I'm not a great fan of Springsteen's 'anthems' [Born In The USA etc], but his more acoustic output really gets me, my favourite album of his is 'Tunnel Of Love', he really gets under your skin, and finds the detail and essence of life in his observations, on first listen i found this just too laid back, in places Springsteen almost ends up talking with a slight guitar twang in the background, almost like a book of poems, but once you notice these very underestimated lyrical tunes, you realise what an incredible Singer / Songwriter Springsteen really is, he has that ability to transport you away to a time and place of his choosing, you truly fall into his world, some of these songs are gut-wrenching, on this hearing this album truly clicked, before i used to like a few of the songs, now i find almost all of them precious gems, songs of unemployment, crime, illegal immigrants, vagrancy, loss, revenge etc, this could well prove to eventually be my favourite Springsteen album in time.
Bruce Springsteen is American, now 63 years old, he recorded this disc in 1995, the front cover picture is crap, well maybe that's a bit severe, it certainly isn't great, but its low key-ness actually goes along with the music.
So many of these tracks were just revelatory today, i have never heard this album so good, it gets better and better on every hearing, my favourite three tracks are 5-6 & 11, and here's a synopsis of all three,
5 Sinaloa Cowboys - My absolute favourite of all, the ending is so powerful and strong, it makes you want to weep, and i catch myself every time, it ends 'there in the dirt he dug up ten thousand dollars, all that they'd saved, kissed his brother's lips and placed him in his grave', now that's so gripping, earlier their Father had warned them 'My sons, one thing you will learn, for everything the north gives, it exacts a price in return', and here his maxim comes true, the hole in the ground of buried treasure, for one of them doubled as his grave, it gives and takes in return, the imagery is fantastic, the music is just Springsteen and his acoustic guitar, a certain Mexican sounding melody, it just ambles along, Springsteen's voice cracks at times, there's a very subtle use of emphasis, try 'ah but if you slipped', it's poetic storytelling at its best.
6 The Line - A touching yet sad tale of lost love, a girl that he met, and then lost, and then spent his life trying to find her, again a gentle strumming song, there's a lovely crux near the end, where he stands between Bobby Ramirez [loyalty], and Louisa [love], and the music almost hangs in mid air at the lyrics 'I felt myself moving', as his hand rests on his gun, again a great moment where Springsteen can say in a few words what others would spend pages to say.
11 Galveston Bay - A surprise addition, i liked this a lot, very very sparse, just really a slight twang from Springsteen's guitar, just very much his raw voice, it's the nearest you'll get to Bruce just reciting a poem, and it's his ability to quote nonchalant insignificance like 'In the early darkness, Billy rose up, went into the kitchen for a drink of water', and yet to make it so profound, as if the whole song hangs on a moment of rare nothing, it's a doodling guitar album with the mutterings of a prophet.
This listening inspired me to buy Springsteen's earlier sparse album 'Nebraska', i'm sure it's going to be just as good.
Bruce Springsteen is American, now 63 years old, he recorded this disc in 1995, the front cover picture is crap, well maybe that's a bit severe, it certainly isn't great, but its low key-ness actually goes along with the music.
So many of these tracks were just revelatory today, i have never heard this album so good, it gets better and better on every hearing, my favourite three tracks are 5-6 & 11, and here's a synopsis of all three,
5 Sinaloa Cowboys - My absolute favourite of all, the ending is so powerful and strong, it makes you want to weep, and i catch myself every time, it ends 'there in the dirt he dug up ten thousand dollars, all that they'd saved, kissed his brother's lips and placed him in his grave', now that's so gripping, earlier their Father had warned them 'My sons, one thing you will learn, for everything the north gives, it exacts a price in return', and here his maxim comes true, the hole in the ground of buried treasure, for one of them doubled as his grave, it gives and takes in return, the imagery is fantastic, the music is just Springsteen and his acoustic guitar, a certain Mexican sounding melody, it just ambles along, Springsteen's voice cracks at times, there's a very subtle use of emphasis, try 'ah but if you slipped', it's poetic storytelling at its best.
6 The Line - A touching yet sad tale of lost love, a girl that he met, and then lost, and then spent his life trying to find her, again a gentle strumming song, there's a lovely crux near the end, where he stands between Bobby Ramirez [loyalty], and Louisa [love], and the music almost hangs in mid air at the lyrics 'I felt myself moving', as his hand rests on his gun, again a great moment where Springsteen can say in a few words what others would spend pages to say.
11 Galveston Bay - A surprise addition, i liked this a lot, very very sparse, just really a slight twang from Springsteen's guitar, just very much his raw voice, it's the nearest you'll get to Bruce just reciting a poem, and it's his ability to quote nonchalant insignificance like 'In the early darkness, Billy rose up, went into the kitchen for a drink of water', and yet to make it so profound, as if the whole song hangs on a moment of rare nothing, it's a doodling guitar album with the mutterings of a prophet.
This listening inspired me to buy Springsteen's earlier sparse album 'Nebraska', i'm sure it's going to be just as good.
