The River - Springsteen, Bruce (CD 1987)

When I first heard selections from Springsteen s epic release The River, the music scene was littered with wanna be rockers, washed up icons and a few up and coming stars. Much like Springsteen s faded jeans, flannel shirts and facial gruff - some things never change. The face of music today is blistered with boy bands , pop princesses and the ambiguous fence hoppers that can t seem to pick a sex and stick with it. Some ripped into The Boss for the tracks on The River, that they were too depressing, too close to home or too boring. Well, I hate to inform the charmed few that have a perfect life but that is what it s all about. Making it through the depressing days and nights and living for those few days when everything seems to go your way. For me, The River is what attracted me to Springsteen. The overall grit, grime and small town feel was larger than life for me and a few of my friends. When it seemed that all of my pen pals would have killed to be living in England the only thing we could ever dream of were the shore of America. For us, this was as close as we would get to the United States and while it wasn t a completely accurate account of day-to-day life, it gave us a glimpse into life in a small town where things aren t always picture perfect.

Released in 1980, I am proud to say that I first owned this on vinyl. You know, those black discs about 12 inches across. Come on, someone has to remember vinyl. I had to wait about three weeks to get my copy from a pen pal in the United States and while it was a long and painful wait, looking back on it, it was worth every single second. When it arrived I literally went into shock I finally had it in my hands and didn t have to deal with second hand cassette copies my pen pal would send my way. The vinyl version tucked safety away in the storage unit is in almost mint condition with just a few cracks in the spine. Since this was a double record release, the inside was littered with all things American. Peeling off the white record sleeves, the smell of the vinyl hit me like a smack in the face. For hours I sat and listened to The Boss ramble on about life in a small town, lost love and making an honest dollar. To this day, this remains as my favorite Springsteen release.

The Tracks

Record 1

The Ties That Bind
Sherry Darling
Jackson Cage
Two Hearts
Independence Day
Hungry Heart
Out In The Street
Crush On You
You Can Look
I Wanna Marry You
The River

There are two extremely solid, stand out tracks on this part of the release. The title track, The River blisters its way into your heart with a bluesy harmonica intro and an unfolding story about love, lust and nights of passion. Springsteen has always had the ability to mix a great story with a great song, and The River is one of his best efforts. If you ve never heard any of his earlier works this is the one I would have to suggest because it really shows how much emotion he can cram into a song.

Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
Or is it something worse
that sends me down to the river
though I know the river is dry

Hungry Heart is one of the most popular songs from this era of Springsteen. By today s standards it would be considered a pop track but when it was released it was pure rock baby. A little thin in the lyrical department this music is what really gets this song over. The angelic background vocals mixed with the flowing beat help to make this one Bruce s most endearing efforts. If I was pressed to pick one song from this release that best summed up the overall flavor of Springsteen in the late 80 s it would have to be the track Out In The Street. The first time I heard this I didn t really care for it but the more I played the song the more it grew on me. Telling the usual tale of the working man that longs to hear the final bell ring out Friday afternoon, it stands a little above the rest of the tracks because of the great beat, songwriting and overall feel of the blend of musical styles. The same can be said for the hard driving Jackson Cage - a song that is really overlooked when this release is talked about. A true Springsteen song - it tells the tale, belts out the music and leaves you wanting more.

One song that I was really taken back by was the slow and touching track I Wanna Marry You. The song takes a little detour from the general fodder of the double release by adding a little bit of southwestern flavor to the music. Lyrically it is a little stagnant the whole true love storyline gets a little played out after a while but the combination of the slow and sultry saxophone and the emotional vocals make it a very sweet track. Another song that really creeps up on you is Independence Day. This is the kind of song that you listen to once and dismiss it as yet another downtrodden and depressing song but the more you listen to it the more you appreciate it.

Not all the tracks on this release are depressing, gritty and mellow and You Can Look is a great example of what the group is capable when they cut loose from the norm. With a rockabilly sound and powerful back up vocals the song is a nice deviation from the true grit of the rest of the tracks. Besides that, any song that mentions a girl names Dirty Annie can t be all that bad. And while we re talking about the chicks on this release you can t leave out the crowd pleasing Sherry Darling. Heavy on the saxophone it s all about the third wheel in a relationship. Not a best friend or brother or sister that wants to tag alone it s Sherry s deadbeat mom. You have to really sit down and read the lyrics to get the point of the song but if that isn t your bag you can just sit back and get into the groove of the music.

