly my kind of music, but I have never really warmed to him. The only lp I have, and love, is Nebraska.
 
It’s ok but comes over like a bit of a typical Boss album filler not a single in its own right.

Nobody comes close to him in concert. But his studio output since the Seeger Sessions in 2006 has been patchy at best. Magic and Working on a Dream - both duds. Wrecking Ball, not bad. High Hopes and Western Stars - duds. On the strength of the single, Letter to You doesn't fill me with anticipation.

His output up to Tunnel of Love in 1987 is unrivalled. His live performances are still unrivalled. I could have lived with long gaps between studio albums if that would have upped their quality.
 
Nobody comes close to him in concert. But his studio output since the Seeger Sessions in 2006 has been patchy at best. Magic and Working on a Dream - both duds. Wrecking Ball, not bad. High Hopes and Western Stars - duds. On the strength of the single, Letter to You doesn't fill me with anticipation.

His output up to Tunnel of Love in 1987 is unrivalled. His live performances are still unrivalled. I could have lived with long gaps between studio albums if that would have upped their quality.

Western Stars hit number 1 in about 15 countries and was universally praised from all critics. It’s an excellent album. Likewise the accompanying film received widespread critical claim.
Fair enough the orchestrated sound and lack of traditional band may not be your thing but you’re hugely in the minority to claim it’s a dud.
 
Nobody comes close to him in concert. But his studio output since the Seeger Sessions in 2006 has been patchy at best. Magic and Working on a Dream - both duds. Wrecking Ball, not bad. High Hopes and Western Stars - duds. On the strength of the single, Letter to You doesn't fill me with anticipation.

His output up to Tunnel of Love in 1987 is unrivalled. His live performances are still unrivalled. I could have lived with long gaps between studio albums if that would have upped their quality.
This is his only album I’ve not listened to again after first listen, really poor by his standards. I think it was rushed out on the back of his Super Bowl appearance and the wave of euphoria hitting the US after Obama’s election.
The tour that followed was great though, when he played Glastonbury. Thankfully very little of the album featured on the tour.
 
I find with his later albums I either really like them or don't like them at all. Loved Magic and Wrecking Ball, can barely sit through Western Stars and absolutely hate Working on a Dream (with the exception of the wrestler which is amazing)
 
@Thackeray , I had a beer with @mux earlier in the week and he reckons he called skinchies when he offered you this olive branch. He's had your trousers down here mate.

@mux, how did the Springsteen experiment go?
You had to bloody dob me in didn't you! ;)

I got the multi CD anthology thing as a result of this thread that someone recommended to me. As expected I really liked it. Pretty much all of it to be fair, so a worthwhile exercise for sure.

Mind you a couple of my mates who are die hard fans kicked off when I said some of his songs had a bit of a Meatloaf vibe to them :lol:
 
You had to bloody dob me in didn't you! ;)

I got the multi CD anthology thing as a result of this thread that someone recommended to me. As expected I really liked it. Pretty much all of it to be fair, so a worthwhile exercise for sure.

Mind you a couple of my mates who are die hard fans kicked off when I said some of his songs had a bit of a Meatloaf vibe to them :lol:
Ha ha, I think it’s the other way round :D
Jim Steinman was a Springsteen fan iirc
 
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I feel spoiled this year....new albums from St. Bob and Neil Young, and now BS.

I thought Wrecking Ball ended a run of rather unmemorable albums...and I wasn't exactly bowled over by Western Stars. That said it will be a pleasure to revisit them over the next few days and see if I've been missing something.
Wrecking Ball's a decent album I think, and the only one I revisit other than the excellent Magic. I thought Working on a Dream and High Hopes were pretty naff to be honest - a sign perhaps that his filter is failing.

I didn't like that Western Stars at all...not for me. Fair play he wanted to give it a go but I think it was a miscalculation.
Ha ha, I think it’s the other way round :D
Jim Steinman was a Springsteen fan iirc
The Professor Roy Bittan and the Mighty Max Weinberg are all over Bat Out of Hell anarl.
 
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