Bruce Springsteen fans I need your advice

[U2girl]

He's always been one of those musicians I meant to look into but never really did it - till now. I bought the Rising last week.

I really like it - had watery eyes and got choked up on several occasions when I listened to it but



The only song I didn't quite get into was Further up on the road and maybe the Rising a little,
I LOVE Lonesome day, Waitin' on a sunny day, Nothing man, Countin' on a miracle, Let's be friends (this r&b/pop-ish song always makes me smile - I'd never expect to hear a rock/anthem guy like Bruce croon it away), Mary's place, You're missing and Paradise, also City of ruins (love that organ).
I like other songs too, but those stick out the most (if I had to pick a fave, it's a toss between Waitin' on a sunny day/Nothing man/Let's be friends and You're missing) and I think I will be getting more of his albums.

Soooo....where to go next when it comes to the Boss?

Apart from the Rising, I also know/quite like the songs Born in the USA, Hungry Heart, Streets of Philadelphia, Human touch, I'm on fire, Sad eyes (*ahem* the Enrique Inglesias cover).

 

[Popmartijn]

Hello,

As a beginner, I would advise to get The Essential, his Best Of... collection (released last year) as it has most of the hits and other great tracks from his albums. However, if you want to go for full albums and not compilations...
Well, Born In The USA was the album that hit the jackpot, so you may try that one out. Many here on Interference love Darkness On The Edge Of Town (although I don't own it yet ).

But...
Bruce shines best in a live setting. If you have the chance of getting his Live 1975/85 box set, get it! He's an awesome performer. A more budget choice would be Plugged. It's not with the famous and fabulous E Street Band, but the versions on it are still great (you can see it as a mini-compilation of his Human Touch and Lucky Town albums). I dare say that Atlantic City on that album is the best version he did of it ever!

Anyway, for starters you can get The Essential, Darkness..., Born In The USA, Live 1975/85 or Plugged.
Alternatively, if you're more interested in lyrics and storytelling 'songs' (like Nothing Man, but then a full album) you must check out Nebraska or The Ghost Of Tom Joad. They mainly consist of a voice and an acoustic guitar and you have to really focus on listening to the lyrics, but the tales are heartwrenching.

I hope I could give you a few good suggestions.

C ya!

Marty

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Darkness on the Edge of Town
Nebraska


Either one of those, or the Essential will do.

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

BORN TO RUN!!!!!!
LIVE IN NYC!!!!!
DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN!!!!
BORN IN THE USA!!!!
NEBRASKA!!!!!

 

[martha]

1. Darkness (Marty )
2. Live '75-'85
3. Essential
4. Born in the USA
5. The River


In that order.

 

[U2girl]

Thank you everyone for replying so far - I think I will start with Darkness... and Born in the USA.

Yes I'm interested in his full albums - sorry for not specifying earlier.
I guess I should start with the E street band stuff and then move on to his solo stuff?

I noticed the 1957/85 set (but it's three CDs so it costs mucho money) and New York live CD in the store - and I remember seing Born to run and Born in the USA and Human touch as well - but I bet there'd be more to find in the online department.

 

[Nesskelz]

I would say start off with the Greatest hits, not the Essential, because the essential might be a lot to take in at once.
As for studio albums I would reccomend, Darkness on the Edge of Town, followed by Born to Run.
And defanatly try to get one of his live DVDs, Either Live in NYC from the reunuion tour, or Live from Barcelona from the Rising tour. They're both great, so you really can't go wrong there.

 

[fah]

What martha said

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

well in the headache's springsteen time life series, you would start with the essentials album... just to get an overall feel for every "era" of bruce, and if you like the first set you will recieve darkness the following month... cancel anytime you'd like, sorry no c.o.d.

 

[U2girl]

The headache way to get into Bruce eh?
c.o.d.?

Actually I got Born in the USA (ahh memories...my brother used to have a tape of that album ), Darkness on the edge of town (both at a really nice price) and the New York live CD.
I listened to the first two in full, and about 3 or 4 songs of the live CD. I like

Nesskelz@aol., I saw an hour of Bruce's Barcelona show on MTV Europe - and it was impressing. While his show is more, shall I say, organic and down to earth, straightforward rocking than U2's, they certainly deserve their live reputation. He's got a real good way to fire up fans, even though it's "just a guy with a guitar" classic singer kind of performing.

