» Listings for 2024

1. 2023/4 Albums Thing 338 - Bruce Springsteen “Lucky Town”

   Posted on 9:30am Wednesday 15th May 2024

   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

2. 2023/4 Albums Thing 337 - Bruce Springsteen “Human Touch”

   Posted on 9:55am Tuesday 14th May 2024

   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

3. 2023/4 Albums Thing 336 - Bruce Springsteen “Tunnel Of Love”

   Posted on 9:45am Saturday 11th May 2024

   A number of friends who are also big Bruce Springsteen fans will tell you this is the one that got them hooked and it’s his best album. I wouldn’t go that far but it’s definitely an album I’ve grown to appreciate more over the years. 

   Springsteen had got married in 1985 to actress Julianne Phillips and “Tunnel Of Love” lays bare much of his unhappiness during their 3 years together. It’s easy to tag this as his breakup album, but it’s not that. 

   We begin almost where “Nebraska” left off. “Ain’t Got You” sounds what I would imagine “Nebraska” might have sounded like had it been recorded professionally. It sees Springsteen delivering vocals and all instruments (as he also does on “Cautious Man”, “Tunnel Of Love” and “Valentine’s Day”), guitar, mandolin, bass, keyboards, harmonica, percussion and programming the drum machine on a song about a man who’s “got all the riches baby any man ever knew” but he doesn’t have THE girl. Whether that is the girl he really desires or a comment on his relationship with his wife is for the listener to choose an answer.

   And choices is what much of “Tunnel Of Love” is concerned with, choices and the consequences of those actions. In the sublime “Tougher Than The Rest” Springsteen is asking the girl to choose him, much the same theme as “All That Heaven Will Allow” but that is much more light hearted in tone (“Say hey there mister bouncer now all I wanna do is dance, But I swear I left my wallet back home in my working pants”). 

   “Spare Parts” deals with the consequences for Bobby after “Bobby said he’d pull out but Bobby stayed in” it’s also one of the albums darker songs alongside “Cautious Man” (which would have sat perfectly on “Nebraska”), “Two Faces” and the frankly wonderful “Brilliant Disguise”, one of Springsteen’s finest songs. “Walk Like A Man” once more looks at a sons relationship with his father, following on from “Adam Raised A Cain” and “Independence Day” on previous albums, as the son looks back on his wedding day.

   As we progress through the record a sense of optimism and change reveals itself.  “One Step Up” is essentially about straying but also starting over again. Side two begins with title song “Tunnel Of Love” which again looks at new starts even though you know the pitfalls that could be involved you still throw yourself in wholeheartedly. It’s one of my favourite Springsteen songs and one I’ve only ever heard him play on this albums tour (two of only three times I’ve set foot in that stadium in B6…the trials we put ourself to for this guy!). “One Step” thematically precedes the title track but appears toward the end of side two. It lays out a relationship falling apart and one of the protagonists starting again.

   As the follow up to “Born In The USA” this is not at all what Columbia might have been expecting. His previous album had been a chart topping, single packed hit machine that sold millions globally. “Tunnel Of Love” is a much, much “smaller” record, the feelings and emotions are held close and are more personal than the political chest thumping of “Born In The USA”. Critics praised the songs but at times criticised the musical settings. Although “Tunnel Of Love” is a full band album the full band aren’t on it. All the members of the E Street Band play on the album (except Steve van Zandt who had left in 1984) but the band don’t all play on all the songs. They wouldn’t play together on a Springsteen album again until “The Rising”, which was advertised as the first album featuring the E Street Band since “Born To Run”.

   “Tunnel Of Love” might sound a bit ’80’s in places but it features some truly wonderful songs. As I said earlier, I’m not sure it’s his best but it’s right up there with them.

   Tunnel Of Love - https://youtu.be/M4K7XZGeHTE?si=Q7R1v4-mfaOezCXD