Bryan: Tonight let's have a listen to some of his compilations and extras from the mid-90s. First up:
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| (1995) |
Bryan: The big news at the time was he was reuniting with the E Street Band for some new tracks for the collection. Bryant! You're still alive, my old friend!
Bryant: Still! "Old!" "Friend..."
Bryan: What say you on this first (of multiple) greatest hits collection?
Bryant: Still! "Old!" "Friend..."
Bryan: What say you on this first (of multiple) greatest hits collection?
Bryant: I’m going to score Greatest Hits
from top to bottom, just to see what that’s like. I’m using my previous
scores for the songs from other albums, obviously.
(1) “Born to Run” – 5/5
(2) “Thunder Road” – 4.5/5 Did I really not
give this a 5? Well, okay, then.
(3) “Badlands” – 7/5 Damn right.
(4) “The River” – 5/5
(5) “Hungry Heart” – 6.5/5
(6) “Atlantic City” – 7/5
(7) “Dancing in the Dark” – 6/5
(8) “Born in the U.S.A.” – 5/5
(9) “My Hometown” – 4/5
(10) “Glory Days” – 5/5
(11) “Brilliant Disguise” – 4.25/5
(12) “Human Touch” – 2.5/5
(13) “Better Days” – 2.75/5
(14) “Streets of Philadelphia” – 5/5 This
one, for me, is a stone-cold classic. A lot can be said about the
sequencing of this album, but I think there was no doubt this song had to be on
it. It almost single-handedly put an end to the funk his career had fallen
into after the Human Touch / Lucky Town releases. I don’t think the
reception those albums got was entirely fair, but it certainly rattled a lot of
people. So along comes this song: huge hit, Oscar-winning song to an
Oscar-winning movie. Talk about
righting the ship!
(15) “Secret Garden” – 4/5 This sounds like it could have been written for Tunnel of Love, and if it had appeared on that album, it’d be one of its standouts. It’s so commonly identified with Jerry Maguire that I struggle to remember that it was over a year old when it appeared in that movie.
(15) “Secret Garden” – 4/5 This sounds like it could have been written for Tunnel of Love, and if it had appeared on that album, it’d be one of its standouts. It’s so commonly identified with Jerry Maguire that I struggle to remember that it was over a year old when it appeared in that movie.
(16) “Murder Incorporated” – 3/5 I hated
this song for a long time, and listening to it now, I have no god DAMN idea
why. This song rocks! It’s a little rough around the edges, and feels
like it needed a few more passes, which is probably why it didn’t get released
for over a decade.
(17) “Blood Brothers” – 4/5 An intensely bittersweet song, and obviously one that means something to Bruce, given that he reused that title for the documentary that was made about the reunion of the E Street Band.
(17) “Blood Brothers” – 4/5 An intensely bittersweet song, and obviously one that means something to Bruce, given that he reused that title for the documentary that was made about the reunion of the E Street Band.
(18) “This Hard Land” – 2.5/5 This one falls
a wee bit flat for me. It’s certainly not bad, but – apart from wanting to
end on an upbeat number – I don’t know why he album shouldn’t have closed with
“Blood Brothers.”
I’m going to do several different overall scores (an
oxymoronic activity, I know):
Overall (archival songs only, by which I mean everything
previously released) – 69.5 total, 4.96 average. So that’s pretty
good for a greatest hits album. The question I have is, is the selection
all that it could have been? I say not. As much as I love to have
those four “new” songs, that’s space that could have been used for “I’m on
Fire” (an unforgivable omission) or “Rosalita” or “One Step Up.” You
could even make a case – a quite strong one, in fact – for including some of
the original versions of songs that hit big for other artists (“Fire” and “Pink
Cadillac” come to mind). So in other words: as great as this is (and that
score tops Born in the U.S.A. among my scores), I think it could have
been better.
Overall (all tracks) – 83 total, 4.61 average. If
you’re keeping track of the scores, that means that this causes this album to
dip beneath Nebraska. It’s unfair to judge a greatest hits album
against a regular one, of course. Except … IS it? The math don’t
lie.
Overall (new tracks only) – 13.5 total, 3.38 average. Not bad! I’d have suggested they flesh these out with some other
unreleased songs and make it a two-disc set. In ’95, it’d still have
sold.
