Bruce Springsteen, 1973.
Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light, and a new revelation came to me - this album is about escape!
Greetings From Asbury Park was about place/location - being there.
This one is about escaping from AP/NJ in one way or another - aspirations!
And Born To Run is the actual event of trying to escape - some succeeding and some not.
Here the escape artists tell their stories in each song - Sandy has escaped, and her lover writes to her about how he misses her.
Kitty has decided to return, and there is much celebration in the streets (did Thin Lizzy rip off The Boss, or was it vice versa?)!
Wild Billy has joined the circus.
Bruce is trying to "spring" Rosalita from her captivity in her Daddy's house/expectations.
And "she" won't take that train out of here at the end of the album - or will she?
The album is cinematic, and as mentioned on the Born To Run CD Review, characters drive the narrative of the songs.
With such a range of songs, one can expect a huge emotional range to correspond.
The E Street Ban have certainly gained identity with this album, although we are not quite qith the quintessential personnel lineup yet - I love the novel brass and accordion arrangement which underscores Wild Billy's Circus Story, and takes Bruce to a whole nother place.
The mood on Kitty's back and Rosalita is infectious, triumphant and full of joyous, unshaven, unkempt youth - Born To Run doesn't quite mine this vein (it's altogether a more choreographed, mature statement).
I strongly encourage you to seek out some performances from 74/75 so you can see for yourself how these songs come across live - Bruce actually lives the songs, ably aided and abetted by his E Street accomplices.
I want to single out the playing of David Sancious - a lyrical, sensitive and luscious piano playing style which fills out Incident on 57th Street and New York City Serenade in a way that makes you feel like you're on that Asbury Park boardwalk at night, you look up, and ALL the stars are twinkling!
An album which justifiably wears its/Bruce's heart on its sleeve.
10/10.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment