Bruce Springsteen [The Essential Bruce Springsteen]
This is a two disc compilation set, entitled 'Essential', whatever that means, it's a thirty song collection that's actually compiled by the Boss himself, so i guess no arguing over what's included, and left out!, as the Boss must know best, basically he chooses a couple of tracks from each of his back catalogue, if you want to explore further, then of course you can buy the individual albums, so i guess with Brucie, some of his output is hit, and others are a bit of miss, but this is a nice way to have an easy slimline set of songs that explains the Bruce Springsteen story from 1972-2003, so yes i guess it's already a decade outdated!, but it still works, makes me want to explore him some more.
Bruce Springsteen is American, he's now 65, this compilation came out in 2003, now the front cover isn't great, a really out of focus shot of Springsteen [by Mary Alfieri], but i like the lettering on the top, the back inlay photograph is better, showing Springsteen in a hall / stadium, guitar in hand, empty chairs, and a wonderful sparkling light from above, dazzling the seats of the chairs, i like the track listing also, orange and black, easy to see and read.
On this listen i like tracks 4, 12, 14, 18-20, 23, 25-26 & 29-30, with tracks 14, 19-20 & 25 the very best of all, and it's these four tracks i would like to speak of here,
14 Nebraska - From the album of the same name, there's a smoky hiss of a track, gently strummed guitar, and atmospheric reverb harmonica intro [0:00-0:30], a lazy couldn't care less vocal delivery, roughly a song about a Bonnie & Clyde partnership that killed ten innocent people, during the second half of the song, quiet twinkling glockenspiel starts up [2:38+] when he's about to be executed, which is really quite affecting, the best lyric 'into that great void my soul'd be hurled', it ends with that with Springsteen's harmonic playing.
19 Tunnel Of Love - Also from the album of the same name, a gentle Rock song, likening a relationship to the dangers of a tunnel of love at a fairground, best lyric 'you've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above'.
20 Brilliant Disguise - Probably the best track from the Tunnel Of Love album, a great beat and rhythm, with woodblock hits, Springsteen has such a strong purposeful voice, the longer the song continues, the stronger the rhythm and feel of the song gets, there's instruments / complexity slightly added as it goes, which creates a great feel of it getting better and better, best lyric 'God have mercy on the man, who doubts what he's sure of '.
25 The Ghost Of Tom Joad - From the album of the same name, though certainly not the best track on the album by far, similar in a way to Nebraska, a short harmonica solo, Springsteen singing quiet in a gruff voice, about the homeless and forgotten, people sleeping rough and hungry, the last verse references the book The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck, where the protagonist Tom Joad is saying goodbye to his Mother, the song is punctuated by Springsteen's harmonica, and like Nebraska it outro's with the same, best lyric 'he pulls a prayer book out of his sleeping bag'.
Bruce Springsteen is American, he's now 65, this compilation came out in 2003, now the front cover isn't great, a really out of focus shot of Springsteen [by Mary Alfieri], but i like the lettering on the top, the back inlay photograph is better, showing Springsteen in a hall / stadium, guitar in hand, empty chairs, and a wonderful sparkling light from above, dazzling the seats of the chairs, i like the track listing also, orange and black, easy to see and read.
On this listen i like tracks 4, 12, 14, 18-20, 23, 25-26 & 29-30, with tracks 14, 19-20 & 25 the very best of all, and it's these four tracks i would like to speak of here,
14 Nebraska - From the album of the same name, there's a smoky hiss of a track, gently strummed guitar, and atmospheric reverb harmonica intro [0:00-0:30], a lazy couldn't care less vocal delivery, roughly a song about a Bonnie & Clyde partnership that killed ten innocent people, during the second half of the song, quiet twinkling glockenspiel starts up [2:38+] when he's about to be executed, which is really quite affecting, the best lyric 'into that great void my soul'd be hurled', it ends with that with Springsteen's harmonic playing.
19 Tunnel Of Love - Also from the album of the same name, a gentle Rock song, likening a relationship to the dangers of a tunnel of love at a fairground, best lyric 'you've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above'.
20 Brilliant Disguise - Probably the best track from the Tunnel Of Love album, a great beat and rhythm, with woodblock hits, Springsteen has such a strong purposeful voice, the longer the song continues, the stronger the rhythm and feel of the song gets, there's instruments / complexity slightly added as it goes, which creates a great feel of it getting better and better, best lyric 'God have mercy on the man, who doubts what he's sure of '.
25 The Ghost Of Tom Joad - From the album of the same name, though certainly not the best track on the album by far, similar in a way to Nebraska, a short harmonica solo, Springsteen singing quiet in a gruff voice, about the homeless and forgotten, people sleeping rough and hungry, the last verse references the book The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck, where the protagonist Tom Joad is saying goodbye to his Mother, the song is punctuated by Springsteen's harmonica, and like Nebraska it outro's with the same, best lyric 'he pulls a prayer book out of his sleeping bag'.
