I've never trusted Bruce Springsteen as an editor. How do you explain the fact that songs like "The Fever," "Thundercrack," "Fire," "Because the Night," "The Promise," etc. never made it onto proper albums? How do you explain why Springsteen has never released the Main Point show from '75? The Winterlands show from '78? (Pristine bootlegs exist, I've got them. They will absolutely knock you on your ass). His new record, High Hopes, is only sort of new. It is comprised of tunes from the last 12 years that didn't make it on to one of the seven albums he has released since 2001. There are three covers (songs by The Havalinas, The Saints and Suicide), some leftovers and a couple of remakes of already released tunes. Doesn't sound that substantial, does it? Afterall, how bad does a tune have to be to not make the cut for 2009's Working on a Dream (tied with 1992's Human Touch as his worst album).
I am pleased to report that High Hopes ranks amongst the best of his post-2001 work (up there with The Rising and Magic). The fact is, most of these songs are much better than almost all of Working on a Dream. Again, perhaps Bruce is not the best judge of his own work.
By its very nature, High Hopes is not a very coherent record. It lacks the thematic arc of each of the previous seven records. But that, I argue, is one of its several saving graces. There is no overall theme here, but it still holds together enough to be a real album vs. an odds 'n sods collection. In his liner notes, Springsteen says that these tunes were "among the best of my writing [from this period] and deserved a proper studio recording." He is right. His new best buddy Tom Morello (formerly of Rage Against the Machine) plays on seven of the twelve tracks, sometimes adding killer and edgy guitar textures, at other times sounding very out of place. Morello has become an unofficial E Streeter, having filled in for Steve Van Zandt on legs of the last tour, and serving as Bruce's "muse" on this record (his words). They give their now famous duet on Bruce's "The Ghost of Tom Joad" a proper studio rendition, even trading vocals on verses. Bruce and Morello exchange fiery guitar solos, although this admittedly works better in the live setting (download the live version from Magic Tour Highlights on iTunes).
"American Skin (41 Shots)" first appeared on a live record from 1999. A controversial song written about the police shooting of Amadou Diallo in New York, he has resurrected the song in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting. I may not agree with Bruce's politics here (I often don't), but I cannot deny that "American Skin" is one of the best songs he has written in 25 years. The live version had some flaws associated with it being a concert recording, and the song desperately needed a proper studio recording. It is a centerpiece here, and rightfully so. People either really like the song or don't, I think it ranks amongst his best modern work.
Other highlights include the moody "Down in the Hole," with a smooth and brooding rhythm that recalls "I'm On Fire." "Frankie Fell In Love" is a joyous song of bromance along the lines of "No Surrender" or "Bobby Jean," a song that would have sounded at home on the stripped down rocking side of The River. In his notes, Bruce says the song reflects "shades of Steve [Van Zandt] and I bumming together in our Asbury Park apartment." With great throwaway lines like "World peace is gonna break out / From here on in we're eatin' take out," Bruce hasn't been this whimsical in a long time.
Along with "American Skin," the other clear highlight is "The Wall." A real stunner, Bruce uses most of his space in his liner notes talking about this song, which was written about Jersey rocker Walter Cichon of The Motifs. The Motifs were early musical heroes of Bruce's, "raw, sexy and rebellious, they were heroes you aspired to be," he writes in the liner notes. In the song, Bruce sings "Your high boots and striped t-shirt / Billy you looked so bad / you and your rock and roll band / you were the best thing this sh*t town ever had." Cichon was drafted in Vietnam, and went missing in action. So the song is from the perspective of visiting the Vietnam Memorial in D.C. one evening and talking to Cichon. It is a beautiful and haunting song (all the more as it features wonderful organ from deceased E Streeter Danny Federici).
This song is a key to why this is one of his best records in two decades. Springsteen's records have become more political since 2001. It worked on The Rising as a response and reflection of loss from 9/11, that record has only gotten better with age. But beyond that, Springsteen's populist protest and anger, to me, sounds forced and at times hackneyed (reaching a summit on Wrecking Ball). Bruce's message in "The Wall" is also a protest and political ("I read Robert McNamara says he's sorry"), but the difference here is that it comes first from a personal place. It is grieving the loss of someone he admired. The McNamara line would sound shrill on its own (like a lot of Wrecking Ball to me), but the previous two lines give it the needed emotional punch: "I remember you in your Marine uniform / Laughin', laughin' at your ship out party / I read Robert McNamara says he's sorry." Man, that is great! This is the Bruce of Nebraska/Born in the U.S.A., not Working on a Dream. And then there's this:
"I'm sorry I missed you last year / I couldn't find no one to drive me / If your eyes could cut through that black stone / Tell me would they recognize me / For the living time it must be served / The day goes on, cigarettes and a bottle of beer / Skin on black stone / On the ground dog tags and wreaths of flowers / With ribbons red as the blood / Red as the blood you spilled in the Central Highlands mud / Limousines rush down Pennsylvania Avenue / Rustling the leaves as they fall / Apology and forgiveness got not place here at all / Here at the wall"
Bruce hasn't written something that good in a long, long time. If you have ever visited the the wall in D.C., it is unlike any of the other memorials or sites (rivaled perhaps only by the Lincoln Memorial in its power). Bruce captures it beautifully.
I guess what makes High Hopes so excellent is that it is not trying to be. The fact that it is a ragtag collection of tunes left off records over the last 12 years, three covers and some dramatic remakes, Bruce, for the first time in 12 years, wasn't trying to make a labored statement. He is just being Bruce, writing song by song instead of trying to write an album that says more. The songs can say enough. Bruce sounds unforced (well, "Harry's Place" sounds a little forced), loose yet focused here, perhaps spurred in part by Morello. Morello is great in places and annoying in others, but I think working with him has given Bruce a nice change. He is working with someone he sees more as an equal vs. his band, as great as the E Street band is. There are few throwaways here (I'd really just categorize "Heaven's Wall" and "This Is Your Sword" as unworthy), the rest of this is great stuff. At 64 years old, this is more than we should expect from Springsteen.
**** out of *****
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