A largely acoustic album and a close relation to “Nebraska”. Tom Joad was the lead character in John Steinbeck’s story of the Great Depression, “The Grapes Of Wrath”, one of the caravan of Okies who headed for California to find work and a better life. This puts us back in a similar timeframe or feeling of time that “Nebraska” sits in, a time before…some of the ghosts that inhabited the landscapes of “Nebraska” are back again.

“The Ghost Of Tom Joad” also sits at an important point in Springsteen’s journey. He has gone through the struggling beginner phase and on to the hit records, global superstardom and then shedding of a skin (the E Street Band) periods and now here he is, looking back (?) and perhaps wondering where to go next. It can certainly be seen as a crossroads, his next studio album after this wouldn’t be for another 7 years and for that he was to be jolted into action by an event that has seriously scarred America and left its mark on the entire World. Springsteen has said that he thinks “Nebraska” is his best album and in his biography, “Born To Run”, confesses that this album picks up the thread from “Nebraska”. While he sits at his metaphorical crossroads he’s looking back at “Nebraska”, trying to (e)raise those ghosts ? 

“…Tom Joad” is looked upon as an acoustic or solo record but there are other musicians playing on these songs, many of them session musicians (the album was recorded while Springsteen was still based in California) but E Streeters Danny Federici, Garry Tallent and Soozie Tyrell contribute and Patti Scialfa adds backing vocals. Only 7 of the albums 12 tracks are truly solo Springsteen performances.

You can’t help but feel a sense of injustice hanging over the whole record and that is expressed forcefully on the title track. The first verse you could easily hear as being sung from the time of the Great Depression where Tom would see men wandering aimlessly, followed by cops, finding shelter and food under bridges, whole families displaced and living in their cars, all of them with “No home, no job, no peace, no rest”, like a musical re-tooling of John Ford’s 1940 cinematic telling of Steinbeck’s novel. But when we reach the chorus we are left in no doubt that what we are seeing is happening now. This isn’t Tom Joad retelling his story, these troubled times have returned, it’s now “I'm sitting down here in the campfire light, Searching for the ghost of Tom Joad”. It’s one of Springsteen’s greatest and most important songs, a song he has returned to and recorded more than once (the original album version, on an obscure folk compilation in duet with Pete Seeger, in a full band version with the E Street Band and Tom Morello, which we shall get to later on, and completely solo on the soundtrack to the documentary “The People Speak” based on Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States” one of Springsteen’s favourite books), the only one of his songs to exist in 4 distinct studio versions.

The song has been widely covered by artists including Rage Against The Machine, Elvis Costello and Roger Waters. Springsteen has played it in various arrangements at some point on every tour he’s undertaken since this albums release (apart from, ironically, on a short Vote For Change tour in 2004) so it’s clear it has become a very important statement to the writer himself. In the 9 times I’ve seen Springsteen live he’s played “Born To Run” every time and “The River” 8  of 9 times making it pretty obvious he sees those as pivotal songs in his life. I’d put “The Ghost Of Tom Joad” right up there with those two in terms of importance in Springsteen’s cannon (but as he didn’t play it in Cardiff recently I’ve likely missed my chance to hear it live). It’s an absolutely incredible song in any of it’s incarnations and I urge you to have a listen to any or all of the versions I’ve left for you below (we’ll return for the full band version when we reach the album “High Hopes” in a couple of weeks time). 

“Youngstown” is another song that made it from this albums “acoustic” setting to the full E Street Band treatment on stage. Inspired by Dale Maharidge’s 1985 book “Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass”, Springsteen had read the book in one night when he couldn’t sleep just as he had finished, or so he thought, this album. The book chronicles the “hobos” riding the railways looking for work. But these are not Steinbeck’s “hobos” of the ’20’s and 30’s, these men were still doing this in the 1980’s ! The book inspired two new songs, “Youngstown” and “The New Timer” (one I’d recommend a listen to, it’s a lyrical and storytelling masterpiece), which Springsteen insisted must go on this album as they fit its theme so well. 

