Bruce Springsteen: Album by Album

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Springsteen has experienced many commercial and critical ups and downs over his 35 year career. Springsteen has never seemed more at home than when he's onstage, and his marathon live performances are the stuff of legend, creating a legion of diehard fans that remain fanatically devoted to "The Boss." Backed by the E Street Band, one of the best groups of players and personalities in the annals of rock & roll, Springsteen has created albums both good and great. Here's a look at the career of Bruce Springsteen, album by album.

(Ratings Key: * Forget it; * * Average; * * * Good; * * * * Great; * * * * * Classic)

Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. - The "Verbose" First Album
The world's introduction to future superstar Bruce Springsteen in 1973 went mostly unnoticed by everybody but his fellow rock songwriters. Bruce himself wasn't sure that he'd get to make another album, and since Columbia Records (later Sony) wanted him to be an electric folksinger a la Dylan, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. is long on wordy lyrical couplets and short on the sort of joyful instrumentation The Boss would later become known for. There are some timeless tracks here, however: "Blinded By The Light" (made into a hit by Manfred Mann in '77), "For You," "It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City" and fan favorite "Spirit In The Night" make for an impressive debut. (* * *)

The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle - The Epic Follow-Up
Eight months after his awkward debut, Springsteen beat the "sophomore slump" with an ambitious, mature classic that stands as one of his best, more than three decades after its late-1973 release. Revising his wordy, folk-oriented songwriting tendencies into a poetic, imagery-laden epic storytelling style, Springsteen took full advantage the E Street Band's talents to create these lush, jazz-toned tales of life on E Street. Some of his long-time fan favorites can be found here, from the grand "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" to the show-stopping, joyous "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)." (* * * *)

Born To Run - The Hail Mary Pass
Although The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle earned Springsteen numerous critical accolades, few if any music lovers heard the album (or its predecessor) at the time. Rightfully fearing that 1975's Born To Run would be his last chance at rock & roll stardom, Springsteen changed the E Street roster, bringing the talented "Miami" Steve Van Zandt into the fold and replacing keyboardist David Sancious with the less jazz-oriented Roy Bittan and Keith Moon-styled drummer Vini Lopez with less-explosive, more technically-proficient skinman Max Weinberg. He enlisted the help of rock critic Jon Landau as the album's co-producer, and together they went for a "big band," Phil Spectorish "wall of sound" production for Springsteen's best batch of songs to date. The literal "Hail Mary" pass scored a touchdown and the Springsteen "future of rock & roll" hype had begun in earnest. (* * * * ½*)

Darkness On The Edge Of Town - The Three-Year Struggle
Between the breakthrough Born To Run and the release of the stripped-down, harder-edged Darkness On The Edge Of Town in 1978, Springsteen got his first taste of music biz stardom and nearly choked on it. Lawsuits and court dates got in the way of recording, and The Boss struggled to retain creative control of his own songs. During the interim, his star had cooled a bit, and the songs on Darkness On The Edge Of Town are often (wrongly) considered to be a bitter reflection of the songwriter's legal woes. The material here is more reality-and-less-fantasy-based, as America's working class had began to suffer from inflation, unemployment and diminished expectations, and the characters in Springsteen's songs reflected the frustrations and confusion of society at large. There's still a lot of hope in songs like "Badlands," "Promised Land," "Racing In The Streets" and the unbelievable title track, however, making this Springsteen's last album to embrace innocence, and, perhaps, his most underrated classic. (* * * * ½*)

The River - The Comeback Album
Springsteen quickly followed up Darkness On The Edge Of Town with The River in 1980, a two-album set with little filler and a more cohesive aesthetic continuity overall than with his previous work. Yielding the top ten hit "Hungry Heart," The River continued Springsteen's exploration of working class woes, songs like "Wreck On The Highway" and "Stolen Car" echoing his work on future albums like Nebraska and Born In The U.S.A.The River is full of great, overlooked songs like "Jackson Cage," "The Ties That Bind" and "Out On The Street" sitting alongside better-known tunes like "Cadillac Ranch," the title track or "Independence Day," the best song about father-son relationships that has ever been written. (* * * *)

