This story goes back to my college days at Niagara University. Go Purple Eagles! During my senior year, my roommate Sean and I had a bit of a tradition. After our last class on Thursday (of course we designed our schedule to give us Fridays off) we would get absolutely annihilated drunk. That's not fair, we did it a lot more often then once a week, but Thursdays were special.
Every Thursday we would meet our friends Cara and Kate at The Orchard Grill. Most students at NU never even heard of this place. While most of the campus was out at the clubs or overpriced bars, we spent our time at Orchard Grill because it was so cheap and we loved the people who worked there. There were rarely other customers there, and if there were other customers, they didn't stay for long. This was like our own private bar. At the end of the night we got our tab, which was always something stupidly cheap like $20. How could life be any grander?
They also had one of those old fashioned jukeboxes with the full albums on it, including Springsteen's Greetings From Asbury Park. Usually at some point during the night, I would put a few bucks in the machine and play the full album, much to the annoyance of my friends and the one or two other patrons in the bar.
But on one night in mid September of 2007 something "magical" happened. Somewhere during "Spirit in the Night", this big guy came up to me and said "Are you the guy who keeps playing Springsteen?" I assured him I was and he then asked me to come outside with him. Being chock full of whiskey and cheap beer I gladly did, but looking back on it now I can't believe I did this. This bar was in a crappy area of an even crappier city. You don't just follow strange men by yourself in the dark. But I did, and as we approached his car, he gave me a copy of the new Springsteen CD, Magic!
I couldn't believe it, the album wasn't due out for a few more weeks! I thought for sure it was hoax, but he assured me it wasn't. All he asked was that I buy him a beer back at the bar. Ah, that's what he wanted all along! Well, beers were so cheap there I figured why not? This was the most clever scam I had ever seen to get a beer. But it wasn't a scam. When I got home and put the CD on heard the opening chords of "Radio Nowhere" I realized this guy was for real. I don't know how he got it, I don't know who he was, as I never saw him again, and I don't know why he gave it to me. But I was sure glad he had, as it's one of my favorite Springsteen albums ever.
A few weeks ago, my expecting wife told me that she had been trying to listen to more Springsteen lately now that the baby’s hearing is developing. It’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.
Contained on the CD are ten tracks of melodic Springsteen covers that will have you quietly rocking out while your baby (hopefully) drifts off to sleep.
I'm impressed with the variety of Springsteen’s catalogue that is represented on the album. I commend The Lullaby Players for choosing recent tracks off Magic and Working on a Dream, rather than just leaning on established classics.
Each track sounds like it could be in the trailer for the latest animated feature from Nickelodeon. In that regard, my favorite is “Radio Nowhere”, which sounds like the theme song to a really awesome adventure across time and space.
Another highlight is “Secret Garden”, whose melody lends itself naturally to a lullaby (but let’s hope the baby doesn't accidentally learn the lyrics). To me, the most puzzling entry is “Pink Cadillac”. I’m not sure how it was chosen, as I imagine it’s less recognizable to most, but I guess it does have a distinct melody. Either way, it’s another track where I hope the baby doesn't learn the lyrics (depending on your analysis of its double entendre).
All in all, this CD is a must have for any Springsteen fans who are expecting. Stay tuned to find out if the baby enjoys it as much as the parent.
Six years ago today, Bruce Springsteen released his fifteenth studio album, Magic. It was his first album with the E Street Band since The Rising, which was more or less the gateway album into my fandom (as it was for many younger Springsteen fans). With that in mind, Magic had a lot to live up to - the last two albums, while they have grown on me in retrospect, were not the classic Springsteen sound that hooked me.
A month before the full album dropped, the first single "Radio Nowhere" was released. While it was not a particularly groundbreaking or deep song (as many critics noted, it shared much in common with Tommy Tutone), it was a wake-up call that the Boss was back, and making sure we were all ready to join him. When the album was finally released, I was immediately hooked. After maybe a day (or an hour) of trying to be skeptical or nit-picky about the album, I just knew that Springsteen had released another classic album. Like The Rising, the tracks were at once catchy rock tunes and very political. Whereas The Rising spoke to the strength of America post-9/11, Magic spoke towards the mistakes we've made as a country, believing the lies of our leaders, and how it is our job to both acknowledge and solve the problems we've created. It encapsulated a dark-yet-hopeful feeling, as opposed to Wrecking Ball's dark-and-angry feeling. I saw two shows during the Magic tour, and I loved Springsteen's preambles introducing the new songs, such as "Livin' In The Future":
However, I really haven't given the album much of a listen in several years, and many songs from it were noticeably absent in the Working on a Dream and Wrecking Ball tours. So, in the interests of the current blog post you are reading, I decided to re-immerse myself in Magic, hoping it didn't lose any of its...um...charm. Instead of keeping you in suspense, I'll let you know up front: it is still amazing.
