Working on a Dream (the full report)

Listening now to the entire new Springsteen album Working on a Dream on NPR... As you know, I was pretty much underwhelmed by the snippets on Springsteen's own site. Will the full songs make a difference? Will the fact that I'm listening within just hours of Obama's inauguration make me a little more forgiving? Let's see....

Outlaw Pete (8:00)
What sounded like a bad outtake from the Seeger Sessions in the snippet changes when you hear the entire song... the entire EIGHT MINUTE song... epic, almost Dylan-like. Gotta admit it, it's better, a lot better than I feared. Is it a classic? No, but it's good. And the final guitar outro is pretty damn good (though curiously short for such a long song).

My Lucky Day (4:01)
Still. Damn. Cool. I love Steve Van Zandt. I wanted to be him in 1980. Wouldn't mind being him now. I need a bandanna... STAT! Great crashing guitars into the strong sax in the instrumental break. I think this will be/should be the song from the new album that rocks halftime!

Working on a Dream (3:30)
I like the song... today's historic significance helps that, too. Is it a great song? No, not by a long shot. Is it the usual Bruce? Nope... but that has upside and downside (I could do without the whistling instrumental break... yeah, I get the whistle-while-you-work reference... but I don't need no stinkin' Disney from Bruce). Still like this one (but please don't play THIS at halftime).

Queen of the Supermarket (4:38)
I HATED this song on first listen to that snippet. Is it THAT bad? Not quite. I could actually see this as a VERY early (pre-Greetings) acoustic demo. But it's still way too overblown (the strings are way too much). Yeah, I know, it's a throwback to "I Wanna Marry You"... but that song barely worked for me (though in concert it had a greater power, so who knows about this...)... but no, this is still really bad. It certainly isn't the usual Bruce (and no, I'm not just talking about the dropped F-bomb, either). The outro: I don't know WHAT to make of? Soft-core? yuck or is that yuk?

What Love Can Do (2:58)
Yep, this is definitely a keeper. "Let me show you what love can do", indeed. I get chills listening to this. Though I wish the guitar break was a little more... muscular. But the vocal more than makes up for it. I'm thinking this might actually be better than "My Lucky Day" (but not as good a choice for halftime).

This Life (4:30)
Wasn't a fan of the snippet. The full song is a little better. But still the overblown production and the pseudo-Partridge Family background vocals are just a little too much. I could take "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" off Magic, but this is a bit much.

Good Eye (2:59)
Liked the song in first listen, though I had my reservations about the vocal distortion. Listening to the full song does not get rid of the reservations... it heightens them: the distortion is through the entire song. Still like the song. Cool banjo rolls and harmonica fills... dig it. And it does rock hard. And it could segue very nicely into another song in concert (or it could be expanded beyond its fairly short three-minute length). So for now, the vocal is forgiven. Still a keeper.

Tomorrow Never Knows (2:14)
As noted from the snippet, very Seeger Sessions-ish. Very singable for live. Not sure how much longevity it will have, though. Especially at its ridiculously short two minute-fourteen second length.

Life Itself (4:00)
Yep, still very "Worlds Apart"... cool violin part... it's better than the snippet, and it could continue to grow on me. Need to listen harder and get the lyrics on this one. As I catch snippets of the words, I'm liking it more and more... I take it back: I'm liking it a lot more.

Kingdom of Days (4:02)
More overblown, overproduced, overdone... didn't like it then, don't like it now. [now, I know some are going to say, but what about "Life Itself"? ... it suffers from many of the same faults... but it suffers... this makes ME suffer] Don't like "I love you, Iloveyou,iloveyou" and the strings burying the guitar solo. Nope. Don't like it at all. A skipper on the ol' MP3 player... if it even gets ripped from the disc.

Surprise, Surprise (4:18)
I had said that the snippet had been musically OK, but lyrically banal. The whole song is, too. As I continue to listen to this... the lyrics aren't banal. They're banal AND bad. I'm not sure I can finish listening to this song. God. I. Hate. This. Even "Queen of the Supermarket" didn't do this to me. Or "This Life." Or "Kingdom of Days." Well, Surprise, Surprise... the song ended and my ears aren't bleeding (though the final backing vocal ALMOST accomplished that).

Last Carnival (3:10)
Not a rocker. But I like it. The acoustic production fits perfectly. Love the "Billy" references... is he "wild"? Why, I think he is! The choral backing vocal works for me. Don't know if we'll ever hear this live. It might not work there, but it sure as hell works on record. Even the bizarre choral flourish after the song is over works for me.

The Wrestler (3:50)
God, I love this song. With the two acoustic songs ending this album, you gotta wonder if some of the less successful songs on the disc could have benefited from a cranking DOWN on the production board. I'm not saying that "Surprise, Surprise" wouldn't still be crap, but at least it might be easier to take. But I'm going off on a tangent... this song is a classic. It won't do much in concert ('cept on solo acoustic tours), but jeez it's a GREAT song.


The album as a whole is much better than I feared. I just wish it was as good I hoped.

I have a sinking suspicion (based on the quality of the songs and some of their lengths) that this album was rushed out to capitalize on his Obama involvement and the Super Bowl show. If so, that and the whole Wal-Mart marketing thing disappoints me. I never thought Bruce would succumb to sales pressure. Yes, I know "Dancing in the Dark" was a blatant single. But a whole album? It's just sad.

But at least this means a tour.

And at least we have a new prez.