Nebraska - The Acoustic Classic
Springsteen followed up his commercial breakthrough The River with the quiet, acoustic, demo-quality Nebraska in 1982 - a risky move for a newly-minted rock star. It was everything the songs called for, however, as a country knee-deep in Reaganisms sought to shake off its isolation from the rest of the world and alienation from its own government. Songs like "Atlantic City," "State Trooper" and "Reason To Believe" are populated with small-time criminals, hopeless dreamers and star-crossed lovers. Springsteen's pessimistic tales have withstood the test of time, however, Nebraska remaining one of the artist's best-loved albums. (* * * ½*)

Born In The U.S.A. - The Championship Ring
Born In The U.S.A. propelled Springsteen from mere rock stardom into the stratosphere of media superstars, the kind of person written about in the tabloids and scandal sheets. It didn't hurt that the album's seven Top Ten hit singles and ten million units sold were supported by a lengthy tour, the stage always Springsteen's best showcase for his music. It also didn't hurt that "Dancing In The Dark," "My Hometown," "Cover Me," the title track and the others are among the artist's best-ever songs, the logical distillation of his working class blues and pessimism over the direction of America set to an explosive big-band beat. Although it sounds more dated here in the 21st century than, say, Darkness On The Edge Of Town, it still stands as Springsteen's best. (* * * * *)

Live/1975-85 - Not As Good As The Bootlegs
During his days in the wilderness, Springsteen earned his money (and reputation) as one of the top two or three live performers in the history of rock & roll. While 60-to-90-minute live rock shows were the norm, Springsteen and his like-minded road warriors were kicking out the jams with exhaustive three-to-four-hour sets. It was this onstage work ethic that made live Springsteen bootlegs an in-demand item among hardcore fans, and Sony Music decided to released Live 1975-85 to capitalize on the success of Born In The U.S.A. Although this forty-song, three-and-a-half-hour box set does a fair-to-middling job of collecting various moments from a decade of Springsteen performances, its sterility and lack of spontaneity paled in comparison to some of the high-quality, single-show boots that were readily available. Still, it includes great live versions of "Born To Run," "Thunder Road" and "Born In The U.S.A." and choice covers in "Raise Your Hand," "War" and "Jersey Girl." (* * *)

Tunnel Of Love - The Marriage Blues
In the three years between the unbelievable success of Born In The U.S.A. and the 1987 release of its follow-up, Tunnel Of Love, Springsteen had gotten married to a young model and aspiring actress, the relationship already careening towards divorce. Tunnel Of Love reflects the artist's doubts - questions about his marriage, about love and romance, even questions about his career. Needless to say, it wasn't the album that all his new fans (or his record label) had expected, and if it had great songs in "Brilliant Disguise" and "All That Heaven Will Allow," it represented an artistic retreat and the beginning of the end of Springsteen's superstardom (although not his artistic genius). To some extent, it also provided a freedom from expectations that would allow The Boss to release less-commercial fare like The Ghost Of Tom Joad (far) in the future. (* * *)

Human Touch - The Less Successful Twin
By 1990, Springsteen's unsuccessful marriage and desire to explore different directions, musically, had taken him to Los Angeles and the creation of this largely unremarkable pop-rock collection. Recorded with L.A. studio pros rather than the more-proficient E Street Band, Human Touch was subsequently shelved for two years, later released in tandem with the far-superior Lucky Town. Notable mostly for "I Wish I Were Blind" and "Roll Of The Dice," which could have been appended to Lucky Town, with the rest of these songs assigned to a rarities collection. (* *)

Lucky Town - The More Successful Twin
Released in 1992 alongside Human Touch, Springsteen's Lucky Town was a partial return to form that put the artist's (uncomfortable) stardom in context, explored new romantic horizons and helped rediscover his sense of humor. Fine songs like "Better Days," "The Big Muddy," "Local Hero" and "Leap Of Faith" were unfortunately lost when released at the same time as the inferior material on Human Touch. It's worth another look, however, representing, perhaps, Springsteen's most-overlooked work. (* * *)

