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Hi Kush,

The CD sounds better to me with additional listens; 4-6 so far, 2-3 fairly attentively. The CD is most radical in that
it covers a wider than usual range of musical approaches. A friend asked me if it's closer to Darkness than
Tom Joad. My answer was that there will never be another Darkness, and that the CD is somewhere between
a Tom Joad and Seeger Sessions. I spoke off-the-cuff, but probably not entirely unreasonably about Darkness. If another Darkness comes around, it may more likely arise from from somone else who conveys first-hand experience that is current (or relatively current), as much as effectively tells the stories of Jacks of All Trades, etc. This CD, compared to Darkness, is more journalistic and craft driven. Nothing wrong with that. I like it and find it compelling, but don't have the drive to relisten as I had when Darkness was released. My friend who asked the question is on the road now with his wife going interstate for a round trip of more than 2,000 miles. He'll have the opportunity to listen many times if he wants to (and his wife allows). If he only listens a few times, he'll have guessed right that he'll like the CD, but not love it (as he does Darkness). I suspect, Kush, that you'll probably like it more with additional listens.

Steven I agree it is hard to compare it to earlier albums. It is marvellous that he has a new producer - after struggling to like WoaD, I had given in, and think I was just waiting to forgive him for making another mediocre album. So this cd has been an unexpected treasure. There's never a need to like something instantly though. It ain't going anywhere. I, too, think it will grow on you, Kush. It's just that you can't hear it properly because you are annoyed about his banging on re. workers vs bankers:-)

Work is busy and has me out on the road a lot these days, so I've listened a good few times. Am even starting to like This Depression, which I had been skipping over at first. At the mo I am loving We Are Alive, with all those lively characters in the graveyard. They are alive! And we are dead. I am reminded of some lines from a poem by John Crook:

In letting the winds of time blow this old corpse along
The everyday becomes indeed
The eternal.

Hi Steven and Diane,

I did not dislike the album, sorry if I gave that impression. I will hear it on and off. Like I said on initial hearing I did not find anything in the album that he has not done before - pretty much familiar territory. So my opinion has nothing to do with bankers blah blah etc etc. He is not at all preachy or even political. The pre release reviews were misleading (thus the reference to "hype machine" in my last post). I just found the album boring - like I have heard all the melodies before and all the themes before. But I will pay more attention to some of the things you guys have pointed out. However, as Kris Kristofferson once said "I cannot write on assignment" - so I cannot listen on assignment.
Happy listening on the road, in the skies and everywhere else !!

I've only just found out about this so sorry for the extremely short notice but Bruce will be speaking live at this link at 5pm Irish time (in half an hour!!)

http://www.npr.org/event/music/147357853/sxsw-2012

Still deciding my opinion on the new album but after a few listens I'm at 50/50 so far but it took me a while to get used to Magic so guessing (hoping) that is the case here too!!

missed that, Gwen:-( I wish you, and everyone, very happy St Patrick's Day!

Diane wrote:missed that, Gwen:-( I wish you, and everyone, very happy St Patrick's Day!

Thanks Diane. It was a good day and night and feeling a little worse for wear today

You can listen back to Brucie's speech here:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2012 ... g-of-music

I have just listened to the whole Wrecking Ball cd for the first time. Jack Of All Trades and Land Of Hope And Dreams appealed to me straight away.

Overall there appears to be quite a variety of musical instruments. Lovely to hear Clarence’s saxophone on LOHAD and Wrecking Ball. I’m sure I heard a banjo on We Are Alive. And I thought maybe a trombone (or similar or maybe a tuba) on Swallowed Up and possibly a violin on that one and I think Easy Money and Jack Of All Trades the sound of which which pleases me anyway. I get a general Irish country feeling to some of the tracks and a somewhat religious one with others. Mind you, this is my first listening so.....

And talking about meaningful art, from my visual art point of view whenever I start a new painting this quote which I have pinned on my studio wall automatically runs through my brain:
“The aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things, but their inner significance ~ Aristotle
….I reckon it applies to all forms of art!

One last thing I just have to say is that Bruce must have been looking at our Picture Game because he has used my pic idea for his video of We Take Care Of Our Own.
Ha! ha!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkEU3JjNARs
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=10371&p=287537&hil ... ke#p287535

.....and now I really should have a second listen....

