Hey everyone. Not much going on today, just relaxing trying to get better for my Argentina trip, which is now a week from today! I'm getting pumped! Otherwise, kind of a boring day.
I got to listen to Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen, released in 1982. So in my previous post, I mentioned how Springsteen made a bit of a style change for The River, making it a bit more classic rock and roll. Well, this album again makes a style change for Springsteen, and bit more of a change at that.
When I was living back in New Jersey when I was younger or whenever I'm home during certain breaks in college, I always like to go for a drive at night, just roaming around and exploring, wheather it be with a friend/friends or alone. As I drive around, I always noice wheather the New York skyline is visible from some parts of North Jersey (I live very close to NYC). When I had insomnia, I'd always go out for one of these drives and sometimes they'd go into the sunrise. I'd drive around the industrial areas, near the Hudson River, around some neighborhoods, on the turnpike, just exploring. I'd pass radio towers, swampland (the meadowlands), New York City across the Hudson, warehouses, working class neighborhoods, etc.
Believe it or not, some of these drives were quite beautiful. I think it took three years at college and out of New Jersey to really appreciate New Jersey. It really does have it's own kind of working class history and culture the I respect. I regret not taking the oppurtunity to explore New Jersey a bit more, and it makes me happy to know I'll have a few more oppurtunities to explore. I think there can be a lot more to it then people think. I honestly never would imagine I'd ever sit here and write and defend New Jersey, but I must say there is something about it that has a hold on me. There are some things that will always bother me about it (like Jersey Shore and all it's wannabe's) but I can't say that I hate New Jersey anymore either. Maybe I CAN consider New Jersey a home of some sorts. I'll definitely say this: It's where I grew up and it does mean something to me....FINE, I guess it is a home to me. New Jersey: there's something about you...
Anyway, why mention all this?? Well, when I had an off day and decided to drive around and it was late at night, or I just went for a night drive, spooky or not, Nebraska was always one of my favorites to play in my car during those times. Why? Because this album is perfect for such occasions. It's dark and soft, and of course, spooky. It is definitely acoustic, as Springsteen is the only one playing and it's mostly guitar and harmonica. This album was originally not going to be released, as it was suppose to be demos of songs for an album. He recorded these songs in his room on a casette player, which I think adds to the spooky sound of it, as it sounds very intimate. It's almost like sitting in a room with Springsteen and listening to him play. But anyway, he did record it with the E-Street after but everyone agreed that it didn't sound as good and lost a lot of it's spooky sound, so they decided to release the original demos instead, and hence this album was released. This album is dark, for sure, but it has some sort of soundtrack feel to it, as if it was meant for driving around New Jersey or any real dark place late at night. It does has a bit more of a folk acoustic sound to it, except "Open All Night", which is definitely more rock and roll-y and Chuck Berry like, which I love, as does "Reason To Believe" now that I think about it. But this album was always a great pleasure to listen to. This album also goes back to more of his story-telling lyrics than some of the previous albums, which I'm glad he did again. This is a great set of songs. It's haunting feeling will have you awed, and it's merkyness will have you in a atmosphere that seems vast and unknown. My favorite songs are: "Atlantic City", "State Trooper" (which was also one of the first Springsteen songs that got me more into him) and "Open All Night". Check those out at least, though I think the whole album needs to be heard to get "the experience". And hey, if you're ever driving around North Jersey late at night looking for something, but don't know what it is, listen to this album while you're doing it. It may help you find it.
That's all I have for now. Have a good night everyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment