Letter To You

Nearly as Mighty As ‘78 But In These Days Of Darkness Upon Us, Letter Is A Timeless Force of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. See the jewel of a film. Live with this disc. There is so much history here that overwhelms you yet the burning fierce urgency of now. And they’re not just on the edge of music industry extinction as they were before Darkness, but on the edge of real extinction. Huddled in that barn of musical salvation against these winter times outside. Passing, all is passing, from rock and roll to their bodies and even ever minute in these pandemic times. Filmed just last November 2019, the film’s 2020 nostalgia hurts when we realize no one could be in that room together now, maskless, close, toasting - free together. It’s a powerful moment that echos through the hour and a half. But what haunted me most and what really is the key to the wonder of all this was put most poignantly by Bruce - really, Steve - when he inducted his band into the RARHOF: "Tonight I stand here with just one regret. That's that Danny and Clarence can't be with us tonight. Sixteen years ago, a few evenings before my own induction, I stood in my own darkened kitchen along with Steve Van Zandt. Steve was just returning to the band, after a 15-year hiatus, and he was petitioning me to push the Hall of Fame to induct all of us together. And I listened, and the Hall of Fame had its rule, and I was proud of my independence. We hadn't played together in ten years, we were somewhat estranged. We were just taking the first small steps of reforming, and we didn't know what the future would bring. And perhaps a shadow of the some of the old grudges still held some sway. It was a conundrum, because we'd never been quite fish nor fowl. And Steve was quiet, but persistent, and at the end of our conversation he just said, "Yeah, yeah, I understand... but Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band — that's the legend." This isn’t a denigration of Bruce the Icon. This is an affirmation of the alchemy of community. The power of love between brother and sisters and musicians. The realization that as great as Bruce’s best songs have been, it’s those fired into roaring life by the mighty men and women of the E Street Band that are indeed the real deal Legend. You see it. You hear it. You feel it. And Lord Lmight, Sweet Fancy Moses, we need it. A reminder in full view and full throated roar that the power of love is what drives these souls. Time and again in the film and on disc, these elder statesmen, these aging warriors, these road dogs who’ve played so much and so long with one another that they can musically finish each other’s sentences without conscious thought, shocked me. Ive seen them since ‘78 when Danny, every bit in that room in November 2019, gave my dad and I our first tickets. Clarence was there too. Spirits in the Afternoon. And damn if when I looked and listened, I didn’t see a shadow of a former mightier band. I didn’t see celebrity rockers phoning it in. I’ll tell you what I saw. It’s like climbing up into an old steam locomotive and walking over to the rusted proud firebox and flipping open the iron door. And right there is that some burning coal firing as hot as it ever has. It’s roaring life, it’s burning bright and it is indeed...a burning train. Rolling down that track until the wheels come off. The unified collective rock and roll force of these men (with a giddy and happy Pats) has not diminished but has remained, intensified and this is the best work of new material since ‘87 Tunnel or earlier but really, these could have been songs born in the Darkness period. The three throwbacks work well too, especially Janey. We don’t know. We can’t know. Will all of the brothers in that room survive to tour again in a vaccinated safer world? Or will tours never happen again? Or will any of them slip away before they all take the stage together, one fine night again? We don’t know. And it’s what makes this a work of bittersweet true-hearted love. The ephemeral wrestling the eternal and pinning what matters to the mat. This time it’s for real. I know it, I know it; baby... Z gets mega credit for a breathtaking film in quality, tone and mood. This ain’t Pennebaker. More Malick. These hands... In this day and age where poignant emotion and gut wrenching compassion appear to be stripped away, seeing Jon Landau shed a tear after the last song is unbearably gutting. For in that stolen moment, the man who once said he saw rock and roll future and it’s name was Bruce Springsteen, was fighting feeling broken and shattered because in a sense, he was seeing rock and roll’s past in its final glorious moments and it’s name was and really has always been Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Another profound plus is Bruce’s new outlet for writing, as in the Western Stars film: his ruminations, waxing poetic about the fundamental struggles we all have and the ever renewing beauty all around us, even in the face of death, is revealing a new voice. A prose writer every bit as completing as he’s been as a lyricist. Bonus note: recognize his friend Matty’s T-shirt?

