Artist bio

Along with Michael Jackson and Madonna, Bruce Springsteen stands as one of the largest popular music icons of the 1980s. Yet unlike Jacko and the Virgin Queen, the Boss has managed to outgrow his teen idol image with his songwriting abilities and critical esteem 100 percent intact.

By the time he rose to international superstardom in the 1980s, Springsteen was already a well-established artist. After releasing two strong, but largely unnoticed albums, he released his first masterpiece, Born To Run in 1975. Featuring some of his most well-known rock anthems -- "Thunder Road," "Backsteets," and "Born To Run" to name a few -- the album officially began Springsteen's career-long examination of the American identity. And with "Wall Of Sound" production, inspired lyrics, and an epic musical vision, Born To Run secured Springsteen's reputation amongst rock lovers.

What makes Springsteen such a wonderful artist to appreciate is his almost obsessed attention to his craft. Each of the albums following Born To Run are worthy of close study. While 1984's Born In The USA marks the commercial apex of the singer/songwriter's career, his less commercially succesful albums best stand the test of time. On albums such as 1978's Darkness On The Edge Of Town, 1982's Nebraska, and 1987's Tunnel Of Love, Springsteen creates musical visions that are both deeply personal and amazingly universal.

As a songwriter, Springsteen continually returns to the same themes -- love, loss and moral redemption, to name a few -- and continually finds new insights and perspectives. Be it the sprawling rock epics of his early career, "Incident On 57th Street" (The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle), or the concise acoustic dirges of his later work, like "Dry Lightning" (The Ghost Of Tom Joad), his songs mine the hearts and souls of his characters and follow their everyday dilemnas with startling clarity.

To top it all off, Springsteen is arguably the best live performer in the history of rock, if such a claim could ever be definitively made. At the height of his physical abilities, he was able to put on four-hour stadium-sized shows, rocking 50,000 in legendary fashion. Now in his mid-50s, he performs a shorter show -- but one with increased musical and vocal precision.

Like the Rolling Stones and Dylan and all the other rock legends that came before him and informed his work, Springsteen will be celebrated for years and years to come. But unlike artists such as the Stones, we have every reason to believe Bruce will continue to make noteworthy music and grow as an artist. And without question, we will be there to listen.

Albums by this artist

We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006)

Devils & Dust / Prairie Wind (2005)

The Rising (2002)

Live In New York City (2001)

18 Tracks (1999)

Tracks (1999)

'Missing' (1996)

'Hungry Heart' (1995)

The Ghost Of Tom Joad (Recommended) (1995)

Human Touch (1992)

Lucky Town (1992)

Born In The U.S.A. (1984)

Born In The U.S.A. (1984)

The River (1980)

Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Recommended) (1978)

The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle (Recommended) (1973)

Concerts

July 15, 1999
Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, N.J.

May 29, 1999
Parkbuhne Wulheide, Berlin

Bruce Springsteen

18 Tracks

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» BEN FRENCH | CO-DIRECTOR

Bruce Springsteen 18 Tracks Columbia, 1999 RiYL: Van Morrison, Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series Vol. 1-2

In the liner notes of his box set Tracks, Bruce Springsteen writes of his 25-year career, "My albums became a series of choices -- what to include, what to leave out?"

Oddly enough, the same is equally true of the four-disc box of unreleased material and b-side rarities, Tracks itself. With literally hundreds -- probably closer to thousands -- of songs in the vaults, the Boss had a wide array of songs to chose from.

But there was one track, one song, that every die-hard Bruce fan knew would have to be included. Originally slated for inclusion on 1978's Darkness On The Edge Of Town, "The Promise" had grown to become every Springsteen fan's favorite unreleased song.

But to everyone's shock, Tracks arrived in stores, with "The Promise" nowhere to be found. When asked about its abscence, Bruce simply said he was unhappy with the original recording and still felt it unworthy of release. Needless to say a furor arose around Springsteen, as he was barraged with questions from nagging journalists and requests for the song's release by crying fans.

Eventually Bruce caved in and announced he would finally release the song on the single disc compilation of Tracks, called 18 Tracks. True to his word, though, he also announced he would go back into the studio to re-record the track.

18 Tracks also boasts two other previously unreleased songs, "The Fever" and "Trouble River." "The Fever" is a good -- but by no means great -- Springsteen song recorded in 1973, which features some fairly silly backing vocals from saxophonist Clarence Clemons. "Trouble River," recorded in 1990, is a rocker that returns to a theme more effectively explored over a decade earlier on The River.

That said, "The Promise" is clearly the gem of this album and the only reason someone who owned Tracks would buy this disc. For those that don't own the box, this disc offers up a few of the more compelling songs from the set. "Brothers Under The Bridge" which deals with a subject close to Springsteen, Vietnam, is one of Bruce's melancholy best. The acoustic demos of "Growin' Up" and "Born In The U.S.A." are also highlights. Of course there are some great rock and roll songs here, like "Rendezvous" and "Seaside Bar Song." Even "I Wanna Be With You," with the ridiculous lines, "I lost my job at the Texaco station / 'Cause instead of pumping gas I'd dream of you," can be forgiven for the sheer energy and drive the Boss puts into his vocal delivery.

But, of course, Springsteen seems to have made a few odd choices for inclusion. "Lion's Den" and "Pink Cadillac" are really average songs and could easily have been replaced by stronger selections from Tracks. Even worse, Springsteen includes the truly horrendous "Part Man, Part Monkey." What exactly Bruce was thinking when he wrote, recorded, and included this song on two albums is anyone's guess.

In general, though, for those that don't want to shell out the bucks for the full version of Tracks, this is a pretty good overview and gives any listener further insight into one of America's greatest rock and roll poets.

BEN FRENCH | Ben founded NATN in the winter of 1998-1999 with fellow IU alums Troy Carpenter and Jonathan Cohen. During the day time, he's working for Nielsen Business Media, publisher of Billboard. Ben's favorite acts include Bruce Springsteen, The Clash, Sonic Youth, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys.