I watched the movie The Grapes of Wrath the other night. It's based on the Steinbeck novel of the same name, and I found it quite moving. It reminded me of the Springsteen song The Ghost of Tom Joad.

Walkin' 'long the railroad tracks
Goin' someplace there's no goin' back
Highway patrol choppers comin' up over the ridge
Hot soup on a campfire under the bridge
Shelter line stretchin' round the corner
Welcome to the new world order
Families sleepin' in their cars in the southwest
No home no job no peace no rest

The highway is alive tonight
But nobody's kiddin' nobody about where it goes
I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light
Searchin' for the ghost of Tom Joad

He pulls prayer book out of his sleeping bag
Preacher lights up a butt and takes a drag
Waitin' for when the last shall be first and the first shall be last
In a cardboard box 'neath the underpass
Got a one-way ticket to the promised land
You got a hole in your belly and gun in your hand
Sleeping on a pillow of solid rock
Bathin' in the city aqueduct

The highway is alive tonight
But where it's headed everybody knows
I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light
Waitin' on the ghost of Tom Joad

Now Tom said "Mom, wherever there's a cop beatin' a guy
Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries
Where there's a fight 'gainst the blood and hatred in the air
Look for me Mom I'll be there
Wherever there's somebody fightin' for a place to stand
Or decent job or a helpin' hand
Wherever somebody's strugglin' to be free
Look in their eyes Mom you'll see me."

The highway is alive tonight
But nobody's kiddin' nobody about where it goes
I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light
With the ghost of old Tom Joad

Copyright © Bruce Springsteen (ASCAP)

I'm curious to hear what you guys think of the Boss. Personally, I can't stand him musically. I find all that E Street Band stuff soo totally shmaltzy. I saw him live (with band) a couple of years ago and found it totally boring. Yet, every time I hear an acoustic version of one of his songs (even the ridiculously popular ones) I find myself in awe of his songwriting skills.

I find it a little strange to have these mixed feelings about such a popular artist. Your thoughts?

wasnt that song based on the book or the movie? oh and rage against the machine did a cover of it too

I think The Boss is great. The problem is often exposure over time. I mean I could easily say that the Stones have actually produced a hell of a lot of crap in the last 30 years (same goes for Dylan) but their good stuff is just so far above the rest I can more than forgive the non masterpiece stuff.

CD

i really like Bruce Springsteen. When I was a kid, he was really big. You couldn't go anywhere and not hear something off of 'Born In The USA'... probably my favorite album is 'Nebraska'... there's just something very cold about, something dark... I like it alot.

Samurai

anyone heard bruce's "seger sessions" yet? ive been listening to it alot the past few days. its really good.

Bruce is by far my favourite artist. I think his work from 1973-87 is the best body of work by any artist in any field. I love the bombast of the E Street band and the passion they all put into it night after night. He is probably the second best songwriter (next to Dylan), I find his lyrics so easy to relate to, so passionate and just so cinematic. I saw him live twice during the Rising tour and was completely blown away.
That being said, I can't stand the Ghost of Tom Joad or the Seeger Sessions. I found Devils and Dust to be quite dull. I find he's a pretender when he's doing that stuff. Like he's saying "hey take me seriously, cause rock 'n' roll just ain't serious enough"...which is bullshit.
Anyway, if you like his acoustic stuff definitely check out Nebraska. Its his only acoustic stuff that really works.

I dont know the seeger sessions but I do like the acoustic stuff. I remember in the 80's he started those no yelling Bruuuuuuuce sit quiet and listen TO ME concerts which really turned me off. But in time I have come to see how you can't win on the ol trying to please everybody all the time thing. So I tend to bury the hatchet and regard the work as sincere and most of the time it comes off pretty cool. It can t be easy wanting to do a nice little tune when you know the people who buy your records are waiting for the next Born In The USA. So there has to be a weird kind of fuck it going on. I am sure people who get big like that discuss this sort of thing. Or they just exchange therapist's numbers, LOL.

CD

I can see where he's coming from but the acoustic stuff really isn't that big of a leap for him like it was in 1982. Ever since the beginning (with the exception of 92-93) its been either Bruce with the ESB or Bruce alone. For him, its safe and its easy. 92-93 kinda sucked cause he was trying to replicate the past glory of the ESB with a new band. If he really wanted to take a chance and get new fans he'd surround him self with maybe three other musicians and drop his ticket prices and just rock. I'd love to see him sing and play guitar the way he really can.

Posted by Jesus Died For Somebody's Sins Bruce is by far my favourite artist. I think his work from 1973-87 is the best body of work by any artist in any field.

I agree 100%. The 1988-Present Day era Boss has its moments too, but man, everything from Greetings to Tunnel is excellent stuff...

Greetings From Asbury Park N.J (1973) is rough around the edges but the guy was just getting started - few musicians could muster as great a debut as this.

Released the same year as Greetings, The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle (1973 - TWO albums in one year!) is simply brilliant - Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) is fantastic!

Born To Run (1975) took him higher on the charts with the title track but it's full of great, catchy tunes.

Darkness On The Edge Of Town (1978) is a harrowing album - I almost think this one musically fits in easier after The River, before Nebraska. Candy's Room is chilling stuff!

The River (1980) is a double-album opus epic - and has his first bona fide chart hit that really got him noticed everywhere with Hungry Heart. What a perfect double-album (and a lot of them can be quite crappy!).



Nebraska (1982) was recorded on a home cassette 4-track unit yet it still packs a punch because the songs are there, written with such skill and utter atmospheric clarity.

Born In The USA (1984) was the maga hit, of course, but this has a lot of songs that could easily fit on The River. I think only Michael Jackson has had this many singles off one album in recent memory (there were, just off the top of my head, EIGHT singles off Born In The USA!!!

Live 1975-1985 (1986) is simply one of the best boxsets ever and one of the best live albums ever. Recorded so clearly, it baffles my mind just how good this sounds!

Tunnel of Love (1987) was when I began losing my complete devotion. It's a great album, yes, but this is where my passion lessens. Brilliant Disguise is simply Grade A Boss songwriting.

There were songs post-1987, like Streets Of Philadelphia, Dead Man Walkin' and Secret Garden that reminded me of the 1973-1987 era Boss but I still admire the guy still regardless. He's one of our greatest musical talents still going strong over thirty-odd years later.

I think The Rising has some pretty strong songs. Considering the hype that preceded it saying that Springsteen was "defining" post 9/11 America it was a horrible album in terms of what was expected of it. But it wasn t that bad either.

CD

the Rising is a great effort but only a good album. there are just way too many weak tracks for it to stand up to his early work. Take out Paradise, Let's Be Friends and Countin on a Miracle for a start. The production works in some places but is suffocating in others. Take Waitin on a Sunny Day, he should have used the same arrangement he did on D&D with All I'm Thinking About on that song. He also could have toned down My City of Ruins (its still a great song) and Mary's Place could use a better chorus. World's Apart could do without the chanting at the beginning. However the order that the songs fall in is quite masterful, he never puts a weak song after a weak song so you are less inclined to hit the skip button on this one.
You're Missing and Empty Sky and the title track rank as some of his best songs though.
and the tour that followed fuckin rocked. Bring back the E Street Band!

anybody hear his new album? Probably his best since Tunnel of Love. I also saw him in Ottawa last Sunday...still the fucking best.