Bruce Springsteen Band • Page 5

In my car I have both Born to Run and Nebraska rotating in and out of my CD player, but Nebraska is definitely in there waaaaaay longer and way more often.

 

Speaking of weird favorite Bruce albums, I'm pretty sure that Tom Joad is Jason Isbell's favorite album by the Boss.

 

I thought there was going to be a Tom Joad defender in our ranks. I guess not!

I think Fallon just likes the looser sound and lyricism of those first two records. His favorite Springsteen song is also "Zero and Blind Terry," so he's not your conventional Bruce fan. Those songs/albums are probably just the ones that most inspired his writing style--which, listening to The '59 Sound or American Slang, makes perfect sense.

I didn't know you put Born to Run third. Not sure how I feel about that, Chris!

Also, surprised you put Devils last. I don't love that album, but I definitely don't think it's close to his worst writing.

 

It's not even like it's bad. It's just really one-note, so I put it on the least. It still has the title track and "Youngstown", so it's pretty good. Just Human Touch, while it has some total filler, also has some tracks I get pumped to put on.

Also I was debating including ephemera like Tracks and The Promise, the bonus disc for The River and Live 1975-1985 but then I couldn't figure out where in that top 3 to put Tracks. so I gave up. Haha

 

From 92 on,

Wrecking Ball
Tom Joad
The Rising
Magic
Devils & Dust
High Hopes
Working on a Dream
Lucky Town
Human Touch

That's a pretty easy list, for me. If the bottom two aren't LT/HT, I question your life choices overall as a human.

Edit: I just realized I flipped WB & TJ, but I'll go with it.

 

Yeah, I mostly find it kind of...dull? The title track and "Youngstown" are definitely strong moments, but in general, I find the storytelling less engaging than Nebraska or Devils & Dust, and I don't think the songs are very memorable from a musical standpoint, either.

 

Ooh, yay!

Darkness on the Edge of Town
Nebraska
Born to Run
The River
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle
Born in the U.S.A.
Tunnel of Love
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.
Magic
Wrecking Ball
The Rising
Devils & Dust
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Lucky Town
We Shall Overcome
Working on a Dream
High Hopes
Human Touch

After the top three, 4-10 get really difficult. Tunnel of Love has skyrocketed for me over the past year, it used to be in the bottom third. Still hate the production on a lot of it, though. Still, the songwriting in there can't be denied. Some of the absolute best of his career.

 

Know what's been on the rise for me? We Shall Overcome

 

Born to Run
Wild, Innocent
Nebraska
Born in the USA
Darkness on the Edge of Town
The River
Greetings from Ashbury
Wrecking Ball
The Rising
Tunnel of Love
Magic


I think that's about all I can "properly" rank. Rest of his albums I'm not fully familiar with enough to put them in any order

 

Working on a Dream has actually grown in my estimation as of late. I think there was a time where I ranked it last.

Any word on his new album? I feel like it's been done since like the end of 2015, but he just keeps extending the tour. Haha

 

Nebraska
Born To Run
Born in the USA
Darkness
Tom Joad
Greetings
The River
TOL

 

Nebraska is getting shit on in this thread woooooooooah

 

I listened to Born to Run daily for a long long long time and it was my favorite record of all time for quite awhile. I'm not saying I got tired of it because that doesn't happen with Bruce (duh!), but recently the mood of the writing on Darkness and The River has appealed to me more than the mood of BTR/Wild and Innocent. Also the guitar sound on Darkness is pretty much the greatest in the world so that helps tons too.

For the bottom five or so I mostly thought about which ones I had listened to the least. Devils and Dust is definitely the Bruce album I've gone back to the least overall so I guess it's my least-favorite.

 

High Hopes is under appreciated.

That's a Bruce record you can absolutely crank to 11 and just let it play.

 

It's been oddly quiet. I wouldn't be surprised if he put it on the back-burner to write some new stuff concerning the current political climate. Still, I'm dying to hear anything at this point. Hope he at least puts something out this year.

 

American Skin is a hell of a tune. I haven't given that whole album much time though. I should change that.

 

The album is still a disjointed catch all but I feel like every year since it came out I've fallen in love with a new song on it, so it rises incrementally in my esteem

 

I don't think it's shitting on Nebraska to say that he's made at least half a dozen better records.

Oh yeah, I know what you mean. I listened to Born to Run probably twice a day for the entire year of 2009. Agreed on the Darkness guitar sound, too. One of my favorite guitar records, period.

I can honestly say I would much rather hear whatever he was working on before the election, haha.

It's disjointed, and a lot of the songs aren't memorable at all. Like, I legitimately couldn't tell you what most of the songs in the mid-section sound like. But I think the first few songs and the last few songs are pretty song, with "The Last Carnival" and "The Wrestler" being especially terrific.

 

I love "Life Itself" and "Kingdom of Days" the most probably.

 

If it helps it has arguably his best song, Atlantic City, I know Thunder Road that's why I said arguably

 

"Kingdom of Days" is definitely a highlight. That song is gorgeous.

 

I've only heard Nebraska, Born to Run, Born in America, Darkness, Tunnel of Love, and Tom Joad. Glad to hear that I'm not the only one who just isn't into the latter. I've gotta keep moving on his discography, but got sidetracked by revisiting The Smiths discography and finally into'ing Swans.

 

Gave High Hopes its first listen in awhile and it's frustrating, but rewarding in spots. "Hunter of Invisible Game" is easily the best track on it though with some hindsight.

 

Oh, I'm down. (Last Updated 3/13/24)


1a. Born to Run
1b. Tunnel of Love
3a. Darkness on the Edge of Town
3b. The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle

5. Live 1975-85
6. Nebraska
7. The River

8. Western Stars
9. Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ
10. The Promise
11. Born in the USA
12. Letter to You
13. The Ties That Bind
14. The Rising
15. Human Touch

16. Devils & Dust
17. Wrecking Ball
18. Magic

19. Working on a Dream
20. The Ghost of Tom Joad

21. High Hopes

Haven't Heard:
Lucky Town
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
Tracks

 

I'd fix this ASAP. Most underrated of his records in my opinion.