In Concert / MTV Plugged - The Style At The Time
Back when they still featured actual music and not mindless reality programming, MTV produced the short-lived "MTV Unplugged" series, with hot current bands performing acoustic versions of their electric hits. Springsteen's appearance on the program kicked off with one "unplugged" song, the previously-unreleased "Red Headed Woman," before the band "plugged in" and cranked-out full-blown electric versions of well-known rockers like "Thunder Road" and "Darkness On The Edge Of Town" along with several songs from Lucky Town and Human Touch. Originally released in Europe to support Springsteen's 1993 tour, consumer demand required its 1997 stateside release. Nothing earthshaking to be found here, but In Concert is a pleasant enough diversion for the fans. (* * ½*)

The Ghost Of Tom Joad - Back To The Acoustic
If Tunnel Of Love was Springsteen's most personal and biographical album, 1995's The Ghost Of Tom Joad was his first overt political statement, a collection of powerful, acoustic-based populist material that echoes Woody Guthrie in its ambition. Mostly overlooked by Springsteen's fans of a decade earlier that had moved onto new musical trends, songs like "Sinola Cowboys," "Across The Border" and "Youngstown" nevertheless showcase a new sort of working class odes and anthems, supported by more full-bodied arrangements and grander production values than that provided the songs on Nebraska. (* * * *)

Greatest Hits: Missing A Few Tunes
To begin with, nothing from the first two albums and only one track from Darkness On The Edge Of Town. Either the perfectionist Springsteen holds a dim view of his early albums, or else the label wanted this collection slanted towards the post-superstardom, late-80s material. Either way, it shortchanges its newer audience by ignoring such long-time favorites as "Rosalita," "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" and "Spirit In The Night." Greatest Hits gyps long-time fans as well, making them buy the disc for its four new studio tracks, only two of which - "Murder Incorporated" and "Blood Brothers" - are up to snuff. If you're looking for a Springsteen compilation, save a few dollars more and spring for the three-disc The Essential Bruce Springsteen, a better collection with an entire disc of unreleased rarities. (* ½*)

Tracks - The Prerequisite Rarities Collection
In 1998, Springsteen fans finally got what they had wanted for 25-years: a four-CD rarities box set. Springsteen's normal M.O. had been to discard three or four songs for every one that made it onto an album, and many that originally didn't pass muster with The Boss ended up as hits for other artists (the Pointer Sisters, Dave Edmunds, Graham Parker, Patti Smith, etc). Tracks didn't empty out the vaults, and not everything on these four discs was previously unreleased, but there are some real gems to be found among the B-Sides and obscurities. It's nice to have the often-bootlegged "Thundercrack" finally on CD; ditto for "Roulette," "Frankie" and "Pink Cadillac." Mostly for hardcore Bruce collectors, though - once you've bought almost everything else on this list and you still want more, turn to Tracks for further revelations. (* * * ½*)

18 Tracks - The Record Label's Revenge
As if Sony Music didn't make enough money on Tracks, they decided a year after the box set's release to kick out this watered-down version of the rarities collection as a single disc. Sure, it includes some of the better tunes from Tracks, including "Hearts of Stone," "Roulette" and "Where The Bands Are," but it was a big piss-off to Springsteen's most devoted fans to seed 18 Tracks with three new songs just to get us to buy the bulk of this stuff all over again after we had already shelled out for Tracks...and record labels wonder why people share music.... (* * ½* for content, minus * for record company greed)

Before The Fame - The Infamous "Bootleg"
This unauthorized collection of very early, pre-fame Springsteen material (released in 1999) had barely popped its head above ground before a team of lawyers with "cease-and-desist" orders from Sony (and Springsteen) swooped down and played whack-a-mole with the fly-by-night label that release it. For the hardcore Springsteen fan that hasn't already collected these songs in various forms on numerous vinyl bootlegs, there's not much here to recommend. Known in fan circles as the "Laurel Canyon demos," this is two CDs full of raw, acoustic-guitar-and-voice demos recorded for producer Jim Cretecos and original manager Mike Appel. The legal eagles managed to squash the widespread distribution of Before The Fame, although I'm not sure why - Cretecos and Appel had Bruce under contract, which would seem to legitimize the release of these songs - but it doesn't really matter 'cause hardly anybody heard the album, even if it has been released (albeit under the table) four times during the past eight years in various forms. Unless you're the most rabid collector of Bruceabilia, I'd forget about it.... (*)