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

My suggested listening order, Non- Compilation, *Rising excluded*

Core:
Born to Run
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Born in the USA
Live 1975-1985
Nebraska
18 Tracks (outtakes, cheaper than box set "Tracks" Must have for "Pink Caddillac", "My Love Will Not Let You Down", "Lion's Den", and "Sad Eyes")

Slightly less essential:
Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ
The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle
The River
Tunnel of Love
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Live in NYC

Fans only:
Plugged (Skip the two albums and just get this, you MUST have "If I Should Fall Behind" live)
Human Touch
Lucky Town
Tracks (full box set mentioned above)

Both GH and Essential have strong points and weakness, GH only place to get "Murder, Incorporated" and"Secret Garden"

That said, here's MY order of favorite albums by Bruce

Darkness on the Edge of Town
Born to Run
Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ
Live 1975-1985
Tunnel of Love
The Rising
Born in the USA
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Nebraska
18 Tracks
Plugged
The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle
The River
Live in NYC
Lucky Town
Human Touch

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

I know I already posted but I just want to say that Live In NYC would be a great way to start too. The band is very tight, Land Of Hope And Dreams is a great "new" song and one Bruce's best ever IMO, best live performances of Jungleland, Two Hearts, Badlands, Ramrod, Lost In The Flood and an AMAZING acoustic version of Born In The U.S.A., great, great version of that song!!!

 

[U2girl]

Yes, live in NYC double CD is very good
Is the last song on CD 1 Born to run?

I was when Born in the USA started because I expected, you know, the loud organ/drum intro. Interesting version non the less.

If I should fall behind. I remember seeing a video for this song where they all trade place in front of the microphone - black and white video. Probably my favorite Bruce song at the moment.

(I forgot mentioning Secret Garden, I like that one too)

 

[Popmartijn]

Yep, the last song on CD1 of LINYC is Born To Run. A great version! I have to say that I think the LINYC is a horrible live album, if only for it's sequencing. It doesn't flow like a (Bruce) concert. The CD-split is done between 2 songs that are entwined (Out In The Streets into Tenth Avenue Streetout) and in between there's this bonus song (Born To Run).
That said, many live renditions are very strong though (My Love Will Not Let You Down, Youngstown (!), 41 Shots) although I don't care for some others (Prove It All Night, Badlands, The River).

The best Bruce live albums are his 1978 bootlegs though (with the one at Winterland being my favourite). Awesome versions of his songs, great covers, amazing energy and more than three hours of pure rock & roll!

C ya!

Marty

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

Yes, live in NYC double CD is very good
Is the last song on CD 1 Born to run?

I was when Born in the USA started because I expected, you know, the loud organ/drum intro. Interesting version non the less.

If I should fall behind. I remember seeing a video for this song where they all trade place in front of the microphone - black and white video. Probably my favorite Bruce song at the moment.

(I forgot mentioning Secret Garden, I like that one too)

YES If I Should Fall behind is one of the most beautiful songs ever written and the LINYC version is AMAZING with everybody singing, Clearance?s singing voice is almost as beautiful as his playing!!! My favorite song right now too. Bruce?s sensibility is spooky!

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

Yep, the last song on CD1 of LINYC is Born To Run. A great version! I have to say that I think the LINYC is a horrible live album, if only for it's sequencing. It doesn't flow like a (Bruce) concert. The CD-split is done between 2 songs that are entwined (Out In The Streets into Tenth Avenue Streetout) and in between there's this bonus song (Born To Run).
That said, many live renditions are very strong though (My Love Will Not Let You Down, Youngstown (!), 41 Shots) although I don't care for some others (Prove It All Night, Badlands, The River).

The best Bruce live albums are his 1978 bootlegs though (with the one at Winterland being my favourite). Awesome versions of his songs, great covers, amazing energy and more than three hours of pure rock & roll!

C ya!

Marty

How in the name of God can you not care for the amazing NYC version of Badlands? It?s THE best version ever, even better than the ones form the all mighty Darkness tour. That extra riff with everybody singing in the end and Bruce's anger during the "Get it straight" part is priceless!!! And Bruce and Steve's vocals in the end of Prove It All Night are worth the money and so is Bruce's solo!!!!


