Prepping for The Boss


Felicia and I are going to see Bruce Springsteen on Monday. I am a pretty big fan - I still like U2 and Bob Dylan a lot more. I own 6 of his albums:

"Greatest Hits" - the first album I ever bought of his - I think I had joined Columbia house when I was in Bible School, and it was one of the 11 cd's I got for free. It's a pretty good intro.

Nebraska - This is an album that a lot of people talk about as being a classic like Marley's Exile, U2's Joshua Tree, Beatles Sgt. Pepper's or Radiohead's Ok Computer. It's one of those albums that every serious rock music aficionado feels he should own. And it's easy to see why. It is stark and stripped down. Easily, my favorite Springsteen album.

18 Tracks - This is a wierd album. It's extra tracks and cast-offs from other albums, including some very early songs never released before. I was reading a Rolling Stone interview with U2 once, and they were listening to this album in their tour bus. I thought I should own it, if U2 liked it. I don't really like it.

The Rising - I heard the song "The Rising" and I liked it. This was an album Springsteen wrote after 9/11. He had heard that at a lot of the funerals of the firemen and Policemen who had died on that day, their widows had chosen songs like "Thunder Road" and "Born in the USA" to play. Springsteen even attended some of the funerals incognito, and met privately with many of the families. There are some very touching songs on this album, which never dip into sappiness.

Magic - The song "Radio Nowhere" was a free itunes download for awhile. He recorded this album with the E-street band, and it is amazing - Vintage Bruce - heart and soul.

Darkness on the Edge of Town - This album came out in 1978 - 8 years before I would ever be able to appreciate rock and roll. I bought this album tonight off of itunes. I bought it, because on the recent tour, Bruce has been playing 4-5 songs off of it every night. I wanted to be better familiar with some of these songs. I hear this is Bono's favorite Bruce Springsteen album. Some good songs and great lyrics like this gem:

Everybody's got a secret Sonny
Something that they just can't face
Some folks spend their whole lives trying to keep it
They carry it with them every step that they take
Till some day they just cut it loose
Cut it loose or let it drag 'em down
Where no one asks any questions
Or looks too long in your face
In the darkness on the edge of town

I think Springsteen's popularity lies in his ability to put himself in the shoes of the people he grew up with in New Jersey - lots of songs about the working class and love found and lost. He is also a brilliant musician with seething passion as he performs.

It think it's going to be one of the best concerts I will ever see in my life.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Such a crazy new red background!

Brent
4:51 PM
Julie said…
we are going to see the boss in may in dublin! i think it's going to be so good. have fun tonight!
2:56 PM
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