From the Turntable: Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run, 1975

Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run, 1975

Label: Columbia

Producers: Bruce Springsteen, Mike Appel and Jon Landau

While 1973’s The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle was unquestionably Bruce Springsteen’s first artistic masterpiece, this landmark 1975 follow up was the Boss’ first commercial blockbuster- and a masterpiece in its own right. With an enormous production budget from label Columbia backing it, this was his final attempt at a breakthrough into the mainstream. It finds him laying all his chips out onto the table, and it paid off tremendously. It may not have scored the kind of consistent radio success that 1984’s Born in the USA would provide a decade later. What it did do however was find the aspiring superstar perfecting the formula that would ultimately transform him into both the radio and stadium giant that would help define a generation of American music, garnering him his first batch of career defining songs, with the title track not-so-arguably becoming the definitive anthem of his illustrious career.

While staying true to the grandiose, epic storytelling that made Shuffle such a remarkable statement, Springsteen and his team worked tirelessly to parlay that wide-eyed prolificacy into a tighter, more streamlined format that would cater to a wider audience. Such adjustments could risk to bastardize the originality and edge of a lesser artist, but Springsteen and his E-Street companions never once compromise their artistic principles here. They simply evolve and grow into their sonic surroundings and the results capture a big-band arena Wall of Sound setting that borrowed from Phil Spector, but still re-invented it with unabashed, reckless creativity. It ensured that once Bruce and the boys did find a spot on the airwaves, they would still sound unlike any other outfit climbing the charts. And with his poetic songwriting continuing to expand with limitless ideas, it was no surprise that he provided the kind of epochal stories that perfectly fit the big sounds serving as the canvas behind them.

Opening tale “Thunder Road” starts quietly with a harmonica intro and segues into a beautiful piano solo that builds and eventually bursts into one of Springsteen’s greatest anthems of youth and independence. The cues that the band has matured toward a more polished and sophisticated are immediately evident, but it’s again a sound that simply took his previous pathos to more brilliant heights, pleasing both cult fans and new listeners among the masses. Capped by Clarence Clemons‘ iconic sax solos, there’s more optimism and hope in this track than many of Springsteen’s other doomed quests for freedom. Fans longing for that sad despair that he had already mastered so well on his first two albums needn’t wait long for that beauty as the record progressed. That unmitigated joy remains in all its glory however on second track, “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out”, a classic display of sonic genius that triumphantly combined classic radio rock and big arena sounds with slick jazz undertones of sax and piano. This is perhaps the true breakthrough of Clarence Clemons. It was also Springsteen’s most deliriously entertaining performance to date- just listen to the way he roars, rocks, and even scats on lines like “I’m alone, I’m on my own, and I can’t go home!”. “Freeze Out” is one of those rare examples of a perfect record, and the fact that is depicts the formation of a band makes it the ultimate cornerstone of the E-Street catalog.

More dramatic and mystical overtones color tracks like the urgent “Night”, the Orbison-esque “She’s the One” (he is name-checked in the album opener after all), and future concert staple, “Backstreets”. The latter, a scrappy blue collar power ballad that lyrically recalls his early Dylan similarities, ranks as one of Springsteen’s most compelling vocal performances. Almost to the point of blood-curdling in all its rough and ragged delivery, it’s the furthest thing from pitch-perfect, and it’s all the better for it. The emotion, desperation, and passion it conveys is incredible, and the dichotomy of those qualities against the elegant musicianship, featuring a heart-wrenching piano and organ turn from Roy Bittan, makes the tune all the more delectable.

Of course, the anchor at the center of this album is the monumental title track. “Born to Run” would prove to be Springsteen’s introduction to the Billboard top twenty-five, but most importantly a landmark song across all generations and genres of American music. After six exhaustive months of arranging, everything that helped define his music comes together on this four and half minute performance- his vocals, the classic story coupled with its iconic chorus, the musicianship and finally, the Wall of Sound brilliance he was longing for. “Born to Run” captured all the classic imagery of Bruce’s early albums and wrapped it together in one, heroic package that listeners across the board could claim as their own. It’s a stunning achievement all on its own, but only one of many that made the overall album such a standard.

Most stunning of all those moments is certainly the two-song piece that concludes the album and fed the insatiable appetite of previous listeners who were still longing for the left of mainstream cinematics of E-Street Shuffle. This time, Springsteen takes that setting to even grander heights thanks to the big money backing of Columbia. The first song, “Meeting Across the River” is a hauntingly beautiful piece depicting a secret meeting with violent, criminal implications. The eerie trumpet adds a delicious noir element to the proceedings and again pairs so well with Springsteen’s narrative. Once again, you can picture every detail of the entire scene thanks to splendidly vivid lyrics and dramatic arrangements that support them.

“Jungleland”, the nine-plus minute closer that “Meeting” sets the stage for, is unequivocally one of the most beautiful pieces of musical art ever produced by any artist, commercial or otherwise. Building upon the vision of “New York City Serenade”, it’s a magnificent portrait that features Springsteen’s finest moment as a narrator, storyteller and bandleader. All of the elements coalesce so perfectly, with the classic arrangements of the introduction blending so seamlessly into a classic rock performance. Music lovers of all kinds simply need to hear and reflect upon this piece at least one time in their lives; it’s that significant and groundbreaking. Born to Run simply could not have ended any other way. It’s a spell-binding conclusion to the overdue breakthrough for one of the most important acts of all time, and certainly a crowning moment of many on one of the greatest albums of all time.

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