So I've been listening to the White Stripes' latest album, "Icky Thump," and I'm wondering how much longer these guys can beat the one-trick pony act.
Don't get me wrong. I think the Stripes are fun as hell and marvel at how many variations on a simple form - loud blues-metal and pounding drums - they can devise. With this disc, however, they've used everything from bagpipes to Mexicali horns to leaven the recipe, and unless the next disc burnishes a new Jack White yen for steel guitar, I'm not sure where they go next.
One hint may be found on the new disc's second song, "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told). Sounds like Jack's got a hankering for good 1970s-era, guilty-pleasure AM pop, a la The Raspberries, Andy Gibb and Leo Sayer. You'll find more of this on "Broken Boy Soldiers," the disc he put out with The Raconteurs. I'm telling you, it's in there
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Selling Out Hurts Those Who Sell
So this is a little off topic, but here's an article I wrote looking at some of the side effects of using rock songs in ads (a topic that, for some reason, everyone wants to keep writing about even though advertisers have been using rock songs in ads for about 30 years now).
Take a look and see what you think. It's my belief that the whole trend has hit bottom. Musicians need the songs so badly they don't care about the whole "selling out" thing and advertisers need something to keep people from zapping away so much they don't mind sharing the screen with iconic rock stars and their songs.
Take a look and see what you think. It's my belief that the whole trend has hit bottom. Musicians need the songs so badly they don't care about the whole "selling out" thing and advertisers need something to keep people from zapping away so much they don't mind sharing the screen with iconic rock stars and their songs.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Duets I'd Like To See
This new album combining Led Zep's Robert Plant with bluegrass/country fiddler Alison Krauss has got me thinking....could we see more of these seemingly oddball pairings (a blues howler and an Appalachian yodeler taking on the Everly Brothers?!? It's one of their new tunes)? You can be certain that NPR hounds and roots-music aficionados would like the idea. It's the same M.O. that no doubt helped fuel the recent collaboration between Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris.
I don't have any SoundScan numbers, but I'm betting that these discs go deep within a profitable and extremely enthusiastic niche of listeners. So maybe some smart record-company executive figures he can hit about 100,000 fans or something and with that in mind, plans the budget accordingly.
With that in mind, here are some pairings I'd like to see in the near future (and for whole albums, not just one shots):
*John Hiatt and Bonnie Raitt (she covered his "Thing Called Love" to great acclaim and he provided backing vocals for another song of his that she covered, "No Business")
*Neil Young and Emmylou Harris (Think "Star of Bethlehem," a wonderful Young selection -made so by her backing vocals)
*Elvis Costello and Diana Krall (it's going to happen sooner or later)
*Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams (it'd be thick with Southern accents, but it's worked before; they've got a great duet on his album, "I Feel Alright" called "You're Still Standing There." Plus. they're great songwriters - who knows what might come out of such a collaboration?)
*Bob Dylan and Joan Osborne (OK, I'm just spitballing here, but she's covered some of his songs and Lord knows he could use some backing vocals now and again)
*Van Morrison and Maria McKee
*Gary Louris and Tift Merritt
Any other suggestions?
I don't have any SoundScan numbers, but I'm betting that these discs go deep within a profitable and extremely enthusiastic niche of listeners. So maybe some smart record-company executive figures he can hit about 100,000 fans or something and with that in mind, plans the budget accordingly.
With that in mind, here are some pairings I'd like to see in the near future (and for whole albums, not just one shots):
*John Hiatt and Bonnie Raitt (she covered his "Thing Called Love" to great acclaim and he provided backing vocals for another song of his that she covered, "No Business")
*Neil Young and Emmylou Harris (Think "Star of Bethlehem," a wonderful Young selection -made so by her backing vocals)
*Elvis Costello and Diana Krall (it's going to happen sooner or later)
*Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams (it'd be thick with Southern accents, but it's worked before; they've got a great duet on his album, "I Feel Alright" called "You're Still Standing There." Plus. they're great songwriters - who knows what might come out of such a collaboration?)
*Bob Dylan and Joan Osborne (OK, I'm just spitballing here, but she's covered some of his songs and Lord knows he could use some backing vocals now and again)
*Van Morrison and Maria McKee
*Gary Louris and Tift Merritt
Any other suggestions?
