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One Song Justifies Bruce Springsteen As An Artist.....

M

Mister Pig

Pigamus Maximus
Ok I am not a huge Springsteen fan, and I understand others are. Seems to me that there are some yin/yang relationships in music fans. Seems you either like

Mellencamp/Cougar or Springsteen
Nirvana or Pearl Jam
M Jackson or Prince
Beattles or Rolling Stones (to an extent)

Not saying you hate the other one, but from what I have observed that people have an affinity for one artist or the other.

Now I like Mellencamp, and am not a huge Springsteen fan. I can think of maybe four or five songs I really enjoy from his catalog.

But. His live version of War is just awesome! Love it, and can listen to it anytime, anywhere, and on any system. If he did just this one song, then it would be worth it in my mind.

Regards
Mister Pig

ps This thread isn't meant to PO any Springsteen fans. Everyone has their favorite and unfavorite artists.
 
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I agree with your assessment and your thesis.
For me (FWIW), the one single song that "legitimizes" the whole Brooooooce thing is Thunder Road. Had he never written, recorded, nor performed anything else, that song alone would make him a force to be reckoned with.

Similarly, for John (Cougar) Mellencamp, Little Pink Houses (actually, I'd also throw in Jack and Diane).

Life goes on... long after the thrill of living is gone.
 
I think Springsteen is a great song writer. I personally don't like him as an artist but I really love the cover versions of his songs that I've heard.
 
Springsteen and Mellencamp IMO are both amazing song writers. As far as the one song thing:

Springsteen: "The Rising"
Mellencamp: "Check It Out"
 
sxty8goats said:
I think Springsteen is a great song writer. I personally don't like him as an artist but I really love the cover versions of his songs that I've heard.
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Agreed. His constipated singing style certainly isn't for everyone. Lots of great songwriters suffer from an inability to sing very good. Burt Bacharach should never try to sing his own material, for instance. Good thing he found Dionne Warwick for that. She was the perfect vehicle for his songwriting.
 
I actually like all of these artists/groups pretty much equally:

Nirvana or Pearl Jam
M Jackson or Prince
Beatles or Rolling Stones

But I will say that I don't care for Mellencamp (can't take the voice), and, while I'm not a huge Springsteen fan, I do like most of his stuff.
 
I Don't Like Mellencamps Newer Stuff....

But if there is one album that is a complete gem from one side to the other, for me it is Scarecrow. In my mind there is not a bad track in the whole thing. Rain on A Scarecrow is a time capsule of a significant social concern in its day. Minutes to Memories describes life ina way that has insights to both the young and old. One of my other favorites is Justice and Independence, great music and an interesting commentary to boot.

But maybe I am just inclined to liking this album because I am a barnyard animal, and this album concerns the plight of the farmer and those who live in the small towns across this country.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
Uh, for me, nothing Springsteen has done is worth listening to. I don't like his songwriting or his singing.

Mellencamp: I like, but, I rarely play any of his music.

Pass on both Nirvana and Pearl Jam

Same for Jackson and Prince.

Do not like the Beatles, Some stones songs are fine.
 
Springsteen is a meathead. If you're from NJ, then you are allowed to like him when you are drunk. That's it.

Mellencamp? Midwest populist BS. And what's with this mono thing on one of his latest LPs?

Beatles? Guitar bands are on their way out.

Stones? Dirty. Would you let your daughter date a Stone?
 
Mister Pig said:
But if there is one album that is a complete gem from one side to the other, for me it is Scarecrow. In my mind there is not a bad track in the whole thing. Rain on A Scarecrow is a time capsule of a significant social concern in its day. Minutes to Memories describes life ina way that has insights to both the young and old. One of my other favorites is Justice and Independence, great music and an interesting commentary to boot.

But maybe I am just inclined to liking this album because I am a barnyard animal, and this album concerns the plight of the farmer and those who live in the small towns across this country.

Regards
Mister Pig
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Thanks for the album mention, I have heard of that one before. I should probably check it out at some point.

I have to admit that I haven't listened to much MC just because I can't get past the voice (usually a deal breaker for me), but that's jmo of course (hey, I know many would read that and think: But he LIKES Geddy Lee's voice?! :D).

