I guess I'm in the looking for something 'familiar' side of this one. I never really thought of Bruce as being an 'innovator'. To me he's a rock and roller....that does some side projects on occasion. I never thought of the solo albums or the Seeger thing as breaking new ground or being innovative. Of course that doesn't make him any less great in my eyes.
He tackles each project head first and does what he does....and will hopefully keep doing it as long as he can. But when I think of a Rock and Roll innovator I think of someone like Les Paul....but that's just me.
I will answer this by saying I go for "That Feel.." as Tom Waits would describe it or maybe Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, or our buddies Bruce and Steve. That tidal wave of understanding that underwrites the best songs and in those shows, we took in over the last 40 years. Innovation is for new-fangled things. I go for the comfort of recognition. Those songs that find me at 4am. All those songs that inspire me and make me feel connected again.
Now don't you grow on empty legends, or lonely cradle songs
'Cause Billy the Kid was just a bowery boy who made a living twirlin' his guns
And the night she's long and lanky, and she speaks in a mother tongue
She lullabies the refugees with an amplifier's hum
So break me now big Mama as Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me my sweet Linda, the help is on the way
The confederacy's in my name now, the hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play
The confederacy's in my name now, the hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play
In general, I don't go to Bruce Springsteen for the kind of melodic invention that I look to a Paul McCartney or a Stevie Wonder for, and I don't go for the kind of musical ground-breaking that I look to a Miles Davis or Jimi Hendrix or vintage Brian Wilson or even early prog-rock for.
Broadly speaking, I look for a lyrical complexity matched to a musical accessibility. I don't really look for him to do something innovative, and I definitely don't want him to do something familiar. I think his best work comes when he more or less works within well-established territory and very simply does it better than almost anyone else ever has.
But if I had to pick, I guess I'd go for innovation, since (as I've said before) I think what he's done this century is almost unprecedented, in releasing material well after his 50th birthday that is very nearly as great as the masterpieces he released as a young (and/or youngish) man. I know others will have candidates, but for my money, only Bob Dylan has done that same thing as well.
(Johnny Cash is another obvious artist, and while I do think his last series of LPs was brilliant, I also think a vital difference is that on most of those albums, he only wrote about a third of the songs; that might not make a difference to anyone else, but it matters to me. Not enough that I don't love those albums, but enough that I do slot them slightly lower for the sake of this discussion.)
I’m a realist - I don’t, and nobody should, expect the new album to challenge the likes of Darkness, Tunnel or BITUSA. (Although, I didn’t expect to like Western Stars much, either, and I now think it’s up there with his best work.)
I’m just happy he’s still making music with the band - if its a solid album of E Street songs then I’ll be happy. I was so pleased to read yesterday about how great the recording experience was, so I’m already delighted - so long as they’re happy, healthy and playing music I’m easy!!
I want a new concert on Donosti :)
I want Bruce, to quote Oasis, to Live Forever.
I need comfort and familiarity but i also benefit from something to think about - to keep me awake at 2am
I've been pondering this question a bit.
I guess I'm in the looking for something 'familiar' side of this one. I never really thought of Bruce as being an 'innovator'. To me he's a rock and roller....that does some side projects on occasion. I never thought of the solo albums or the Seeger thing as breaking new ground or being innovative. Of course that doesn't make him any less great in my eyes.
He tackles each project head first and does what he does....and will hopefully keep doing it as long as he can. But when I think of a Rock and Roll innovator I think of someone like Les Paul....but that's just me.
To quote the man himself - “to laugh a little, cry a little and dance a little”.
I will answer this by saying I go for "That Feel.." as Tom Waits would describe it or maybe Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, or our buddies Bruce and Steve. That tidal wave of understanding that underwrites the best songs and in those shows, we took in over the last 40 years. Innovation is for new-fangled things. I go for the comfort of recognition. Those songs that find me at 4am. All those songs that inspire me and make me feel connected again.
Now don't you grow on empty legends, or lonely cradle songs 'Cause Billy the Kid was just a bowery boy who made a living twirlin' his guns And the night she's long and lanky, and she speaks in a mother tongue She lullabies the refugees with an amplifier's hum So break me now big Mama as Old Faithful breaks the day Believe me my sweet Linda, the help is on the way The confederacy's in my name now, the hounds are held at bay The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play The confederacy's in my name now, the hounds are held at bay The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play
In general, I don't go to Bruce Springsteen for the kind of melodic invention that I look to a Paul McCartney or a Stevie Wonder for, and I don't go for the kind of musical ground-breaking that I look to a Miles Davis or Jimi Hendrix or vintage Brian Wilson or even early prog-rock for.
Broadly speaking, I look for a lyrical complexity matched to a musical accessibility. I don't really look for him to do something innovative, and I definitely don't want him to do something familiar. I think his best work comes when he more or less works within well-established territory and very simply does it better than almost anyone else ever has.
But if I had to pick, I guess I'd go for innovation, since (as I've said before) I think what he's done this century is almost unprecedented, in releasing material well after his 50th birthday that is very nearly as great as the masterpieces he released as a young (and/or youngish) man. I know others will have candidates, but for my money, only Bob Dylan has done that same thing as well.
(Johnny Cash is another obvious artist, and while I do think his last series of LPs was brilliant, I also think a vital difference is that on most of those albums, he only wrote about a third of the songs; that might not make a difference to anyone else, but it matters to me. Not enough that I don't love those albums, but enough that I do slot them slightly lower for the sake of this discussion.)
I’m a realist - I don’t, and nobody should, expect the new album to challenge the likes of Darkness, Tunnel or BITUSA. (Although, I didn’t expect to like Western Stars much, either, and I now think it’s up there with his best work.)
I’m just happy he’s still making music with the band - if its a solid album of E Street songs then I’ll be happy. I was so pleased to read yesterday about how great the recording experience was, so I’m already delighted - so long as they’re happy, healthy and playing music I’m easy!!