Two Versions, One Mind
Have to confess, I've known of the Kinks tune, "Muswell Hillbilly," for years. I'm just not sure I've ever really listened to it.
My first memory of the tune comes from hearing a version of it sung by Southern Culture on the Skids, the twangy, trash-a-billy band that has made a name for itself with 50s rock stylings and songs about fried chicken and Li'l Debbie Snack Cakes. Enjoyed the song, mostly liked the album, too, but that's as far as it went.
Just this AM, I heard it on the radio - the Kinks. Now the song is stuck in my head, but I can't tell which version it is, 'cause I keep hearing Ray Davies singing the lyrics, but I also have some of SCOTS' kookier phrasing on the song rolling around in there, too.
Does this ever happen to anyone else?
My first memory of the tune comes from hearing a version of it sung by Southern Culture on the Skids, the twangy, trash-a-billy band that has made a name for itself with 50s rock stylings and songs about fried chicken and Li'l Debbie Snack Cakes. Enjoyed the song, mostly liked the album, too, but that's as far as it went.
Just this AM, I heard it on the radio - the Kinks. Now the song is stuck in my head, but I can't tell which version it is, 'cause I keep hearing Ray Davies singing the lyrics, but I also have some of SCOTS' kookier phrasing on the song rolling around in there, too.
Does this ever happen to anyone else?
Record Review: John Fogerty's "Revival"
A good album, but Fogerty could push a little more (Who the hell am I to tell the writer of "Proud Mary" and "Who'll Stop The Rain" what he ought to be doing?)
Prolific Ryan
This isn't a new concept, but conversation seems to rise about it with every new album Ryan Adams releases (there's a cover story in Paste this month): How much freaking music can this guy put out? I guess the answer is "as much as he wants." The better question is: How much should this guy put out?
Sure, Creedence and the Beatles used to jam out two albums a year back in the 60s, but the discs were only 35 or so minutes long. Ryan Adams put out three albums (!) in 2005. And now he is following a full-length release with an EP of (mostly) covers of his old tunes.
I cannot figure out the economic model for this. And let's be honest: not all of these discs really had to see the light of day. As of this writing, for example, I have yet to spin "29" more than 1.5 times. I see no reason to load up "Rock N Roll" more than once in a blue moon. Now that the hype surrounding it has dissipated, "Gold" is a mixed bag.
On the other hand, he polishes up a gem once in a while. "Heartbreaker" has some great songs on it. "Cold Roses" is emiently listenable (and proves that there is still an audience for the Grateful Dead). And "Jacksonville City Nights" has more depth to it than one might think. I'm usually willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. As long as he understands it's going to be a long while before I get around to fully digesting "Love is Hell."
Sure, Creedence and the Beatles used to jam out two albums a year back in the 60s, but the discs were only 35 or so minutes long. Ryan Adams put out three albums (!) in 2005. And now he is following a full-length release with an EP of (mostly) covers of his old tunes.
I cannot figure out the economic model for this. And let's be honest: not all of these discs really had to see the light of day. As of this writing, for example, I have yet to spin "29" more than 1.5 times. I see no reason to load up "Rock N Roll" more than once in a blue moon. Now that the hype surrounding it has dissipated, "Gold" is a mixed bag.
On the other hand, he polishes up a gem once in a while. "Heartbreaker" has some great songs on it. "Cold Roses" is emiently listenable (and proves that there is still an audience for the Grateful Dead). And "Jacksonville City Nights" has more depth to it than one might think. I'm usually willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. As long as he understands it's going to be a long while before I get around to fully digesting "Love is Hell."
In The Pipeline
So, yeah, I broke down and ordered up the new Neil Young disc. Also the new Ryan Adams EP, and some old Springsteen I had never gotten around to buying: "Tunnel of Love," "Human Touch" and "Lucky Town."
I never really got into Springsteen's work post-"Born in the USA." That was the first Bruce album I bought, as a freshman in high school, and I was totally blown away by it. My next steps were "The River" and "Born To Run." When "Tunnel of Love" came out, it was such a sonic difference (I would not get into"Nebraska," which, along with "The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle," is his top work, until college) that I simply didn't take to it. My loss. Hearing him do both "Brilliant Disguise" and "Tougher Than The Rest" in concert underscored the need for me to get the album. Plus, it's got "Spare Parts" on it. The other two discs? They have some lows, but also some songs I'd rather have as part of the collection than not.
