Bruce Springsteen - Working On A Dream (2 LP)
- LP
- 2 piece(s)
- 2009
- 13 tracks
- 51 min
Working On A Dream
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3.0
Average of 3 reviews
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Alright, let's talk about "Working On A Dream" ... yeah, right. Bruce might as well have named this one "Exile On E Street" because whatever dream he was chasing, it sure didn't meet the hype. Even before it dropped, Rolling Stone Magazine was saying, ... “Springsteen makes his most expansive album since Born To Run.” C'mon, someone explain to me what "expansive" means in this context, and then tell me how anything could even compare to "Born To Run"? Bruce himself said, “I’ll put the new album up against any album we’ve made in terms of depth and purpose.” Okay, that's bold, and sounds nice, but really [?], depth and purpose ... just because something has both doesn't make it good, and comparing "Working On A Dream" to his early stuff is just laughable. Let me give you a little tip: When they make documentaries about a movie or record around the same time as the release, you can bet that the actual release isn't going to live up to the hype. Same thing happened with Tom Petty’s "Last DJ," about half of it was really good, the other half was ... how do I put this [?], "Mature." Another buzzword critics use when they don't want to say what they really think. Well, let me tell you what I think. About half of this album is really good, and like many of his other releases, the rest of the tracks I'll never listen to; but that doesn’t mean the good tracks aren't outstanding, they are, which brings up the question of how to rate the whole thing. It would be easy to say that "Working On A Dream" picks up where "Magic" left off, but that would be taking the easy way out. The sad thing is that Bruce stepped out of the Golden Age of rock n' roll, taking the world by storm with his takes on the AM hits that kept him up all night. And instead of building on that foundation like he did before, hinting at his influences, here he almost seems to rely on them. You can hear vibes from Manfred Mann’s “Pretty Flamingo” all over the song “Queen Of The Supermarket,” and he all but gives credit to The Byrds with his songs “What Love Can Do,” and “Life Itself,” which are pure “Eight Miles High.” Yes, the album is well done, and will certainly please many people. The songs I love are great, but even Rolling Stone Magazine, who rated this album with 5 Stars, yes 5 Stars, at the end only managed to list two key tracks, “The Wrestler,” which was an add-on from the movie, and “My Lucky Day” ... doesn’t sound like a 5 Star release to me. No one had to convince me that "Born To Run," or "The Wild The Innocent" were outstanding albums, they just were, I could hear that instantly. But lately, these middle-aged artists feel the need to convince you that the release has depth, and passion. To that, all I can say is that if it did, I’d know it instantly. Here, just read this quote about the release, “The youthful energy of the album’s music collides neatly with the all too adult truths of the lyrics, which at least on the surface, return to the personal and domestic, after the global sweep of his last few records.” ‘Global Sweep,’ really? I thought his last albums were more stripped down, and less encompassing, I thought that’s what he’d been doing since "Tunnel Of Love." But then what do I know, I just buy this stuff. In defense of Bruce I will say that his shows are still some of the best live music being played on the planet today ... never miss one. But as to his albums, you’re going to find yourself picking and choosing which songs suit you best, because this album ain't "Born To Run.
This vinyl sounds flat and weak, with bass that's all woolly and muddy, and a top end that's muffled. I was okay with it when I got it as a birthday gift back in 2011, but it showed its true colors years later on a better stereo. I played "War" from the RL cut Live/1975-85 box and, let me tell you, there's NO contest—it's packed with energy, slam, life and HIGHS! Some folks say the master's brickwalled. Given how flat and dull this is, I'd tend to agree. This mastering doesn't showcase Chris Bellman and Bob Ludwig's skills. They've done SO much better. I reckon they were just stuck with a crappy, undynamic master and told not to fix it. Really sad, CB has admitted sometimes the execs left him no choice. Heads up, collectors: The single cover's not wide enough for two 180-gram records and gets ring wear real easy. The pressing quality's fine, but URP's weird deflashing means SHARP edges that'll cut through the printed inner sleeves over time.
This album's main issue is that it sounds terrible. It's all squashed and harsh, like a loud, grating wall of noise. I guess that's the vibe they aimed for, but I reckon it really detracts from the songs.
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