So, Springsteen is officially out of ideas

[3-LockBox]

His new single Radio Nowhere
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gd6EhRRNJc

is lifted from Tommy Tutone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqUPApCUt90


Gee, and I thought only my 'boss' stole ideas.

[GMichael]

Who was he the boss of anyhow?

[Jim Clark]

Who was he the boss of anyhow?

Clarence

jc

[Mr MidFi]

Meh, that chord progression has probably been used 100 times before. That sort of thing happens all the time in rock. So what. It's a very different song. Even Tommy whatshisface from Tommy Tutone thinks this "controversy" is overblown.

Actually, I think his new album is his best work in 27 years.

[PeruvianSkies]

Meh, that chord progression has probably been used 100 times before. That sort of thing happens all the time in rock. So what. It's a very different song. Even Tommy whatshisface from Tommy Tutone thinks this "controversy" is overblown.

Actually, I think his new album is his best work in 27 years.

Yeah, that's a fairly common guitar riff that is often used more as a layering guitar track, these two songs happen to use it in a more pronounced way, which is why they sound very identical.

[musicman1999]

This reminds me of an interview i read with Randy Bachman. When asked about songwriting inspiration he said that there had only been about 5 rock and roll songs ever writen, everything else is just variation.

bill

[PeruvianSkies]

This reminds me of an interview i read with Randy Bachman. When asked about songwriting inspiration he said that there had only been about 5 rock and roll songs ever writen, everything else is just variation.

bill

Kind of along the same principle that there are only a few stories or narratives and that while there are millions of books written, they all are just variations of one of the few story-lines to choose from. I can agree with that to a certain point, I think the biggest variety musically comes in the form of classical music, which might be why I enjoy it so much.

[GMichael]

Kind of along the same principle that there are only a few stories or narratives and that while there are millions of books written, they all are just variations of one of the few story-lines to choose from. I can agree with that to a certain point, I think the biggest variety musically comes in the form of classical music, which might be why I enjoy it so much.

That's why the only book any of us should ever buy is the dictionary. After all, every book ever written is in there. The words are just in a different order.

[Rae]

That's why the only book any of us should ever buy is the dictionary. After all, every book ever written is in there. The words are just in a different order.

Heheheh...

MidFi, care to expand on why you like the new record? Anyone else who is a fan of his have any opinions? I'm curious whether it's something I should pick up.

~Rae

[SlumpBuster]

Kind of along the same principle that there are only a few stories or narratives and that while there are millions of books written,

That's right. There are only three stories to be told: Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature, and Man vs. Himself.

This isn't the first time Bruce has borrowed.

Pecos Pest
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The Boss
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I'm On Fire
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I'm On Fire is simply Froggy Went A Courtin' slowed down. Smells Like Teen Spirit is the same chord progression as Louie Louie, just in reverse. More Than A Feeling is also the same, just tweeked.

I stopped really caring about such similarities with Schooly D's Signifying Rapper in 1988. Which I can't find on YouTube because Page and Plant sued in 1992. Zeplin sucks. You can hear Signifying Rapper here:

http://www.last.fm/music/Schoolly+D/_/Signifying+Rapper (http://www.last.fm/music/Schoolly+D/_/Signifying+Rapper) Its the only version of Kashmir I own.

But, here's some other Schooly D, just because he's the sh!t:

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Radio Nowhere is simply too infectious to deny.

[Mr MidFi]

Heheheh...

MidFi, care to expand on why you like the new record? Anyone else who is a fan of his have any opinions? I'm curious whether it's something I should pick up.

~Rae

Now that I've listened to it a couple more times, I might ease off on my glowing review just a tad. The first half of the album is fairly strong and, IMO, justifies the purchase price all by itself.

There are some decent rock songs throughout the disc, "Gypsy Biker" and "You'll Be Coming Down" being notable among them. But the truly exceptional track is a classic end-of-summer ode that evokes and pays homage to both Brian Wilson and Phil Specter, in equal measure. "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" finds Bruce at his wistful, longing best...and crooning better than you ever suspected he could.

Lyrically, it's all quite good...if more than a little dark and anguished. But I'm having a love/hate thing with the production. It's a big record, with layers heaped upon layers of sound on most of the tracks. But sometimes, it has the feeling that it's trying to be garage-rock...in a one-car garage jammed with 8 or 9 people.