"Why don't you just download them, idiot?" A reasonable question, but I still like having liner notes and a tangible piece of work at the ready, rather than a couple of downloaded files on a small square metal box. I'm crazy that way.
More on Neil and Ryan later.
I never really got into Springsteen's work post-"Born in the USA." That was the first Bruce album I bought, as a freshman in high school, and I was totally blown away by it. My next steps were "The River" and "Born To Run." When "Tunnel of Love" came out, it was such a sonic difference (I would not get into"Nebraska," which, along with "The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle," is his top work, until college) that I simply didn't take to it. My loss. Hearing him do both "Brilliant Disguise" and "Tougher Than The Rest" in concert underscored the need for me to get the album. Plus, it's got "Spare Parts" on it. The other two discs? They have some lows, but also some songs I'd rather have as part of the collection than not.
"Why don't you just download them, idiot?" A reasonable question, but I still like having liner notes and a tangible piece of work at the ready, rather than a couple of downloaded files on a small square metal box. I'm crazy that way.
More on Neil and Ryan later.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Deliberations: Neil Young's New Disc?
So Neil Young has got a new album out, and I'm sort of on the fence about whether I ought to buy it or not. The thing with Neil is that it's either a slam-dunk work of genius or a middling affair with a few highlights. And I can't remember anything after 1994's "Sleeps With Angels" that really deserves the former description.
"Prairie Wind"? Ehhh. "Are You Passionate?" It's fun to hear him teaming up with Booker T and the MGs, but that's about it. "Living With War" and "Greendale"? Intriguing but shoddy. You have to enjoy any outing he has with the lovably sloppy Crazy Horse, but with the exception of a few singles here and there, I haven't heard an entire piece of work from him in years that I thought stood on the shoulders of such second-wind classics as "Freedom," "Ragged Glory" or "Harvest Moon."
The new disc, "Chrome Dreams II," supposedly has this massively long tune called "Ordinary People" that people say is a must-have. But you know what? I've been listening to "Down By The River," "Cowgirl in the Sand" and "Love And Only Love" for years. I've heard the Crazy Horse guitar jams...I bought that freaky live two-disc set, "Year of the Horse." I've helped this guy pay his mortgage and I want one more full-blown album classic before he lays the guitar down!
Who am I kidding? I'll buy the new disc sooner rather than later.
"Prairie Wind"? Ehhh. "Are You Passionate?" It's fun to hear him teaming up with Booker T and the MGs, but that's about it. "Living With War" and "Greendale"? Intriguing but shoddy. You have to enjoy any outing he has with the lovably sloppy Crazy Horse, but with the exception of a few singles here and there, I haven't heard an entire piece of work from him in years that I thought stood on the shoulders of such second-wind classics as "Freedom," "Ragged Glory" or "Harvest Moon."
The new disc, "Chrome Dreams II," supposedly has this massively long tune called "Ordinary People" that people say is a must-have. But you know what? I've been listening to "Down By The River," "Cowgirl in the Sand" and "Love And Only Love" for years. I've heard the Crazy Horse guitar jams...I bought that freaky live two-disc set, "Year of the Horse." I've helped this guy pay his mortgage and I want one more full-blown album classic before he lays the guitar down!
Who am I kidding? I'll buy the new disc sooner rather than later.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Reason To Believe?
Josh Ritter's new disc is giving me faith in the record industry for the first time in, oh, I can't remember. This guy has steadily put out four albums, each a step forward.
His first disc established his singer-songwriter chops and his most recent, "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter," takes things to a whole new level. Who knew the guy had this much inventiveness and ambition? He combines horns, strings, keyboards, slamming drums and barrelhouse arrangements that evoke "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Blonde on Blonde" era Bob Dylan. I don't think Ritter would invite that comparison - I interviewed him once in 2002, and the last thing this guy seemed to carry with him was Dylan's I-know-I'm-a-genius arrogance. Every time I have seen him play, he comes dressed in a suit and quiet earnestness.