In these uncertain times, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have renewed light and hope with their brand new rock album, "Letter To You." With this being the first brand new album with the E Street Band since 2009's "Working on a Dream" and Bruce's best rock album since 2002's "The Rising." Here's my letter to you in a review: Nine of the twelve songs on the record were written in the spring of 2019. Three of the songs are unreleased compositions from the '70s which Bruce came across while working on a large box set of unreleased material which is still of yet to be released. This album was recorded live in the studio in November 2019 over the course of five days(well, it was actually four. On the fifth day they listened back to the album). This was the first time Bruce and the E Street Band have done this approach since 1984's hit album "Born in the USA". A lot of the songs are piano driven, but they are still up tempo rock songs. The main theme of this album is about the loss of Bruce's friends and bandmates from over the course of his life and various bands he played in. The second single, "Ghosts", is about all the lost band members in his 55+ years of playing in bands. The album kicks off with a slow piano song titled "One Minute You're Here", which serves as an introduction to the album. Right after that, the album's title track, "Letter To You", the true start of the record. Bruce and the band are back in rocking form. Followed by "Burnin' Train", which sounds like "Long Walk Home" meets "Lucky Town". Bruce recently confirmed in an interview that this song will open the show once touring can resume to normal - and a great opener it will be ! The fourth track is the first of three unreleased songs from the 70s that was re-recorded for this album: "Janey Needs a Shooter". This song was first written and recorded during the Born to Run sessions in 1975, then tried again with the full band in 1978 for Darkness on the Edge of Town. Unfortunately, no go, not even on "Tracks", a 4 CD box set of unreleased songs in 1998 or "The Promise" , a 2 CD collection of unreleased songs from the Darkness sessions which was released in 2010. But this new 2019 recording is as close Bruce and the band have sounded Darkness on the Edge of Town era, and the result is amazing ! Of the three unreleased 70s tracks on this album, Janey is my favorite. Now we're back to modern compositions for a bit, the first one being "Last Man Standing", a song Bruce wrote about being the last surviving band member in the first band he played in called "The Castiles". The song beings with a feverish acoustic guitar then kicks into the full band playing their signature house-rock sound. After that comes "The Power of Prayer", which sounds like a continuation of the previous song. The two really compliment each other and I hope they are indeed played back to back in the live show as you hear on the record. Next runner up is probably my favorite song on the album, "House of a Thousand Guitars." The song starts off with Bruce's voice and a piano backing him. Shortly into the song, the rest of the band kicks in and the result is amazing. Beautiful vocals that I wish could've gone on forever. Now we make our way to the most aggressive song on the album, "Rainmaker". Sounds like something that could've been on 2012's "Wrecking Ball". And we're back to the 70's....."If I Was The Priest" was written and recorded back in 1972 for Bruce's deubt album "Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ". Very Dylanesque track with lots of harmonica as was a lot of Bruce's early music for the first two albums in 1973. Back to the present for a quick moment with "Ghosts", a rocker with Bruce and the band playing their asses off. Now we return to the 70's one last time: "Song for Orphans", another Dylanesque song that was originally written and recorded in 1972 for the first album. We return to the present for the final song on the album: "I'll See You in My Dreams". This is Bruce coming to terms with his mortality and all near and dear to him who are no longer with us. A perfect way to close the album. Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this album to anyone who is a serious fan of Bruce and The E Street Band. This year has been rough on a lot of people including myself, but this recorded definitely has pulled me from depression. This is a must.

I've been a longtime fan of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, but I particularly love the depth of feeling in this CD. It's a purchase I highly recommend for your listening pleasure!