Live In New York City - Closer To The Real Thing
The new millennium brought the release of the best legitimate live Springsteen album yet, the 2001 two-disc set Live In New York City. Recorded live a year earlier during Springsteen's reunion with the E Street Band, the set revels in the band's brotherhood and captures a joyful night of music-making. The song selection is solid, including "Born To Run," "Atlantic City," the unreleased "Murder Incorporated" and a powerful "Youngstown," and the band rocks like young pups again. Includes the controversial protest song "American Skin (41 Shots)," the album was accompanied by an HBO special broadcast. (* * * ½*)

The Rising - Too Much Hype
Ostensibly billed as Springsteen's response to the tragedy of September 11th, 2001 The Rising is a shambling and often-confused set of songs, the band rocking hard for lack of a better response. Perhaps the artist's most overly-hyped album, and certainly a powerful creation, but masterpiece songs like "Waitin' On A Sunny Day," "World's Apart" and "My City Of Ruins" were overshadowed at the time by Sony's media overkill, an attempt to take Springsteen back to the commercial heights of Born In The U.S.A. Producer Brendan O'Brien's deft hand provides a loose, spontaneous sound that injects a greater dynamic to Springsteen's words and music. Worth another listen, but as good as The Rising is, I still submit that Bruce-friend Joe Grushecky's Fingerprints was the better of this pair of 2002 releases. (* * *)

The Essential Bruce Springsteen - Almost There
This sprawling three-disc set from 2003 is miles better than the feeble Greatest Hits album, featuring most of the best of The Boss. It doesn't disregard classic fan faves from the artist's first two albums, including "Blinded By The Light," although it doesn't include "Backstreets" or the seldom-heard original of "Pink Cadillac." It does include material recorded through The Rising, however, including soundtrack cuts like "Streets Of Philadelphia" and "Dead Man Walkin'" as well as the powerful "Code Of Silence," co-written with the underrated Joe Grushecky. The third disc is a bone thrown to long-time fans that have all the rest, offering up previously unreleased or hard-to-find tracks like "From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)" and a groovy cover of "Viva Las Vegas." (* * * ½*)

Devils & Dust - The Spaghetti Western
Not as starkly compelling as Nebraska nor as socially-conscious as The Ghost Of Tom Joad, although created in a similar acoustic-based vein as both albums, 2005's Devils & Dust offers tighter production than The Rising and is more lyrically cinematic in scope. The songs here have a Southwestern flair, to the point where you can almost hear the tumbleweeds blowing across songs like "All The Way Home," "Long Time Comin'" and the title track. Many critics consider this Springsteen's best since Born In The U.S.A., but I politely disagree. Good, but it falls short of great, and only time will tell if it lasts as long as the artist's classic '70s-era work. (* * *)

Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 - The Way It Should Be Done
The first legitimate release of a favored live bootleg, Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 was a long time coming and well worth the wait (at least for those fans who hadn't tracked down one of the many vinyl or CD bootleg copies of the show). The band's first tour of the United Kingdom, they all play like men possessed, eager to live up to the questions surrounding the band's press hype. All of Springsteen's best songs (at the time) are performed, from "Thunder Road," "Spirit In The Night" and "Backstreets" to the show-stopper "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" as well as an electric cover of Gary U.S. Bonds' "Quarter To Three" and an incredible Mitch Ryder medley. One of the best live rock & roll albums that has ever been released. (* * * * *)

We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
Springsteen returned to his early-70s Greenwich Village roots with a collection of songs by the legendary Pete Seeger, coupled with inspired choices of traditional folk songs. Performed ad hoc in an out-of-studio live setting with a literal pick-up band of friends and friends-of-friends, We Shall Overcome is an unusual release for one of rock's elder statesmen, and a fine set of interpretations of classic material to boot. More rustic than rootsy, We Shall Overcome rocks hard, considering its source material, and adds another dimension to Springsteen's already immense legacy. (* * * ½ *)