BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - "HIGH HOPES" ("Where there's a fight 'gainst the blood and the hatred in the air, look for me mom I'll be there. Wherever somebody's fightin' for a place to stand or a decent job or a helpin' hand. Wherever somebody's struggling to be free, look in their eyes ma you'll see me.'')

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - "HIGH HOPES"
("SONY MUSIC"; CD)
(Running time: 12 songs in 56:33 minutes.)

Review: Oh man, fuck, how could this happen... how could I wait with the review on that very album here, how and why... or did I just completly forgot about it along the way over all those busy months passing by and taking me away this year... anyhow, anyway, and however, it doesn't matter that much after all at the end and it shouldn't happen again, and now here it is, my review on the new or better still current (2014) full length album release of no one else than BRUCE "THE BOSS" SPRINGSTEEN titled "HIGH HOPES" brough to us via "SONY MUSIC" on CD in a simply damn beautiful artwork and digi-packaging, yes, and this album is nothing else or nothing less than a true beauty and a real and precious gem - and a gem that's shining brighter than nearly every other gem that was released this very year beside two exceptions (that you already know, at least in case you are reading this blog frequently and/or regulary) that just still somehow shine a little bit brighter personal for me, but that's all pretty close after all, and this very album here is just a total bomb, a total boomer, absolute platinum and pretty much once again sort of the absolute top, point and fact. (Hm, and now you know already my third ranked favorite album of/for 2014, okay, who cares, hahaha ;-) ...) We get twelve new songs in 56:33 minutes and this time it's maybe even more special than before, because BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN joined forces on seven of the twelve songs with Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE/AUDIOSLAVE), and it works out greater than great. Okay, if you are like me, not the biggest RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE fan and not to talk about AUDIOSLAVE, and you're now thinking like: "Uhm... nope... or...'', yes, then let me calm your mood down, because Tom Morello and the cooperation with him really works fantastic and it's still through and through a real THE BOSS album but with strong fresh ''outside-ideas'' that are really worked in a great and flowing way into the music, enriching and cultivating it in a phenomenal way, not "aliennating" anything, just two fantastic musicians working together in a very inspirated as well as purely inspirational way (together with a big band of not less fantastic musicians in the band playing with them, just that you know it), that's it, and that's just fantastic - and even more than "just" fantastic, period. Okay, and so now let us have a more detailed look on it, just exactly like and how it deserves it, yes, and so here we go:
The story behind how this album came to happen is a pretty interesting one and explained by THE BOSS himself in the very outspoken, interesting, informative, and honest linernotes to/of this record - a picture-scan of it you can find at the end of this review, so that you can read it all by yourself as well. So I won't go in it all too deep here and now, after you can read it in its original words in the booklet of the album as well as here in form of the photo/picture-scan, so just let me say that it is very interesting, passionate, and thoughtful coming together in full motion and play of old ideas and fresh'n'new inspirations settled together in form of phenomenal songs that culminate in an extraordinary album of a class of its very own, cliché-free, honest, authentic, sympathic, monumental, rebellious/critical and outspoken, proud and unbowed, knowing no regrets and not caring about compromises, smart and thoughtful, passionated