I must agree with you on the sequencing part, it's not very good, it seems amateurish at times but the thing is that they had to compress Bruce's long 3 hours show into two cds that hold 80 minutes each, so it can't be easy. I also agree that Youngstown sounds great there with Nills fantastic solo and Bruce's screaming "Helllllll!!!"

 

[Popmartijn]

How in the name of God can you not care for the amazing NYC version of Badlands? It?s THE best version ever, even better than the ones form the all mighty Darkness tour. That extra riff with everybody singing in the end and Bruce's anger during the "Get it straight" part is priceless!!!

OK, I admit I haven't listened to this record for a while, so I wrote my critique of Badlands out of memory. But I have to say I did not care for Badlands (and Prove It All Night) during the Reunion Tour. The 1978 version also isn't that interesting IMO. Now, the Rising Tour version, that's a different story. The song came to life for me during that tour. The prolonged ending totally made it for me. You thought the song was finished and there he started it again (like U2 does often with SBS).

And Bruce and Steve's vocals in the end of Prove It All Night are worth the money and so is Bruce's solo!!!!

That's where you and I have different opinions. I think Prove It All Night sounds tiring nowadays. The vocal exchange, Bruce doing yet another solo, etc. It just doesn't click with me. Sorry. For me, the ultimate version is still the Winterland version (the long intro, Bruce's guitar suddenly coming to life, the distortion when they launch into the body of the song ).

I must agree with you on the sequencing part, it's not very good, it seems amateurish at times but the thing is that they had to compress Bruce's long 3 hours show into two cds that hold 80 minutes each, so it can't be easy.

It's one thing to compress a 3 hour concert on 2 CD's, but without commenting on the selection of songs, it's the sequencing where they went horribly wrong. It has nothing to do with choosing what to leave out, it's where to put in on the disc.

I also agree that Youngstown sounds great there with Nills fantastic solo and Bruce's screaming "Helllllll!!!"

Marty

 

[Popmartijn]

I must agree with you on the sequencing part, it's not very good, it seems amateurish at times but the thing is that they had to compress Bruce's long 3 hours show into two cds that hold 80 minutes each, so it can't be easy.

Here's what I came up with in the last five minutes. The songs are the same as on the two discs, only sequenced a bit differently. I think this will make a better listening experience.

Disc 1
1. My Love Will Not Let You Down
2. Prove It All Night
3. Two Hearts
4. Atlantic City
5. Mansion On The Hill
6. The River
7. Youngstown
8. Murder Incorperated
9. American Skin (41 Shots)
10. Born In The USA

Disc 2
11. Badlands
12. Out In The Streets
13. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
14. Lost In The Flood
15. Don't Look Back
16. Jungleland
17. Ramrod
18. Born To Run
19. If I Should Fall Behind
20. Land Of Hope And Dreams

Better, isn't it?



Marty

 

[fah]

I just ordered live 75-85.

 

[Popmartijn]

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

Here's what I came up with in the last five minutes. The songs are the same as on the two discs, only sequenced a bit differently. I think this will make a better listening experience.

Disc 1
1. My Love Will Not Let You Down
2. Prove It All Night
3. Two Hearts
4. Atlantic City
5. Mansion On The Hill
6. The River
7. Youngstown
8. Murder Incorperated
9. American Skin (41 Shots)
10. Born In The USA

Disc 2
11. Badlands
12. Out In The Streets
13. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
14. Lost In The Flood
15. Don't Look Back
16. Jungleland
17. Ramrod
18. Born To Run
19. If I Should Fall Behind
20. Land Of Hope And Dreams

Better, isn't it?



Marty

Dude you can't take Badlands away from Murder Inc. You can't go from a song where Bruce hits his guitar against his body some 8-10 times to a song where he asks to complete silence. One of the best moments of that show was the part that would start with Youngstown and end with Tenth Avenue Freeze Out. The Badlands-Murder Inc. was perfect and probably my favorite on the record. Of course as we know they couldn?t put it all together so they had to put TAFO on the other disc and have BTR as an "extra" track in between. Maybe what they could have done is have edited Clarence's long (and a little boring IMHO) sax solo before The River and Bruce?s harmonica at the end of the song, maybe then there would be space for TAFO because The River is over 11 minutes on LINYC and a lot of it is just Clarence playing away. It's juts too long I think. Or maybe they could just take that song out of there and tried to fit in the second disc where the more calm songs are. I like that idea more.