But the lyrics and arrangements on the new album belie that impression. He wants his sound to explode and doesn't care if the shrapnel hits you: "My orchestra is gigantic/ This thing could sink the Titanic / And the string section's screaming / Like horses in a barn burning up (from the song "Rumors") There are echoes of everything from Paul Simon to The Clash in these songs, but never enough to overwhelm his presence.
Most bands never make it to their fourth album. It's nice to see a guy get there at a slow but steady pace (if you call four albums in about five years steady), even as other bands and artists get hit singles and then sink back into the muck.
His first disc established his singer-songwriter chops and his most recent, "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter," takes things to a whole new level. Who knew the guy had this much inventiveness and ambition? He combines horns, strings, keyboards, slamming drums and barrelhouse arrangements that evoke "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Blonde on Blonde" era Bob Dylan. I don't think Ritter would invite that comparison - I interviewed him once in 2002, and the last thing this guy seemed to carry with him was Dylan's I-know-I'm-a-genius arrogance. Every time I have seen him play, he comes dressed in a suit and quiet earnestness.
But the lyrics and arrangements on the new album belie that impression. He wants his sound to explode and doesn't care if the shrapnel hits you: "My orchestra is gigantic/ This thing could sink the Titanic / And the string section's screaming / Like horses in a barn burning up (from the song "Rumors") There are echoes of everything from Paul Simon to The Clash in these songs, but never enough to overwhelm his presence.
Most bands never make it to their fourth album. It's nice to see a guy get there at a slow but steady pace (if you call four albums in about five years steady), even as other bands and artists get hit singles and then sink back into the muck.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Soundalikes?
It it just my imagination playing tricks on me or could Lyle Lovett's "I Will Rise Up" fit perfectly on, say, "Time Loves A Hero"-era Little Feat? I'm sure no one but me cares, but just asking...
Taste Check
Just so you can get a sense of the lens I'm using on this thing, here are the top 25 songs played on my iPod as of Sunday, October 21, 2007. Frankly, I'm a little surprised, as I've got loads of Aimee Mann on there and not one of her songs is on the Top 25. And I'm a little relieved, as I have two songs by the Knack on there, and they didn't make it, either
1) "Someone To Love" - Fountains of Wayne
2) "Blues Before & After" - The Smithereens
3) "Fight Fire" - Southern Culture on the Skids
4) "Lawyers In Love" - Jackson Browne (Yeah, yeah. I'm surprised, too)
5) "Motherless Children" - Eric Clapton
6) "Lost Cause" - Beck
7) "My Back Pages" - Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Roger McGuinn, George Harrison, Eric Clapton (from Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert)
8) "Bad Enough" - James McMurtry
9) "Mr. Pitiful" - Otis Redding
10) "Evening Gown" - Alejandro Escavedo (cover of an obscure solo Mick Jagger song)
11) "Two Hearts" - Bruce Springsteen
12) "Every Little Thing" - Carlene Carter
13) "Your Best Friend" - Gutterball
14) "Painting By Numbers" - James McMurtry
15) "Something Wild" - John Hiatt
16) "They're Blind" - Kelly Willis (a cover of an obscure Replacements song)
17) "Last Nite" - The Strokes (I think I like it cause it sounds like Tom Petty's "American Girl")
18) "Basket Case" - Warren Zevon (co-written with Carl Hiaaseen. If you like the mentally ill, this song will offend you)
19) "This Wheel's On Fire" - The Band
20) "I'm Looking Through You" - The Beatles
21) "Funny Little Frog" - Belle and Sebastian
22) "Redneck Friend" - Dave Alvin (cover of a Jackson Browne song. Please don't read anything into the fact that both this and "Lawyers in Love" are both in my top 25. I was always partial to Jackson's "Somebody's Baby"- which, come to think of it, ought to be on my iPod)
23) "Before They Make Me Run" -Steve Earle and the Supersuckers (cover of the Rolling Stones song, and a much better version, if you ask me. The Best Song Steve Earle Never Wrote, But Should Have)
24) "Same In Any Language" - I Nine (from the soundtrack of the oddball Cameron Crowe movie, "Elizabethtown" Not-so-great movie, interesting song)
