Bruce Springsteen News

Soeben veröffentlichte der “London Evening Standard” einen Bericht zur anstehenden Bruce Springsteen Albumveröffentlichung “Wrecking Ball”. David Smyth war gestern im “Théâtre Marigny” in Paris anwesend und durfte an einer exklusiven “Listening Party” teilnehmen.

“London Evening Standard” schreibt:

Bruce Springsteen – The Boss is cross
When Bruce Springsteen has something to say, the world listens. A new album from the New Jersey giant, almost 40 years after his first, is still a huge deal – demonstrated by the three coaches waiting yesterday outside Sony Records’ Paris headquarters to take journalists from as far afield as Denmark and Australia to a special listening event. Even next month’s advance airing of Madonna’s latest album will be more low-key than this.
The gilded Théâtre Marigny, just off the Champs-Élysées, was the venue for the first European airing of Wrecking Ball, 62-year-old Springsteen’s 17th album and his first to address America’s current financial situation.
“You tend to do your best work when there’s something you can really push against,” he told the writers once the album’s 11 tracks had played through.
Blasted loud in the darkness, with its cutting lines about bankers and fat cats displayed on a cinema screen, the songs broadcast a fury that showed him once again to be his country’s musical conscience, the good angel perched on the shoulder of a conflicted nation that has seen better days.
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“My work has always been about judging the distance between reality and the American Dream,” he says. “It’s often claimed by different political groups because there is a strand of patriotism underneath but it’s a critical, questioning, often angry form of patriotism.”
That voice is heard most clearly on the new album’s first single, We Take Care of Our Own. Over strident guitars and bold marching drums he repeats: “We take care of our own/Wherever this flag’s flown”.
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Springsteen clarifies from his stool on the stage: “The song asks the question that the rest of the record tries to answer which is, ‘Do we?’ – we often don’t.” He disputes the idea that songs such as this and Born in the USA, with a bright hummable tune and an apparently positive chorus, are open to misinterpretation. “I write carefully and precisely and I believe clearly. If you’re missing it you’re not quite thinking hard enough.”
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Although The E Street Band are joining him on tour (with Clemons’s nephew Jake handed the torch on saxophone duties) this is essentially a solo Springsteen record. A new producer, Ron Aniello, has pushed him into the occasional unusual corner.
“We used quite a lot of looping techniques,” says Springsteen of the smatterings of electronic drums that dot the album. Keyboard atmospherics are often present and there’s even a female voice rapping briefly on Rocky Ground. But he still begins writing every song on an acoustic guitar, so there’s little here to frighten away long-term fans.
The closing track, We Are Alive, has a folksy feel reminiscent of his work with the Seeger Sessions band. Going one step beyond his being the voice of the people, it’s sung from the perspective of the dead who have risen again.
… weiterlesen

Auch “The Local – Sweden” widmete Bruce Springsteen einen Online-Artikel. David Landes berichtet, dass Bruce Springsteen seine Inspiration für “Wrecking Ball” aus der Finanzkrise des Jahres 2008 genommen hat. Bereits 2009 brachte er seine Gedanken zu Papier und komponierte “We Take Care Of Our Own”. Darüber hinaus mahnte der 62jährige Musiker an, dass der ‘American Dream’ zu Grunde gegangen ist und die Idee gleicher Wettbewerbsbedinungen zerstört wurde”.

Auszug aus dem Onlinebericht:

Springsteen: US should be ‘more like Sweden’
During a press conference in Paris, The Boss explained that much of the inspiration for his new album, set for release on March 6th, is anger at what he sees as the crushing of the American Dream in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
“I have friends who lost everything they had,” Springsteen explained, according to the Dagens Nyhter (DN) newspaper.
In 2009, he put pen to paper began writing the album’s lead track “We take care of our own”.
“In this song, I pose a number of questions. Questions which I later try to find answers to in other songs,” said Springsteen.
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“We’ve destroyed the idea of an equal playing field,” he said, according to the AFP news agency.
When asked if he thought the United States should be changed into something closer to a Swedish-style welfare state, Springsteen responded enthusiastically.
“Exactly! That’s my dream! It’s written between the lines. But you have to listen very closely,” he said, according to DN.
… weiterlesen

WRECKING BALL
Bruce Springsteens siebzehntes Studioalbum “Wrecking Ball” wird am 2. März in Deutschland erscheinen. Das Werk kann auf Amazon.de bzw. im Stonepony Fanshop vorbestellt werden. In Deutschland wird es das Standard-Album (ohne Bonus Tracks), eine Special Edition (mit Bonus Tracks) sowie eine Doppel-Vinyl-LP geben.

Mehr Infos:

• Listening Party in Paris: Weitere Rezensionen zu Wrecking Ball
• Wrecking Ball – Erstes Review vom ganzen Album
• Bruce Springsteen Veröffentlichungen in Deutschland
• Bruce Springsteen Alben & Lyrics