Brand New Morning - Bob Seger

This is the first solo album by American singer/songwriter Bob Seger. Released in October 1971, this is his fourth overall album, the first three being by The Bob Seger System. This is an acoustic album and its one of the early records he seems to not really like. I know everything I've heard from this period I like, so lets hope this is as good as the others.

1. Brand New Morning: This song opens pretty interesting. I mean if you'd hear him before, its odd to hear him with an acoustic guitar. Now I do think the vocals here are great and I like the up feeling of the song. I mean this is a pretty simple song, but it works. And this sets a feeling that this might not be that bad of a record. 
2. Maybe Today: This opens with him playing piano, and for whatever reason this reminds me of Cold Spring Harbor. I like what I'm hearing, I mean it isn't as grand as some of those songs, but its pretty bare. I do think this works here though and 2 for 2. I like the vocals and damn that guys doing a great job on piano. 
3. Sometimes: This is a ballad, with acoustic guitar. This isn't anything to write home about, but I do like it. For whatever reason I could picture Cat Stevens singing this. Maybe it's late, and I've got a buzz, but I can see that. I guess the only complaint is I wish it wasn't so sparse. Like the song gets louder, I wish there was a bass or percussion or piano. Something to add an extra texture to this specific song. 
4. You Know Who You Are: Alright, maybe I'm a sucker for this CSH sound, but I really kinda wanna cry. I mean this is kinda sad, and I really like the song. Though I do really appreciate how the song gets uplifted. This is a solid tune and I like the changes. 
5. Railroad Days: This song has a nice acoustic feeling to it and I like how it could be a folk tune. Like I could very easily picture this, maybe with some different instrumentation, being a song that the rail road men would play on their banjos or whatever while they were on break. The only real complaint is the guitar kind of over powers stuff, and when he sings with his soul its muddy. I mean I'm listening to a vinyl rip, but I wish it was clearer. But then at the same time then it'd lose some of the atmosphere. I don't know, maybe turn the volume down a but would fix the problem. It does feel a little long. Maybe cut a verse, but I still like it. I get why it became popular after he blew up. Plus I feel some chord progression similarities to Still the Same? Maybe I'm wrong, but who knows. 
6. Louise: I really like the rock and roll feeling to this song. It's a nice change of pace and I like the foot stomp. It's fun and works so much better than that one song on that one album. *cough* Open All Night *cough*. This is also nice and short and sweet. 
7. Song for Him: This kinda feels, to me, a proto-We've Got Tonight. I do dig this, and like how its quieter. There is a nice atmosphere to it and it works. The only complaint is it would be so much better if the album wasn't like this.  It gets louder, but whatever.
8. Something Like: This is a good way to end, and feels like the end. Other than that I've kinda of ran out of things to say about this album if I'm being honest.

Overall I have to give this album a 7/10. Okay, so this things pretty great. Now I read on wikipedia it was compared to Nebraska. These songs are not only better, but they are also far less samey than that fucking album. Check this thing out if you can, I recommend it. If I find it for the right price, I'll probably pick up a copy.  But if I don't then I won't be too disappointed. Hopefully I'll have Pet Sounds, Torture Time!, Born to Run and possibly Blood On the Tracks out this month.

High Hopes - Bruce Springsteen

This is the eighteenth studio album by Bruce Springsteen. I did this review yesterday, and was inspired to do it by the stupidity of track 2. And yes I did Darkness on the Edge of Town two months ago, but even if it was a month ago as long as the reviews don't directly follow each other it doesn't matter. A rule I made after the Green Day trilogy of 2012. now after realizing what I got myself into I realized it'll be more work that originally planned, but who the cares right. Lets just say I am a little disappointed by the use of covers and studio version of past material. Also the American Beauty Ep was released containing 4 tracks that didn't make it..... that EP blows. Now that's as fast as I can go, lets review this. Also all tracks but 5, 7-8, 11-12 features Tom Morello on them. Note: this was done right after the last review was finished yeasterday