In “Youngstown” one of those ‘80’s “hobos” Maharidge had talked to in his book, Joe Marshall Jr, tells how the steel mills of Youngstown, Ohio supported him, his father and America until, in 1977, they were gone. The Jenny that Springsteen sings to in the chorus (“My sweet Jenny I’m sinking down, Here darling in Youngstown”) isn’t somebody’s wife or girlfriend but Jeanette, the 90 foot tall, 500 ton blast furnace at the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company that in its 69 year lifespan produced 11 million tons of steel and kept the people of Youngstown in work until it was decommissioned. “Youngstown” on this album is a beaten  down, weary and tragic song. By the time it was put into the hands of E Street Band it became, and still is, a defiant, raging howl at the injustices meted out to ordinary people…and you thought he just wrote about cars and girls ! 

“The Ghost Of Tom Joad” is a quiet, introspective album. There are no bombastic stadium rockers here. It’s made of subdued acoustic guitars, keyboards, pedal steel and fiddle, to my ears there’s something of a TexMex feel about it in places, which won’t be the only time I say that about a Springsteen record. The songs themselves are like poetry being read over the music. The power here is in the lyrics and the stories they tell of ordinary people, the brothers tempted into cooking up Meth for the Cartel in “Sinaloa Cowboys”, or the descent into prostitution and drugs for young illegal immigrants in “Balboa Park”, how the ex-convict in “Straight Time” is trying hard to keep his nose clean while still surrounded by his former life and the racism and tragedy of “Galveston Bay”. It’s not an easy record to listen to, it requires your attention and concentration, and I admit it is one I’ve struggled to fully appreciate even after 30 years. Within these songs are some of Springsteen’s toughest lyrics and most firmly held views. I’m not quite there with all of it yet but I plan to give it all the attention it requires until I am.

The Ghost Of Tom Joad - https://youtu.be/2Nbe2O-mJmc?si=gOY_fI-cB18T5NHG

The Ghost Of Tom Joad (with Pete Seeger) - https://youtu.be/NN0gy6fSRkU?si=-N-6F3ny1CDrRmim

The Ghost Of Tom Joad (Solo) - https://youtu.be/avDyB0B02jo

As the other half of the same album “Lucky Town” is far and away the better half and it’s quietly one of Bruce’s better albums full stop. It’s no “Born To Run” granted but “Better Days”, “Lucky Town, “If I Should Fall Behind”, “Leap Of Faith”, “Living Proof” and “My Beautiful Reward” are a superb set of songs.

“Human Touch” had been recorded through 1990 with the whole process taking longer than expected. By early 1991 Springsteen put the album on a shelf (where I’d argue it should have stayed). By the Fall (sorry I’m in US English mode, I of course mean Autumn) of 1991 he returned to the studio intending to record one more song for inclusion, “Living Proof”. But in the intervening time he’d written another 9, so more sessions ensued. The personnel are slightly different on “Lucky Town”, different drummer, no superstar backing vocalists, this time Patti is joined by Sister Soozie Tyrell who will become an integral part of “The Seeger Sessions” band and later a fixture in the E Street Band, and on one song, I’ve only just discovered, a Small Face !

I couldn’t tell you what the songs on “Human Touch” are about but here on “Lucky Town” the whole thing is more stripped back, less LA sheen, and the songs are about things in Springsteen’s recent experience. Opener “Better Days” is a guy looking for a new start after recent troubled times (his divorce from Julianne Phillips?) and contains a doozy of a lyric in “But it’s a sad man my friend who’s livin’ in his own skin, And can’t stand the company”, it was a highlight of his recent gig in Cardiff; “Living Proof” is about the birth of his first child (Evan, born in 1990). “Local Hero” comes with an amusing back story. Springsteen saw a picture of himself in a shop window. When he went in to buy it the shop keeper, obviously not recognising his customer, told him it was a picture of a “local hero”. “Lucky Town”s songs are altogether more personal.

The first time I was struck by “If I Should Fall Behind” it was being played by ace singer songwriter Ian Prowse in a marquee pitched outside a country pub in South Shropshire. I had no idea what it was at the time and had to ask him. He was a little taken aback that I didn’t know, us both being self professed Springsteen-o-philes. I had to admit to not paying these two records too much mind for many years. Prowsey also told me to learn it and play it at any wedding I went to and I’d have ‘em all crying in the aisles. A few years later I did just that. As Best man (again!) for my dear old friend Dawse I played this at the reception in lieu of a Best Man’s speech (I’d already done that at his first wedding) and Prowsey was right, not a dry eye in the house. It also means Dawse can no longer diss the Boss.

