Bruce Springsteen:
Working on a Dream

This review is bogus! We may or may not agree on lyrically the type of album Bruce should have released. However, I cannot disagree more with you on the quality in terms of performance, production, and sheer listenablity. These songs are beautiful, lush reflections of where Bruce is at in his life. Critics will complain either that his material is too political or non political which, in your case, interprets as "no substance". This album has also gotten rave reviews from a number of prestigious media sources who look at in a realistic manner.

Sorry Vince. Ive been a big Springsteen fan for many years, but this is mostly overproduced drivel. The review, if anything, was kind.

No matter what . . . this music is better than 90% of everything released in the last 6 months. If this was a debut cd, it would be universally praised as unique and rockin'. Only a handful of elder rock & roll statesmen have made music this affecting. Enjoy it now, soon all we'll have will be Perry and Jonas.

I agree. The songs are pretty weak and mostly unmemorable.

I dug out my copy of Magic and confirmed my opinion. That one has a handful of really strong songs (You'll Be Comin' Down, Your Own Worst Enemy, Girls in Their Summer Clothes, Gypsy Biker) but this one pales in comparison.

What they DO have in common is the awful production or mixing or mastering. Dunno what it is, but it sounds like shit.

I KNOW that the players are all good so why not just let the instruments sound like instruments, instead of being iPod friendly or whatever?

But the songs are pretty weak and that's the biggest problem.

I like when Springsteen is happy. I think he taps into a wildly creative side when he isn't down in the dumps politically. So what if his songs are about infant outlaws and supermarket cashiers? At least they're fresh and not the same old, recycled crap that passes for a hit on the radio these days. I love that when this dude writes a song, his unabashedly, bold declaration of whatever story he might be telling is just like a big middle finger to anyone who might not like it. Like it or not...he's the boss and no one is going to tell him differently.

I've been listening to the album steady since the release date and I agree with the review. Rolling Stone gave this 5 stars and, while I read their reasons, I still find this album overblown. To me, the biggest disappointment is the lyrics. This is Bruce F-ing Springsteen, who will sit at the right hand of Dylan when he ascends to his heavenly songwriter throne. What's up, Boss? We get that you love your wife and kids. A lot. You're happy. Really happy. Good for you. But art is only gonna come when you look out or turn to fiction. Devils and Dust was a masterpiece. This - not so much. I'd say it sounds like an album of B-sides, but Springsteen's B-sides are generally better than this. Some of it, like "This life" (Beach Boys?!?) "Good Eye", and "Tomorrow Never Knows" (which reminds me of Gordon Lightfoot) is really growing on me. But "Queen of the Supermarket" just creeps me out.

Agreed....this makes "Human Touch" sound amazing. I like that he went in a more 60's pop direction, I think it's interesting, even when it's not successful, but the songs themselves are almost uniformly weak except for "The Last Carnival" and "The Wrestler." Wish he would've spent more time on the songwriting instead of trying to rush out another album so quickly.

I walk away from Bruce Springsteen’s new “Kingdom Of Dreams” with a good feel. It’s not a landmark like “Born in The USA” or the short ribs, coffee and soothing syrup of “Tom Joad”. It is an album full of love, made with love, and to be listened to with love. Affectionately listening to it, while remembring ‘Why the things that we treasure most slip away in time, 'Till to the music we grow deaf and to god's beauty blind’.
Do we really want Bruce to lie about being happy with Patty and the kids? Maybe some of us become a little tired after the umpteenth record of a phonomen? As long as the artist is happy we should be happy. What Bruce gives us is better than most of what's currently in the charts.

nope, the review is spot on. Springsteen is at his worst when he's happy. Exhibit A: Lucky Town. Exhibit B: Human Touch. There are a few songs toward the end of the disc that are good, but the middle of the album is jelly soft.

The fact that Rolling Stone gave this album five stars invalidates any review they publish. Five stars being the highest rating an album can get, that means that they are saying this album is at least as good as other Springsteen albums like Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Nebraska, Born in the USA, or Ghost of Tom Joad, since it would be impossible for each of those albums to receive a higher rating. Well, I agree with them on one thing: each of those older Springsteen albums I listed is a five-star work. Working on a Dream is as weak as, if not weaker than the Lucky Town/Human Touch debacle. At least with Lucky Town/Human Touch, there was the caveat that if you took the best songs from each album and combined them into one, it would make a mediocre Springsteen album. Here, we're left with what? The production is too much, and the fact that the lyrics are so ridiculous and cheesy makes you wonder if each song is supposed to be a joke. A friend of mine, before I had listened to the album, sent me a text: "Is Outlaw Pete a joke?" I didn't know what he was talking about, but after I listened to it, I responded: "The album, and that song in particular, is either the biggest tongue-in-cheek, inside joke ever, or it's the worst Springsteen album ever." I don't care how much better than everything else around one may think this is; this is weak stuff (and I think there IS much better new music out there right now, albeit not on top 40, regardless of the moaning hipsters who have to have something to turn their nose up to in popular culture).

