{"id":375,"date":"2013-09-20T16:47:16","date_gmt":"2013-09-20T16:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/batterymedia.com\/blog\/?p=375"},"modified":"2013-09-20T23:42:15","modified_gmt":"2013-09-20T23:42:15","slug":"rs-467-bruce-springsteen-tunnel-of-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/batterymedia.com\/blog\/?p=375","title":{"rendered":"RS #467: Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Bruce
“Issa not too bad, eh Boss!?”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

#467<\/p>\n

Bruce\u00a0Springsteen, Tunnel of Love<\/em><\/h3>\n
\n

Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a01987<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Previously Owned:<\/strong>\u00a0No<\/div>\n
First Time Listen:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes<\/div>\n
\n

Impressions:<\/strong>\u00a0 Let’s get this straight:\u00a0I like\u00a0Bruce. But, I’m not too knowledgable. I recall this album seeming like a weird deal at the time because it\u00a0followed up Born In The USA, (<\/em>which in hindsight seems impossible.) It still sold well, but sort of seemed like a disappointment. Let’s fire up the Spotify and give this album a listen… Oddly, the spare, Bo-Diddleyish ditty “Ain’t Got You” starts off the album a lot like the similarly sounding “Faith” did on\u00a0George Michael’s solo album<\/a>\u00a0that came out at the same time! Weird, dude. Weird. “Tougher Than The Rest” as a song\u00a0is a million times better than\u00a0the weak production. \u00a0In fact, many of the songs are mature and introspective, but the ’80s production, while not as horrible as it could have been, doesn’t help. “Tunnel of Love” comes in like an INXS song and then slows down into a decent late ’80s pop hit. The overall impact of catchy and insightful songs like “Brilliant Disguise,” is dulled by the decision to set the keyboards to “Bruce Hornsby.” I think a record full of the demos would sound\u00a0better. I know I’m sounding like a broken record talking about this broken record, but “Valentine’s Day,” already amazing, would sound great stripped down. Goddamn, that song just floors me:\u00a0“I got one hand steady on the wheel and one hand’s tremblin’ over my heart.”<\/p>\n

Starred Songs:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0“Ain’t Got You,” Valentine’s Day”<\/div>\n
Sneaky Track:\u00a0<\/strong>“Cautious Man”<\/div>\n
Should this album be on the\u00a0list?\u00a0<\/strong>It’s not bad, and it’s the Boss, so\u00a0RS loves him. But, I don’t think it’s “great,” I could have done without\u00a0it…<\/div>\n
Replace with:<\/strong> Hmm. I’ll have\u00a0to think about this one… Well, it came out in 1987, and even though it’s got production issues too, I might have to toss The Replacements Pleased To Meet Me<\/em> on here. But, that might be mostly cause I’m an insufferable Mats fan<\/a>.
\nWill you listen to this again?<\/strong>\u00a0No, if it came down to it, I’d probably\u00a0play some other Bruce\u00a0album to get my fix. Although, a few songs already somehow snuck into the iTunes mix and I’m sure\u00a0I’ll hear some of these tracks on WXRT.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Verdict:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Mature, polished Bruce solo effort offers some great songs held back by soft, dated production.<\/div>\n
\n

Rating:<\/strong>\u00a0\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n