I will also admit that I do like the Beatles overall more than the Stones, since, imo, all of the Beatles output is good with only a few bad songs whereas the Stones can be a real hit or miss (of course they have also put out a lot more material than the Beatles of course). But I have gotten somewhat burned out on the Beatles over the years and not the Stones yet (I only finally got all of their albums a year ago!).

Btw, being a Pig, do you like Pink Floyd's Animals or do you feel it is unfairly biased against your species? :D
 
sxty8goats said:
I think Springsteen is a great song writer. I personally don't like him as an artist but I really love the cover versions of his songs that I've heard.
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Actually I think Bruce's first 2 albums (Asbury Park, E Street Shuffle) are both excellent. I really like the Latin street-hustle vibe on these 2 albums brought to the fore by David Sancious and Vini Lopez. Born to Run was the beginning of the end for me. Max Weinberg is no David Sancious. The whole Latin street-hustle vibe gave way to stadium rock. Not my cuppa joe.

I have to give Bruce big props for his song "Fire" covered by Robert Gordon and The Pointer Sisters. An epicly great song IMHO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgwgMtIJ8pc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDKNnJUP2FI
 
Go see Springstein(61) in person and you'll change your mind on him. Mellencamp(59) is another guy who is a great live performer and has a great catalog of songs. Two old gents that can rock it out.YMMV
 
KeninDC said:
Springsteen is a meathead. If you're from NJ, then you are allowed to like him when you are drunk. That's it.

Mellencamp? Midwest populist BS. And what's with this mono thing on one of his latest LPs?

Beatles? Guitar bands are on their way out.

Stones? Dirty. Would you let your daughter date a Stone?
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:lmao:

I'm from Long Island, therefore when I'm drunk :beer::beerchug: I like Billy Joel. :para:

Regarding Springsteen... I can't stand the sound of his early recordings, and I never really much liked his material except for 10th Ave. Freeze Out and Saint In The City. I never understood why he was such a mega star when he hit the scene, then a couple of years ago I saw a video of him performing from the early days and I got it. He was a very exciting and dynamic performer. His later stuff all sounds monotonous, depressive, and sluggish to me.

Mellencamp... I like him in theory, but I lived in his home town of Bloomington IN for a couple of years. B-ton was OK, but I really didn't enjoy the whole Southern Indiana vibe too much and Mellencamp's music brings me back there. I think his heart is really in the right place though, and a lot of what he says in interviews and in his music is not at all representative of what I was exposed to there in rural Indiana.
 
nebraska is a really great LP, if you make an album like that you really don't have to worry about being justifed. :)
 
I'm not a fan of Springsteen. I'm not an anti fan either (unlike Michael Franks).

I like one song a lot. I think it's called "Maria". That might not be the title, but he sings it a lot in the song. It's really hook-y for me.
 
I like Bruce most of the time. His newer stuff I haven't been able to get into, but his material in the Nebraska and before era makes him "quite a force to be reckoned with". Also We Shall Overcome is a great double LP. So is the Live in Dublin DVD.

I don't like Stones, Beatles, MJ, Prince, Nirvana or Pearl Jam.
 
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If there was one song for Springsteen it would be, ROSALITA!!!

Being from the NYC area he just got played to death around here. I always liked "Meeting Across The River" as well.
 
Cougar is from Seymor, IN from my understanding and only relates to Bloomington because of the college scene like Styx are to Decatur,IL or REO and Bob Seger to Ann Arbor. Anyway, I like Cougar better than Springsteen as music goes but like what they write about as far as Americana. I'll take Seger over those two anytime myself. Pearl Jam and Nirvana I'll take Nirvana only because what they brought to the history of rock along with the Beatles.But the Stones are more of a harder rock n roll band to me than the Beatles were and with such a large catalog it's hard not to like them. But I do play more Beatles than the Stones, but that is changing over time.
 
I think Mellencamp was originally from Seymour, but when I lived in B-ton in '93 he lived right on Rt. 46 at the eastern edge of town. I drove past his house every day on my way to work in Columbus.
 
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