Two obsevations

Why do most people feel the need to paint Lucky Town and Human Touch with the same brush. Yeah they came out at the same time but Lucky Town is a pretty decent album, Human Touch on the other hand, Yikes!!!

Next, with all the professional music type people involved in a major recording session you would think there would be one person who during the recording or playback of Outlaw Pete would stop and say "Uh Bruce the melody line in this thing sounds pretty much exactly like that crummy KISS disco song".

Don't get me started on Mary's Place and Sam Cooke.

Henry, I agree. "Lucky Town" is a far superior album to "Human Touch." And, to be fair, I like precisely two songs on "Working on a Dream": "The Last Carnival" and "The Wrestler."

Dump Brendon O'Brien. Too much over-production, and the lyrics are not up to par. We need another "Tracks" CD.

Does anyone else interpret many of the lyrics on this album (and some on "Magic" as well) to be a fairly open confession that Bruce had an affair? There were reports in the media along those lines a year or so ago and many of these songs seem to be exploring the motivations that would cause a happily married man to engage in such behavior and the process of repairing his marriage when the affair is discovered. To me, this album is like deja vue to "Tunnel of Love," which, on the surface to many seemed like a paen to Bruce's first wife, but on closer review actually turned out to be basically the story of the breakup of that marriage. Bruce's work has always been largely autobiographical and this seems no different. Anyone agree?

Marty,

Interesting observation...what songs on WOAD suggest this to you? My wife thought the same.

If it true, I am happy they worked it out, but the "other" must be heartbroken, wonder if he should write an apology song to that person.

Terri,

See the news today, oh boy.

Teri,

To answer your question, let’s start with “Your Own Worst Enemy” from Magic. The title says a lot -- a play off the old cliché “he’s his own worst enemy.” From there, the lyrics speak for themselves: “You can’t sleep at night; you can’t dream your dream; your fingerprints on file, left clumsily at the seen.” Pretty clearly, this is a reference to being “caught” doing something. Then, “Yesterday the people were at ease, babies slept in peace; you closed your eyes and you saw her, you knew who you were.” Later, “Once the family felt secure, now no one’s really sure.” Recall after the rumors about the 9-11 widow came out, there was a media report about how Bruce’s kids thought it was so funny that some reports had him sleeping in the barn, they were quoted as saying “he’s right over there making pancakes.” Notwithstanding this cute story, it is obvious the rumors made their way into Bruce’s home and had an effect on his family. Finally, the song closes with “Your flag it flew so high, it drifted into the sky. . . .” To me, this indicates a reference to the prototypical situation when highly successful people (whether politicians, entertainers, business people, etc.) come to a point when they feel they can do whatever they want. Anyway, I don’t know how old you are, but for people of a certain age and stage in life, the lyrics of this song are pretty unmistakable as to what is going on.

The lyrics on Working on a Dream” are a bit more opaque, but, to me, no less unmistakable. On this album, the references tend to come in snippets rather than being the center of the story, as in “Your Own Worst Enemy.” However, unlike Magic, in which much of the album is devoted to Bruce's opposition (to put it mildly) to the Iraq war, the theme pervades many, if not most, of the songs on Working on a Dream (putting aside the cowboy song and Queen of the Supermarket, which I would rather not comment on anyway). The overall theme of the entire album (as indicated by the title) is of a people working toward resurrection of a damaged relationship. For example, on “My Lucky Day,” he says “I have waited at your side, I’ve counted the tears you’ve cried; But to win darling we must pay, so don’t hide your heart away.” On “Working on a Dream,” he says “Though trouble can feel like it’s here to stay, I’m working on a dream; Our love will chase the trouble away.” On “What Love Can Do,” he says “Darlin’, I can’t stop the rain, or turn your black sky to blue; But let me show you what love can do.” Finally, on Good Eye,” he says “Well I swore to you my darlin’, that you were the only one, Yes I swore to you my darlin’, you were the only one; But I had my good eye to the dark and my blind eye to the sun.” Unless you are really a diehard fan trying to turn a blind eye to this, it really seems pretty obvious what all of these lyrics are saying. When I bought “Working on a Dream,” I thought the references were all arising from the 9-11 widow situation, but now it seems there may be more to the story.