Bryan: Regarding the
selection, I hear you - it's kind of an arbitrary run of songs. Well, not arbitrary - it's a decent sampling of the big hits and most widely-played material, but compare it to
the carefully chosen autobiographical sketch of the Live 75-85 songs, for example, where you can read a chronology/
mythology of Bruce and the E Street Band. I'm not 100% sure what the thinking
was here. Compilations like this back in the day were always loath to put too
many greatest hits on one record, because people still bought back catalog
stuff back then. (Sad state of affairs for rockers in 2017! Hope everyone saved
their money.) But even that doesn't account for some of the omissions like
"Pink Cadillac" or, as you say, "I'm On Fire" or "One Step Up." I agree, too, that a 2-disc set would have been better. They were probably thinking
ahead to Tracks at this point (although I'm not sure that actually was
the case. I already forgot from reading the Carlin book.)
Myself, I’ll stick with just the new ones. Thank you for all that, though – sketching out the context is always appreciated.
"Street of Philadelphia" - 4/5 I agree with everything you say here, but it's not quite a 5-er for me personally. Great tune and all. It's aged well, to boot, compared to similar-sounding tunes from this period. I'm thinking of that "Mother Superior joined the mob" song and a couple of others. This has that rainy drive feel to it that was in the air at the time. I'm not suggesting Bruce was a follower here, only that he as always had a pretty good feel for either anticipating or joining in with whatever musical mood was ringing people's bells at the time.
Myself, I’ll stick with just the new ones. Thank you for all that, though – sketching out the context is always appreciated.
"Street of Philadelphia" - 4/5 I agree with everything you say here, but it's not quite a 5-er for me personally. Great tune and all. It's aged well, to boot, compared to similar-sounding tunes from this period. I'm thinking of that "Mother Superior joined the mob" song and a couple of others. This has that rainy drive feel to it that was in the air at the time. I'm not suggesting Bruce was a follower here, only that he as always had a pretty good feel for either anticipating or joining in with whatever musical mood was ringing people's bells at the time.
"Secret
Garden" - 4/5 Still haven't
seen Jerry Maguire and am really in
no hurry to. I like this one a little less than you but not by much.
"Murder
Inc." - 3.25 / 5 I'm with you -
I remembered this as not so much but it's a perfectly fine little bit of rock
and roll.
"Blood
Brothers" - 4/5 Agree with you
that this would have made the better album-ender. More on this momentarily.
"This
Hard Land" - 3.25/5 I can't
think of anything to say about this one really, except that I look forward to
comparing this version to the one originally recorded back in '82 when we get to
Tracks.
Total: 18.5 Avg: 3.65 Next up:
Bryan: I like what Bruce had to say here: "Blood Brothers was sort of trying to understand the meaning of friendship as you grow older. I guess I wrote it the night before I went in the studio with the band, and I was trying to sort out what I was doing and what those relationships meant to me now and what they mean to you as you move through your life. Basically, I guess I always felt that the friendships, the loyalties and the relationships, those are the bonds that keep you from slipping into the abyss of self-destructiveness. And without those things, that abyss feels a lot closer, on your heels. I think your own nihilism feels a lot closer without someone to grab you by the arm and pull you out of it and say, 'Hey, come on, you're having a bad day.' So with the song I was trying to sort out the place that those deep friendships played in my life, friendships that I had when I was young. We all grew up together, and people got married and divorced and had babies and went through their addictions and out the other side, and we drove each other crazy."
That's a great series of observations. I like Philosopher Bruce.
Bryant: I had never heard this EP before this project. I’d heard of it, but I thought it was basically just a couple of remixes and live versions. No, not really; it’s not that at all.
Total: 18.5 Avg: 3.65 Next up:
 |
| (1996) |
Bryan: I like what Bruce had to say here: "Blood Brothers was sort of trying to understand the meaning of friendship as you grow older. I guess I wrote it the night before I went in the studio with the band, and I was trying to sort out what I was doing and what those relationships meant to me now and what they mean to you as you move through your life. Basically, I guess I always felt that the friendships, the loyalties and the relationships, those are the bonds that keep you from slipping into the abyss of self-destructiveness. And without those things, that abyss feels a lot closer, on your heels. I think your own nihilism feels a lot closer without someone to grab you by the arm and pull you out of it and say, 'Hey, come on, you're having a bad day.' So with the song I was trying to sort out the place that those deep friendships played in my life, friendships that I had when I was young. We all grew up together, and people got married and divorced and had babies and went through their addictions and out the other side, and we drove each other crazy."
