Ben Lazar
3/19/2009 3:47:00 AM
On Mar 18, 9:48 pm, David in NYC <dbillo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Springsteen's studio albums #2 - #8 (Tunnel, not the Live Album) are
> > all classics, and when he's long dead and buried, it's a catalog that
> > will be acknowledged for being amongst the greatest ever.
>
> It's a fair comment and a fair debate. I respectfully disagree.
>
> I think he's only made one truly great album, Born to Run, and a bunch
> of other very good records that all sound alike to the average music
> fan (although, that's true of almost every artist or band).
>
> I've long argued that the live shows are crux of his mystique, and
> that once the memory of those has receded in years to come, his star
> will fade (its already starting, in fact).
>
> The cultural history of the world is littered with playwrights,
> authors and composers who were beloved and lauded for a decade or few
> at the peak of their influence, then little noted later on.
>
I'm not saying this to be argumentative, but I couldn't disagree
more. I'm utterly amazed at the renaissance Springsteen has undergone
in the past decade, especially amongst young people. If anything, his
music is being rediscovered in a whole new light, and the strength of
his songs and recordings is what is shining through. It's downright
stunning to me - when I was in my 20's and starting out in the music
business, it was NOT cool to like Bruce amongst people my age. That
has utterly transformed.
When people get into Springsteen the really get into him intensely and
spread the word. And I see that now with people of all ages. Hell,
I'm working with both a 17 year old guitarist from the Poconos and a
52 year old soul singer from Harlem who both love him - for completely
different reasons. Yes, that's one little anecdote that doesn't mean
much - but this difference I've seen in the past ten years is
unbelievable. I get LOTS of letters on my blog from people asking me
about Bruce and if you look at the Hype Machine (THE guide to music
blogs that mainly lean indie), Bruce, in comparison with older
artists, dominates.
Springsteen has been consistently impactful for going on 35 years. If
he died tomorrow (God forbid), the response would be astounding across
the world. Bruce Springsteen has transformed people's lives (not to
be confused with "changing the world") - and it's an impact that is
now, I would argue, will be beyond enduring in the decades to come.
He's a Walt Whitman, Mark Twain type of figure - and he will be
beloved by people who never get to see him live, or even be on the
planet the same time as him.