What is really outstanding about the album is it is just chock full of songs that, had they been released earlier in Springsteen's career, would be iconic hits for the boss. The zenith of the album is "Livin' In The Future", which brings back the classic E Street sound from the Greetings from Asbury Park days. In the track, the band is fast and free-wheeling, perhaps being influenced by the Seeger Sessions. The lyrics are Springsteen turned up to his "Madman drummer bomber" level of zaniness, as we are treated to monkeys on leashes and barrel-piston-esque boot heels.
On a side note: Regarding the lyrics, each election year, fellow Legends of Springsteen writer Steve and I have a tradition based on "Livin' In The Future". On the first Tuesday in November, Steve will update his Facebook status with "Woke up election day. Sky's gunpowder and shades of grey." I, dutifully, update mine with "Beneath the dirty sun, I whistle my time away." While Steve's update generally receives little notice, mine usually sends a message that I'm being lazy, and have often received messages reminding me to get out there and vote (my general cynicism about politics also plays a roll in this perception). Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with the album Magic, and you'd be right. Moving on....
"Girls In Their Summer Clothes" was the album's biggest hit, as it encapsulated a unique and specific summer feeling that is rarely touched upon - the summer song of the aging. Trust me, when I go to the Jersey shore and start seeing how much younger everyone than me is, you can be certain that I always grimly shake my head, put my headphones on, dial up "Girls In Their Summer Clothes", and slowly walk away. I really do watch too many movies.
But the albums hits don't stop there. "I'll Work For Your Love" also sounds like an early Springsteen track, as the haunting piano and religious imagery were Springsteen's modus operandi in the Born to Run era. "Long Walk Home" is an amazing companion piece to "My Hometown" - you could easily see one segueing into another during a concert. Even when Springsteen goes slower and sadder on this album, he absolutely nails it, making "Terry's Song", a tribute to Terry Magovern, a touching tribute that I'll write into my will to be played at my funeral.
And that just concludes what I consider to be the A-list songs, but there are several songs that are solid additions to the Springsteen catalog, such as the aforementioned "Radio Nowhere", "Gypsy Rider" (this is a near classic, as the opening is amazing, but I just wish it was more subdued throughout the whole song), and "Last To Die" (could have easily switched places with "Radio Nowhere" as the leading single, but the lyrics may have been too political). If I had to list any criticisms, it would be that sometimes Bruce's voice is over-manipulated (as in "You'll Be Comin' Down Now"), making him sound flatter and removing the "raw" quality from his voice. Also, the title track leaves me flat, as it is too dark for my tastes, yet the tune of the song is not that bad (it could easily be re-appropriated into a love song), and it is the shortest song on the track.
As I mentioned before, this album is an instant classic, and I'd easily rank it among Springsteen's ten best, if not in the top five. It is a shame that we don't hear Springsteen play more tracks from this album in concert, as not hearing it live could make fans reluctant to continue to listen to it. So, if you have overlooked this album recently (as I had before this article), do yourself a favor and give it another spin - you won't be disappointed.
“You’ll be fine as your pretty face holds out,
Then it’s gonna get pretty cold out"
- You’ll Be Comin’ Down, Magic
As we’ve lamented before, it’s a shame that Bruce didn’t play much of the Magic album during the Wrecking Ball tour. Given the widely agreed upon thinking that Working on a Dream is one of his lesser albums, it’s not surprising those tracks were mostly absent from the concerts. But Magic contains a wealth of great tracks that are begging to be heard again.
"Trust none of what you hear
And less of what you see
This is what will be" - "Magic", Magic
Truth be told this is one of my least favorite Bruce songs. But lyrically, I think it's some of Bruce's best work. With this being an election year, it's definitely important to keep these lyrics in the back of your head when you hear politicians make promises. No matter which side of the aisle your political and social beliefs fall under I think just about everyone can agree that they've felt bamboozled on some level when it comes to politicians. And that's what Bruce is warning of us in this song: the danger that comes with blind faith in our leaders.
