When he started out, he was the pimp's main prophet. Springsteen's opening shot dazzled with rapid-fire, poetic street jive. "Blinded By The Light", "Spirit In The Night" and "Grown Up" are R&B folk songs populated by a cast of gypsies, tramps and theives.
Bruce Springsteen's debut album found him squarely in the tradition of Bob Dylan: folk-based tunes arranged for an electric band featuring piano and organ (plus, in Springsteen's case, 1950s-style rock & roll tenor saxophone breaks), topped by acoustic guitar and a husky voice singing lyrics full of elaborate, even exaggerated imagery.
But where Dylan had taken a world-weary, cynical tone, Springsteen was exuberant. His street scenes could be haunted and tragic, as they were in "Lost in the Flood," but they were still imbued with romanticism and a youthful energy. Asbury Park painted a portrait of teenagers ****sure of themselves, yet bowled over by their discovery of the world.
It was saved from pretentiousness (if not preciousness) by its sense of humor and by the careful eye for detail that kept even the most high-flown language rooted. Like the lyrics, the arrangements were busy, but the melodies were well developed and the rhythms, pushed by drummer Vincent Lopez, were breakneck.
I had no idea this album was his first, although I knew it was an old one. I've never listened to it and always assumed it was a live album. I guess that's why I figured it wasn't his first one.
My high school English teacher was crazy about Bruce Springsteen. He was always telling us that his songs had such deep meaning. He would have us write long papers about what each song meant. Unfortunately, that has ruined Bruce Springsteen for me
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