Retro Reviews: Bruce Springsteen: Born To Run

 

I decided to launch a new series to imagine myself as a critic at the end of the 60s and start of the 70s, and to rectify certain reviews from Rolling Stone magazine and Creem. This not meant to be contrarian, but to offer a more balanced perspective. All the albums reviewed are indeed classic albums. 

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – Born To Run (1975)

*****

Producers: Bruce Springsteen, Mike Appel, Jon Landau

Musicians: Bruce Springsteen, Roy Bitten, Clerance Clemmons, Garry Tallent, Max Weinberg, Earnest Carter, Danny Federici, David Sancious, Mike Appel, Steven Van Zandt, Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, David Sanborn, Wayne Andre, Richard Davis, Suki Lahav, Arranger: Charles Calello

Songs: Thunder Road, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, Night, Backstreets, Born To Run, She’s The One, Meeting Across The River, Jungleland

Reviewed by Matthew Anthony Allair

    The first two Springsteen and E Street band albums were good, but this feels like a watermark, and a significant step forward. Bruce has reconnected with the sonic wall of sound from Phil Spector, as well as the song craft of Roy Orbison, with guitars that often capture the feeling of Duane Eddy or Link Wray, while also still taking a nod at the legacy of Bob Dylan and Woody Guthery. Yet in spite of all of the above points, he still manages to sound fresh and finding his own voice – he acknowledges the past, while looking at where we are right now. It’s all quite a feat. Regardless of my strong feelings and disagreements with Jon Landau’s critical work, his support of Springsteen intuitively may have been the right choice – Time will tell.

    This album feels like a loose concept album, in theme, about younger couples or others breaking out of life in small backwater towns where the best they can offer is a factory job. “Thunder Road” sets up this nearly optimistic defiance of a young troubadour asking the woman he pines for to break away with him. Bruce’s lyrical imagery is set up from the start, this sets the tone. The phenomenal backing of his band enhances the experience at first listen. “Ten Avenue Freeze-Out” plays along with the camaraderie of band mates or friends, and captures the playful feeling heard on the prior album. “Night” is probably the least memorable and weakest track on the album. Yet, “Backstreets” progression, with it’s strong keyboard work and evocative feeling rounds out side one. Aside from the core of the E Street Band, you have some phenomenal jazz based players on the album whom add extra coloring to the proceedings. This album is also the debut of drummer Max Weinberg, and Pianist Garry Tallent.  

    Now we must contend with the side two opener and title track, “Born To Run”, which feels like a sprawling cinemascope piece that elaborates on the spirit of “Thunder Road”, The protagonist has triumphantly broken away with his lover by the closing moments. Yet, there’s some lingering questions unanswered. Initially, “She’s The One” brings things down after the high points of the prior track, with scaled back guitar and spry keyboards before shifting into a Bo Didley beat. “Meeting Across The River” is the most deceptively intimate track on the album, but also probably the darkest. It’s jazz bar opening with the horn solo and piano is the greatest departure after the bombast of other tracks. We are left with doubts these characters will make it, and like any good novel or film, the resolution “Jungleland” closes the album with some unexpected answers. The closer is sprawling, and meditative, the younger heroes may not make, either through the death of their romantic relationships, or actual physical death. Are these characters running away from something or running towards something? There's a difference. 

    It all very much feels like a question about working class people in America or around the world, will they be allowed to realize their dreams or live the kind of fuller lives their parents had been granted in the forties and fifties? These questions are very relevant to the mid-seventies, and Springsteen has presented a piece of high drama that will leave you exhilarated yet pondering at the same time. Are working class people going to make it? No one knows.    

Retro Reviews: John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band - Live Peace in Toronto 1969

 

I decided to launch a new series to imagine myself as a critic at the end of the 60s and start of the 70s, and to rectify certain reviews from Rolling Stone magazine and Creem. This not meant to be contrarian, but to offer a more balanced perspective. All the albums reviewed are indeed classic albums. 

John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band: Live Peace in Toronto (1969)

***

Producers: Lennon / Ono

Musicians: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, Alan White

Songs: Blue Suede Shoes, Money (That’s What I Want), Dizzy Miss Lizzie, Yer Blues, Cold Turkey, Give Peace A Chance, Don’t Worry Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow, John John (Let’s Pray for Peace)

Reviewed By Matthew Anthony Allair

    Man, I don’t know what to make of this live album, the recording is beautifully done, and while it’s a little ragged, it manages to work – for the most part. Apparently, John was asked to appear at the ‘Rock N Roll Revival Festival’ at almost the last minute in Canada, and drafted not only Yoko, but Clapton, Voormann, and Mr. White. That festival also featured Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, The Alice Cooper Band, and Chicago Transit Authority, with John ending up with top billing. They had only two brief rehearsals before going on stage, all things considered, they managed pretty well.

    John has always had a deep love for early rock and roll, and it makes sense he would open with the iconic “Blue Suede Shoes”, The guitar interplay between Lennon and Clapton is good, btu we’ll get back to that in a moment. The next number “Money” had been recorded by the Beatles and had featured in the UK ‘With The Beatles’ in 63 and the US ‘Beatles 2^nd Album’, my big complaint is I wish Alan had leaned into some Ringo fills on it. The next number “Dizzy Miss Lizzie’ featured some good back and forth on guitar, but at times the mix suffers from the guitars being uneven.  They do a somewhat different version of “Yer Blues”, rumor has it Clapton played on two ‘White Album’ tracks as a guest. John drops in a new song, “Cold Turkey” which isn’t bad, and they close his set with “Give Peace A Chance” where John improvises some words in the verses. To his credit, John does admit at the opening they, the band, had never played together.

    Yoko’s work opens the second half and John does reveal ‘she’s going to lay something all over you’, or something to that effect. “Don’t Worry Kyoko” manages to have a pretty heavy groove, and the experimentation does meander towards the end. They morph into “John, John (Let’s Pray for Peace)”, the track builds into a layer of guitar feedback that hums into an industrial roar, which may have been the point of her segment. Yoko can sing, which is why it was baffling that her song “Remember Love” wasn’t included into set to ease the audience in. The two tracks had been featured on a single and their ‘Wedding Album’. I have never bagged on their three experimental albums as they are Avant Garde documents of their relationship, and just seem like oddities. Those last guitar feedback moments sound like aural representations of the horrors of Vietnam, and that might be the point. War is futile and pointless, and there must be better ways to deal with politics, land disputes and trade disputes. I hope we wise up to this someday.

    The packaging is nicely done, and the calendar is a nice touch. I do suspect that the last half might influence others in the future – it feels like something new. But overall, while there’s some terrific performances, the rest is just interesting. I can’t say this is a consequential album.