Remember this?

Burning Down the House: Palmer & Byrne - Boing Boing

They uploaded a much better video, making this even more awesome.

Amanda Palmer's corset has a picture of Klaus Nomi on it!

Amanda Palmer's corset has a picture of Klaus Nomi on it!

Oh, I wondered what was on her corset.

Damn, Springsteen's cover of Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream" is awesome.

People forget that Bruce played at Max's Kansas City in the early 70s, and knew most of those NYC punks quite well. Which is how he wrote "Because the Night" for Patti Smith and "Hungry Heart" for the Ramones. (But his manager wouldn't let him give it to the Ramones because he was tired of Bruce giving away hit songs.)

People forget that Bruce played at Max's Kansas City in the early 70s, and knew most of those NYC punks quite well.

Huh. I did not know that. I've often wondered how "Because the Night" came about.

I've never gotten around to acquiring any Springsteen until now. What's essential in his oeuvre?

What's essential in his oeuvre?

Like most dbag hipsters, I think Nebraska is his best album. And even though it's dark it has an amazing set of songs and their all really cool and listenable. Johnny Cash could've covered it in its entirety. It's just Bruce's home demos that he did for an E-Street album, but then put out the demos instead.

Born to Run is a classic. Every song is pretty great and the production is amazing. It's Bruce at his Springsteeniest.

The first two albums stand alone and are very different from the rest of his work. Greetings From Asbury Park is (was) intended as a singer-songwriter album, and it's heavily Dylan influenced in its mad rush of language and imagery. That's where you get great songs like "Spirit in the Night" and "Blinded by the Light" (both of which were covered for hits by Manfred Mann). Bowie actually covered "It's Hard to Be A Saint in the City." (It didn't come out until the Ryko reissues.)

The Wild the Innocent and the E-Street Shuffle might actually be my favorite Springsteen album. It was an earlier version of the E-Street band with a jazzier drummer and a jazzier pianist and consequently it's got a looser, jazzier groove. "Rosalita" is the semi-hit from that album, and it's still a total rock and roll blast of exuberence.

Darkness on the Edge of Town was my high school album. It is a fairly dark, angsty and serious album but has an incredible collection of songs. "Candy's Room" is one of my favorite rockers by Bruce.

I don't love The River, even though it was rapturously received at the time. Too many depressing songs about the effects of Reaganomics.

Born in the USA was his biggest hit, but the only song I want to listen to from that era is the B-side "Pink Cadillac" (a hit for the Pointer Sisters). I don't like the 80s production on that album. Too many punted dumpster drums.

There are some good things in his later work. Probably Tunnel of Love is the best - it's about the breakup of his first marriage.

What's essential in his oeuvre?

Oh my god, my heart hurts just hearing this.

Signed,

Grew Up in NJ

You need, at the least, Born to Run, but I would also suggest The River and Greetings From Asbury Park.

Jesus, I forgot Darkness. I was all flustered.

I was never able to get into Speingsteen. To me, his early work represents the New Jersey I grew up in that I wanted to escape from.

I'm actually going to cry, I think. Maybe instead I'll just go listen to some Bruce.

::hugs "Thunder Road" tightly::

Oh my god, my heart hurts just hearing this.

Yeah, I had a friend who was always raving about "The Boss". It kind of turned me off to Springsteen's music.

Sometimes my brain does dumb things.

Oh, and thanks, Hec and Amy.

Oh, and thanks, Hec and Amy.

De nada!

I'd suggest checking out these songs on YouTube and seeing which ones click for you. Then you might know what album to get.

Spirit in the Night

Rosalita

She's the One

Candy's Room

State Trooper