and emotional, some of the trademarks with which you describe "HIGH HOPES" probably best right from the start. Musicwise this is a true and real American born and bred very diverse and multi-layered Rock album full of honest Working Class raised Rock Music to which old school Punkrock has never been a stranger (today especially still shining through in the attitude of the music) and that's inspired by Old School Rock & Roll and that's breath-taking strong enriched and cultivated by and with American Folk, some Blues and Country notes, great jazzy Big Band arrangements, and emotional and high classed souly Pop impressions, all mixed and melted together, heavenly great cultivated by some of the most skilled musicians and songwriters ever that deliver incredible fantastic songs full of heart and soul, brain and guts, every song a hymn, an anthem of its own that rise and shine right and straight from the get-go in their very own and larger-than-life bright shining light, and especially the high skilled and so incredible strong and outstanding multi-layered songwriting full of emotions and atmosphere as well as bursting out'n'over so full of grapping and interesting moments, surpsises, twists'n'turns, arrangements and shining compositions and song architectures, it's incredible, just a total phenomenal album - really a kind of its very own, if you get what I am trying to say with this words. Especially the unique guitar playing and the totally stand-alone and characteristic lead vocal singing totally mark the songs, but there's so much happening more, so damn much far more going on that you simply have to experience it for yourself to really get and understand it, this is really an album that by any means needs and waits and wants to be discovered and trust me, it offers and gives you so much and beside the totally breath-taking music also so much power and will to make it through even the darkest times and the most fucked up days, hell man, this is not just an album, nah, this is far more, a true force, real power, it's truly a gift. This also is to say about the really amazing lyrics, that are not at least also a perfect gaming match to/with the music and also they really and truly shine bright and wide and I just love to totally sink myself deep and deeper into the music and the lyrics, it's a really fascinating, mind- and eye-opening, just totally amazing ride. The artwork is pretty much a true beauty, even in its or this simple form, but it really rocks, and the warm and earthy production sound is just a perfect match, the perfect score. In the end, hm, giving you my favorite songs makes no real sense to me when you face up such a overall masterpiece of music and art like "HIGH HOPES" simply and definitely is but let me try to name you my personal über-favorites and maybe start with this songs your journey to discover this groundbreaking and lifechanging album, so here we go: "HIGH HOPES", "HARRY'S PLACE", "AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS)", "HEAVEN'S WALL", "HUNTER OF INVISIBLE GAME", "JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD", "DOWN IN THE HOLE", "DREAM BABY DREAM", and the total über-song "THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD", all named only in a loose and in a no particular order. A spirited album, one of the very best albums that saw the light of day, and so I will close this post, my review on it, with just saying that from my point of view this album simply is a duty for any true and real music-lover outta there, and I just hope that BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN keeps the flame burning bright that enlightens his mind and that fires up his music. This is through and through true BOSS music. It's just totally awesome, and a absolute unique album!!! /// Andy
(Rating: 10 of 10 points)
(Homepage: http://brucespringsteen.net/ - Copy the link into the headline of a new browser-tab and then just go there and visit the site.)

