Bruce Springsteen - The Wild The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle

Bruce Springsteen's latest release hits the needle with its opening number being an amplitude of ear candy. Unlike his debut release, this is a musical genre-clashing experience. There are jazz guitar flavored elixirs layered over rock beats. The bass lines are animated junctures of which the mission is to connect the dots. Jazz, Rock, Blues and folk blend well as used by Springsteen.

The Wild The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle is not in disguise but rolls out the red carpet for some of the old time blues. On "Wild Billy's Circus Story", he uses the tuba less like a circus instrument; it is more introspective of New Orleans jazz when it was spelled 'Jass.' The music of the 20's and Bix Beiderbecke's coronet would filter over subtle beats and tuba pumped swing. The energy that blew through some of those old recordings are whisked into the sounds of Springsteen's music today.

On The Wild The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle Springsteen wants to take all the music that has ever influenced him and montage it in each track except "Rosalita." This song is a rock anthem of which the theme has been used by songwriters for years. Who would not want to get the rich contract & the girl? Every guitar-toting songwriter. They are not the ones gonna get the girl when Springsteen comes to town. The guitar rhythm has a lot in common with THE DOOBIE BROTHERS "China Grove" from their latest release The Captain and Me, but it is one of the few times this year that Springsteen seems influenced by any music being recorded.

The storyteller that lurks inside explodes in the lyrics of "4th of July Asbury Park" as his ability to transpose visuals with this composition can make the listener feel as if they can reach out and touch the characters he is singing about. You can feel the carnival of fireworks displayed before your eyes while the beach smell consumes your senses. Then "Kitty's Back" at times could be a Broadway musical extravaganza with characters running to and from every crevice of the stage with elements of "West Side Story." Could this have been the combo that made him pen this song?

The best thing about his vocal styling is that each word is accented for understanding and not camouflaged in fear of being ridiculed with misunderstanding. His lines are at time almost full sentences, still allowing each listener to interpret the song to their own personal life. The "Incident on 57th Street" songwriting is spread with Lou Reed-like approaches to the architecture of a song.

The lengthy "New York City Serenade" brings the record to a close with some incredible piano artwork that is so New York it screams "play me." Although it is conclusively about a man and woman hooking up to meet each other's needs with potential to do destructive things along the way, it gives strong vibes to the days of Cab Calloway. Also known as The Reaper man which was a song about those who favor marijuana, Calloway was not afraid to tell his tale and was loved New York. The Cotton Club was the foremost jazz venue in Harlem and when he secured a nightly spot on stage when Duke Ellington was touring, there was no other place to be. Springsteen is able to emulate all the feelings of New York from the 20's right up to present day.

As with his first release, Springsteen stays with one preferred name to inject into each and every song. Greetings from Asbury Park N.J. had Sandy, now it is Jane. Who his muse will be next time, only time will tell. These last two releases came in quick succession so strong, touring while spreading the word should keep him far from the studio for some time.
http://www.rustyscage.com/music

Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run

The albums released up until now have been filled with artists on the decline and up-and-comers who have a ways to go before they secure the spotlight. Bruce Springsteen, however, has paid his dues for a couple years, releasing two albums in 1973 and heavily touring to promote both of them. There will not be another release this month, or even this whole year, that will be able to touch what Springsteen has composed for Born to Run .

The opening harmonic, piano driven "Thunder Road" builds from the first second until the band surrenders to hearty guitars that lay subtlety over the rhythm section. The addition of Max Weinberg on drums exhibits his fortitude as he positions himself to be the backbone of Springsteen's writing. In the opening drum trac,k it is Weinberg who sets the stage for the shortest song that appears on Born to Run , motivating the feel as Springsteen hurls vocals into the microphone.

This is the first reference to Clarence Clemons being 'the big man' in the lyrics of "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out." Clemons's haunting fills on "Meeting Across the River" meet the song's need, giving quiet reflection to the lyrical content. He is invaluable to Springsteen's writing as he has the ability to touch those same places the composer envisions.

The piano needed some life, and Roy Brittan is the perfect extension of the sound Bruce Springsteen writes toward. Brittan keeps the pace as Springsteen delivers declarations in "Backstreets" where he tells the story of two friends who meet and tear up the town with misspent youth. The final verse leaves the story open to the listener's own interpretation. "Laying here in the dark, you're like an angel on my chest", could this mean that Terry (the friend) is lays dead over Springsteen while he drifts in thought of the things they have done? Up to now the record has forged a storyline, with each track advancing the adventure between two friends.

This record, as with those that went before, is a dedication to one name and although this release scatters different names in each song, it is clear that 'Mary' is the female counterpart to the Springsteen character. Every character's name that appears rhymes with Mary such as Wendy, Terry and Eddie. It is "Born to Run" that switches gears as Terry is now possibly gone, and Bruce looks to find the girl that is as ravaged from life as he and begins to court her with thoughts of getting out. This is another theme that most storytellers only wish they could pen as well as Springsteen, touching on emotions of those whose life may never get past the factory line. ANTHEM ANTHEM ANTHEM!

Now finishing up the first half, of the second side "She's the One" is a young boy's visual beauty of a girl that he can not turn away from. She's the girl that is between tomboy and princess who is out of reach but continues to dwell in the subconsciousness of the writer. He dives deep to compose this passionate love song that the male character insights his female counterpart to take the bull by the horns "to leave it all behind, And to break on through, Oh she can take you, But if she wants to break you, She's gonna find out that ain't easy to do" he knows that no matter if she chooses him or not, it will always be her. She will hold his heart until he takes his last breath. Whether it be today or 50 years from now, her face will be his last thought.

The nine minute, thirty-four second finale "Jungleland" is like the final chapter in a book or the or last scene in a movie. It is a storyteller's dream ending with some good guys surviving and some bad guys getting what they deserve. When the piano diminishes to where the listener is barely able to hear it, Springsteen verbally visualizes the slow motion each character takes.

Nowhere in 1975 will there be a better release than Brice Springsteen's storytelling genius on Born to Run .

http://www.rustyscage.com/music