Red Mosquito

McParadigm wrote:

Lament wrote:

Gods' Die wrote:'70s Springsteen is the best Springsteen.

His best album was 1982.

but I value the ability to convey a lot while expressing very little. That's poetry.

See, conversely, I think Darkness is really the first album where the idea of saying more with less becomes a concrete motif for him. I like the first two albums quite a bit (though I've never felt as intimately attached to them as I do his later work, mainly because I don't feel I have much of a tangible understanding of the characters, and the later ones seem all too real to me), but a lot of the writing on them comes off as being decidedly labored and, in spots, a little clunky. Generally speaking, it reads pretty much like what it is: the work of a young songwriter desperately trying to channel the erudition and wit of his idols. I think each album following Greetings feels progressively less strained from a writing perspective, and by Darkness he's fully tapped into his own method of lyricism, which is primarily founded on conveying great existential dilemmas in simple, blue-collar terms.

That said, I can sympathize with where you're coming from as far as favoring the naivety of the early records. And I absolutely think there are poetic heights on Born to Run that he never reached again, "Thunder Road" being probably the best of the best. But for the most part, I prefer what came after by a pretty wide margin.

Thunder Road is one of the few songs i really like from him. The Wrestler is another one.

His second record very well may be my favorite of his. But the titan songs off of Born to Run are really great, though I can only listen to them while in a moving vehicle.

Gods' Die wrote:His second record very well may be my favorite of his.

Blaine Ryan wrote:That said, I can sympathize with where you're coming from as far as favoring the naivety of the early records. And I absolutely think there are poetic heights on Born to Run that he never reached again, "Thunder Road" being probably the best of the best. But for the most part, I prefer what came after by a pretty wide margin.

I absolutely love the Live at Hammersmith cd and dvd. He had three very diverse albums at that time and to see him bring it all together and raising the ante on just about every song is amazing. I miss "sound of the circus" as Bruce put it that was fund in his earlier music. Give me those first three albums, disc 1 of Tracks and Live at the Hammersmith and that's all the Bruce I really need. I love when rock n roll is bigger than life.

I think one of the things I love about Glory Days is that the mandolin seems to harken back just a little to the early days.

I think Wild is a brilliant album with some all-time great songs and some lesser good ones, but for me there's just no emotional core there. More than anything else, the storytelling on the later records is what cements my fandom.

Kind of nice to see Bruce backing off the kitsch in his old age, but still, I haven't heard a good Springsteen song since Brilliant Disguise.

You must not be listening, man...

The Ghost of Tom Joad, Youngstown, American Skin (41 Shots), Into the Fire, The Rising, You're Missing, My City of Ruins, Devil & Dust, Maria's Bed, You'll Be Coming Down, Gypsy Biker, Long Walk Home, Devil's Arcade, Life Itself, The Wrestler, This Depression, Land of Hope & Dreams...

(To skim the tip of the iceberg)

Lament wrote:You must not be listening, man...

The Ghost of Tom Joad, Youngstown, American Skin (41 Shots), Into the Fire, The Rising, You're Missing, My City of Ruins, Devil & Dust, Maria's Bed, You'll Be Coming Down, Gypsy Biker, Long Walk Home, Devil's Arcade, Life Itself, The Wrestler, This Depression, Land of Hope & Dreams...

(To skim the tip of the iceberg)

fanboy post is a fanboy post.

Nah, Lament's right. He hasn't made a Great album in a long time, but Bruce has released a ton of quality music since Tunnel.

Man in Black wrote:fanboy post is a fanboy post.

No, he's right, only a fanboy would think it possible for an artist to release 17 excellent songs over an eight album span.

Lament wrote:

Man in Black wrote:fanboy post is a fanboy post.

No, he's right, only a fanboy would think it possible for an artist to release 17 excellent songs over an eight album span.

The Rising?

Man in Black wrote:The Rising?

Man in Black?

I totally blame The Rising for Unthought Known. The endless repetition of a base melody, the slow build up (complete with thumping kick drum), the sudden gear shift as it hits the bridge/solo section, and then the return to the quiet/build thing....

In short:

Lament wrote:

Man in Black wrote:fanboy post is a fanboy post.

No, he's right, only a fanboy would think it possible for an artist to release 17 excellent songs over an eight album span.

2.125 excellent songs per album? Get off the Boss's dick, fanboi. You lap up everything he farts!

Man in Black wrote:Kind of nice to see Bruce backing off the kitsch in his old age, but still, I haven't heard a good Springsteen song since Brilliant Disguise.

It's all subjective I suppose, but Wrecking Ball to my ears is a nearly perfect album and one of my favourites of the last 2-3 years. There isn't a song on that album that I don't like.

southp wrote:

Man in Black wrote:Kind of nice to see Bruce backing off the kitsch in his old age, but still, I haven't heard a good Springsteen song since Brilliant Disguise.

It's all subjective I suppose, but Wrecking Ball to my ears is a nearly perfect album and one of my favourites of the last 2-3 years. There isn't a song on that album that I don't like.

I'm with southp. I thought that album was just awesome. I listened to it just yesterday again and it still sounded great.

Blaine Ryan wrote:Nah, Lament's right. He hasn't made a Great album in a long time, but Bruce has released a ton of quality music since Tunnel.

This. Although i do think that "Magic" is pretty great.

Personally with Springsteen, I love the first 6 or so, and a lot of the new stuff (though not all of it). If there were categories, I'd go with:

LOVE: Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ; The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle; Born to Run; Darkness on the Edge of Town (favorite); The River; Nebraska; Born in the USA; The Rising; Magic; The Seeger Sessions; and Wrecking Ball

LIKE: The Promise (though it is a b side album); Tunnel of Love

DISLIKE: Human Touch; Lucky Town; Working on a Dream

HAVEN'T HEARD ENOUGH TIMES TO DECIDE BETWEEN LIKE AND LOVE: Devils and Dust; The Ghost of Tom Joad (wait, is that the album title?)

I think his albums from The Wild, the Innocent, & the E-Street Shuffle to Tunnel of Love are the best consecutive run of material by any solo artist--virtually every album in that streak is a 10 for me, and Born to Run is an 11. There's a noticeable decline after that, but I still think everything barring Human Touch is pretty good (and I don't even think that one's as bad as it's made out to be--"I Wish I Were Blind" is one of my favorite post-'80's Springsteen tunes, and there are a few more on there that are better than decent).

On that note, Lucky Town is a pretty unduly dismissed album. It's not perfect, but the fact that it gets lumped in with Human Touch in most people's minds (entirely Bruce's fault) has led it to be considered as being on the same level as that album, and it's really a lot better. Had he released it by itself, maybe sprinkling in the best songs from Touch, that era of his career would be more warmly regarded, I think. The dorky album cover doesn't do it any favors, either.