So did the two albums on one day work ? Well it’s arguable that the writing and recording of “Human Touch” was necessary in order for Springsteen to get to the songs that make up “Lucky Town”, the former begat the latter as it were. But…truthfully, he could just have released only “Lucky Town” and no-one would really have missed out on much, if anything. Are we really desperate to hear “57 Channels (And Nothing On)” one more time ?

If I Should Fall Behind - https://youtu.be/JvZXl5-A38A?si=91hFUpPHz5YfjwhE

Remember that thing in the 90’s where a band or artist would release a double album but put it out as two separate LP’s on the same day ? Guns ‘n’ Roses did it (“Use Your Illusion I & II” in 1991) and so did Springsteen with “Human Touch” and “Lucky Town”. Thankfully it’s a fad that didn’t last long. In fact after Springsteen in 1992 nobody did it again, it would seem, until Insane Clown Possee in 2000 and apart from a few people trying it over the ensuing 20 years (Tom Waits, Prince (twice!) and a handful of others) it’s a fad that, thankfully, never caught on.

Springsteen had dispensed with the E Street Band’s services at the end of the Tunnel Of Love Express tour in 1989. Following that, pianist Roy Bittan came to his boss with 3 instrumental pieces he’d written to which Springsteen added lyrics and thus began the writing of “Human Touch”. Of Bittan’s 3 instrumentals "Roll Of The Dice" and "Real World" made it onto this album and "Trouble In Paradise" can be found on the “Tracks” outtakes collection. For these recording sessions Springsteen went out to Los Angeles and put together a band of highly regarded studio musicians. Roy Bittan and Patti Scialfa were the only E Street survivors and alongside them you will find David Sancious (from a previous incarnation of E Street), Jeff Porcaro (Toto), Sam Moore (the Sam in Sam & Dave), Bobby Hatfield (a Righteous Brother no less) and other feted but almost anonymous LA sessioneers.

22And therein lies my difficulty with “Human Touch”. Outside of a couple of songs (the title track and Professor Roy’s “Roll Of The Dice”) it’s an unremarkable, dull, lumpen American “rock” album. What “Human Touch” very, VERY obviously lacks and misses is the E Street Band, oh and some better songs. Is Mighty Max Weinberg the greatest most technical drummer on earth ? No, not by a long chalk but what Mighty Max does suits Springsteen perfectly. Are Miami Steve or Nils Lofgren the greatest, pitch perfect backing vocalists we’ve ever heard ? No, in fact I often wonder why they let Steve sing at all but their voices mesh perfectly with The Boss’s and on this record all that is missing. It may have LA studio sheen and perfection but it's also sterile, it  doesn’t have that boardwalk “soul” that the E Street-ers bring to their never ending block party.

We were dangled a carrot with lead single “Human Touch” but by several street lengths it’s the best song here with nothing much else to back it up. Do I ever need to hear “57 Channels (And Nothing On)” ever again…before you think about it the answer is no, but for your benefit and the purposes of this blog I did, you can thank me later. I do sometimes wonder what something like “The Long Goodbye” would sound like with the E Street Band but I’ll likely never find out as he hasn’t played it live since 1992 and only played it at 3 shows then. 

Interesting note is that Springsteen lifted a huge chunk of the lyric to “Cross My Heart” from Sonny Boy Williamsons 1958 single of the same name (https://youtu.be/HyOsohDMlY4?si=mxkL6diwARrSDidJ)for his song of the same name. He lifted so much that he felt compelled to give the deceased Bluesman a songwriting credit. Sadly Bruce’s effort is a real plodder. Side 1’s penultimate song, “With Every Wish” is a nice acoustic tune harking back to “Tunnel Of Love”, then Side 1 closes and side 2 opens with the two songs he wrote with Roy Bittan, “Roll Of The Dice" and "Real World" respectively. After that…not much.

This one was necessary in order to bring us the next one, which we should be thankful for, but “Human Touch” is my least favourite of Springsteen’s studio albums and isn’t one I reach for very often.

Human Touch - https://youtu.be/85cNRQo1m3A?si=5Gdf1knKgItSB6pX