Essential Listening: Bruce Springsteen

When it comes to Rock music, there are few people I recommend more highly than Bruce Springsteen. Known best for his Stadium Rock, the Boss actually has one of the most interesting musical catalogs of all the big name rockers, having explored Folk, Gospel, Country and even some recent forays into Hip Hop. The problem is, most people are still only familiar with his 1980s "Born In the USA" era Stadium Rock work, which is, frankly, about his worst work. That said, having your "worst work" be a hugely successful Anti-Vietnam anthem that attacks the core of the decaying American morality isn't really as bad as it could be. 

So where do you start with Springsteen? Honestly, picking up an "Essential Bruce Springsteen" is a pretty good move, but to get a real feel of what the Boss is capable of, I think there's a grand total of three albums that you need to check out. 

Nebraska 

Released two years before Born in the USA, Nebraska is the other side of the coin from 'USA. Whereas 'USA is angry and hopeful, Nebraska is dark, mournful and hopeless. The America presented in Nebraska is a land where all the opportunity has dried up, young people can only hope to work the same soul-crushing jobs that their fathers have done for 40 years and wind up marrying their prom date after they accidentally got her pregnant. This is not an uplifting album, it is an album about all the things wrong with 1980s America, about the death of the American Dream and how the greed of the few is killing the future of the many. Still a pointent message nearly thirty years on. 

We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions 

I love American Folk music and there are few Folk albums out there this good. The Boss and friends retreated to his mountain cabin for a few weeks and recorded this album in 2006 and it remains a favorite of die-hard Springsteen fans to this day. Although this may not be the most accessible Springsteen album, it does show the sheer talent of the Boss and the musicians he associates with and just how damn good some of these classic American songs are. If you can't get into this, listen to it once, give it a few days, then come back to it and see how you feel. Like smokey whiskey or blue cheese, this can be something of an acquired taste. I'd still much rather listen to this than to Dancing in the Dark however. 

Magic 

Some people question my love of this particular album, but I have my reasons. There was a bit of buzz around this in 2007, it was getting played on the radio and the Boss was doing a lot of TV spots to push it, so I got curios and checked it out. The first track Radio Nowhere blew me away. This thing was a Bolt from the Blue, before Magic, Bruce Springsteen was something your parents listened to and now he was everywhere. What this song, and this album, really demonstrate is Springsteen's ability to compose an ensemble piece, there are a lot of instruments in this song, but they all blend together perfectly, creating a wonderful harmony. Aside from being one of my favorite Springsteen albums, Magic is one of my favorite albums period. When I think about the Boss, this is the first album I go to. 

So where does that leave Wrecking Ball? Personally, I think Wrecking Ball is one of the best albums of 2012 so far, but I'm not sure if it will have the longevity of Nebraska. Wrecking Ball feels like a culmination of where the Boss has been and where he is going musically; there's a great deal of anger in the album but also a hope that can be, at times, uplifting. Expect to see the Boss on my 2012 Top Ten early next year. 

Next Time: Something Else

Hat Guy - The streets are paved with diamonds and the gutter's lined with song