One song that I m still on the fence about is Crush On You. The music is good, but not great. The lyrics are generic for what you might expect from Springsteen on this type of release. Additional points were deducted for the use of the term c'est magnifique come on when do you ever think Bruce used a foreign term to sum up his feeling for a chick, let alone a chick he just met at a red light? The song just seems to be going in too many directions at once and the vocals seem forced out.


Record 2

Point Blank
Cadillac Ranch
I'm A Rocker
Fade Away
Stolen Car
Ramrod
The Price You Pay
Drive All Night
Wreck On The Highway


Drive All Night is pure Springsteen. The slow, somber and mellow introduction sets the pace for the track as it unfolds. Like the songwriters that put so much of themselves into their music [Billy Joel, Paul Simon etc] Bruce really pours out the emotion with this track. The sultry and sexy saxophone creeps up on you and really adds so much to the song. In many ways the saxophone break mid way through the song helps to give the song a little bit of soul. The lyrics could have used a little bit of work in some sections [heavy repetition] but overall this is one hell of a powerful track.

Lying in the heat of the night like prisoners all our lives
I get shivers down my spine and all I wanna do is hold you tight

Cadillac Ranch is one of the more popular tunes off of the second installment of this release. Fast paced and chipper, the track is all about the love of the sleek ladies of the automotive world. The balance between the guitar work after the chorus, the touch of saxophone and the injection of some piano pieces the music is just as outstanding as Bruce s vocals. Ramrod carries the automotive theme to another level doesn t manage to pull it off musically. Part of the song is about a blue jean baby and the other about the various cars that turn him on just as much as the little chickadee. The line come on little dolly 'n' go ramroddin' tonight pretty much sums up the track on both levels. The song should have been great but there s just something missing from it.

The second part of this release doesn t manage to stray too far from the lost love theme. Point Blank is a powerful track that needs a little bit of time to simmer before it cuts to the bone. The stripped down music side of the song seems to give Springsteen the chance to lay the emotional vocals on nice and thick. The Price You Pay is another song that is often overlooked when the CD is put under the microscope. Mellow and calming, the song looks at lost love but from a third party view. The song could have really had a little more impact if the music was elevated a little but as it stands the only part of the song that really strikes you is the chorus.

One song that I just can t listen to is the depressing almost country music like song Wreck on The Highway. When I first saw the song title, I immediately though of several song by The Doors and Morrisons creepy recantation of seeing a car accident when he was a child. This song is similar however it s more about not taking things or people for granted. The music is downplayed and recessed so you get the full effect of Springsteen s haunting vocals through the entire track. Another song that really lets you see Springsteen s depressing side is Fade Away - and ye s- it s about [again] a lost love. Much like Wreck on The Highway, the music is almost pushed out of the way to make room for the story to unfold. Look for the background vocals to bring it all home.

I m A Rocker is one song that simply rocks. With a little bit of rockabilly influence the song is a much-needed break from the slow and dreary tracks. The lyrics are a little on the corny side but that s easily overlooked when you hear the music that is captured on this track. I won t go so far as to say that this is the best song off the release since there are a few that are ahead of it in line but it is a great song nonetheless. This is one of the few songs that Springsteen put out on The River that actually sounded like it was a complete riot to record like you couldn t help but have a huge grin on your face when you were recording it. That really comes through on the track and makes it simply shine.

I got a 007 watch and it's a one and only
It's got a I-Spy beeper that tells me when you're lonely
I got a Batmobile so I can reach ya' in a fast shake
When your world's in crisis of an impending heartbreak


The Bottom Line

As a whole I am not a huge Springsteen fan, his recent stuff [post 1990] never really seemed to hit me as hard as his earlier stuff. This two record release manages to capture all that Springsteen stood for the working man, trying to find an honest love and simply having a good time while you still can. While some songs are a bit too creepy or emotional for me to listen to the collection of music and stories is something that you should really check out. If you are a fan of old school Billy Joel or Paul Simon and really like songs that have a deep meaning to them then The River might just strike a chord with you.

After all these years there are still a handful of songs on this release that just break me down and make me think about the one that got away or some old flame. Let the critics call it generic or one dimensional let the fans call it the old Bruce let them call it whatever they want. To me, this is one of the best releases by Springsteen and has stood the test of time. How many other rockers can say that a song they released some twenty odd years ago can still content with the music [if it can indeed be called that] that is churned out today?


As always, thanks for the read!

^V^ Freak ^V^

2003 Freak369


Thanks to Pat Mills [pmills1210] for pointing out the typo in regards to when this was released :]