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - "WRECKING BALL" (The Boss is back!!!)

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - "WRECKING BALL"
("Sony Music"; CD):

Yes, and another album that is a more than just great proof of how fucking incredible strong and, yes, ''amazingly'' great year this very year of 2012 is in the case of new music released this very year so far. I can't tell you how amazing from my perception BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and his musical as well as lyrical work simply is/are. From his early works on over his most know and highly well-reputated era from "BORN IN THE U.S.A." on to his impressive works of the ''younger past'' and today and his great, hm, let us call it comeback with the E-Street band some years ago to finally his new album "WRECKING BALL" he knows to shine off and shine out mostly everything and everyone else and so also this new album by him was awaited with curious tension by me and again it didn't dissapoint me and it's again a statement of its very, very own and of the totally highest quality. This is passion, this are emotions, this is soul, this is attitude melted into music like you will only find it delivered by the Boss BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN himself. This is something that so many others have tried, and even more have failed. But who cares, as long as the original one and only the Boss is still standing proud and strong. This album was long or maybe better hungry awaited by me and, like I've already said/written, with curious tension, and so it was just plain and simple great when this year in June I got this CD beside ''some other stuff'' as a birthday present/gift from my sisters and her boyfriend to my, yes, you already got it, right, my birthday. It was already a little bit longer out back then, but unfortunately it was in a fiscal sense a troubled time then and so I didn't manage it to get it earlier via buying it by myself. But so even far more happily I was when I finally got it. And somehow I lost focuss and somewhat like my direction when working this year through an never ending seeming working schedule of record reviews up and for this very blog here and so the review of/on this already larger than life album just comes up today, that pretty late and also that pretty late this year. Okay, anyhow, it is like it is, anyway, so back to the topic: For all what I know also a limited CD edition (I think consisting out of the CD and a DVD... or was it the CD and a demo or rare recordings CD... or even both... or the CD and some sort of a little book or something so like this... ah, I don't know it for sure, sorry) as well as finally also a LP version were released by/of this album, beside this one here, the regular CD album version that I call thankfully my own. Again also on this album BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN stayed true to his roots, attitude and identity, but without repeating himself and also giving us a lot of fresh air and new stuff and nice to great suprises that we all are invited to enjoy and cheer up to. All delivered in an authentic and earthy-organic just through and through pure way and it's an impressive journey through the struggle of the todays hard working people, this is still true working class music with a heart and a soul, a passion for the people struggling everyday through piles of shit and sorrow just to make it somehow through but still come up strong and with pride and fire in their hearts, without clichés or artificial rebellious attitude crap, this is pure true and real music for real people who need no mask to hind behind, that need no clichés to cloak theirselves in to seem stronger and bigger than they are. And with this the music of the Boss again gets also even by far more sympathic than it is also already anyway as well. Musicwise this is pure and authentic Rock & Roll or maybe better just real Rock music, all done for sure some sort of old school but without any cheap boring retro crap in it and instead of this all done very fresh and grapping, fucking interesting and you can really feel the music pulsating and coming and being alive more and more every single time you listen to the album as a whole or to each song as a single song of its very own without the context of the complete album as a whole exclusively song of its own in this moment you listen to it. Rock & Roll or Rock or maybe better Boss Rock or E-Street Rock & Roll of its  very own and of the very best, enriched with a large and varying amount of different influnces, impressions, styles and marks, from (American) Folk (a song, nah, a larger than life anthem like "DEATH TO MY HOMETOWN", just as an example, would have also been a incredible hit on the unforgettable groundbreaking - American - Folk journey entitled "WE SHALL OVERCOME" of BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, trust me upon this) to Gospel, some Soul and also Blues we really find a lot on this very one here, the new BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN music child. All makred especially by the larger than life voice of the Boss as well as an incredible soulful and passionated, diverse and skillful guitar playing, a forceful and demanding, yet nicely room to the vocals and the guitars as well as all other instruments and all other singings giving more than just well-versed rhythm section, and also a whole armada of other instruments, influences and singings, from folkish and folking instruments to saxophones and awesome Gospel choirs and such other stuff, all packed up full with grapping suprises and interesting twists and turns, amazing stuff you wouldn't have expected. Also lyricwise this album is incredible strong, and it's for sure also the most socially aware and most political album of BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN in a while now, even politically and socially aware and also critical as well as solution-orientated lyrics have always been an important part of the work of the Boss rocking out of New Jersey. So you really need to listen to the music as well as to the words for sure, to discover and enjoy this album in its whole greatness. The digi pack styled artwork is a pure beauty and the very natural organic earthy and nicely dirty production sound just is pure platinum, like this album as a whole. My personal favorites up here are the already mentioned forceful American Folk'n'Rock smasher "DEATH TO MY HOMETOWN", the incredible intense and atmospheric goosepimples serving title track "WRECKING BALL", and outshining songs like the folkish masterpieces "EASY MONEY" and "SHACKLED AND DRAWN", "JACK OF ALL TRADES", the impressive soulful and emotional opener "WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN", the mighty "ROCKY GROUND" and the awesome heads up song "WE ARE ALIVE", but also the not mentioned tracks are infamous and damn great hymns of one of a kind. Like I've already written above, for sure an album that will be to be found way up high in my top ten list of 2012. And I can only highly recommend this one for you and if I could do so I would command you to go and buy it promptly in case that you still don't own it by and for yourself, because this is the very best. Amazing, and I really love this album!!! It's so incredible strong and powerful music, really tough music for real tough folks out there without any bullshit cliché flirtings and other bullshit crap of this kind. This just amazing and awesome music, yes. So go and fucking get it, period!!! (10 of 10 points)
(http://brucespringsteen.net/)

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - "THE PROMISE (THE LOST SESSIONS: DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN)" (The lost songs of ''THE BOSS'' finally released on a double CD back then at the end of 2010)

