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Bruce Springsteen: His Best Albums Part III

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By Anthony “Zute” George

Before I rank what I think is Bruce Springsteen’s third best album, in case you missed, The Rising came in at number five, while the life-changing Born in the USA came in fourth.
Number Three: The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle.

This album was released on November 11th, 1973, although there is a debate on whether or not that release date is indeed accurate. What cannot be debated is that the Wild did not sell well during its initial release. The critics liked it, as well he the early contingents of Springsteen fanatics, but Bruce was far from a household name in 1973 and this album peaked at 59 on the U.S. charts. Imagine such a thing?

The album is forty-six minutes of bliss. Where Bruce sought out to match his lyrical genius with a bombastic sound that was missing from his debut album. Mission accomplished. The E Street Band that played on this album is vastly different than today; as only Garry Tallent remains; David Sancious and Vini ‘Mad Dog’ Lopez are prominent on this album, as well as the late, great, Danny Federici and Clarence Clemons. Wild is the first time the full E Street Band gets to flex its muscles in the studio. This was also a time when Mike Appel had his teeth and hooks sunk deep into the Springsteen ‘religion.’

Indeed, this album plays like a rock n’ roll sermon, presented in a celebratory, rather than preaching, manner. The party begins with the opening track; always crucial to a Springsteen album. The E Street Shuffle may not be as grandiose as Thunder Road, declarative as Badlands, important as Born in the USA, or eloquent as Devils and Dust, but it is as vital as any opening track. It jump-starts a party of fantastic sound and storytelling that includes characters we will never forget. 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy), takes a more solemn turn, but its strong characters and strong vocals; perhaps the best on the album, makes for a great one-two punch.

Next up is Kitty’s Back. In my opinion, there is nothing like Kitty in the Springsteen album in terms of sound; musically and vocally. It is also a song keen on metaphors. As I do not want to tell you what a horny thirteen-year-old thought want Kitty meant.

Next is Wild Billy’s Circus Story. Some may refer to this song as the red-headed stepchild of the album, and perhaps the entire Springsteen catalog. I say hogwash. There is no Wild without Wild Billy. After all, this song was chosen as one of the very crucial ‘corners’ on a Bruce album. I hope the recent release of the band’s live performance at the Ahmanson solidifies this point. Billy is a great story based on Bruce’s memories of the circus in Freehold. Who else but Bruce would have a voice for the oddballs and perceived ‘freaks’ that are circus performers? Bruce obviously connected with these people, as he was considered an oddball freak for a long time as well. What intrigued Bruce the most about the circus was the travel aspect, however. Are we not all grateful for that? I for one hope to hear more Wild Billy on the next anticipated tour.

Side two of Wild begins with one of the most fabulous one-two punches in album history. Incident on 57th Street is one of the most popular songs in the entire catalog, and for a good reason. It has everything, great storytelling, with wonderfully fleshed-out characters, eclectic sound, and beautiful vocals. Bruce’s range is impressive on this tune, as he is operatic at the beginning, yet churns out that grizzled, hoarse voice, which I love so much, as the track moves along. The roller coaster ride that is Incident does not give you a chance to take a break, as the song goes right into the sensational Rosalita. Rosie is a magical tune that captures the wordiness of Blinded by the Light with an ass moving sound. Loaded with great characters on a stressful journey of oppression; all the couple wants to do is be together, yet all Rosie’s parents want to do is control her and keep them apart. Sometimes the party sound of this song makes me forget just how intense the lyrics get.

The combination of Incident into Rosalita is one of the grandest moments in a Springsteen concert, yet not performed all that much. Imagine my glee when I was lucky enough to hear this one-two punch on August 30th, 2016 at MetLife Stadium. In fact, Bruce performed five of the seven magical tracks of Wild that night. He began the night with New York City Serenade, which is the last track on the album. The instrumental sound at the start of the track brings you down a bit from Rosie, but its great story takes you into the heart of the seediness of New York City. When Bruce does begin singing, he introduces us to Billy, is it Wild Billy? He and Diamond Jackie finish out the great storytelling of this album, singin’, singin’ singin.’

One of the many reasons why I love this album so much is that it captures the streets of New York City during the surly early seventies, a period of time that is of great interest to this writer. The album also captures the essence of the Jersey Shore at a time where it was unknown to everyone but its nearby residents. Bruce magically takes us though two lives; Jersey and Manhattan that are so close together yet so different, especially during that time. Bruce Springsteen is one of the brave few to cross both of those worlds, and nobody has written about these contrasts better than him; perhaps none better than this album. Although there are two albums that I think are better overall.

Let’s Recap:

1. TBA
2. TBA
3. The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle
4. Born in the USA
5. The Rising

Next month: Number three. No hints this time, just speculation.

Footnote: David Sancious has contributed on other Bruce Springsteen albums since he departure from the E Street Band, including the most recent Western Stars. Also, this writer was not thirteen years-old when this album came out, I was thirteen when I first heard it in 1983, as my first introduction to Bruce Springsteen was Hungry Heart, and I went back to listen to the older stuff gradually after that.

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