1. High Hopes: Actually not a half bad song. Considering how lots of people in his position in his career put out either bullshit or boring uninteresting bland material I kinda got my hopes up for this. Now the downside, this is a cover. It is also a rerecorded version of a cover from a 1995 live Ep Blood Brothers. Now is this still a solid verison, yes. I dig it and I feel like it's a good interesting intro to grab you.
2. Harry's Place: Okay I'm only using this because it's said in the song. This is so fucking dumb. It sounds like a song from Human Touch, I'm thinking 57 Channels but just kinda cluttered. That's a dumb song, which it has a purpose, but it's so bare bones (bass and vocals) and it's catchy (to me). This is just no..... Also seriously Bruce what's up with the cussing.
3. American Skin (41 Shots): I heard the original version of this, which was on 2001's Live in New York City. Ok, I don't really remember the original, but the bad part is this is two minutes longer than the original. This is 7 minutes of uninteresting bullshit. How the heck could he make the greatest rock song ever Rosalita, which is 7 minutes.... then this. It sounds as interesting as the deep cuts off Tunnel of Love. Then it comes into the solo............................. I looked it up and it's a political song inspired by a shooting, but please make me interested.
4. Just Like Fire Would: This is the second cover, also of an 80's track. Actually this isn't half bad, it's a Saints track. I kinda wanna check out the original. It sounds like a song my dad would have on his mixtape CD from when I was a kid. It kinda reminds me a little of 90s music also. This, minus the horns, could be a cover of  Small Town by John Cougar Mellencamp.
5. Down In A Hole: I feel like I'm listening to the song at the end of Gladiator. But with English lyrics, and drums added in. Which hurt the song more in my opinion.
6. Heaven's Wall: Actually I'm kinda digging this track. The intro pulls me and and gets my attention. It kind of has a Paul Simon feeling of like maybe African music. Or world music rather. Boring solo though. The intro was really the highlight. Also two solos, come one buddy.
7. Frankie Fell In Love: I guess this isn't bad, I mean I'll forget it after hearing it.... I've heard it before. I guess someone can like this. Has a kind of country vibe I'm feeling.
8. This is Your Sword: DAMN YOU BAGPIPES!!!!!!!! DAMN YOU FOR MAKING THE SONG HAVE TO BE STUPID ON YOUR DAMN LEVEL. WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :"( Actually I kinda stopped crying when I imagined the mandolin used being played and them going into the Stonehenge folk section of the track of the same name by Spinal Tap.
9. Hunter of the Invisible Game: An interesting title that makes me thing of someone spending their time searching for something that doesn't exist. There are really endless avenues you can use this for. one verse about looking for true love the way movies make it seem, or looking for other things that I won't give away because I got a song idea. Now what does he do, something that reminds me of one of the slower songs on TWTI&TESS. When he'd do them live there was a point in time they'd have violin in them. Now is this song interesting sounds, only slightly because of the remembrance of that slower tracks on that album, if not for that then not really. And the woodwinds sounds nice.
10. The Ghost of Tom Joad: Mostly rerecorded because Morello covered it with his band Rage Against The Machine. This is another song that was released in 1995 and rerecorded. This time though he wrote it. He literally took away what made it good and fucked it. Like seriously.
11. The Wall: Not huge on the use of Wall in a title twice on the album, unless the albums is called The Wall or it has a purpose thematically. This is more in line with Nebraska, Ghost of Tom Joad and what the predecessor should have more resembled. It even has parts the reminds me of Independence Day and other softer track off The River. This is clearly a homage to older stuff, but it's done right here. It's not missing something. It's not perfect, or amazing, it's just done right.
12. Dream Baby Dream: This is a cover of a Suicide track. At least it's not Frankie Teardrops. And it's not like this is a studio version of a song that was recorded back in 2005 on his Devils Dust tour and released on a split Ep back in in 2008 with a Suicide live version of the track and a song Mr. Ray by Beat the Devil. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! The thing is that this sounds more like a bookender than an out of place cover. Or a stupid dumb cover. Now as the song progresses, do I love the arrangement? No, but I still think it's a fitting ending. That last track, 11, and this together make a solid ending. Actually if this was the last ending for the last Bruce album I'd feel satisfied.

Overall if this is the best material Bruce has made in the last ten years :''''(. The best record was The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle. The last amazing record was Born to Run. The last great and surprisingly great, and isn't just ok, was Born in the USA. So sadly, 30 years later...... he only was albe to put out a 6/10. This is slightly better, or rather more interesting then Tunnel of Love. As a whole this is slightly better than some of his older stuff. There is still a variety and it isn't the same boring thing over and over. But this is nowhere near the high highs he once hit.

Darkness on the Edge of Town - Bruce Springsteen

I wanted to review Lucille but I haven't gotten to it, but I plan on it. I also will get Cherry Bomb done. Maybe next week or something. Well anyway lets start this let down. This is the follow up to Born to Run, so this is album number 4. It took over a year to finish that album, about 15 months, this one took 6 months. The thing is that it was about two years before it could be recorded, and three in between the release of the albums. The reason for it was because of a legal battle between Jersey Devil and Mike Appel (his first manager). Appel sued Springsteen after dropping him as his manager in favor of the man who said Bruce was the future of rock and roll Jon Landau, who also was an editor for a magazine. The battle lasted, I believe, within the time in between these albums. This album was recorded as a whole band instead of overdubs. The thing that I think is neat is that there were 70 songs written for the album, 50 of which were recorded (though some where incomplete). Now the interesting this is tracks not used for the album include Fire, Independence Day, Because The Night, Heart of Stone, Rendezvous, Point Blank and many others. Note: I refuse to call him The Boss, I read somewhere he didn't like that name and I sure don't. Now let's get started.

