Rare CD: Bruce Springsteen "In the Midnight Hour"

Bruce Springsteen "In the Midnight Hour" promo 2CD set sells for $1,150 on ebay.

Kneejerk: Bruce Springsteen – Lee DeWyze

Welcome to the latest edition of KNEEJERK, where we preview some new releases and give our short, "kneejerk" reaction...


Bruce Springsteen “The Promise”

“The Promise” is a time capsule – a massive collection of recordings from The Boss from the “Darkness On The Edge Of Town” recording sessions. Two discs hold 21 previously unreleased songs from the creative peak of a living legend – what more could Springsteen fans want? To be prolific is one thing, but to write so many songs that are this good truly speaks to the magnitude of this man’s talent. “The Promise” could have been one of the greatest rock albums of the late 70s. We finally get to hear Springsteen perform familiar hits like "Because the Night" and "Fire", songs he gave to Patti Smith and the Pointer Sisters, respectively. It is difficult to identify highlights from so many wonderful songs, but suffice it to say that you’ll find some of the jubilant Springsteen and the E Street Band on numbers like “Gotta Get That Feeling” and “Ain't Good Enough For You”, and the more contemplative balladeer on “Someday (We’ll Be Together)” and “The Brokenhearted”. I also really liked “Wrong Side Of The Street”, “One Way Street”, and “The Little Things (My Baby Does)”.


Lee DeWyze “Live It Up”

The winner of last season’s American Idol (season 9), and the last to make it through the Simon Cowell filter, Lee DeWyze offers “Live It Up” as his major label debut. Quite the departure from his pre-Idol singer/songwriter releases, “Live It Up” is predictably slick and hip, with DeWyze tweaked to sound like Jason Mraz. Recalling some of his standout performances on Idol, this is not quite the sound I was expecting from the raspy rocker with the humble guy next door attitude. The charm of his voice, even that rock-ready tone, seems to be vacant from this record. I am left wondering what happened, but it is obvious he’s been through the Idol processing machine. It is a shame…his vocals could have made a great modern rock record, but this pop rock fluff that tries too hard to sound like other artists besides himself is extremely disappointing. “Live It Up” will bore you to death.

Review: Bruce Springsteen "Working On A Dream"

The Boss is back, once again with Brendan O'Brien on board as producer. I was really looking forward to "Working On A Dream" as I was a big fan of "Magic", which marked a return of sorts to a sunnier and poppier side of Springsteen. While many complained about the awful sound and questionable mix on "Magic", few will deny the songs were highly melodic. The good news is that O'Brien did a better job with the sound quality on this record. The bad news is that Springsteen brought a fairly mediocre batch of songs to the studio.

The record starts with the curious "Outlaw Pete", a 3 minute story that he takes 8 minutes to tell. It is the musical equivalent of that movie "The English Patient" - an epic piece of art that I feel guilty for not liking. Probably realizing he'd better redeem himself quick, "My Lucky Day" follows as a familiar and upbeat slice of classic Springsteen - arguably the best track on the record. The title track, which was performed at an Obama rally and at the Superbowl, is a fairly decent cut, a pleasant midtempo song but not in league with most of his past hits. "Queen of the Supermarket" comes off as a joke, although we know this is not his intention - the lush production just makes this song about a common man yearning for a grocery clerk even more incredulous.

I liked "What Love Can Do", "This Life", and "Kingdom of Days", which are tracks that sound like quality leftovers from the "Magic" sessions. I can't figure out why they thought it would be a good idea to overly distort the vocals on "Good Eye", rendering this bluesy track virtually unlistenable. Springsteen does some Bob Dylan on "Tomorrow Never Knows"; again, nothing wrong with it, but nothing overly right about it either. The somber and reflective "Life Itself" is pretty interesting, with a catchy chorus sandwiched between verses that sound like David Gilmour is playing guitar. "Surprise, Surprise" is the closest I recall Springsteen getting to bubblegum pop, but it is a 'surprisingly' trite and repetitive lyric, probably written to celebrate Patti's birthday. With the number of times he says 'surprise' in this song, you'd fear Patti must be going deaf. "The Wrestler", a song used in the acclaimed movie of the same name, is included as a bonus track, but that track doesn't do much for me.

"Working On A Dream" is not the strongest record in Springsteen's amazing catalogue, but we can't expect a masterpiece every time. I will probably reach for his classics or "Magic" before this one.

iPOD-worthy: 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10

Bruce Springsteen : official site.

Rare CD: Bruce Springsteen "Oh Boy! (Live 1978)"

"This rare double CD is not shrinkwrapped, but is in excellent, near mint condition. It is original and NOT a cdr. SIAE, made in West Germany. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & The E Street Band - Live in Charleston, WV 1978 Fold out color insert with photos included."

Sold for $227.50 on ebay (12 bids)