That's a great series of observations. I like Philosopher Bruce.
Bryant: I had never heard this EP before this project. I’d heard of it, but I thought it was basically just a couple of remixes and live versions. No, not really; it’s not that at all.
Bryan: 3/5 Yeah this isn't half-bad at all. Here's one of the 4 outtakes circulating out there - I like it. So you've got three vastly different sonic lenses on the same sentiment. Fascinating.
Bryant: 3/5 It might be called an alternate version, but it’s so vastly different – the lyrics presumably notwithstanding – that this may as well be a different song than the one on Greatest Hits. And while I prefer that slower, more contemplative version, I dig this one quite a bit, too.
“High Hopes”
Bryant: 3.25/5 Did I know this was a cover of somebody else’s song? (Tim Scott McConnell’s, to be specific, whoever he is. [He’s billed merely as Tim Scott on the back cover of the EP.]) Maybe. It – and you may know this by now, if you hadn’t already – later got re-covered by Bruce and the Band and served as the titular song of their most recent album. I think that version is probably superior to this one, but this one is just fine. I don’t think I’d know it wasn’t a Springsteen composition if Wikipedia wasn’t around to tell me things like that.
Bryan: 2.25/5 Quite a different vibe to that Ledfoot version for sure. Springsteen's reminds
me more of a Mellencamp tune than an E Street one, though I couldn't exactly
tell you where the borders between one camp and the other really lie, or what makes one one and
not the other. I picture a sign on or near said border depicting Clarence wailing away on sax, though. Incidentally, I’m
listening to Mellencamp right now. I see so many more connections between
Mellencamp and Springsteen and Stephen King than I ever did as a youngster. Now
they all more or less seem to have come from the same place – not
geographically obviously, but culturally/ socio-economically – and address the
same concerns in the same populist vein. And achieved mega-success at doing so.
Bryant: 2.75/5 Good live version of a song that has really grown on me over the years.
Bryan: 3/5 A solid live version.
“Murder Incorporated (Live)”
Bryant: 2.75/5 Good live version of a song that has really grown on me over the years.
Bryan: 3/5 A solid live version.
“Secret Garden (string version)”
Bryant: 3/5 I’m docking this one a point in comparison to the Greatest Hits version, because it honestly has no reason to exist. But it’s still quite good.
Bryan: 3.25/5 I
won't dock it a full point but yeah - not sure if the string arrangement is
unique or impactful enough to justify this.
Bryant: 2.5/5 The production on this is a bit too rough around the edges to get a higher score from me, but I like the song quite a bit and can’t believe I’ve never heard it until now. (Although I probably have, given that it’s apparently featured in the Blood Brothers documentary, which I have seen.) I’m too lazy to go digging through YouTube but I bet there’s a kick-ass live version somewhere.
Bryan: 3/5 I'm with you - could use a spiffier version but this sounds like a pretty good tune under there! I have a feeling on a different day I could rate this one much higher. I looked around for a live version but no luck. I could see this having fit in on The River.
Bryant: Overall – 14.5 total, 2.90 average. Tracks 3 and
4 are entirely nonessential, and “High Hopes” is rendered unnecessary by the
later version. But tracks 1 and 5 really need to be heard by any hardcore
fan.
Bryan: Total 14.5 Avg. 2.9 Hey we got the
same scores just slightly different routes - I like when that happens.
And hey, we – and by we I mean me - forgot one. Let's circle back to:
 |
| (1989) |
"Tougher
Than the Rest"
Bryan: 3/5 I like the addition of the E Street Band,
but it doesn't add as much as it would to a sped-up version of "When
You're Alone," which damn it, give me the phone. Of course, it wouldn't
work now. Maybe I can get Phish to do it. Somehow. Anyway, this version
is inferior to the studio version even if it sounds pretty good. Bruce sounds
kind of sad.
Bryant: 2.75.5 A perfectly good
version of the song, but it gives me nothing the studio version doesn't give me
more capably.
"Be
True"
Bryan: 2/5 Another one I totally forgot about.
