The Boss

Seeing as Karl has decided that 2012 is going to be the year of the Boss/Prince, thought I would put some thoughts down on both for him to use in his quest, starting with Springsteen as I've been listening to him loads recently.

It took me years to dip my toe into Springsteen, I like many others I'm sure had always dismissed him as a bit of a cheese ball, built in the spirit of a Bon Jovi or a Bryan Adams, largely based on Born in the USA, Glory Days & Dancing in the Dark (Which they are to an extent..)

It wasn't until I heard the song 'Growin Up' that my mind began to change, I remember hearing Ricky Gervais playing it on Xfm and being totally surprised to hear that it was Springsteen, it was then that I delved into his earlier stuff (Growin Up is from his debut). I actually discovered each of his albums in order, which I think was a massive help as it does give you a great perspective of the man and his work and how it developed over the years.

Lets start with the debut..

Greetings From Asbury Park NJ (1973)


This utterly surprised me when I first heard it, it didn't sound anything like I would have expected it too, its nothing like the bombastic, fists in the air, anthemic music he later became associated with, the production is really quite tight and smaller sounding, it also felt a bit funkier than expected. This mainly due to the band he had with him at the time, i.e the E Street Band Mark 1 and mainly the inclusion of David Sancious on piano and Vinny 'Mad Dog' Lopez on drums, who both brought a latin element to the band, Lopez' drums are very busy throughout. But the Springsteen elements were taking shape and his sense of grandeur and storytelling abilities were taking shape.

There are a fuck tonne of lyrics on the album too, lots and lots of words crammed in to every song, funny because Springsteen has often said he wasn't overly keen on that approach, he wrote the lyrics separately from the music for that album and hasn't used that method since, but I think it's one of the albums strengths, the imagery is fantastic. At the time he was the latest in a list of American singer songwriters to be dubbed the 'new Dylan' on account of this apparent lyrical prowess, I suppose this album is the closest in style to Dylan he would ever get but he would ultimately develop his style and they eventually came from different angles. Where Dylan would often cloak and shroud his lyrics in metaphor, Springsteen is very straight and honest, almost ham fisted in his approach, telling stories about real people, real events and the struggles and hardships of real life.



This album has its empathetic moments, Lost in the Flood is the story of a 'Nam' Vet returning to a humbling life (a topic he would revisit on Born in the USA), but it mainly deals with teenage heartbreak and the perils of being a young man growing up in a small suburban town in New Jersey and the music reflects this, its playful for the nost part and when it needs to be, and its sombre and reflective when it's required.

It is however definitely the sound of a man learning his trading and finding his way, the production is a tad flat, but it sort of works for what they're doing and the songs sometimes lack a little something that he would later find in abundance.

This albums sounds like a hungry young man on the cusp of something special, it has swagger but its also a touch naive but overall it's a great album too get your teeth into and delve into what Springsteen was all about.


Original E Street Band Lineup



TBC..