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ONE WAY Recommends [Issue
#18]
Bruce Springsteen By
Born To Run
(CD
Columbia)
In the three
decades since Bruce Springsteen released Born to Run, the album has deservedly
grown in reputation and reached the pantheon of rock’s masterpieces. Its
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted creator continues to astound fans across
the world with one impressive album after the next and a seemingly never-ending
tour. However, few remember the challenging circumstances surrounding the artist
during the record’s creation. To commemorate Born to Run’s 30th
anniversary, Columbia Records has issued a stellar package including two amazing
DVDs. The first is a concert at London’s Hammersmith Odeon in November
of 1975. Springsteen and The E Street Band bristle with all the infectious,
frenetic energy of a group on the verge of taking over the world. While much
legend has swirled about the performance, the show itself answers any lingering
questions about the band’s rightful place as an American institution.
Even the somewhat questionable audio-visual quality by modern standards gives
the footage charm and credibility. The second disc is a fascinating documentary
filled with insightful interviews and hilarious anecdotes. Insightful stories
shed new light on life in the band or the studio. Jon Landau, Max Weinberg,
and Clarence Clemens each provide personal accounts of their experience crafting
the LP from a fascinating vantage point. Discarded alternate versions of songs
also reveal potential career choice mistakes that were successfully avoided.
One of the documentary highlights is Springsteen listening back to an elaborate
choral arrangement of the title track. His bemused guffaw in response to hearing
the overproduced layering reveals bemused relief. The idea that Born to Run
chronicles a day in the life of a New Jersey resident gives credence to the
notion that it’s a modern opera for Everyman. The multimedia package ultimately
offers the listener a chance to reveal a brilliant work and go behind the scenes
of its creation. Obviously, the songs themselves are the stars of the show.
Springsteen’s thematic opus somehow resonates with even greater profundity
as time passes. As long as teenagers listen to rock and roll, tracks such as
“Meeting Across the River,” “Jungleland,” “Backstreets,”
and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” will endure for centuries.
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