Red Mosquito

LoathedVermin72 wrote:It’s a billion times better than D&D or WB.

All three of those plus WOAD are patchy with few highs.

LetMeSleep wrote:

LoathedVermin72 wrote:It’s a billion times better than D&D or WB.

All three of those plus WOAD are patchy with few highs.

Disagree. I think WOAD and HH are both mostly great with a few duds.

I really like Wrecking Ball. Working on a Dream was not so great. High Hopes is better than people give credit though not among his best. Hopefully he gets some new material out there soon.

Springsteen post-2000 IMHO:

MAGIC (just exquisite)
THE RISING (bloated but really high highs)
WE SHALL OVERCOME (nice diversion)
WRECKING BALL (super uneven but some nice latter day Bruce)
WORKING ON A DREAM (like two good songs and the rest is Outlaw Pete level)
DEVILS & DUST (sorry this has always bored me)
HIGH HOPES (just bad please no more Morello)

Outlaw Pete is a good song

evenslow wrote:Springsteen post-2000 IMHO:

MAGIC (just exquisite)
THE RISING (bloated but really high highs)
WE SHALL OVERCOME (nice diversion)
WRECKING BALL (super uneven but some nice latter day Bruce)
WORKING ON A DREAM (like two good songs and the rest is Outlaw Pete level)
DEVILS & DUST (sorry this has always bored me)
HIGH HOPES (just bad please no more Morello)

I’d put D&D above Wrecking Ball, and I like Rising’s bloat enough that I wouldn’t have mentioned it, but otherwise yes.

Magic
Seeger Sessions
Working on a Dream
The Rising
Devils and Dust
Wrecking Ball
High Hopes

I really enjoyed the Seeger Sessions tour, highly recommend the DVD if you haven't seen it.

evenslow wrote:Springsteen post-2000 IMHO:

MAGIC (just exquisite)
THE RISING (bloated but really high highs)
WE SHALL OVERCOME (nice diversion)
WRECKING BALL (super uneven but some nice latter day Bruce)
WORKING ON A DREAM (like two good songs and the rest is Outlaw Pete level)
DEVILS & DUST (sorry this has always bored me)
HIGH HOPES (just bad please no more Morello)

This is about right.

I can’t see myself ever listening to We Shall Overcome

That album is a blast. Not too often I seek it out but when I do it's worth it.

WOAD has a lot of 3star tracks and is likeable enough. For me, the bombast moments are on average tracks. The start of the album (tracks 1-4) is troublesome too. All over the place and quite weak songs (for BS).

LetMeSleep wrote:That album is a blast. Not too often I seek it out but when I do it's worth it.

WOAD has a lot of 3star tracks and is likeable enough. For me, the bombast moments are on average tracks. The start of the album (tracks 1-4) is troublesome too. All over the place and quite weak songs (for BS).

You’re crazy! “My Lucky Day” and the title track are probably the best songs on the album!

"Outlaw Pete" and "Queen of the Supermarket" are the only two songs on "WOAD" that I don't like. There aren't a lot of towering peaks to it but the whole thing has a lightweight playfulness to it that really works for me, and plays through really nicely if I skip the above mentioned tracks.

"The Seeger Sessions"' is wonderful but it seems well outside LV's territory. Of course I probably would have thought that about Springsteen in general if I didn't know differently, so -- give it a try, LV!

"The Rising" was my first Springsteen album, so I have a soft spot for it (especially "Lonesome Day"), but in general I think I rate the highlights a bit lower than most, and have no interest in at least 5-6 of its songs. It's a solid "B" record for me, but ultimately a lot of production and hype over too many average songs.

WOAD’s big problem is its production, which is truly some of the worst I’ve ever heard. It’s barely listenable. But the songs are there. Maybe we’ll get a remaster someday.

The Rising was my first Bruce album too, which might have something to do with my intense affection for a couple of the tracks. But yeah, it’s way too long. If the actual album were my 11-track resequencing, it’d be a contender for my favorite Bruce album.

LoathedVermin72 wrote:

LetMeSleep wrote:That album is a blast. Not too often I seek it out but when I do it's worth it.

WOAD has a lot of 3star tracks and is likeable enough. For me, the bombast moments are on average tracks. The start of the album (tracks 1-4) is troublesome too. All over the place and quite weak songs (for BS).

You’re crazy! “My Lucky Day” and the title track are probably the best songs on the album!

Both a pretty snoozy 3 star tracks for me.

What Love Can Do however... Now that's a song

Spoiler: show

that's also compressed to buggery.

LoathedVermin72 wrote:I can’t see myself ever listening to We Shall Overcome

just listen to this track and you'll know if you want more:

evenslow wrote:

LoathedVermin72 wrote:I can’t see myself ever listening to We Shall Overcome

just listen to this track and you'll know if you want more:

I’ve heard that song and it’s the main reason I don’t want to listen to the album. Contemporary Springsteen doing acoustic-driven folk songs sounds awful to me.

LoathedVermin72 wrote:

evenslow wrote:

LoathedVermin72 wrote:I can’t see myself ever listening to We Shall Overcome

just listen to this track and you'll know if you want more:

I’ve heard that song and it’s the main reason I don’t want to listen to the album. Contemporary Springsteen doing acoustic-driven folk songs sounds awful to me.

I'd say it's got some really nice energy and a ragtag vibe going for it but fair enough.

Current Top 20:

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Adam Raised a Cain
Backstreets
Bobby Jean
Born in the U.S.A.
Born to Run
Countin' on a Miracle
Further On (Up the Road)
Highway Patrolman
Hungry Heart
I'm on Fire
Lift Me Up
No Surrender
The Promised Land
Radio Nowhere
The Rising
Something in the Night
Soul Driver
Thunder Road
Waitin' on a Sunny Day

I absolutely love "Soul Driver." Seriously underappreciated Bruce tune.

This 2005 solo piano version really gets me: