Entertainment For Lively Minds
Bring Me The Head Of Jon Landau
One of the most impressive ‘perfect storms’ of marketing activity - the inauguration, the Golden Globe, The Super Bowl, a WalMart exclusive Greatest Hits, Rolling Stone profile and a whole raft of mostly very pleasant reviews - cannot disguise the fact that Waiting On A Dream is a shoddy and insubstantial product from a major artist, its production and sound quality so poor that any chance the one or two strong melodies or lyrics at hand could sound halfway decent is lost. Despite Bruce’s claims to his juices keeping flowing, the overall lack of quality control smacks of contractual obligation. The hugely lucrative deal that Landau struck with Sony Music, timed just as the bottom fell out of the CD business has compromised an artist and us as his listeners and the man who wrote “I have seen rock ‘n’ roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen” has most certainly denied his client any hope of creative space in the immediate future by tieing him to an endless cycle of rushed records and touring in support. Has any manager been so inept with a major artist’s career since Tom Parker allowed Elvis Presley’s career to decline into hideous pastiche and an eventual squalid, bloated death for The King?
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Why blame the manager?
He didn't write it, play it, record it, produce it and put it out.
I seriously doubt that Landau could force Bruce
to do a bloomin thing. His work rate has always been fairly rapid although there was a long old gap of scant new bits between Joad and the Rising - couple of tracks on a Greatest Hits here and there. and the energetic tours are hardly those of a man going through the motions either
I know a lot of fans have a problem with Brendan O'Brien's production on is recent bits. I haven't. Since the Rising Bruce has done a downbeat acoustic album and a barnstorming sortie into US Folk music alongside his more rock output. Can't he be fond of live performance and writing tunes w\o being accused of creative diarreha? Whether you or me like em is hardly the point.
'whole raft of mostly very pleasant reviews' - are hardly his doing either unless you're suggesting he has a gun at the reviewers head or scandalous pictures of the editors' in his posession. We've all seen that 80's video with Ellen honking on a sax - he ain't got nothing than can shock us more than that.
Oh and I like 'Working On A Dream' and its substandard songs so Bruce can keep em coming as often as he likes.
I must be listening to a different album
The copy of Waiting For a Dream I've been listening to all week sounds fantastic and is packed full of great songs, I love it. But you seem pretty sure of yourself so I must be wrong.
No, I've got that album too...
...love it to bits...
me too....
it's great, innit
Magic
I really liked Magic, despite the production being a tad muddy, and I'm looking forward to the new one. It might be crap, I just don't know yet!
If I was in a band
and my manager got me gigs at a presidential inauguration and the superbowl i'd say he/she was doing a good job.
Opinions
Are like posterior cavities, we've all got one but they are all different, and some are more attractive than others.
You can put me in the 'I love this album' category
Me too..
I can't stop playing it, and I don't have a problem with the production either!
Magic
I think, is one of his best albums. Even with sludgy production. I've just bought Working On A Dream on the strength of the first two songs.
Crikey
I've only heard half of it - I was losing the will to live during "Queen Of The Supermarket" - but of one thing I feel certain.
"Outlaw Pete" (or Postman Pat of whatever he calls it) is by some distance the worst opening track on any Bruce Springsteen album ever.
And it goes on for *weeks*.
Weeks?
I was hoping to listen to the whole album on my way home from work tonight. Ah well...
Poor, very poor...
Another weak bunch of songs drenched in O'Brien's treacly production. He's the Jeff Lynne of the 21st Century. Forget the songs or the artist - all you hear is the producer. One good thing about the album is the bass playing. Garry Tallent has never sounded better. 'Queen of the Supermarket' is probably the worst thing he's ever done. Even the rubbish on disk 4 of 'Tracks' sound better than this. Was this part of the Walmart deal too?
That's high praise indeed...
that the bass playing is good!
I think I'll avoid this one!
Doogley called it
Direct regrets: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7862687.stm
I know he'll make another solid album--but today its just a couple good songs.
About the producer?
I really dislike Dust & Devils. My problem is that I can't hear the vocals to the extent that I can't make out any words at all. Is this the way Bruce was singing, or was it his reviled producer who muddied the sound? Does anyone else have problems with his vocals on that album?