Overheard at the Counter: Why Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" is Not a 10/10 Album

Why Born to Run is not a 10/10 album.

First, let me start by saying what a 10/10 album is in my book:

Each song is great, and the track listing makes a greater unified whole (basically, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts).

Second, my approach to music in general is that it has to be both interesting AND melodic.

That said: let me go, song by song (and I’ve re-listened to this album just now to make sure it was all fresh in my ears).

Thunder Road – great song, piano start, with adding instruments build up.

But this effect was done much better by Stones on “Can’t Always Get” and by Bob Segar.  Guitars sound a bit too thin.   

Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out – got a nice groove, but this song sounds like it would be better if done by Steely Dan.   Vocals are annoying.

Night – Sounds like a Jim Steinman tune done sloppily.

Backstreets – Tempo too fast.  This song would be improved by slowing it down and making it darker.   Vocals still screechy.  

Born to Run – the hit tune from the album, and rightly so.  This is the track where the production and the performance all come together.   I would have added some acoustic guitars to fill out the mix, but that’s just me being a lifelong Who fan.

She’s the One – everything about this song has already been done in other songs on this same album.  This could have been cut from the whole disc.

Meeting Across the River – musicianship is great, and the production really works on this.  Again, though, his vocals make it sound somewhat ridiculous.  Should be more subdued, or even half-spoken (like Tom Waits)

Jungleland – Like Born to Run, this is one in which the production really works.   This is anthemic at its best.  Fun and over the top.  Great song.  (again, the Who fan in me just hears the Who in this song).

So … basically, I never said it was a horrible album.  Like my review of “Born in the USA” – the songs are solid: great lyrics, musical structure is sound.  The songs are great.  The issue is with the production.  Not every song needs to be hit with a sledgehammer.  A lot of Springsteen’s tunes get stronger whenever you strip them down to basic elements and slow the tempo.  If this was done on half the tracks, then the rockers (title track, Thunder Road, and Jungleland) would sound even better.

Overheard at Booth 1: Are There Any Real Albums Still Being Made?

A guy named "Dollar Bill" recently posed the question, "Is the album dead?"

He was lamenting the fact that musicians no longer seem to be producing music that is more than a simply a collection of singles, and the fact that he posted about Jefferson Airplane's "Surrealistic Pillow" indicated to me that he saw the Album as an art form, which is a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

So, I asked him if the last five years would be a decent time frame to explore to see if there were any albums out there ... and after spinning about 44 albums, I have found a few.  Short reviews to follow, but in summary, from what I can tell, the music being produced today seems truly to consist of artists who are exploring their own genre, rather than expanding their talents into something truly original.  And some genres have interesting ideas for theme albums, but their music sucks.  I'll identify some of those.

I did find a few surprises however, and so without further ado, let's start with the top five albums of the 44 I've listened to in the last couple of days

1. Sturgill Simpson - Sound and Fury.  This is a high-octane rocker that gets a bit smoother on the second half, like a road trip soundtrack where you are roaring out of the city and then when you get to the open road, you just chill on your smooth ride toward the distant mountains.  It is said that when he finished the album, he got some Anime directors to make a film to go along with the music.  That is a great idea: multimedia.

2. Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride.  On all their other albums, they had some great songs but clunkers ... and the albums as a whole never truly stood out.  This one: all the songs are solid, and there is a nice ebb and flow throughout, like you are just floating on a raft in the waters of a bay.

3. The Black Keys - Delta Kream.  Man, this one blew me away.  Straight up Mississippi Delta Blues standards, but these guys approach it with both passion and power.  This is definitely a must for any Blues or Rock fan.

4. Chester Watson - A Japanese Horror Film.  Kinda sounds like a Lo-Fi Hip Hop Bon Iver.  A nice dreamscape.  A lot of times, Hip-Hop has great ideas for theme albums but the performances get boring.  This one seems like the type of album that you can really dig deeper into.

5. Calexico and Iron & Wine - Years to Burn.  Honestly, track 1 sucked so bad I nearly skipped it, but track 2 and the rest of the album is a great overall work.   There is a great flow on this, everything works together.  It reminded me of the times in the 70s when my parents would go over to friends' houses and they would play a new album as a sort of communal enjoyment.   This felt like one of those albums.  This one feels like it will get better with repeated listening.