Search - Bruce Springsteen :: Greetings from Asbury Park N.J.

What is everyone talking about?

Jessica L | California | 11/09/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a brand new, 19-year-old Bruce fan. I have just finished reading the rest of the reviews and I am confused. A good friend of mine gave me two of Bruce's cd's to start off with: "Greetings..." and "The Wild..." I'd never heard Bruce before, and I was completely astonished when I heard it. Bruce Springsteen is absolutely incredible. I listened to it nonstop for a month, and easily picked out what I considered to be the best. On "Greetings", two of my favorites were "Mary, Queen of Arkansas" and "The Angel", second only to "Lost in the Flood." I don't understand why all the reviews seem to cast those as the weakest points of the album. What struck me about Bruce was his compassion, intensity, and the forcefulness of his poetic, melancholic yet youthful sincerity. I find those qualities most in the songs that everyone else finds lacking. I am now at the complete mercy of Bruce's romantic, expressive genius and I will faithfully stick by that side of him. I hope I'm not the only one who appreciates these masterpieces."

Born to Rock!

paperbackriter | USA | 11/12/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the greatest debut albums of all-time. Not only did "Greetings From Asbury Park" put unfashionable New Jersey back on the map, it also launched one of the longest and most important careers in rock's history. The 23 year-old Springsteen displayed a remarkable brand of lyrical verbosity not heard since the heady hey day of Bob Dylan circa "Blonde on Blonde". Of course, the imminent Dylan comparsions were unavoidable, but the ambitious young star refused to let the hype machine eat him up. While much has been made of "Greetings'" poor production, nothing could possibly detract from the quality of Springsteen's songwriting. Nearly 30 years after their release, songs such as "For You", "Spirit in the Night" and "It's Hard to be a Saint in the City" still rank among the upper echelon of Springsteen's work. Lyrically, Bruce would never quite approach the lofty heights he reached on "Greetings" and its magnificient follow-up "The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle". Colorful imagery practically jumps off the grooves on every track. From the wild verbal assault of "Blinded By the Light" to the poetically violent gunfight of "Lost in the Flood", Bruce never lets down his guard. Zany characters with eccentric names like Crazy Janey and Mission Man pop up all over the place. The hastily assembled band, loose and ready to roll, so perfectly suits the rapid-fire vocal delivery of the raspy-voiced Springsteen. The whole experience is sheer unadultrated joy. Ironically, being the adventurous piece of work that it was, "Greetings" proved to be an abysmal financial flop. Practically no one outside of Philadelphia, New York or New Jersey was even aware of Springsteen. Within a few years that would all change. While Bruce would eventually become an international superstar, I personally believe that he would never again display the brilliant artistry of his first three albums ("Greetings", " The Wild, the Innocent" and "Born to Run"). Bruce's current work lacks that urgent sense of abandon which made "Greetings" so darn enjoyable. In fact, fans only familiar with his post 1980 output may be shocked to realize that, once upon a time, listening to Bruce Springsteen was actually fun! "Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J." is more than just fun, however, it's the embodiment of the spirit of rock-n-roll. Great album. Highly recommended."

Great, young Bruce

Jeff | Swarthmore, PA | 01/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD presents a young and interesting Bruce Springsteen, performing songs with an early version of the E Street Band. Despite the fact that The Wild, The Innocent...would be released later that year, this album is very different than that album. This album has more Dylan-esque tendencies than that release, revealed on songs like "Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?," "Mary, Queen of Arkansas," and "Growin' Up." These songs, more acoustic in nature than later Springsteen (except Nebraska and Tom Joad), are a welcome change of pace from later, rock oriented Springsteen. Along with those two tunes, this album also includes the fabulous(to say the least) rocker "For You" and the moody "Spirit In The Night," a radio favorite. Although many casual fans consider "Spirit In The Night" to be the pinnacle of early Springsteen, it is not even the best song on the album, as it is easily rivaled by "It's Hard To Be A Saint In the City," "Lost In The Flood," and "For You." "Blinded By The Light," the opening number, has a great funky feel to it, with some interesting, stream-of-conciousness-lyrics. Even the oft-forgotten "Mary..." has some great, sensitive lyrics. While not as good as his next release, this album is a definite buy for any Springsteen fan or even a Dylan fan looking for some new tunes."