THE ALBUMS - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. 1973 A lyrical rainstorm set against a loose almost-folk sound
The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle 1974 Wearing jazz and folk influences, Bruce begins refining his lyrics and sound.
Born To Run 1975 Lyrically concise and musically explosive, it stands as one of rock's great albums.
Darkness on the Edge of Town 1978 A bleak and brooding examination of small town life and modern society.
The River 1980 A double album, it features a number of classics but there's a nagging feeling that it could have been truly awesome.
Nebraska 1982 Unable to recapture the sparse and hollow atmosphere of the demos, Bruce simply releases the demos.
Born in the U.S.A. 1984 What can I say? It's too solid and too impressive to attempt finding faults.
Live 1975/85 1986 Attempting to capture the power of his legendary concerts, this box set nearly succeeds.
Tunnel of Love 1987 If I were to nominate his best, this would be it. Quiet, introspective and genuinely touching.
Human Touch 1992 Long (14 tracks) and very patchy.
Lucky Town 1992 A little eclectic but still solid.
XXPlugged   Given the opportunity to strip his songs to their core, Bruce plugs in and offers something which fails to excite. Thank god for the current tour...
Greatest Hits 1995 The title belies the fact that it is a cross between a "best of" and "greatest hits" release. A reasonable starting point for the uninitiated.
The Ghost of Tom Joad 1995 A hushed, solo acoustic social commentary of modern America, it received widespread critical praise.
Tracks 1998 A 66 track collection of non-album material from 25 years of recording, including 56 previously unreleased tracks.
18 Tracks 1999 Features 15 tracks from "Tracks" plus three previously unreleased songs: "The Promise", "The Fever" and "Trouble River".
Live in New York City 2001 A 19 track collection of live performances from the final shows of the 1999/2000 world tour.
The Rising 2002 Bruce returns to the studio with the E Street Band.

Where should a Bruce novice start? I would nominate Born In The USA or Greatest Hits but still you would miss something essential about the man and his music. That's why I've put together a track listing of a tape that would demonstrate the range, scope and depth of his talent. It doesn't have the songs you've heard of a million times before, nor does it mark the cornerstones of his career. Instead, it has the songs that are most likely to change your opinion of his work.


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