I'll remember that one for next time St. Springsteen is brought up in a Meat Loaf topic.

The mention of any artist in any thread is acceptable, as long as it's within the context of the conversational topic of that thread. Like it or not there are similarities between Meat's music and Bruce's, and also between the careers of these two (not to mention that there are many on here who are fans of both), so the comparison is bound to crop up more often than the comparison of say, Meat and One Direction ...

Please do.

I created this topic to talk about Bruce's new album, not to compare the popularity of Bruce to Meat Loaf and develop things in that direction. I accept that there are certain similarities in perhaps some of their music, maybe bits of their careers but comparing the two directly is like talking about chalk to a cheesemonger.

In any event, Wrecking Ball, having listened to it through several times, is a great album and better, in my view, than Working On A Dream.

Wish someone would give play.com (who to be fair are usually brilliant with deliveries of new releases, just let me down this tim!) a kick to get my copy delivered, felling left out not being able to form a proper opinion!

My Amazon copy arrived yesterday and I'm really enjoying it.

I loved Working on a Dream, perhaps it is a bit lower-keyed, but if it wasn't for that cd I wouldn't have bought any other Springsteen ones. I was not big on him at all, despite my dh having a few of the classic album, but somehow that changed when I heard this one. Now I can't get enough and Wrecking Ball is great I think! :)

I quite liked this album. Its different.

I'm liking it :up:

"The E Street Shuffle" was the bomb, but I was very impressed with the other performances as well. :-) Morello was cool- people are wishing he would come on the tour, which would be amazing, but I don't see it happening. I'm sure that Nils can easily handle his parts, though.

In regards to the other discussion, I think it's an interesting topic, so I started a new thread here: http://www.mlukfc.com/forums/showthr...223#post566223

I'm glad that you're enjoying his music, but I find it interesting that it was "Working on a Dream" that changed your opinion. Lots of people (not including myself) really disliked that one. I'm curious- do you prefer the new albums to the classic ones? If so, what do you like about the new ones that you didn't find in the older albums?

I've splashed out 89p a time on ten tracks from 'Wrecking Ball', after investigating them all online. This includes the two extra songs on the 'special edition' are indeed, very special (and vital) ... 'Swallowed Up' puts a remarkable twist on the biblical story of Jonah and the whale. Tracks 7, 9, 11 don't quite make the grade, for me, so I haven't invested in those, and track 6 flows better if played after track 8. But aside from those quibbles, Bruce has, overall, pulled another gem out of the bag - digging into the nitty-gritty of the world after the economic crises, yet still offering homely and believable images of compassion and hope -- So similar to the response in 'The Rising' to the world after 9/11 etc, in that respect - and a worthy companion/ successor to it. Oh, and I haven't even mentioned the rich brew of instruments he's thrown in along the way ...

I really liked Working On A Dream too btw.

Gotta say that I just ain't feeling it. Granted I've never been a huge Springsteen fan but I do enjoy some of his older work, and to me this just isn't up to par.

yeah i know what you mean

after a couple days i got into it :-) its do-able

Bruce and the band performed tonight at the Apollo Theatre in New York for Sirius Satellite Radio's anniversary. The concert was broadcast live on Sirius, and the band sounds fantastic! They did 8 songs from the new album- there's video here:

"We Take Care of Our Own"/ "Wrecking Ball"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ojhFzOKibA

and here:

"Death to My Hometown"
http://brucespringsteen.net/

This footage is great! I have a sneaky feeling we might get a DVD or something out of this. :-)

Oh, by way- could someone PLEASE remind this man that he is 62 years old?! :shock:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...86637983_n.jpg

https://p.twimg.com/Anl8mf_CMAAMi17.jpg

What ya doing Bruce! I bet the venue staff were nervous as hell with him up there! What a guy, can't wait to see him this summer, though dreading the gap on the left of the stage :(

Gotta give him credit. Big production, big band, great instrumentation, and Bruce himself has loads of energy and enthusiasm.

Thanks for the streaming link a few days ago, Julie! I had a look, but it wasn't until a day or two after and it was gone by then. So I had to wait till the album officially came out :( Thanks anyway, though :lol:

After having listened to the album a few times, I really like it. I don't really have much more to add to the short paragraph I wrote before, but the stand out tracks are definitely Take Care of Our Own, Wrecking Ball and Land of Hopes and Dreams for me. Otherwise:

>Jack of All Trades and This Depression are pretty good too.
>Death to My Hometown I'm still unsure of.
>Easy Money and Shackled and Drawn sound too similar for my liking, but I really like their sort of tone :D
>The remaining three I don't really feel anything for yet. They may grow on me, hopefully :D

Thing that saddens me, though, is the lack of saxophone. It's only real appearance is on Land of Hopes and Dreams, and it's not nearly enough :( Clarence will be missed :( Kind of sad to think I'll never have the opportunity to see him play live :(

Videos above are awesome, too. Looks like these songs all work really well live, too :D

if i may... FANTASTIC pictures... thats beautiful crowd interaction :)

Meat should do this during Took The Words over the summer this tour. would get alot of people out of their seats.

Especially the people beneath him. :bleh:

that made me smile lol

:mrgreen:

That's not the half- word was that during the rehearsal, he was planning to JUMP down! :shock: The wife (thankfully) put the kabosh on that idea. lol Guess he used the ladder instead. He must give his security a heck of a time. :lol:

Thanks! I wish I could say they were mine. lol

Check this out- if you look you can spot Ben Stiller, Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas, and I think Bette Midler:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIW8M...eature=channel

Clarence's nephew Jake took the sax solo. He's going on the tour- rumor is he will be playing C's sax as well. :-)

Video of the balcony climb here (during the second song):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XwmrUVyqss

The album's not an E Street Band record, although it is Clarence on LOHAD and "Wrecking Ball". I know what you mean about the Big Man- he will be missed. :( Last night, during the band introductions, Bruce asked the crowd, "Are we missing anybody?" After the crowd responded, he then said, "The only thing I can guarantee tonight... if you're here and we're here, they're here." :cool:

So far, the new songs are sounding great, IMO. "Death to My Hometown" is becoming a favorite of mine. :-) Although, from last night's show, "Mansion on the Hill" was stunning, and "Thunder Road" has a slightly different arrangement- it made me cry. The second I heard the violin, the tears started. And then that sax was missing. :(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd_bz_4C5q4

Went in at number 1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17333542

Awesome awesome album. By far the best album I've heard from any artist for the last 15 years or so and definitely one of my favourite Springsteen albums along with "The Rising" and his earlier work. It captures the essence of his Americana heart and soul perfectly and contains haunting celtic influences he has toyed with on several occasions (Seeger sessions band etc).

The title track, Death to my Hometown. a beautiful album version of Land of Hope and Dreams and Rocky Ground are my favourites.

The songs, instrumentation, arrangements and vocal performances are top notch for me.

Deserves to be at number 1! Definitely!

Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici would be proud.

BRING ON YOUR WRECKING BALL!