Greatest Hits - Springsteen, Bruce (CD 1995)

I can't remember what year it was for sure, but Bing Crosby was once asked what he thought about rock and roll artists. I believe it was a 1978 BBC interview that was the last thing Bing did before he died. Like I said, though, I'm not sure.

Well, the year isn't that important, but what Bing had to say was. He said he thought a lot of those rockers had amazing talent. He pointed out that they wrote their own songs, sang and played instruments. Bing said he was impressed by several of the musicians, and that's no small thing. Many may have expected Bing to say something different, but that interview was typical Bing -- he said what he thought, and realized his own limitations as well as the talents of others.

Bing, see, was one of those artists who stuck to singing. Most of his songs were written by someone else, and he provided the voice. Sure, it was a great voice and Bing Crosby was a man with the gift of incredible talent. But, he was quick to point out that he was amazed at the skill of some of the "newer" artists.

So, do I mean to talk about Bing Crosby or Bruce Springsteen here? Well, this all ties together. Just bear with me.

The point is, there's a heck of a lot of popular music that is produced in the same way Bing's stuff was. While I'd argue that a good number of the "pre-packaged" pop artists that haunt us today have nothing to offer that compares with the talents of Bing Crosby, the fact remains that they provide a voice, a nifty little dance or whatever else. However, their music is provided by someone else.

Some artists, though, have always been different, and have gained fame due to the fantastic combination of many talents. This was true of the Beatles, Chuck Berry, the Clash, Tom Petty and many others. This is also true of Bruce Springsteen (ah, I'm finally getting around to mentioning The Boss).

Springsteen has the ability to write some fantastic lyrics, sing them and arrange the music. He is a "singer/songwriter" in the truest sense in that Springsteen's songs are fantastic and can only be pulled off convincingly by the man himself. He sang very convincingly of American working class life and, like other great rock artists, his can't be "covered" by other bands. They just don't sound the same, see. For example, Joe Cocker's version of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" makes me madder than hell. The Beatles own that song, see, and no one else can do it up right. The same is true of Springsteen's gritty, working class songs that are both specific to American life and truly unique.

So, some of his best songs are on this disc. We've got 18 songs here, and the only one I absolutely hate is "Streets of Philadelphia." Oh, I know it's not popular or "politically correct" to hate that song due to the subject matter of the movie it goes with and blah, blah, blah, but it's always sounded forced to me. Hey, everyone's got their own opinion on music, right?

The rest of the album, though, is just fantastic. We've got everything from "Born to Run" to "Dancing in the Dark" here, and I absolutely love hearing Springsteen's influences show up in this album. We've got blues, some folk music (the real stuff, now, I'm not talking about that Peter, Paul and Mary junk here -- I'm talking about Woody Guthrie), a bit of country and a combination of influences from America's more soulful, mournful and grittier side.

Now, I know that some may dismiss Springsteen out of hand because he became such a fabulously successful artist. There's a notion in some circles that any artist that enjoyed platinum success has "sold out" and has "gone commercial." My take on all that is that Springsteen deserved his success. He wrote some great songs on his own terms, and the fact they had mass appeal is because he's a terrific artist. Instead of a mass-produced sound that's toned down and processed to the point that six-year-old kids will love it, Springsteen produced some heart-felt rock and roll that deserves attention.

Part of Springsteen's appeal is that he often addresses issues that are familiar to everyday Americans. Songs about racial tension, confused kids fighting the Viet Cong, self-interested politicians and, yes, even good ol' "boy meets girl" scenarios are found here.

Musically, I've already mentioned some of Springsteen's influences, but he surrounded himself with just a fantastic (and huge!) band. Rather than relying on just the tradition "bass-drums-guitar" lineup, bits of sax, keyboards and other instruments are tossed in here and there. When Springsteen's husky, honest voice is added to the mix, it all comes off well. Just plan on solid, well-constructed songs that draw on this nation's rich musical history.

Besides, any man who features a Fender Telecaster so prominently on the cover of an album can't be all bad, right?

The band, when it's really rolling through a song, sounds rather like the best hard rocking, bar band in the world. It's loud (usually) and offers a fantastic array of emotions that keep the listener interested enough to stick around and listen for awhile. The songs, too, sound like they're played by the same band, but are very different and can stand well on their own.

One thing about Springsteen's "E Street Band" that is amusing to me is that Max Weinberg, who anchors the band on Conan O'Brien's late show on NBC, provides the drums. Weinberg, by the way, doesn't look like he's changed too much in appearance over the years.

While Springsteen has some fantastic albums, this disc provides all the tunes that most folks will need. Certainly, these songs will allow listeners to hear a good array of Springsteen songs and figure out what the big deal is. I do wish, by the way, that "I'm on Fire" was included on this disc, but I guess you can't have everything.