Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run: 30th Anniversary 3-Disc Set (CD/2DVD)
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Free Music Notes for Born To Run: 30th Anniversary 3-Disc Set (CD/2DVD)
Free Music Review: It either resonates or it doesn't.
Hit: 5 Stars
The folks who nay-say the Boss usually go for the throat with remarks like, "sentimental, pretentious, one-dimensional, etc.," but, to me, those and similar adjectives could describe much of popular music anyway, expecially these days. I think that unless you're talking about field recordings, most of the "music has to be authentic" arguments are a shuck. Music doesn't HAVE to be anything except able, somehow, to make a connection with the listener, on whatever level, and we listen or not in direct proportion to how that connection is established. I just wanted to get the "authentic" straw man out of the way before I comment on BORN TO RUN.
I've liked some Springsteen albums better than others, but I keep coming back to this one because of that inexplicable connection. I didn't grow up in South New Jersey, skip school, go racing in the streets, etc.., but when I hear a song like "Thunder Road," yeah, I do relate to wasting my "summer praying in vain /for a saviour to rise from these streets," or listening to a high school buddy learning to make HIS guitar talk. On this album, Bruce Springsteen performs the same magic that Brian Wilson and Mike Love did in the early Beach Boys recordings: he makes you feel like you're part of a teenage past completely concocted from his experience/imagination. Oh, there are probably places where shared experiences match up, but that's not really the point. I suspect that one reason that BORN TO RUN works so well---besides the fact that musically it's superb---is that those who like it can imagine themselves in Springsteen's narratives, or at least be in sympathetic accord with them. And if you aren't, no question, you're going to find it over-the-top.....but a little over-the-top never hurt anybody.
The extras with this 30th anniversary set are all worth the money, especially if your a behind-the-music documentary junkie. But, end of the day, it's the album they are built around that I keep returning to, and it sounds as good on the car stereo now as it did back in the day...and "authentic" be damned!
Free Music Review: Please review the CD
Hit: 5 Stars
I've never written a review of a CD here before, and I'm not writing one now. I have not listened to this CD and, therefore, am not qualified to review it. I intend to buy it, and I expect to be keeping it in my CD player a lot of the time.
I would just like to state the following...
I'm not asking you to either like or dislike this CD. I happen to be a Springsteen fan, but that doesn't mean that you have to be. All I'm asking is that you at least listen to the CD one time before reviewing it, and that you review the CD, not the political leanings of the artist. Any legitimate complaints about the music, or about any potential Sony spyware issues, are welcome. I enjoy reading reviews both from readers that like and dislike a particular CD or artist. Your thoughtful opinions are always interesting. But please don't review a CD that you have never heard. I have never written a review of a Madonna CD or an Usher CD or a Michael Jackson CD because I don't enjoy that music and I have nothing constructive to add to a discussion about those artists. I doubt very much that anyone would really care whether I agree with their political opinions, and since I don't listen to their music, I can't comment intelligently on that.
I do not think it is too much to ask that you at least listen to a CD, and that you review the CD without reference to the artist politics. Have the self-respect and dignity to know that most of use just don't care what you think about the politics. We DO care what you think about the music, but only if you have listened to it.
Finally, I rated this with 5 stars only because I couldn't post this without a rating. I would have preferred not to issue a rating yet. However, since I had to give it a rating, I have rated it with my anticipated rating.
Free Music Review: Comments on Remastered BTR
Hit: 5 Stars
Since reviews of the content of BTR are plentiful, I will limit my comments to helping you decide whether to purchase the original recording, or this box set.
Others have focused on the two bonus DVDs, so I won't cover those here. Instead, let's focus on the remastered CD.
There are several improvements over the original recording, including:
1. Noise (tape hiss) is now almost inaudible. Noise was significant on the original (1983) CD release.
2. Greatly expanded definition in the upper frequencies - you can now hear the high harmonics on the piano and glockenspiel. These were very muddy in the 1983 release.
3. The bass is much "punchier". It's not just louder, it is tighter and more well-defined.
So, while the "Wall of Sound" production value is preserved, the listener has a much better chance to pick out individual instruments on this relase.
In the end, are the improvements worth the additional cost? It's always a judgement call, but here are couple of guidelines that may help you decide.
If you use a digital music player, such as an iPod, check the settings you use to rip music from your CD collection. If you use the (iTunes default) sample rate of 128k, and you don't have any complaints about the sound quality of your collection, then you should be fine with the 1983 release. Save yourself a few bucks.
On the other hand, if you have upped the bit rate to something higher than 128k, then your ears are a little more finely tuned than most, and you would be able to appreciate the improvements in sound quality that the remastered version offers.
All in all, the engineers did a fine job with remastering this classic album; it's up to you to decide if the improvements are worth the extra dough.
Free Music Review: Now I finally understand!
Hit: 5 Stars
Growing up in the 80's, I would constantly hear about how fantastic the "Boss" was, especially live. I simply didn't get it. That guy belching out "Born in the USA" with a raised fist or flexing his muscles while doing a Belinda Carslile-esque dance with a planted model just didn't seem that cool. Even when classic rock radio revitalized some of his better, older material, it always sounded simply "good" to me, but not amazing.
The other day I happened to catch the PBS broadcast of the Hammerismith Odeon show from 75. I was absolutely blown away. This band was so raw, so tight, so passionate. Here, Bruce is not the bloated weight-lifter guy I remembered, but this scruffy, funky, wiry dude with a knit stocking cap. His band is similarly young and hungry. Even Little Steven, who later morphed into a caricature of himself with all the gypsy trappings, is completely cool and understated. Well, he's got a pink pimp suit on, so maybe that's not understated, but he looks hip.
Now I know why Bruce made the cover of Time in 74 or 75, why people traded his tapes a la the Dead, and why he had such a rabid following. Anyone who saw this band live would have been a life-long convert. Man, I wish I had been born earlier!
I immediately bought the new box set containing the full show, and was not disappointed. If you're just a casual Bruce fan, but a fan of music, this is sure to amaze and delight you.
Perhaps the neatest moment is when they break into a vamp from "Shaft," (I'm pretty sure it's Shaft, anyway) in the middle of, I think, Rosalita.
If there is any more footage of Bruce pre-1980, let's hope it gets released!
Free Music Review: I Love It With All The Madness In My Soul!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
It's hard to fathom, but before Bruce Springteen's Born To Run was released in 1975, Columbia was pondering whether or not to keep Springsteen signed to their label. With the initial disappointing sales of his first two albums, Greetings From Asbury Park and The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle (both released in 1973), Born To Run was Springsteen's make or break album for the narrow-sighted suits at the record label. As we now know, Born To Run exceeded all expectations and ultimately landed Springsteen on the covers of Time and Newsweek simultaneously in the fall of '75. In 1974, Jon Landau, (who would later become Springsteen's co-producer on Born To Run and his manager), attended one of Springsteen's concerts and said "I have seen the future of rock and roll and it's Bruce Springsteen." Never was a statement about "The Boss" so accurate. This new 3-disc collection is astounding in every aspect. The original disc is remastered to such perfection that your woofers and tweeters will be more than grateful. The second and third disc are comprised of a 1975 two hour plus concert filmed in London that easily shows us why Springsteen earned his status as one of the greatest musicians ever to grace a stage with his legendary performances. The Documentary disc is a fascinating view on the making of Born To Run, with new interviews and rare archival footage PLUS live performances from 1973. Accompanying this trio of treats is a 45-page book of rare and unpublished photographs. If you are a fan of Springsteen's, or know of one, this box set IS the ultimate gift. This 3-disc collection easily earns a five star rating. Spectacular!