Track Listing: Lonesome Day Fuse, The Mary`s Place You`re Missing Rising, The Paradise My City Of Ruins Into The Fire Waitin` On A Sunny Day Nothing Man Countin` On A Miracle Empty Sky Worlds Apart Let`s Be Friends (Skin To Skin) Further On (Up The Road)
“Yes, life is very confusing, we’re just trying to get on with it.” — {$Art Carney} as {%Harry Coomes} in {#Harry and Tonto}. The many voices that come out of the ether on {$Bruce Springsteen}’s {^The Rising} all seem to have two things in common: the f
The author of several books on “The Boss” offers his first comprehensive biography of Springsteen, tracing his musical career from his boyhood in New Jersey through his most recent work with the E-Street Band, The Rising, which he says is subtlely influen
The seed for Bruce Springsteen’s 2005 album, Devils & Dust, were sown nearly a decade ago, when the singer-songwriter launched his first-ever solo acoustic tour (1995-96). Springsteen said ‘I was so excited after playing on that tour, I’d get off the stage and go write, then I put those songs on the shelf for a while, until I had a chance to revisit them’. Springsteen’s first release of all-new material since his September 11-themed, double platinum certified ‘The Rising’ in July 2002. Two of the album’s songs, ‘The Hitter’ and ‘Long Time Comin’,” were actually written and performed on the Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour. Devils & Dust was produced by Brendan O’Brien, who first worked with Springsteen on the acclaimed CD The Rising. Included is a bonus DVD (PAL/Region 0) featuring many tracks ant the live acoustic video footage of ‘Devils And Dust’, ‘Long Time Comin’, ‘Reno’, ‘All I’m Thinkin’ About’, ‘Metamoros Banks’. *Please note you will need an All Code DVD player to view. Columbia.
For music makers who love Bruce Springsteen, this collection features 29 sheet music arrangements that represent a more comprehensive span of Springsteen`s career than any other songbook can offer. Nearly 40 years of hits are contained within its pages, including 1970s favorites like "Blinded by the Light" and "Born to Run," plus dozens more from the `80s, `90s, and beyond?all the way up to Working on a Dream (2009) and The Promise (2010). The unprecedented array of songs and carefully transcribed piano/vocal/guitar arrangements make this a must-own for Bruce Springsteen fans of all ages. Titles: Atlantic City * Badlands * Because the Night * Blinded by the Light * Born to Run * Brilliant Disguise * Dancing in the Dark * Devil`s Arcade * Girls in Their Summer Clothes * Glory Days * Gypsy Biker * Hungry Heart * If I Should Fall Behind * Jungleland * My Hometown * Pink Cadillac * The Promise * Prove It All Night * Racing in the Street * The Rising * The River * Santa Claus Is Comin` to Town * Save My Love * Streets of Philadelphia * Tenth Avenue Freeze Out * Thunder Road * Tunnel of Love * Working on a Dream * The Wrestler.
Disc 1:DISC 1:Blinded by the LightFor YouSpirit in the Night4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)Thunder RoadBorn to RunJunglelandBadlandsDarkness on the Edge of TownPromised Land, TheRiver, TheHungry HeartNebraskaAtlantic CityDisc 2:DISC 2:Born in the U.S.A.Glory DaysDancing in the DarkTunnel of LoveBrilliant DisguiseHuman TouchLiving ProofLucky TownStreets of PhiladelphiaGhost of Tom Joad, TheRising, TheMary`s PlaceLonesome DayAmerican Skin (41 Shots) – (live)Land of Hope and Dreams – (live)Disc 3:DISC 3:From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)Big Payback, TheHeld Up Without a Gun – (live)Trapped – (live)None But the BraveMissingLift Me UpViva Las VegasCounty FairCode of Silence – (live)Dead Man Walkin`Countin` on a Miracle – (live)
In the liner notes to his volume of Columbia’s Essential series, Bruce Springsteen immediately lays out the problem with hits collections: “In any body of work there are obvious high points. The rest depends on who’s doing the listening. Where you were, when it was, who you were with when a particular song or album cut the deepest.” All artists have this problem, but Springsteen has it more than most, since he not only has a deep and varied body of work, but he has a passionate, dedicated fan base. Within that following, there are listeners who prefer his big-hearted, sprawling early work, those who love the cinematic grandeur of Born to Run, those who love his stark, intimate acoustic ballads, and those who adore his pile-driving rockers. He’s had hits in all of these styles, and he’s had concert and album rock radio staples in all those styles — all of these tunes for his basic canon, the “obvious high points” — but he’s such a strong songwriter and record-maker that this leaves behind songs that many other artists would be thrilled to call their best work, whether it’s the epic street poetry of “It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City” or the old-time rock & roll throwaway of “Pink Cadillac.” Neither of those tunes are on the double-disc, 30-track Essential Bruce Springsteen, but any two-disc set can’t hold all of Springsteen’s great songs. It can only offer a representative sampling, which means there will be lots of terrific tracks and fan favorites absent — Springsteen admits this, citing “Growin’ Up,” “Racing in the Street,” “Backstreets,” and “My City of Ruins” as MIA, while others could make just as convincing an argument for “My Hometown,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” “Fade Away,” “I’m on Fire,” “Prove It All Night,” “Adam Raised a Cain,” and the list goes on. The strength of The Essential is that you never notice these