Product Description

As a followup to THE RIVER, a double-album blast of old-time rock and roll, this amazing solo-acoustic folk album came out of nowhere in the fall of 1982. More precisely, it came out of Bruce Springsteen's back pocket. He recorded what would become NEBRASKA at home on a 4-track recorder, intending it as a demo tape for a full-band album. The band versions were recorded, but Springsteen sensed something missing; eventually, he became convinced that his demo tape, which he hadcarried around in a back pocket of his jeans for several days, had a spiritual wallop that he and the band couldn't recreate. He had the cassette cleaned up and turned into his sixth album.
There's little doubt that he made the right choice. The songs on NEBRASKA form a bleak cycle about men on the run, from the law, from their fathers or from themselves, usually for reasons even they don't understand. And Springsteen's dry, howling voice, which sometimes dips to a desperate whisper and sometimes rises to a haunted scream, seems to carry all their fears and all their hidden knowledge. The title song, about Charlie Starkweather, the serial killer chronicled in the movie BADLANDS, is one of two on the album about men who see the electric chair as their natural, God-given fate, if not their salvation. A couple of others could be the very drivers of the cars Paul Simon once counted on the New Jersey turnpike, except that where Simon saw America, all these characters see are dirty refinery towers.
This was songwriting that channeled both Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams, and the stark sound of NEBRASKA was not merely a homage to them, but a perfect casing for these tales. Whether strumming through "Atlantic City", picking out arpeggios on "Nebraska" or banging out a shuffle on "Open All Night" (a rare upbeat moment), Springsteen's lone acoustic guitar was all the accompaniment they needed, echoing their loneliness and isolation.

Track Listing

1. Nebraska
2. Atlantic City
3. Mansion On The Hill
4. Johnny 99
5. Highway Patrolman
6. State Trooper
7. Used Cars
8. Open All Night
9. My Father's House
10. Reason To Believe

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #834 in Music
• Released on: 2003-05-05
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Nebraska is a cruel landscape of serial killers, shady deals, jobless workers pushed to the edge, brothers who finally just look the other way. Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and little else, Bruce Springsteen mixes together his own Jersey mythology with bits of Woody Guthrie, the Delmore Brothers and country blues to produce among the most emotionally crippling roots rock ever caught on tape. "What does it mean", Springsteen moans plaintively, "(that) at the end of every hard-earned day people find some reason to believe?" He has no answer but if there's any hope at all here, it's that his characters are still asking the question. --David Cantwell

Customer Reviews

Lyrically great, musically narrow
Bruce Springsteen's previous album, 'The River', finished with a slow, poignant tale, 'The Wreck On The Highway'. It might easily be the musical template for most of the songs on 'Nebraska', which are, yes, slow and poignant. The notion that stripping away the rock band format equates to more powerful songs, however, is just that, a notion. The most effective tracks here tend to be the more uptempo ones, partly because they break the monotony of slower ones. The title track has a brooding atmosphere, as have 'Mansion On The Hill', 'Highway Patrolman', 'Used Cars', 'My Father's House' and 'Reason To Believe'. With each track, the power of this atmosphere diminishes. Springsteen's portrayals of killers, wronged and otherwise, and tales of loss are as beautifully drawn as ever, but after a while it comes across as one long rime of an ancient mariner.

'Johnny 99' is the best track, its raw rock treatment giving the sketch of a jobless man a macabre feel. The quick pulse of 'State Trooper' is another highlight. The title track is also effective until the final line, which seems a vague way to end a loaded song.

It's often refreshing to hear an artist take a more stripped down approach, but here it ultimately confines the feel to the music. For a genuinely compelling 'raw' album, try John Lennon's 'Plastic Ono Band'.

Badlands of the soul

This brooding gem of an album offers an atmospheric blend of voice, guitar and harmonica plus the most evocative imagery and poetic lyrics. The title track is about a homicidal couple portrayed in the 1973 film Badlands. Stark and authentic, Nebraska must the blueprint of what later became known as "Americana" and even "Alt Folk." Place names occur throughout, like Lincoln, Philly, Atlantic City, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, Johnstown, Perrinneville, Mahwah, Wyoming and Linden Town.

The tuneful Atlantic City has a lilting beat whilst the title track and Mansion on the Hill are slow and mournful, whilst the uptempo and edgy Johnny 99 has nervous guitar riffs that are also present on State Trooper which in its turn connects thematically with Highway Patrolman, a moving tale of family troubles with a poignant chorus. The famous Springsteenian car and road imagery is evident on the nostalgic Used Cars and the fast-paced rock song Open All Night. The line "radios jammed up with gospel stations, lost souls callin' lost distance salvation" reminded me of the tongue-in-cheek country song Far Away Eyes by the Rolling Stones on Some Girls.

The haunting masterpiece My Father's House explores guilt, remorse and a yearning for love and redemption through oneiric imagery. Reason to Believe concludes this bleak vision of the heartland on an optimistic, even spiritual note with the observation that people ultimately do find meaning. It echoes a similar sentiment on Atlantic City, the idea that perhaps everything that dies someday comes back. The simplicity, profundity and power of Nebraska are the reasons why I experienced We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions as such a dismal and frivolous exercise.

Compelling
I think you would struggle to find a more desolate, haunting, yet utterly captivating album anywhere. Springsteen's 'Nebraska' marks his place alongside Dylan, Cash and other American greats. Seldom uplifting, this album is a sobering affair, but one that provides unmistakable catharsis. I find myself reaching for this album in times of reflection, sadness, contemplation, or simply when I want to appreciate a beautiful piece of music.

This is a must for everyone, not just Springsteen fans. I defy you to remain unmoved by this stark collection of songs.