The melody for the chorus reminds me of something but I can't think of what.
Bryant: 2/5 This castoff from The
River sounds like exactly what it is: a song that would have fit right in
on The River. It's a good live version of a good song; nothing
special, though, in my opinion.
"Chimes
of Freedom"
Bryan: 2/5 "Springsteen's performance
is rousing and fervent, transforming the song into a ringing anthem for the
full E Street Band, without losing the power of the words evident in Dylan's
own solo performance" So says the wiki. Sounds like it’s describing a
different song to me. Decent cover but not my favorite song of Dylan's, either,
so maybe it’s just falling on deaf ears.
Bryant: I'm with you on this not being a favorite
Dylan tune. It's from arguably my favorite era of Dylan, though, and it's
a good song. Maybe even a great one -- just one that always hits my ears
a little funny. I love Dylan's voice 99 times out of 100, but
"Chimes of Freedom" is the 1. So vocally, I kind of prefer
Springsteen's take. Only kinda, though; Dylan at least has some ragged passion,
whereas Bruce's version sounds a bit rote. So for me, this is a 1.5/5. Not bad, but ... flat.
Bryan: 4.5/5 If Born in the USA made me, like millions of earthlings, a
huge Bruce fan, the live '87 set was the high point of my mk1 fandom, and Tunnel of Love began the
slow dropping off point. And then this version of "Born to Run" was
like the great hook-up you have while the relationship is drifting that makes
you wonder if maybe it can't all work out fine. Lurking in the background of
these memories is that ex-girlfriend I've mentioned along the way - a silent
assassin with a bullet with Bruce's face on it! Happy to be back in the fold,
tho, all these years later. I hadn't realized the extent of these sorts of
thoughts until doing this listen-through. Which just goes to show you, to
paraphrase Robert Anton Wilson, you can end someone's life with an axe to the
head (or the snobbery of a girl you're trying to pull), but you cannot end that
vector of spacetime of which their life was an expression: that will continue
to intersect at will forever, via other dimensions and wormholes we do not as
yet understand as anything but sorcery and "memory and association."
Bryant: 4.5/5 from me. This is
another one of those where it only works as well as it works if you've got the
context of the original already in your brain. If you do, though, this is
pretty magical. So that bit from Wilson works for me in this context!
Bryan: Total: 11.5 Avg: 2.88
UPDATED RANKINGS:
Bryant:
Human Touch 1.7
Lucky Town 2.15
The Ghost of Tom Joad 2.46
Chimes of Freedom 2.69
In Concert / Mtv Plugged 2.75
Greetings from Asbury Park 2.75
Blood Brothers 2.9
Tunnel of Love 3.35
Greatest Hits (New Tracks Only) 3.38
The River 3.39
The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle 3.68
Live ’75 - ‘85 3.7
Born to Run 4.35
Darkness on the Edge of Town 4.4
Nebraska 4.63
Born in the USA 4.88
Bryan:
Lucky Town 2.15
The Ghost of Tom Joad 2.44
Human Touch 2.84
In Concert / MTV Plugged 2.85
Human Touch 2.84
In Concert / MTV Plugged 2.85
Chimes of Freedom 2.88
Blood Brothers 2.9
The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle 3.43
The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle 3.43
Greatest Hits (New Tracks Only) 3.65
The River 3.71
Tunnel of Love 3.8
Darkness on the Edge of Town 3.82
Live ’75 - ‘85 4
Born to Run 4.41
Nebraska 4.5
Born in the USA 5.44
The River 3.71
Tunnel of Love 3.8
Darkness on the Edge of Town 3.82
Live ’75 - ‘85 4
Born to Run 4.41
Nebraska 4.5
Born in the USA 5.44
~
Hey folks - Bryan here. We will resume this journey through the Springsteen catalog after Thanksgiving. The next release (Tracks) is a 4-cd set and is followed by double albums Live in New York City and The Rising, so lots of stuff to get together. Bryant and I already went through everything and made our remarks and scores, but I'll need some extra time to get it all in blogworthy form. (As blogworthy as this blog ever gets, of course - it's all relative! But it'll still take a bit of time.) There'll be other content in the meantime, but we'll pick up the rest of the catalog after Turkey Day. Plenty more Bruce coming down the (Jersey) turnpike!
