Post by GimmeGimmeGimme on Jan 22, 2004 10:17:45 GMT -5
Bruce was one of the guys on the road that led me to Paul and the 'Mats. He's not perfect, I do think that his arrangements tend to veer to the bombastic and overdone. Allegedly the song on TUNNEL OF LOVE, "Cautious Man" is self referential and he does play things a bit close to the vest to his detriment. A lot of his really great songs never made it on his albums because he's so damn picky and cautious.
That said, he's a great songwriter and an underrated singer. You need to go to the quieter, spare stuff to get a real feel for his talent, so NEBRASKA is a great place to start. A few pages back someone lamented the lyrics to "Born in the USA", there's a great version of this song on the TRACKS box set. It's just Bruce and guitar, I think from the NEBRASKA tapes and it has a whole different feel. You can hear the lyrics and trust me, the only way Ronnie Raygun would've wanted this song for his campaign is if he'd not wanted to be re-elected.
One of the things that I really like about Bruce is that he's not afraid to delve deep into the psyche, exploring self doubt, fucked up relationships with his parents & his spouse or as he calls it, the darkness on the edge of town. If there's an influence that he's had on Paul, I feel it's there. I wouldn't say that a song like "Here Comes a Regular" would be inconceivable without Springsteen's influence, but I would say that Bruce made the road to a song like that a little easier to find.
I think most people have already made up their mind about Springsteen, I got into a discussion with someone once where they stated that they felt Bruce was a glorified frat boy, picking on the weak and disenfranchised. I pointed out lyrics that displayed quite the opposite, but he remained unconvinced. So, if you think you're mind's made up, try listening to some of the quieter stuff, without the godawful arrangements, before closing your argument.
That said, he's a great songwriter and an underrated singer. You need to go to the quieter, spare stuff to get a real feel for his talent, so NEBRASKA is a great place to start. A few pages back someone lamented the lyrics to "Born in the USA", there's a great version of this song on the TRACKS box set. It's just Bruce and guitar, I think from the NEBRASKA tapes and it has a whole different feel. You can hear the lyrics and trust me, the only way Ronnie Raygun would've wanted this song for his campaign is if he'd not wanted to be re-elected.
One of the things that I really like about Bruce is that he's not afraid to delve deep into the psyche, exploring self doubt, fucked up relationships with his parents & his spouse or as he calls it, the darkness on the edge of town. If there's an influence that he's had on Paul, I feel it's there. I wouldn't say that a song like "Here Comes a Regular" would be inconceivable without Springsteen's influence, but I would say that Bruce made the road to a song like that a little easier to find.
I think most people have already made up their mind about Springsteen, I got into a discussion with someone once where they stated that they felt Bruce was a glorified frat boy, picking on the weak and disenfranchised. I pointed out lyrics that displayed quite the opposite, but he remained unconvinced. So, if you think you're mind's made up, try listening to some of the quieter stuff, without the godawful arrangements, before closing your argument.