Sunday, December 20, 2009

Springsteen for Dummies


The idea of Rock and Roll fans who aren’t Springsteen fans blows my mind.  Here is a suggested play list for folks who know the greatest hits and that’s about it.  These aren’t necessarily the best “non-greatest hits” but I think these tunes are good for getting Springsteen-skeptics hooked because they are catchy.

The play list:

1. Prove it all night



A great way to open a play list (or a concert!).  A powerful intro, heavy on the piano, a great Clarence sax solo, and a catchy melody.  Normally if I were posting a video for “Prove it” I’d default to the 78 extended concert version, but for non-Bruce fans I think its better to just cut the chase for the first time they hear this one…

2. Candy’s Room



An outstanding song… this was picked by many as their favorite Springsteen song on 101.9 RXPs best-song-ever poll.  A great song, and one that was definitely meant to be heard live.  Like many Springsteen songs, I heard the live version before the album version, and, also like many Springsteen songs, it sounds a million times better live.

3. Sherry Darling



Complete with Party Noise, I don’t know if a better frat-rock-song exists.  It’s a good counter to the occasional (ill-informed) criticism that Springsteen doesn’t have a sense of humor.  I couldn’t find a live version I was happy with for a first time listener, so for this one the studio version will have to do.  I will say the one time I got to hear this live, it was outstanding, and the audience definitely becomes part of the song with the party noise!

4. Loose Ends



Like many Springsteen songs, this one’s pretty dark lyrically, but’s got a very fun upbeat tempo.  Don’t mind the video, it’s the one I could find with the Tracks studio version of the song…Super super catchy….

5. Janey Don’t you lose heart



This is just a very pretty song, with a very good use of the “sha la la’s.”  This live version isn’t my favorite, but it’s pretty good…. There’s many songs from Track’s that baffle my mind that they didn’t make it on to earlier albums, and this is definitely one of them.


6. Be True



Another incredible song that shocks me it got leftover… I’ve never met anybody who has heard this song and claims to dislike it.

7. The Ties that Band



Great song, great opener to the River album.  Saw this at the River concert at MSG this year and the energy it brings is unreal.  I think this is a good song for getting people hooked… it’s very British Invasion and a lot is borrowed from the Beatles here (and any serious Rock and Roll fan has to love the Beatles).  Plus, everybody loves singing along to the Ties that Bi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yiiiiiiiiiiind….

8. Bobby Jean



Some die-hard Springsteen fans claim to find this song annoying… I think that’s ludicrous.  It’s incredibly powerful and the beat could not be more addicting.  It’s ten times more powerful when your aware of the lyrics, but it’s not even all that necessary in order to be feeling this song.

9. Jungleland



This list has been very heavy on the catchier tunes from later (or at least, not early Greetings through Born to Run) albums.  And I think those songs are all excellent and are key to getting people hooked on Springsteen.  But once you’ve caught their attention, you’ve gotta get them to give Jungleland a try.  I firmly believe that you can’t be a true Springsteen fan if you can’t appreciate this song, which embodies so much of what made Springsteen great and embodies so much of what defined his sound (particularly as he transitioned from the more care free and young songs of Greetings and the Wild, Innocent to the darker and more serious albums that came as Springsteen grew older).  The later portion of Clarence’s epic saxophone solo here is incredible, and the magic of the climax of that solo is simply undeniable.  And while this song is less suitable for mass pop consumption than the tracks above, it’s a better song: if you can’t like this song, you aren’t cut out to be a Springsteen fan.

10. Rosalita



For years this is how Springsteen ended all his concerts.  I think that makes it an appropriate way to end this play list.  It’s full of fun and energy, and captures a lot of what was so good about the early Springsteen sound, the jazzier Van Morrison influenced songs especially on the Wild, Innocent…

*Bonus Track: Thundercrack



Before Rosalita was Springsteen’s default closer, there was Thundercrack.  It’s a great song, and is incredible live.  Almost 40 years later, and he’s still got this same energy live….



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