In the final analysis, I'd say that this is the disc that most people were probably expecting two decades ago, immediately following Born in the USA (instead of the toned-down Tunnel of Love). Some people will read that and rejoice. Others will read that and say...meh.

[Audio Girl]

I may have missed it in this thread somewhere because I only have a few minutes to read and am briskly trying to get through some of these. So forgive this question if it is redundant: but has anyone else noticed how bad this production is (speaking specifically to the sonic quality)? It has to be one of the most compressed CDs I've heard in some time and Bruce's voice sounds like it is recessed to the back of the stage on a few of the songs. Maybe his producers were going for that rough kind of production on purpose ~ certainly BS has not seemed to be too concerned with sonic quality on many of his releases ~ but this is probably one of his worst IMHO. So bad it is distracting.

[3-LockBox]

I may have missed it in this thread somewhere because I only have a few minutes to read and am briskly trying to get through some of these. So forgive this question if it is redundant: but has anyone else noticed how bad this production is (speaking specifically to the sonic quality)? It has to be one of the most compressed CDs I've heard in some time and Bruce's voice sounds like it is recessed to the back of the stage on a few of the songs. Maybe his producers were going for that rough kind of production on purpose ~ certainly BS has not seemed to be too concerned with sonic quality on many of his releases ~ but this is probably one of his worst IMHO. So bad it is distracting.

Mary, this is an on going problem with many major label releases. 'Suits' at record labels feel in order to appeal to young downloaders they need to make CDs sound like MP3s. Sounds simplistic I know, but how else do you explain it? Both Fleetwood Mac and Lindsay Buckingham's last two albums are almost unbearable to listen to. Many of the 'modern day' CDs I own are mastered so poorly. No, Springsteen's album have never been a benchmark in sound reproduction, but when will artists start to notice how terrible their music sounds on CDs? Rush's Vapor Trails album was the same way, then with their last release, Snakes & Arrows, they seemed to tone it down a bit, but its still pretty harsh.

It seems they want CDs that sound good on laptop computers and personal speaker systems, like those marketed to Ipod users; the HiFi community be damned. I guess this might be what keeps vinyl around for some time to come.

[Woochifer]

I will say that this is one of Springsteen's angrier efforts lyrically. Very strong and poignant with his storytelling, though it doesn't seem to have the timely urgency that was readily apparent in The Rising.

Musically, I'm not so sure. I know that some critics have been chiming in that this album is a return to the melodic hooks and rock anthem approach from Born In The USA, but I'm not hearing it yet. The album overall seems to meander at times, with not much that memorably distinguishes one track from another. But, I think a big part of this might be one of the muddiest productions I've heard in a long time ... speaking of which ...


I may have missed it in this thread somewhere because I only have a few minutes to read and am briskly trying to get through some of these. So forgive this question if it is redundant: but has anyone else noticed how bad this production is (speaking specifically to the sonic quality)? It has to be one of the most compressed CDs I've heard in some time and Bruce's voice sounds like it is recessed to the back of the stage on a few of the songs. Maybe his producers were going for that rough kind of production on purpose ~ certainly BS has not seemed to be too concerned with sonic quality on many of his releases ~ but this is probably one of his worst IMHO. So bad it is distracting.

My impression exactly. This is a horrible production all the way across. My understanding is that it was initially recorded in Atlanta with a stripped down "core" band. Danny Federici's keyboards and Clarence Clemons' saxophone tracks, as well as some of the guitar tracks were recorded remotely and overdubbed later, and the additions seem glaringly obvious and sloppily done. Also, the drum tracks are even more recessed into the background than the vocals -- some of the worst sounding drum tracks I've ever heard in any pop recording.

Thankfully, Springsteen really comes to life in concert, so hopefully any live album that comes out of his current tour will rectify and give clarity to his songs from Magic.


It seems they want CDs that sound good on laptop computers and personal speaker systems, like those marketed to Ipod users; the HiFi community be damned. I guess this might be what keeps vinyl around for some time to come.

Listened to the CD in my car and computer systems -- sounds muddy, compressed, lifeless, and altogether horrible there too. This isn't even like other pop recordings that lack punch on a more neutral audio system, but sound fine on a mini-system or other speakers that punch up the highs and midbass. It just sucks on everything. Only other medium I can think of where this might sound redeemable would be AM radio.

[Mr MidFi]

I still have this one in the car, so I'll need to play it on the big system to have a more reliable opinion. But it seems to me that the producer was trying to create a big, multi-layered sound...but doing that well is a whole lot trickier than it seems. And the drums suffer the most, you're right. No doubt, these songs will sound better (and bigger!) on the road, in a live setting.