I think maybe I didn't expressed myself all to well before, when I said sequencing I meant the way that one song ends and the other starts, like I don't think there's much time between Born In the U.S.A. and Don't Look Back, they could have at least added Bruce's counting to DLB just so we know that a more rock n' roll song would start just after Bruce had done an acoustic song by himself without the band. And I think Land Of Hope And Dreams and American Skin belong together specially cause they are the two new songs there and I would like a lot more having LOHAD juts after BTR as it is on the DVD but not on the cd discs. It works really well. Even though ending the show with LOHAD would be awesome (and they have done it like that a lot of times) I like ending the show with If I Should Fall Behind, it's a very gracious way to end this album since this is from the reunion tour it's interesting to see most of the people from the band singing with Bruce as a statement.

Maybe it could have been done this way:

My Love Will Not Let You Down
Prove It All Night
Two Hearts
Atlantic City
Mansion On The Hill
Youngstown
Murder Inc.
Badlands
Out On The Street
Tenth Avenue Freeze Out

Born To Run
Land Of Hope And Dreams
American Skin
Lost In The Flood
Born In The U.S.A.
The River (maybe a 6-7 minutes version)
Don?t Look Back
Jungleland
Ramrod
If I Should Fall Behind

 

[Popmartijn]

Maybe it could have been done this way:

My Love Will Not Let You Down
Prove It All Night
Two Hearts
Atlantic City
Mansion On The Hill
Youngstown
Murder Inc.
Badlands
Out On The Street
Tenth Avenue Freeze Out

Born To Run
Land Of Hope And Dreams
American Skin
Lost In The Flood
Born In The U.S.A.
The River (maybe a 6-7 minutes version)
Don?t Look Back
Jungleland
Ramrod
If I Should Fall Behind

I think were getting there. Yes, OOTS and the Tenth should definately be on the same disc. I think your version of the first disc is quite alright. I do have some issues with the second disc. For one, I'd like to match it an actual Reunion Tour setlist as close as possible. OK, so then The River should actually be right after Mansion On The Hill, but for this one time I might make an exception. Still, I think it should close with Land Of Hope And Dreams, something upbeat. Born To Run also belongs in the encores. Now, the spot after the Tenth was usually some rarer song, so Lost In The Flood might belong there. I think that Born In The U.S.A. may have a nice link with American Skin. Throw in Jungleland to raise the tempo (a bit) and then go with the rest.

My (new) suggestion:
11. Lost In The Flood
12. Born In The U.S.A.
13. American Skin
14. Jungleland
15. The River
16. Don't Look Back
17. Ramrod
18. Born To Run
19. If I Should Fall Behind
20. Land Of Hope And Dreams

Or is the beginning still a bit too slow?

Marty

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

I think were getting there. Yes, OOTS and the Tenth should definately be on the same disc. I think your version of the first disc is quite alright. I do have some issues with the second disc. For one, I'd like to match it an actual Reunion Tour setlist as close as possible. OK, so then The River should actually be right after Mansion On The Hill, but for this one time I might make an exception. Still, I think it should close with Land Of Hope And Dreams, something upbeat. Born To Run also belongs in the encores. Now, the spot after the Tenth was usually some rarer song, so Lost In The Flood might belong there. I think that Born In The U.S.A. may have a nice link with American Skin. Throw in Jungleland to raise the tempo (a bit) and then go with the rest.

My (new) suggestion:
11. Lost In The Flood
12. Born In The U.S.A.
13. American Skin
14. Jungleland
15. The River
16. Don't Look Back
17. Ramrod
18. Born To Run
19. If I Should Fall Behind
20. Land Of Hope And Dreams

Or is the beginning still a bit too slow?

Marty

Hey, sorry I took so long to answer back....

I like your version of cd 2 but I still like the way I put it before more. The reason why I like BTR after TAFO is cause I remember how impressed I was when I saw all of that on DVD and I remember thinking "Wow, there's no way in hell Bruce can top this now, the show is going to go downhill now. Too bad?" and then he started the count an they launched into BTR, he kept the vibe going because we still wanted more at the end of TAFO and that was the perfect song because the body and the mind were still asking for more upbeat and loud stuff. So by the time BTR was over I was ready to rest a little and so they started play the beautiful LOHAD. Which I still think was a great follow up for BTR. So there you go. Plus it's a great song to start the second cd.