songs are missing. Unlike the previous Bruce compilation, the misguided, haphazardly selected Greatest Hits, The Essential contains all the big songs — not just the obvious hits of “Hungry Heart,” “Born to Run,” “Born in the U.S.A.,” and “Glory Days,” but selections from his first two albums that were ignored completely the previous time out — and it also contains just the right amount of latter-day material from the acclaimed The Rising, plus “American Skin (41 Shots)” and “Land of Hope and Dreams,” two songs previously only available on Live in New York City. It adds up to an ideal introduction to Springsteen’s music, capturing all sides of his musical output while being a hell of a good listen. While the two main discs are for neophytes and casual fans, the third “bonus” disc is for the hardcore — the kind of fans who will argue about the song selection on the previous two discs, and would be more interested in unreleased material than hits. This third disc is a clearing-house for items that should have made it to his previous rarities collection, Tracks, but didn’t. This includes previously unreleased cuts, B
Not quite as impressive as 1997′s One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen, with whom it shares two artists (E Street guitarist Nils Lofgren and this album’s artistic director, Elliott Murphy), Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen presents 37 tracks also spread over two discs. Interestingly, only six songs are duplicated, and different artists perform them. This is not only a testament to Springsteen’s quantity of work, but a cursory listen to these songs shows the quality as well. In any case, there is a lot of music here. The focus is Springsteen as singer/songwriter, which results in a large proportion of unplugged strumming guitars and rootsy, rearranged versions with an emphasis on vocals and lyrics. The acts range from the well-known but not quite superstars (Elvis Costello, Cowboy Mouth, Pete Yorn, Billy Bragg) to recognizable club-sized performers (Patty Griffin, Graham Parker, Steve Wynn, the Clarks) to obscure but heartfelt musicians (everyone else). Given the approach, albums such as Tunnel of Love and especially Nebraska are mined for their more introspective tunes. Still, there are a fair share of rockers here (Parker’s “Pink Cadillac,” Joe Grushecky’s “Light of Day”) although except for a frantic “Born to Run” from Cowboy Mouth, most are slowed down or given a more sensitive reading. Released in 2003, there are no tracks from either The Rising or 1995′s The Ghost of Tom Joad and only a few from 1992′s Human Touch and Lucky Town. The disc does unearth some interesting obscurities — Lofgren’s version of “Man at the Top,” Marc Broussard’s “Back in Your Arms,” the Paradise Brothers’ “Souls of the Departed” among them — that spotlight Springsteen’s less popular work. Most of the music has been recorded specifically for this project — a benefit for Parkinson’s disease and sarcoma, a rare form of cancer — but some such as Dion’s beautiful “Book of Dreams,” Griffin’s lonely “Stolen Car,” and Mark Wright’s “Two Hearts” have been previously released on these artists’ albums. Each comes with a short but incisive commentary from the performer. Even though some of the rearrangements are radical (Kirk Kelly strips “Downbound Train” to just ukulele!), they all convey the songs’ emotions, in some cases arguably better than the originals. With two and a half hours of music, the album is best taken in small doses where the listener can soak it all in. Nonetheless, this is a successful project, one that does what it sets out to do, and should be embraced by Springsteen aficionados as well as fans of the acts involved. ~ Hal Horowitz, Rovi Performers: Patty Griffin – Guitar (Resonator), Vocals; Steve Allen – Guitar (Tremolo); Boris Kinberg – Rubboard;
A 15-song opus recorded after the September 11th terrorist attacks, Bruce Springsteen’s The Rising found the singer/songwriter telling stories of loss and hope, backed once again by his legendary E Street Band. This video record of the tour captures one of the most memorable stops on the subsequent Rising tour. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: Live in Barcelona clocks in at an impressive 180-minute length, covering songs new and old, including “Lonesome Day,” “Incident on 57th Street,” “Born to Run,” and “Ramrod.” ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
For music makers who love Bruce Springsteen, this collection features 29 sheet music arrangements that represent a more comprehensive span of Springsteen’s career than any other songbook can offer. Nearly 40 years of hits are contained within its pages, including 1970s favorites like “Blinded by the Light” and “Born to Run,” plus dozens more from the ’80s, ’90s, and beyondall the way up to Working on a Dream (2009) and The Promise (2010). The unprecedented array of songs and carefully transcribed piano/vocal/guitar arrangements make this a must-own for Bruce Springsteen fans of all ages. Titles: Atlantic City * Badlands * Because the Night * Blinded by the Light * Born to Run * Brilliant Disguise * Dancing in the Dark * Devil’s Arcade * Girls in Their Summer Clothes * Glory Days * Gypsy Biker * Hungry Heart * If I Should Fall Behind * Jungleland * My Hometown * Pink Cadillac * The Promise * Prove It All Night * Racing in the Street * The Rising * The River * Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town * Save My Love * Streets of Philadelphia * Tenth Avenue Freeze Out * Thunder Road * Tunnel of Love * Working on a Dream * The Wrestler.