I stand by my original assessment that it's like a one-car garage with 8 or 9 people (and a half-million dollars of equipment) jammed into it.

That said, I think the "wall of sound" approach sorta works on "Girls in their Summer Clothes," which actually does sound like it was intended for AM radio (now that you mention it).

[SlumpBuster]

Rush's Vapor Trails album was the same way, then with their last release, Snakes & Arrows, they seemed to tone it down a bit, but its still pretty harsh.



Snake & Arrows was my first Rush record since Roll the Bones. I popped for the double LP limited edition. I think FA hipped me to the availability of the LP. Wow, what a great time to get back into Rush. "The Main Monkey Business" may be responsible for some cracked plaster at my house. It sounds great IMO. Gotta love time tested vinyl mastering. Another in a long line of great sounding recently released LPs.

[Woochifer]

I still have this one in the car, so I'll need to play it on the big system to have a more reliable opinion. But it seems to me that the producer was trying to create a big, multi-layered sound...but doing that well is a whole lot trickier than it seems. And the drums suffer the most, you're right. No doubt, these songs will sound better (and bigger!) on the road, in a live setting.

I stand by my original assessment that it's like a one-car garage with 8 or 9 people (and a half-million dollars of equipment) jammed into it.

That said, I think the "wall of sound" approach sorta works on "Girls in their Summer Clothes," which actually does sound like it was intended for AM radio (now that you mention it).

I did notice how much better songs on The Rising (which was done in a similar production style, but not nearly to the same extreme as Magic) sounded when they were played live. It seemed that the concert PA was able to fully capture the wall effect of three (and occasionally four or five) guitarists along with the other instruments. Even the Live In Barcelona DVD sounded more coherent and impactful than the original studio CD did.

I really don't know what the producer was aiming for, but the Magic production seems like the polar opposite of Darkness On The Edge Of Town which erred more on the side of immediacy rather than murkiness. I also don't know what possessed them to do the vocals like they did, but it also seems that a lot of pop recordings have gone to this kind of recessed sound.

[audiobill]

Actually, I think his new album is his best work in 27 years.

I am sooooooooo digging Bruce's latest. Mr MidFi nailed it in his initial remarks. Agreed... kind of like everything is moving to be right in the universe when Bruce finds his groove as he has with Magic.

That said, the River is my all-time fave.

Cheers,
Bill

[Mr MidFi]

I am sooooooooo digging Bruce's latest. Mr MidFi nailed it in his initial remarks. Agreed... kind of like everything is moving to be right in the universe when Bruce finds his groove as he has with Magic.

That said, the River is my all-time fave.

Cheers,
Bill

You know, Bill, I like The River too. But I'm not sure it would crack my top 5 Springsteen albums list. Hmmmm...now that I've typed that, what would such a list look like?

{strokes chin thoughtfully}

1. Born to Run
2. Wild, Innocent...
3. Darkness
4. Nebraska
5. (tie) Greetings & The River

So there, it made the list. But I had to cheat to make it so.

Glad to see that I'm not the only one who is liking his latest. Cheers.

[Swish]

I know his record company wants the 'old Bruce' sound, and he tried to deliver that old E Street sound ala Born to Run and Greetings From Asbury Park. Problem is, he's now an 'old Bruce' and just can't rock it like he used to. The fire in the belly starts to fade, and the ideas and energy just aren't what they used to be.

I did like him back in the day, but he keeps spouting that political crap that makes him sound like a curmudgeon, and he doesn't even know what he's talking about. Just babble. He should just shut the f up and play. When did entertainers get the idea we wanted anything from them besides entertainment? Most are just ignoramuses trying to sound intelligent.

Yeah, I got a chip on my shoulder. He's not as bad as Sean Penn...yet, but give it time.

Swish

[3-LockBox]

I did like him back in the day, but he keeps spouting that political crap that makes him sound like a curmudgeon, and he doesn't even know what he's talking about. Just babble. He should just shut the f up and play. When did entertainers get the idea we wanted anything from them besides entertainment? Most are just ignoramuses trying to sound intelligent.

Me too. Yeah, I need to take advise from a guy who's lead a fairly sheltered life, who's benefitted by CDs sales from people who'll never see a tenth of his income their entire lives. I always felt the same about Neil Young or Bono or anyone else who thought that their social-politcal orientations mattered to their fans.