What rock music are you listening to? Non-Jazz, Non-Classical.

[Brad]

31 minutes ago, BFrank said:

Early-70s Rod Stewart (plus the 2 Jeff Beck Group albums) is really the only stuff you need to try.

I think I have some Jeff Beck with Rod Stewart on it. Thanks. 

[felser]

If I could only have one CD set on my desert island, it would be this or another superior show from the same period (encompassing everything up to The River - that and especially Darkness on the Edge of Town are, to me, his masterpiece albums).  

Edited December 9, 2019 by felser

[catesta]

I have never been able to understand the appeal and popularity of Springsteen. What am I missing?

[Brad]

17 minutes ago, catesta said:

I have never been able to understand the appeal and popularity of Springsteen. What am I missing?

Nothing. I must be the only person in this stupid state who doesn’t think he’s a god. 

[JSngry]

If I'm going to be stranded on a desert island and there's a guy stranded on another desert island and the only CD he's going to be jamming is Springsteen, I pray to all that may or may not be god that our islands are in different oceans.

[catesta]

8 minutes ago, JSngry said:

If I'm going to be stranded on a desert island and there's a guy stranded on another desert island and the only CD he's going to be jamming is Springsteen, I pray to all that may or may not be god that our islands are in different oceans.

Haha...

A quote in an article I read when the author was asked if he was going to be attending a Springsteen concert.

"No. I’m not. I’d rather watch the entire first season of Cupcake Wars while being trapped on an elevator with a diarrhetic mule. (No offense to diarrhetic mules.)"

[JSngry]

38 minutes ago, catesta said:

Haha...

A quote in an article I read when the author was asked if he was going to be attending a Springsteen concert.

"No. I’m not. I’d rather watch the entire first season of Cupcake Wars while being trapped on an elevator with a diarrhetic mule. (No offense to diarrhetic mules.)"

If those were the only choices, I think I'd opt out and take the alternative. I've had neither a particularly great life nor a long one, but it has been good enough and long enough for me to be comfortable with accepting an honorable discharge.

[EKE BBB]

If you all are not able to enjoy Springsteen’s discs up to say ‘Nebraska’ (1982), definitely it’s your loss. As previously mentioned, ‘Darkness...’ and ‘The River’ might be the winners.

After 1982, ‘Born In The USA’ was a hit maker with a bunch of great songs; ‘Tunnel Of Love’, ‘Lucky Town’ and ‘Human Touch’ still contained a few enjoyable  tracks; and ‘The Ghost Of Tom Joad’ was a nice but missed attempt of a second ‘Nebraska’.

After that, I can agree that it’s been 25 years of the same mid-tempo song over and over again. Only for diehard fans.

But I have the utmost respect for Bruce, as an artist and as a person.

Do yourself a favour and listen to ‘Thunder Road’ once again, with your heart -not with your jazzically trained ears-. If you do not feel anything, ok, forget about it and go back to your Blue Notes.

[felser]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

If I'm going to be stranded on a desert island and there's a guy stranded on another desert island and the only CD he's going to be jamming is Springsteen, I pray to all that may or may not be god that our islands are in different oceans.

Jim, if we are stranded on different islands, as you wish, I hope we're at least in shouting distance of each other.  I can bellow "Tramps like us, baby we were born to run", and you can loudly tell me how clueless I am - neither of us will be isolated, and surely a fan of early Springsteen is better company than, say, Wilson the volleyball, and perhaps we'll make such a racket that rescuers will hear us! .

Edited December 9, 2019 by felser

[felser]

1 hour ago, catesta said:

Haha...

A quote in an article I read when the author was asked if he was going to be attending a Springsteen concert.

"No. I’m not. I’d rather watch the entire first season of Cupcake Wars while being trapped on an elevator with a diarrhetic mule. (No offense to diarrhetic mules.)"

Yeah, really.  What a miserable time these people seem to be suffering through!

[duaneiac]

I have been listening (perhaps obsessively) to Bruce Springsteen's Western Stars CD for the past couple of weeks.  To me, it's the best thing I've heard all year.  It's quite different from the high energy rockers his concerts are famous for.  These are finely crafted songs in a variety of moods that do meld together to form a cohesive and powerful album.  Even if you don't like Mr. Springsteen as a singer/performer, it would be foolish to dismiss his talents as a songwriter.  Here are a couople of tracks from this CD as examples. 

First, "The Wayfarer".  On another internet forum, I posited the notion that his is in fact a Peggy Lee song.  Thematically, it would have fit in perfectly as the opening track of her Blues Cross Country album, although stylistically, it would fit in more with her later 1960's collaborations with Lieber & Stoller.  I can literally hear Peggy Lee singing this song, using practically the same arrangement.  She would have loved being the confident woman in charge, the one doing the leaving, not the one doing the left behind.

It's easy to imagine that song done as an up-tempo rocker complete with a Clarence Clemmons sax solo in place of that orchestral break.  Kudos to Mr. Springsteen for avoiding that easy path and stretching himself a bit.  But Peggy lee would have stone cold owned that song!

Next, "Moonlight Motel".  Notice the shifts in time/location and the very economical time transition he uses.  He includes enough sensory details to make the story intriguing, but not too singularly personal.  This is just a damn well written song.

 

 

[JSngry]

28 minutes ago, felser said:

Yeah, really.  What a miserable time these people seem to be suffering through!