A nice listen, thanks everso for the link, Gwen! Everything he said reminds me of I Still Believe by Frank Turner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ-D4jmkUiQ
Or, as he mentioned Kiss a couple of times, God Gave Rock and Roll to Ya;-)

Bev, I agree that your quote applies to all art - art that is interesting, anyhow. I'd sue him for copyright if I were you! (think of all the money he's got). Yes, a "sonic smorgasbord", as the piece with the talk Gwen linked to put it - banjo, lots of brass, and sax, violin, 'these drums and these guitars' (including the wonderful electric guitar of Tom Morello), gospel singing (which works with the fact there spiritual allusions throughout the cd, as you mention), tin whistle, even some rap, and etc. Overall, it's kind of a Seeger Sessions with a rocky edge, to my ears. Just the ticket.

Oh, and btw, Gwen, I now have a ticket for the Dublin concert on the 18th July . Hope to see you there!

Diane wrote:Oh, and btw, Gwen, I now have a ticket for the Dublin concert on the 18th July . Hope to see you there!

I was still contemplating on if I would go the second night and now I will Have you standing or a seated ticket? I'll watch that video later after my daily soap fix

oh, that's great to hear, Gwen!! I am spending too much money as usual (going to Hyde Park and Sunderland gigs also), but at least I will die happy. I've got a pitch standing ticket.

Diane wrote:oh, that's great to hear, Gwen!! I am spending too much money as usual (going to Hyde Park and Sunderland gigs also), but at least I will die happy. I've got a pitch standing ticket.

Right I'll book tomorrow. Hope you will have money left for a few Leonard gigs if they are confirmed

Chema wrote:Good news: http://www.brucespringsteen.net/news/index.html

This has made my day, I love a bit of Bruce on a Sunday afternoon whilst doing the house work makes everything go so much quicker!

The Boss is coming back

And the tour continues to Australia in March 2013. Last night I watched an interview here on local TV with Bruce and his old friend Aussie music media guru Molly Meldrum to alert us to his up coming visit and a new DVD documentary on his early life in the music business. The interview was at Bruce's ranch in New Jersey in the US.
Great Interview Here it is: http://au.news.yahoo.com/sunday-night/v ... -the-boss/

http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/ ... 2avvi.html


Heading our way ... Bruce Springsteen will perform a series of shows in 2013. Photo: Getty Images

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN will tour eastern Australia in 2013. After more than a year of speculation and premature announcements by social networks and over-eager media it's been confirmed that one of the most storied names in rock will return for what will be only his fourth tour here in a 45-year career.

Springsteen and the E Street Band will begin their tour in Brisbane on March 14, travel to Sydney on March 18, Melbourne on March 24 and then end on March 30 at Hanging Rock in Macedon, Victoria.

Most famous for its missing school girls and a soundtrack of panpipes, Hanging Rock has latterly become a home for grand gesture concerts, including another legend, Leonard Cohen, in 2010.The outdoor show at Hanging Rock will be an anomaly on a tour which will otherwise be indoors, unlike the 2003 tour where the band played in not quite full outdoor stadiums and, in Sydney at least, were dogged by appalling sound issues and power failures.

Although only four shows have been announced so far, the significant time lag between each concert suggests there’s plenty of scope for multiple shows in each city.

Tickets go on sale on December 14.

.... He's definitely going to be here before Leonard it would appear!!

Great, Bev! I hope you can get along to the concert(s)!! Will look forward to catching up with the interview tonight, thanks.

Gwen alerted me to the extended tour a few days ago - he's doing the UK and Ireland again next year too - but as I saw him three times this year, I have decided to take a break this time. I can live off my memory of when we were in the pit in Dublin this summer, only feet from the stage (where Bruce kindly included The Promise on piano for me, and No Surrender for Gwen, amongst an all-round brilliant set-list). His energy and presence, and the sheer joy and quality of the music killed me a thousand times !!

Diane wrote:Great, Bev! I hope you can get along to the concert(s)!! Will look forward to catching up with the interview tonight, thanks.

Gwen alerted me to the extended tour a few days ago - he's doing the UK and Ireland again next year too - but as I saw him three times this year, I have decided to take a break this time. I can live off my memory of when we were in the pit in Dublin this summer, only feet from the stage (where Bruce kindly included The Promise on piano for me, and No Surrender for Gwen, amongst an all-round brilliant set-list). His energy and presence, and the sheer joy and quality of the music killed me a thousand times !!

What great memories I ain't taking a break though and tickets are secured for Cork