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - "THE PROMISE"
("THE LOST SESSIONS: DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN")
("Sony Music Entertainment" / "Columbia"; 2CD):

This is a historical and just a great release by no one else than the immortal almighty BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN a.k.a. ''THE BOSS'' released at the end of the year 2010 but back then I just got aware of it at the very beginning of 2011, totally curious about it but due to a mixture out of the fucked up mess 2011 turned into and the at first very high price of something like 20,00 to 25,00 Euros it took me quite a while until I finally bought it back then in the October of 2011 and it took again quite some time more until now finally comes the review of it up here. Lazy bastard I am... Anyhow, I am a total nearly ''nerdy'' fan and some sort of an addict of the music and the lyrical work of ''THE BOSS'' and I am really damn happy to own this great album. Two CD's in a absolutely beautiful packaging and packed up completly full with all in all twenty-one BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN anthems from the years of 1977 to 1978 planned to be released back then but never did became so and then in 2009 the idea came up to change this sad fact of Rock & Roll music history and in 2010 then this change finally happened. The songs are what you all should know from BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and his works in the mid to late 1970's and this songs were meant to bereleased between the "BORN TO RUN" album and the "DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN" masterpiece. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN changed after "BORN TO RUN" the direction of his music and should start to create what he is still today more than only well-respected and best-known for, true and real honest pure American Working Class Rock & Roll that tells the big stories of the hard working day to day everyday life in authentic ''art-samples'' of reality, if you maybe/hopefully know what I want to say with these words. Rich and thoughtful and grapping arrangements, larger than life chorus lines, melodies that will make your head turn around non stop, charisma, an authentic and sympathic attitude, rich meaning, great message and pure emotions and passion set into Rock & Roll music with a raw 1970's early Punkrock edge to it. Rebellious and heavy, hard and just real, yet full of great emotions and true passion, sweet melodies and dynamic arrangements and all absolutely free of any disturbing and annoying clichés. Great!!! Awesome songwriting, amazing musicianship and above all this larger than life charismatic lead vocals, all damn brilliant and phenomenal. The lyrics are brilliant stuff like above already mentioned, the artwork is amazing as also already mentioned above, really damn fucking great liner-notes we get also as well on top of it all, and the production/recording sound is just pure platinum. Amazing!!! Don't think twice, better just get this album promptly if you still don't have it and when you are about to do it then don't forget to buy the new BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN album titled "WRECKING BALL" as well. (A masterpiece of an album and the review of it will also see the light of the day up here one more or less soon day, trust me.) Awesome!!! If I just would have owned it already back then in 2010 it would have been way up high in my top ten ranking list. And to everyone who know thinks this album and music wouldn't be brutal and harsh and aggessive enough to serve the need of live up to the fullfillment of oh so hard and tough subcultural underground scene and music clichés: You ar damn sad and poor jokes who I only can feel pity for. Anyway, get this album, get it as soon as possible and best directly now, period. Cheers!!! (10 of 10 points)

(http://brucespringsteen.net/)

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - "I'M ON FIRE" (***Video***)

Hey folks, last post for today. And again a 'Videos' posting coming for ya, and maybe again something you might not have expected... at least if ya don't know me personal or anyhow good, because as well as DEAN MARTIN, ELVIS PRESLEY, (as well as) BRIAN SETZER I am also an addict to and a huge, huge fan of "THE BOSS", the awesome and outshining BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN. And now you get a live clip of him playing some time in the 1980's his goosepimples anthem "I'M ON FIRE" from his legendary "BORN IN THE U.S.A." full length album (I think live on stage in Italy or so) and this live version is also a very special and an incredible great and just sheer awesome and amazing one, period. You need to check it out!!! That's all for now, I'll go to watch some T.V. and then that's it for today anyway. More soon, and now, despise how hard and tough you want to be and play that you are, fuck it, just enjoy this outstanding music!!! Brilliant and phenomenal!!! Cheers!!!

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - "I'M ON FIRE"