1. Badlands: This opens the album and it's a rocker. The biggest problem is his inflection. I mean the "oh oh oh oh" almost takes me out of the song. This is a track that is a great opener, but I just can't get with it once I've heard it a few times, it's just not as good as some of his other tracks period.
2. Adam Raised A Cain: Another rocker, more rocking than Badlands. Now this is a pretty solid track, the only problem here is that I don't like the chorus at all. The chorus is probably supposed to make it like an anthem, but it just makes me, honestly..... It makes me loose interest in the entire song. Like other than for this review, I doubt I'll ever listen to this again. Maybe part of the album is its crafted and :(
3. Something in the Night: The beginning of this song is odd, and a little off. Off in a good way, to be clear. Now where does this song kind of not reach what I want. Well tracks one and two were straight, and this is a straighter version of a song on Born to Run. And well, no.
4. Candy's Room: Far superior to Candy's Boy, an early verison of this track. I do really think that drum thing is pretty cool and so far this is the most interesting song on the album, and I think that's kind of good. Like my ears perked up when I heard the intro. Now I really like the piano rolls and think the chimes help it. This is song, at first seems kind of cluttered, but who knows, maybe upon multiple listens it will unclutter a lah E Street Shuffle.
5. Racing in the Streets: I recently read somewhere that this has been, called by critics, Bruce's best song. The best songs he's made are Rosalita, Blinded By The Light, The River, Thunder Road, among others. Well actually if I could only pick one it'd be between Jungleland and Rosalita. It's funny I mention Thunder Road because this song most resembles it in the beginning. And while this is a very touching song. I dig the chorus, but for whatever reason it's not connecting with me. This is the superior version of the song, well at least I can take it more. This is one of the tracks with a repetitive chorus that isn't so bad.
6. The Promised Land: Even that organ doesn't save this song for me. Sounds like all the other songs.
7. Factory: This isn't that bad of a song, but again.... It doesn't have that Magic I desire from him.
8. Streets of Fire: "in a real death waltz, between what's flesh and whats fantasy". This has a very very very bare organ and vocal intro. Which when the part that follows shouldn't have surprised me, but completely kills the mood of hope for this song to be true-lee great.
9. Prove It All Night: This is ............ The chorus is the same as Adam Raised A Cain and most of the other songs here where it's just a repeat of the title. And it works on songs like Purple Rain is because it's full of building and full of emotion. This is just too repetitive.
10. Darkness on the Edge of Town: This song opens with something that is promising, and to be honest the first time I heard it I didn't care. Now after hearing in the context of the album, it's not half bad, and the fact that the chorus isn't just pasted in and cut out, it actually has changes instead of a loop. Possibly the best song on the album.

Overall I have to give this a 5/10. At one point the only song on here I liked is Badlands, but you know to be honest there isn't anything about any of these songs that I like enough to out way the thing I don't like. It's basically an album of Backstreets. He said he wanted to bring this album to it's barest elements, but I love albums that are very bare and straight forward. Examples are Either/Or, Draw the Line, John Wesley Harding, Double Vision, The Rolling Stones Ep,  Please Please Me and Five by Five ep to name some. Those are all great albums that are very straight forward, and this isn't great. I think he goes for the mature grown up version of Born to Run and it's not working for me. I think Born to Run is more engaging. It's more real, this is just like an old fogy talking about shit that he's too old to have the energy or emotional connection to. And He did a better job on tracks on the next album. Now critics said this was a more mature album, so I looked at the music, no there. Then I looked at the lyrics, and I really looked. I read every single word and dissected the album. I realized that the themes where all themes I could connect with directly at this point in my life. And seriously..... I feel nothing. I feel very bad, why? Well Independence Day was a track that he didn't use for this album. Now I think the best version of that song is a live version with the piano on it. I bet he would have played that version of it if it were here. Now would that hurt The River's impact on me, Yes. Would it help this album be easier to take, Hell Yes. I don't know, I guess it's better than the unbearable Nebraska (though that albums title track is better than anything here). The albums is just medium, average, nothing special. Also the track Give The Girl A Kiss is better than all but the other two bloded tracks on this album, and it was recorded back as an outtake and released on the 1998 comp Tracks.

On the bright side look forward to reviews for Cherry Bomb, At.Long.Last.A$AP, Just Like You, Either/Or, The College Dropout, Ok Computer, Sol Invictus, To Pimp A Butterfly, The Magic Whip and some others. Not all theses (besides maybe OC will be up by 2016).