Product Description

BORN TO RUN is the album that turned Springsteen from a phenomenon into a superstar. His first couple of releases foundBruce working out his fascination with Dylan and Van Morrison on earthy, wordy, folk-rock-R&B tunes full of soul and punch. On BORN TO RUN, Springsteen became even more ambitious,synthesising Spectorian production with Orbison-esque dramaand Duane Eddy-influenced guitar work, creating something grand enough to be called rock opera but too proletarian to ever claim that title. BORN TO RUN was also the first album where the Boss began to crystallise his recurring theme of working class America's doomed-but-passionate rage against itscircumstances. With the earnestness and emotion that burstsforth from Springsteen's street poems, the album is never less than exhilarating, and songs like "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" (a tongue-in-cheek history of the E Street Band) providehumor. "She's The One" puts the Bo Diddley beat to its mosteffective post-'50s use, and the title track is Springsteen's quintessential underdog epic.

Track Listing

1. Thunder Road
2. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out
3. Night
4. Back Streets
5. Born To Run
6. She's The One
7. Meeting Across The River
8. Jungleland

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2279 in Music
• Released on: 2003-05-05
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Few albums are as fuelled by hope, possibility and the lure of the open road as Born to Run, a virtual concept album about small-town New Jerseyites in search of a better life via hot-rodding out on the turnpike, scoring some small-time hustle or blowing out of town altogether, either across the river to New York City or west for parts unknown. Songs such as "Jungleland", "Thunder Road", "Backstreets" and the title track are epic productions, both sonically and lyrically, borrowing from Phil Spector, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley and West Side Story. When Born to Run was released in 1975, it earned the then-unknown Springsteen the rare honour of simultaneous covers on both Time and Newsweek in the US. The attention was warranted then, and it still is now. --Daniel Durchholz, Amazon.com

Customer Reviews

The greatest music I've ever heard.
On the sleeve for this album it says the songs are written by Bruce Springsteen, wrong - they are written by God. This album is pure genius of the highest order.
Thank you God (and Bruce of course)

WHY ROCK AND ROLL WAS INVENTED
Bruce Springsteen is one of the greatest artists in the history of rock and roll.Born To Run is his greatest achievement,Michaelangelo has the Sistine chapel,Da Vinci has the Mona Lisa Bruce has Born To Run a magnificent record.A record that no other artist could ever dream of creating.This is what Rock and Roll was invented for. A CLASSIC

A GENUINE ORIGINAL
Chatting with friends at the December 2007 O2 concert we discussed the frequency with which Springsteen is described as a 'non-original.' Many music critics write about the way in which Springsteen took the best of Phil Spector and merged it with the 60s garage bands and touches of Beach Boys, Four Seasons etc to recreate the sounds of old. Four hours later Bruce and his band delivered a note perfect, nine minute 'Jungleland' as I stood and marvelled at the beauty, the drama and the sheer wonder of this great song. I nudged my sister - we've been to his shows together on every tour since '81 - and said 'If that's not an orginal, I don't know what is.' And that's the beauty of this album. Yes, it nods to Spector and West Side Story, but no-one, not even Dylan, has written a masterpiece like 'Jungleland.' The title track is Springsteen's self-confessed 'shot at the title' and he claims it! The whole album is filled with drama, melody and some of the best music ever produced by Springsteen. 'Thunder Road' has always been a showstopper, while 'Backstreets' is almost unbearable in its intensity. It's one of the greatest albums of all time...and a true original.