View Full Version : Springsteen's Albums: How Would You Rank Them?


Nighthawk76
10-04-2008, 11:16 PM
My ranking:

1. Born In The USA
2. Tunnel Of Love
3. Nabraska
4. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
5. The River
6. Devils & Dust
7. Born To Run
8. Magic
9. The Rising
10. The Ghost Of Tom Joad
11. The Wild, The Innocent And The E-Street Shuffle
12. Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ
13. The Seeger Sessions
14. Lucky Town
15. Human Touch

Zoneboy
10-04-2008, 11:20 PM
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Born in the USA
Tunnel of Love
Born to Run
The River

The others I haven't heard in their entirety

MusicJunkie
10-04-2008, 11:33 PM
of the ones I've heard

1. Born In The USA
2. Born To Run
3. Tunnel Of Love
4. Darkness On the Edge Of Town
5. Nebraska
6. The River
7. The Rising
8. The Wild, The Innocent And The E-Street Shuffle
9. Magic
10. Human Touch

HuntingtonM15
10-05-2008, 12:14 AM
1. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
2. Born To Run
3. Born In The USA
4. The River
5. Nebraska
6. The Rising
7. Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ
8. Magic
9. Devils & Dust
10. Tunnel Of Love
11. The Ghost Of Tom Joad
12. The Wild, The Innocent And The E-Street Shuffle
13. Lucky Town
14. The Seeger Sessions
15. Human Touch

Schmoopie
10-05-2008, 02:13 AM
I'm lame, because I've only heard one of his albums in it's entritiy and that was "Born in the USA". However I remember when "Tunnel of Love" came out, and my mom mentioned that it wasn't received very well as far as reviews go. Well, every song I've heard off it it has been pretty good.

Andrea

MusicJunkie
10-05-2008, 02:58 AM
I'm lame, because I've only heard one of his albums in it's entritiy and that was "Born in the USA". However I remember when "Tunnel of Love" came out, and my mom mentioned that it wasn't received very well as far as reviews go. Well, every song I've heard off it it has been pretty good.

Andrea
I think the reaction to Tunnel Of Love was negative when it came out because critics and fans expected more of the same thing and wanted a Born In The U.S.A. II, plus it's such a tough task to follow up an album that was as huge as that (just look at Michael Jackson, Prince and U2, Bad, Around The World In A Day and Rattle And Hum still divide critics and fans to this day) but I think he delivered very well. I think time has been kind to Tunnel and critics have revised their opinions on it. It made the Rolling Stone top 500 list a few years ago, a bit lower than Born To Run, Born In The USA and Darkness On The Edge Of Town, but still a sign that critics have come around to the album.

Nighthawk76
10-05-2008, 07:26 PM
I think the reaction to Tunnel Of Love was negative when it came out because critics and fans expected more of the same thing and wanted a Born In The U.S.A. II, plus it's such a tough task to follow up an album that was as huge as that (just look at Michael Jackson, Prince and U2, Bad, Around The World In A Day and Rattle And Hum still divide critics and fans to this day) but I think he delivered very well. I think time has been kind to Tunnel and critics have revised their opinions on it. It made the Rolling Stone top 500 list a few years ago, a bit lower than Born To Run, Born In The USA and Darkness On The Edge Of Town, but still a sign that critics have come around to the album.

Tunnel Of Love is Bruce's most personal album. I think it's also his most mature work. It also seems the older I get the more I like it.

HuntingtonM15
10-05-2008, 07:29 PM
I forgot Tracks, which I'd probably rank after The Rising.

Schmoopie
10-06-2008, 01:19 AM
This thread is great, because now I have something to go by if I decide to buy some Springsteen CD's!

Andrea

Nighthawk76
10-06-2008, 02:31 PM
I forgot Tracks, which I'd probably rank after The Rising.

I have Tracks too. I didn't include it because it is sort of a greatest hits collection. It's a greatest hits CD of Bruce's previously unreleased songs, b-sides and that sort. It's a good CD. I especially like "Pink Cadillac" and the original version of "Born In The USA".

AKA
10-06-2008, 05:40 PM
I don't own them all, but of the ones I do have, here's where I'd rank them:

1. The Ghost Of Tom Joad
2. Born To Run
3. Nebraska
4. Born In The U.S.A.
5. Magic
6. The Rising
7. Devils & Dust
8. The River

MusicJunkie
10-06-2008, 10:41 PM
I don't own them all, but of the ones I do have, here's where I'd rank them:

1. The Ghost Of Tom Joad
2. Born To Run
3. Nebraska
4. Born In The U.S.A.
5. Magic
6. The Rising
7. Devils & Dust
8. The River
I'm really surprised you don't have Darkness or Tunnel

HuntingtonM15
10-06-2008, 10:56 PM
I have Tracks too. I didn't include it because it is sort of a greatest hits collection. It's a greatest hits CD of Bruce's previously unreleased songs, b-sides and that sort. It's a good CD. I especially like "Pink Cadillac" and the original version of "Born In The USA".

Yeah, there's so many great songs on those 4 CDs. I personally consider it an album on its own.

Nighthawk76
10-06-2008, 11:32 PM
I don't own them all, but of the ones I do have, here's where I'd rank them:

1. The Ghost Of Tom Joad
2. Born To Run
3. Nebraska
4. Born In The U.S.A.
5. Magic
6. The Rising
7. Devils & Dust
8. The River

Brad, you are certainly someone who I repect when it comes to music. That being the case, could you tell me a little bit about why you ranked Tom Joad so high. I know there are quite a few who consider it to be one of Bruce's best. I've never been able to get into it though. I listened to it twice over the weekend and I still find it to be the weakest of Bruce's three solo accusitc albums (Nabraska, Tom Joad and Devils & Dust). It simply isn't as raw and poetic as Nabraska.

Nighthawk76
10-06-2008, 11:34 PM
Yeah, there's so many great songs on those 4 CDs. I personally consider it an album on its own.

I actually don't have the four disc CD box set. I have the single disc 18 Tracks. That's why I sort of consider it a greatest hits, since it is a collection of the best of the songs that are on the four CDs.

AKA
10-07-2008, 05:07 PM
I'm really surprised you don't have Darkness or Tunnel

Yeah, I know. It's weird. I have the tracks from those albums that wound up showing up on Greatest Hits and Essential. Maybe I'll get around to getting both some day.

Brad, you are certainly someone who I repect when it comes to music. That being the case, could you tell me a little bit about why you ranked Tom Joad so high. I know there are quite a few who consider it to be one of Bruce's best. I've never been able to get into it though. I listened to it twice over the weekend and I still find it to be the weakest of Bruce's three solo accusitc albums (Nabraska, Tom Joad and Devils & Dust). It simply isn't as raw and poetic as Nabraska.
Well, I don't know. I just like the atmosphere it sets up. When I listen to it, I feel like I'm on a road trip through the Southwest, or like I'm in the middle of a Steinbeck novel.

But you know, ask me another day and I may rank Nebraska higher. I'm a fickle dude.

Nighthawk76
10-08-2008, 05:00 PM
Well, I don't know. I just like the atmosphere it sets up. When I listen to it, I feel like I'm on a road trip through the Southwest, or like I'm in the middle of a Steinbeck novel.

But you know, ask me another day and I may rank Nebraska higher. I'm a fickle dude.

A lot of people would agree with you, Brad. I'm currently reading a book called Bruce Springsteen's America by Robert Coles in which the author interviews a wide range of people about how Bruce's lyrics effect them, and quite a few of the folks interviewed site lyrics from The Ghost Of Tom Joad.