25) "Rise Up With Fists!!!" - Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
1) "Someone To Love" - Fountains of Wayne
2) "Blues Before & After" - The Smithereens
3) "Fight Fire" - Southern Culture on the Skids
4) "Lawyers In Love" - Jackson Browne (Yeah, yeah. I'm surprised, too)
5) "Motherless Children" - Eric Clapton
6) "Lost Cause" - Beck
7) "My Back Pages" - Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Roger McGuinn, George Harrison, Eric Clapton (from Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert)
8) "Bad Enough" - James McMurtry
9) "Mr. Pitiful" - Otis Redding
10) "Evening Gown" - Alejandro Escavedo (cover of an obscure solo Mick Jagger song)
11) "Two Hearts" - Bruce Springsteen
12) "Every Little Thing" - Carlene Carter
13) "Your Best Friend" - Gutterball
14) "Painting By Numbers" - James McMurtry
15) "Something Wild" - John Hiatt
16) "They're Blind" - Kelly Willis (a cover of an obscure Replacements song)
17) "Last Nite" - The Strokes (I think I like it cause it sounds like Tom Petty's "American Girl")
18) "Basket Case" - Warren Zevon (co-written with Carl Hiaaseen. If you like the mentally ill, this song will offend you)
19) "This Wheel's On Fire" - The Band
20) "I'm Looking Through You" - The Beatles
21) "Funny Little Frog" - Belle and Sebastian
22) "Redneck Friend" - Dave Alvin (cover of a Jackson Browne song. Please don't read anything into the fact that both this and "Lawyers in Love" are both in my top 25. I was always partial to Jackson's "Somebody's Baby"- which, come to think of it, ought to be on my iPod)
23) "Before They Make Me Run" -Steve Earle and the Supersuckers (cover of the Rolling Stones song, and a much better version, if you ask me. The Best Song Steve Earle Never Wrote, But Should Have)
24) "Same In Any Language" - I Nine (from the soundtrack of the oddball Cameron Crowe movie, "Elizabethtown" Not-so-great movie, interesting song)
25) "Rise Up With Fists!!!" - Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Everything Old Is New Again
When Robert Plant sampled bits of old Led Zep hits for his 1990 hit "Tall Cool One," it seemed like a novel way to burnish music from the past to help inform songs in the present. But it also seemed like a bit of a gimmick.
Now it sounds like everyone's jumping on this train - and riding it a lot further (some rap artists and Beck are excused from this diatribe)
Does anyone except for me remember Steve Forbert's 1979 hit "Romeo's Tune"? It was a youthful take on being in love. Now Forbert's put a new, stripped down version on his latest album, and it sounds like something completely different - a lot of the wonder and joy is gone, but age'll do that to you, I suspect. Meanwhile, Steve Earle quotes his old hit "Guitar Town" in his new song, "Tennessee Blues." You've got Joni Mitchell offering up a new version of "Big Yellow Taxi" on her new Starbucks album and Pink Floyd's Roger Waters quoting from his old work on "Hello (I Love You)," a song he contributed to a recent movie soundtrack.
So I guess the question is whether the new versions of the songs offer up some new insight or angle that the orignals did not - just like a good cover version can make you hear a song in an entirely different light (a la Jimi Hendrix's cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower" or Jason & The Scorchers' version of "Absolutely Sweet Marie" - great song, horrible video). Or is it a sign of something worse - that all the good songs and ideas are gone, and everyone is left to cobble together stuff from when they were more prolific and had more to say?
Now it sounds like everyone's jumping on this train - and riding it a lot further (some rap artists and Beck are excused from this diatribe)
Does anyone except for me remember Steve Forbert's 1979 hit "Romeo's Tune"? It was a youthful take on being in love. Now Forbert's put a new, stripped down version on his latest album, and it sounds like something completely different - a lot of the wonder and joy is gone, but age'll do that to you, I suspect. Meanwhile, Steve Earle quotes his old hit "Guitar Town" in his new song, "Tennessee Blues." You've got Joni Mitchell offering up a new version of "Big Yellow Taxi" on her new Starbucks album and Pink Floyd's Roger Waters quoting from his old work on "Hello (I Love You)," a song he contributed to a recent movie soundtrack.
