Bruce Springsteen - Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.

SPRINGSTEEN REDUX

My old disk finally wore out and i needed a replacement. Apparently it was remastered as well! A MUST for any collection... December 29, 2008

what a good album

Bruce Springsteen's very first album is probably his best album from the 70's. The songwriting is fairly good, the lyrics are interesting (and the kind of lyrics you may be able to relate to if you happen to live in the New Jersey/New York area) and the moody tone of the entire album is pretty delightful. It has that dark singer-songwriter vibe like the album was recorded in an empty room, and alone. I get that same vibe from Nick Drake's music.

The Bob Dylan's imitations are noticeable though, but Bruce does manage to give his music a unique style despite that, thanks to his distinct voice and his lyrics that are MUCH different from the stuff Dylan was doing. I give this album a better rating than the rest of Springsteen's 70's albums because the songs contain a fair amount of melody.

I prefer this version of "Blinded by the Light" by FAR over the Manfred Mann's Earth Band version (despite being a much bigger Manfred Mann fan). Maybe it's because Manfred Mann's version has been played WAY too many times over the years, or maybe I just prefer the funky/jazzy style of Springsteen's version. I don't really know.

"Growin' Up" is a song just about everyone likes. The vocals are really catchy and feel nostalgic, that's why. My favorite song on the album, and perhaps favorite song by Springsteen, is "Lost in the Flood". VERY powerful lyrics. I love this one a lot. I also really admire "It's Hard to be a Saint in the City" and "Spirit in the Night" (the latter reminding me of Van Morrison with the jazzy horns).

"The Angel" has a pretty and tender melody as well. "Does this Bus Stop at 82nd Street?" is the most underrated song on the album.

Overall, a very good album you need to own. December 17, 2008

Springsteen hits the ground running - an impressive 5* debut

The sound is hardly audiophile quality and at times the rhymes are forced. On the other hand it is 1973 and this is Springsteen's first album. I challenge anyone to name another debut so full of top quality songs - each of the songs later covered by Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Blinded by the Night, For You and Spirit in the Night would be a show-stopper on any other LP. In addition Springsteen gives us other great songs - Lost in the Flood, Growin' Up and It's Hard to be a Saint in the City. I think that this is a mind-blowing initial effort. It is one that clearly marked Springsteen as a talent to tab for the future.

Over the course of three decades Springsteen has veered this way and that, both musically and lyrically. There is a world of difference between Greetings and Born in the USA and another world between USA and Nebraska. Lyrically Greetings is undeniably influenced by Dylan - sprawling, poetic, witty, abstract, amusing and dense. Although Clarence is, as always, featured prominently, this Bruce Springsteen is, like The Byrds before him, more folkie than he is rocker. He is a singer songwriter in the best traditions of that genre. Long standing Springsteen fans hold the debut in high regard. I agree with those who believe that this album and The Wild, together with Born to Run and Stranger represent the pinnacle of his catalog. Quibbling as to whether one is superior to another is rather like arguing whether it is Revolver, Rubber Soul, Pepper or Abbey Road - an interesting debate in which there can be no winner.
August 6, 2008

It's a grand beginning

When I first heard Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, I was totally blown away. If there'd been an Amazon, I'd have given the CD 5 stars for sure. The sound was different, rougher, a jazzier and more understandable Dylan.

In retrospect, this is not Bruce's best work, but it's still really good stuff. "Growin' Up", "Blinded by the Light," "Spirit in the Night", and "The Angel" still stand up as some of his best.

I think if you're going to get Bruce, you need to have everything. Every CD has meaning for a time in his life and you can trace his history as well as the history of this country in his lyrics. He's one musician whose work I have loved from beginning to now and probably will continue to love throughout our lives. I can mark a lot of occasions by the Boss playing in the background.

Rebecca Kyle, June 2008 June 2, 2008

Amazing Raw Original

This is one of the best, along with the The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle. November 13, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...