I think they're all making a mad rush to stop the diarrhetic mule before any further damage is inflicted on the people you CAN'T see..

Either that, or they're helping with its aim.

Cramps like this, baby, the mule's got the runs!

[felser]

13 minutes ago, Captain Howdy said:

Look at this background image from live.brucespringsteen.net/ Who else but Bruce would make playing rock and roll look as glamorous as working in a steel mill? 

[JSngry]

 

[BFrank]

I'll start by saying I'm not a huge Bruce fan. I don't hate him, but I'm not going to trash him, either. He obviously touches millions of fans and you can't dismiss that.

One of the "problems" I have is that his strength is in his live shows and he's SO popular that the only way you're going to see him is either in an arena/ballpark or a wildly expensive Broadway theater (which is finished, anyway). IMO, to really enjoy him you'd have to be in a small/medium theater or club, which for most people isn't going to happen. I was lucky to see him close up in 2012 at SXSW in the Moody Theater, Austin; a venue of less than 3,000. It was a very good show. 

[Brad]

2 hours ago, EKE BBB said:

If you all are not able to enjoy Springsteen’s discs up to say ‘Nebraska’ (1982), definitely it’s your loss. As previously mentioned, ‘Darkness...’ and ‘The River’ might be the winners.

After 1982, ‘Born In The USA’ was a hit maker with a bunch of great songs; ‘Tunnel Of Love’, ‘Lucky Town’ and ‘Human Touch’ still contained a few enjoyable  tracks; and ‘The Ghost Of Tom Joad’ was a nice but missed attempt of a second ‘Nebraska’.

After that, I can agree that it’s been 25 years of the same mid-tempo song over and over again. Only for diehard fans.

But I have the utmost respect for Bruce, as an artist and as a person.

Do yourself a favour and listen to ‘Thunder Road’ once again, with your heart -not with your jazzically trained ears-. If you do not feel anything, ok, forget about it and go back to your Blue Notes.

Different strokes, etc. I will go back to my psychedelia, if it’s all the same to you.

Desert island box set choice: Mosaic Art Blakey and if I have one more choice, my Woodstock 10 cd set.  

[felser]

11 minutes ago, BFrank said:

I'll start by saying I'm not a huge Bruce fan. I don't hate him, but I'm not going to trash him, either. He obviously touches millions of fans and you can't dismiss that.

One of the "problems" I have is that his strength is in his live shows and he's SO popular that the only way you're going to see him is either in an arena/ballpark or a wildly expensive Broadway theater (which is finished, anyway). IMO, to really enjoy him you'd have to be in a small/medium theater or club, which for most people isn't going to happen. I was lucky to see him close up in 2012 at SXSW in the Moody Theater, Austin; a venue of less than 3,000. It was a very good show. 

He does translate well to video.  This will give you the idea just fine, and can had be for well under $10 at this late date. 

Edited December 9, 2019 by felser

[Brad]

8 minutes ago, BFrank said:

I'll start by saying I'm not a huge Bruce fan. I don't hate him, but I'm not going to trash him, either. He obviously touches millions of fans and you can't dismiss that.

He’s obviously talented. Not trying to trash him but we all have different interests. He just doesn’t do it for me. 

[felser]

4 minutes ago, Captain Howdy said:

Titling yer album Steeltown isn't quite the same thing as looking like you work in one. 

If that's the criterea, my man Rory Gallagher always had the look down!  Amazing guitarist...

[BFrank]

2 hours ago, felser said:

He does translate well to video.  This will give you the idea just fine, and can had be for well under $10 at this late date. 

I've seen plenty of videos and also previously live in '76 and '80 when he was REALLY on top of his game.

[felser]

24 minutes ago, BFrank said:

I've seen plenty of videos and also previously live in '76 and '80 when he was REALLY on top of his game.

The 'No Nukes' concert movie is where Springsteen really kicked in for me.  First time I ever heard the song "The River" and I was immediately hooked.  I had been well aware of him before that, had even seen him live in 1973 at the Spectrum (opening for Chicago), but it really kicked in emotionally for me at that moment.   He stayed on top of his game live much longer than he did in the studio.

[jazzbo]

I never became a Bruce Springsteen fan. In part he came up when I was head over heels seeking out jazz and fusion and still in the thrall of classic blues. And also in part that in my then "private Idaho" the people really into Bruce . . . were people I wasn't very impressed with or flat disliked.

I definitely don't dispute his talent. The "E Street" stuff has never grabbed me but whenever I have heard or seen Bruce alone with a guitar, electric especially, I recognize that's how I like him best.

[JSngry]

Sure, he's talented. Lots of talented motherfuckers in the world. Big deal.

Those who love him so much, y'all can have my piece, I ain't a-gonna be eatin' it.

 

[danasgoodstuff]

Regarding Bruce: I've probably said this here before, but I'm old and I repeat myself - as someone else (I forget who) said, I can hear what he's going for, but for me it just doesn't work, maybe because what he's going for is a mix of inherently incompatible elements, maybe not, but in a perfect world he'd be a nonperforming songwriter for his buddy Southside Johnny who'd have a slightly more respectable cult following than he does now.

[Brad]

I managed to pick up Paul Butterfield’s complete set from Woodstock (from the 38 cd box). An awesome set. They really smoked.