The Springsteen Thread

[Frankie Crisp]

I know there's a lot of love for Bruce on here - and rightly fucking so - so let's use this for album/song talk, favourites, rarities, gig memories and anything that pops into our heads. I'll probably write essays in here over the coming weeks when the chat gets going, but for now I'll kick the this off with The Springsteen Code, rather than turn Dev's thread into list-o-mania.

Nebraska, Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, The River, The Ghost of Tom Joad, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, Devils & Dust, Born in the U.S.A., Western Stars, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., Letter to You, The Rising, Wrecking Ball, Human Touch, High Hopes, Lucky Town, Magic, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, Working on a Dream, Tunnel of Love

The top three could be in any order on any given day, but right now Nebraska's King of the Boss (TM @HarmonicGenerator).

Oh, and whilst I've had it on a loop for a few weeks, the new album is incredible. The newer stuff about loss, ageing and melancholy is some of his most poignant work but the three songs written back in '73 steal it for me, Jeff. Musically, they fit right in and would have sounded much different if they'd made the cut on the earlier albums, but the character-driven lyrics and cultural references make them sound fresh yet familiar. Janey Needs A Shooter is a masterpiece. And they knocked the whole thing together in a few days, the mad old gets. 

Anyway, I hereby promise to use this thread and this thread alone to post his songs, rather than clogging up the Song of the Day Thread whenever I've had a drink.

Edited November 20, 2020 by Frankie Crisp

[Wideload90]

I only got Springsteen after listening to wrecking ball. Such good music. 

The tragedy was that I passed seeing him at the iow festival and I've been kicking myself since. Nobody has the longevity for 3 hour sets. 

Massive fan of the Seeger sessions and love the diversity of his back catalogue. No two albums sound the same and there's gold on every one. 

[SuperBacon]

Responsible for my favourite cameo in film.

 

[HarmonicGenerator]

Been playing the new album on a loop the last few weeks. Some of those songs have shot straight into my favourites list (which, granted, is long - @Frankie Crispmay remember it was a struggle to narrow it down to 32 a few months back). ‘If I Was The Priest’ tops it for me at the moment, but ‘Rainmaker’ is the one that gets stuck in my head most, and ‘Ghosts’ is the one I’m most looking forward to hearing live.

Speaking of live, seven times so far and it’s not nearly enough. Hearing ‘Jungleland’ live for the first time was like an out of body experience. Transcendent.

When I was struggling with mental health, Springsteen’s book was a big factor in convincing me to get help. ‘If Bruce can do it, I can do it’ was genuinely a thought that got me through things. When I proposed, I used Springsteen’s music to help me out. When my wife and I got married we walked back down the aisle together to Springsteen. This is an indication of how much the man and his music mean to me.

Edited November 20, 2020 by HarmonicGenerator

[ElCece]

I don't listen to music never had but what I can say when I shared a flat with a couple of my mates Springsteen was the one thing that I would stop what I was doing and listen to.

[Arch Stanton]

If I Was The Priest is an absolute banger off the new album. I can't get enough of it.

[Frankie Crisp]

5 minutes ago, HarmonicGenerator said:

‘If I Was The Priest’ tops it for me at the moment

 

4 minutes ago, Arch Stanton said:

If I Was The Priest is an absolute banger off the new album. I can't get enough of it.

It's insanely good, isn't it? How could a 24-year old write that? The latest album's got that gift of making you wake up with one of the songs in your head.

[SuperBacon]

@Frankie Crispare we allowed to pop covers in here in case people dont know about them?

Think this was the first time I ever heard one of Bruces songs outside of the ones I would've heard my Dad play, and I absolutely love this cover.

Exactly what a good cover should be, not just a carbon copy of the song, they make it their own without taking the piss.

I know Tom Morello loves Bruce a lot as well. 

The Ghost Of Tom Joad

 

[Divorced Dad]

Shamefully I only got into Springsteen in the last couple of years but he quickly shot to the top of my list of favourite artists.

I've never listened to anyone before who can make me think and reflect the way he does.

[Frankie Crisp]

Of course, @SuperBacon - stick whatever you like in here! And you've fast-tracked one my absolute favourite live moments by posting that. Him and Morello giving the world this. I think YouTube might need to wean me off it.

 

Edited November 20, 2020 by Frankie Crisp

[HarmonicGenerator]

Springsteen confession: I’ll listen to the version of ‘Tom Joad’ with Tom Morello from High Hopes over the original version. Very different song but I love the sheer power of the newer version. It’s the kind of song with such scale you can’t imagine hearing it in any venue smaller than a packed stadium. Great guitar solos too. 

(Edit: @Frankie Crisp posted a video of it while I was writing that! Well done that man.)

I’ve got similar feelings with ‘Youngstown’. I just love the version where Bruce screams ‘HELLLLLLLL’ like he’s really being dragged into its fiery furnaces and Nils Lofgren just goes nuts on the guitar and Max Weinberg’s drumming builds and builds and builds and the POWER of it and builds and builds and builds and Nils starts spinning on one leg and GOD I hope I get to see the E Street Band live again one day.

Edited November 20, 2020 by HarmonicGenerator

[Divorced Dad]

I fucking love this Clash cover by him and Tom Morello.

https://youtu.be/GqRN7N7lH8o

Edited November 20, 2020 by Divorced Dad
Bastard video won't show up.

[ElCece]

This was always a personal favourite . I think I was listening to it at a point in my life when I was full of doubts and it really rung true. 

 

[Frankie Crisp]

44 minutes ago, HarmonicGenerator said:

Springsteen confession: I’ll listen to the version of ‘Tom Joad’ with Tom Morello from High Hopes over the original version. Very different song but I love the sheer power of the newer version. It’s the kind of song with such scale you can’t imagine hearing it in any venue smaller than a packed stadium. Great guitar solos too. 

(Edit: @Frankie Crisp posted a video of it while I was writing that! Well done that man.)

I’ve got similar feelings with ‘Youngstown’. I just love the version where Bruce screams ‘HELLLLLLLL’ like he’s really being dragged into its fiery furnaces and Nils Lofgren just goes nuts on the guitar and Max Weinberg’s drumming builds and builds and builds and the POWER of it and builds and builds and builds and Nils starts spinning on one leg and GOD I hope I get to see the E Street Band live again one day.

To be honest, I think that just shows the power of his lyrics. You and I have chatted about the Nebraska, Joad and Devils trilogy and there are so many songs which could cause arguments for days in terms of original versus upgrade/cover. The two examples you've given are proof of that. You know my thoughts on the sombre Springsteen work, but I agree with you on the live Youngstown version. The pain and passion is his voice makes it more meaningful than the original.

But, and this may be contradictory given the video I posted, I still prefer the original Joad. Maybe because that album means so much to me or maybe because the sheer detail he goes into which has me visualising those families sleeping in their cars in the southwest, I just prefer the low-key version. The mood suits the song? I don't know.

Anyway, here's Electric Nebraska, just to batter everyone's head:

 

[5pints]

Flying out to Bilbao to see him play during his Working on a Dream tour. Having to stand outside the stadium into the early hours to get pit wristbands wasn't great, nor was that it was held over a religious festival weekend so not many places were open. The show was amazing though.