So I guess the question is whether the new versions of the songs offer up some new insight or angle that the orignals did not - just like a good cover version can make you hear a song in an entirely different light (a la Jimi Hendrix's cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower" or Jason & The Scorchers' version of "Absolutely Sweet Marie" - great song, horrible video). Or is it a sign of something worse - that all the good songs and ideas are gone, and everyone is left to cobble together stuff from when they were more prolific and had more to say?
Friday, October 19, 2007
Jailhouse Tears
Another tune that's been floating thru my brain for the last few weeks is "Jailhouse Tears," a duet Lucinda Williams has been performing with everyone from David Johansen of the New York Dolls to Steve Earle. It's hard-core country, not the folksy wordsmithery that Lucinda usually turns out - and it's got profanity and drug use at its core.
Funny that she gets Steve Earle to sing it. No matter how long it's been since his drug bust, the guy still seems to have an addiction to something - whether it's getting married or just work-work-working his tail off - and I can't help but wonder what goes through his head when he has to sing something like that.
The lyrics - you can see some of them here - are a little silly, but for some reason (probably Lucinda's thick-as-molasses Southern accent) I can't seem to stop humming this song. Whether or not she ever commits it to disc, given her current predilection for lustful internal monologues over character studies, is anyone's guess.
Funny that she gets Steve Earle to sing it. No matter how long it's been since his drug bust, the guy still seems to have an addiction to something - whether it's getting married or just work-work-working his tail off - and I can't help but wonder what goes through his head when he has to sing something like that.
The lyrics - you can see some of them here - are a little silly, but for some reason (probably Lucinda's thick-as-molasses Southern accent) I can't seem to stop humming this song. Whether or not she ever commits it to disc, given her current predilection for lustful internal monologues over character studies, is anyone's guess.
Rethinking Springsteen
I admit it. I hated "The Rising," and at first listen, I didn't think much of Bruce's new disc, "Magic," either. In recent years, he has spent too much time observing life and not enough living it and reporting back on it to us - a la earlier songs like "Spirit In The Night" or "Jungleland" I want more Magic Rat and Sandy and Janey and Hazy Davey and Killer Joe, more Joe Roberts and Maria and less of the summary/analysis that has become so much a part of Bruce's latter work - i.e. "Tom Joad" or "The Rising."
I've also had a problem with his sound in recent albums, especially the ones with the E Street Band (what kind of problem can you have with an acoustic or nearly acoustic disc like "Devils & Dust"?) The band sounds like a lumbering beast. All the instruments blend into an airless morass and you can't hear Bruce's pinched guitar solos, Clarence's sax or Roy's keyboards stand out. I thought "Magic" offered more of the same.
But I just saw the guy do two shows back to back at MSG in the last two nights, and I have to say, I'm prepared to revise my decision. "Girls In Their Summer Clothes" and "Gypsy Biker" have some oomph on the new disc, but realize more of their potential in a live setting. Bruce has great showmanship and it's a natural that his performance shenanigans could get a song with so-so lyrics or less-than-imaginative instrumentation over on you. But maybe if producer Brendan O'Brien let the band breathe a little more in the studio, Springsteen could escape the constant comparisons to everything pre-"Born In The USA"
I've also had a problem with his sound in recent albums, especially the ones with the E Street Band (what kind of problem can you have with an acoustic or nearly acoustic disc like "Devils & Dust"?) The band sounds like a lumbering beast. All the instruments blend into an airless morass and you can't hear Bruce's pinched guitar solos, Clarence's sax or Roy's keyboards stand out. I thought "Magic" offered more of the same.
But I just saw the guy do two shows back to back at MSG in the last two nights, and I have to say, I'm prepared to revise my decision. "Girls In Their Summer Clothes" and "Gypsy Biker" have some oomph on the new disc, but realize more of their potential in a live setting. Bruce has great showmanship and it's a natural that his performance shenanigans could get a song with so-so lyrics or less-than-imaginative instrumentation over on you. But maybe if producer Brendan O'Brien let the band breathe a little more in the studio, Springsteen could escape the constant comparisons to everything pre-"Born In The USA"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)