Bruce delivers another classic. I think we can divide Bruce's career into thirds: Part I Greetings, Wild, Born to Run, Darkness, River, Nebraska, Born USA Part II Tunnel of Love, Human Touch, Lucky Town, Ghost of Tom Joad Part II Rising, etc. I truly believe that this is up there with the Rising. This was such an unexpected piece of brilliance. For me, this is so personal. Opening slow with One Minute You're Here and plowing into the title track is fantastic. And the title track is just pure excellence. Simple yet, amazing. Hearing Burnin' Train, I can just hear that rocking live. Following up with Janey Needs a Shooter, I can't believe that is an old song that was in the hopper for so long. It is great. The Power of Prayer is another dynamite song. But I can't even wait for If I Was the Priest. This is far and away my favorite song on the album. I remember listening to the album for the first time and hearing this and I stopped dead in my tracks and I had to stop the song over so I could sit down to stop what I was doing and just listen uninterrupted. Truthfully, I've listened to this song probably 50 plus times by now and I still don't know what it is about but the way Bruce sings it, it is just so powerful and moving. How he sat on this song for like 40 years is beyond me but it is FANTASTIC!!!! It is one of his best songs. Following it up is tough, but Ghosts is a great rocker. And Song for the Orphans is another amazing tune with the harmonica intro. Man oh man. Just a brilliant song. Ending with I'll See You in My Dreams is beautiful. Another gem. This album is a masterpiece. Bruce & the E Street Band did a fantastic job. Please, comparing it to Born to Run or Darkness is a waste of time. Bruce is not that person anymore. He has grown and therefore his songwriting has grown and changed. I've welcomed that change and wow, this album is one his best in the last 20 years if not his best.

My relationship with Bruce Springsteen's music began in 1984, at the age of 11, when he released "Born in the USA" and its first single, "Dancing in the Dark". I don't think I really knew who he was before that. I might have heard the song "Born to Run" and "Hungry Heart" before that (or not). Of course 1984 was a time for getting acquainted with Springsteen. He was hitting a career high with six more singles from "Born in the USA". I didn't actually buy an album until 1987's "Tunnel of Love". After that, I took some time to buy up his back catalogue (years) while also buying each new release. This fan's opinion is that after "Tunnel of Love" Springsteen never again achieved that same level of creativity. Happily married all these years led to several albums that were either bloated or uneven, and even now his albums don't always hit it out of the park. It was a bit of a surprise to see "Letter to You" so soon after last year's "Western Stars". The last time he had back-to-back albums like that was...1973 (or if you want to count the simultaneous release of "Human Touch" and "Lucky Town" in 1992). I felt "Letter to You" was a return to vintage 70's Springsteen. Anthemic, thoughtful, sometimes dipping into "Nebraska" territory. Before I get to what I liked about the album, I want to talk about the quibbles. It's too long at nearly an hour. There are three tracks I really tried to accept but just couldn't do it--"Janey Needs a Shooter", "If I Was the Priest" and "Song for Orphans"--all overly long and laborious. Had Springsteen left those three tracks off this album and gone with a shorter, nine track album, "Letter to You" might have been a five star release. I couldn't decide about "I'll See You in My Dreams", either. Also, Springsteen sounded tired on this album. The other eight tracks were all pretty decent--"One Minute You're Here", "Letter to You", "Burnin' Train", "Last Man Standing", "The Power of Prayer", "House of a Thousand Guitars", "Rainmaker" and "Ghosts". That being said, "Letter to You" is just Springsteen doing Springsteen, albeit a little older, a little wiser, and a little more exhausted. I have to say that I don't really look forward to new Springsteen albums anymore. The past 30 years has dulled my excitement. However, he has kept up the quality control over the years, and I can tell he is always in it to win it, but his music and lyrics don't resonate as much with me these days. Don't get me wrong, the last Springsteen album that I really liked was 2012's "Wrecking Ball". So, he still has the ability. Generally, though, from 1992 to the present hasn't been quite as inspiring, or as interesting--or as experimental. Here's how "Letter to You" compares to Springsteen's other works: 1973 Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.: Three Stars 1973 The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle: Three and a Half Stars 1975 Born To Run: Four Stars 1978 Darkness on the Edge of Town: Four Stars 1980 The River: Four and a Half Stars 1982 Nebraska: Five Stars 1984 Born in the U.S.A.: Five Stars 1987 Tunnel of Love: Four Stars 1992 Human Touch: Two and a Half Stars 1992 Lucky Town: Two and a Half Stars 1995 The Ghost of Tom Joad: Three Stars 2002 The Rising: Three and a Half Stars 2005 Devils & Dust: Three Stars 2006 We Shall Overcome: Four Stars 2007 Magic: Three and a Half Stars 2009 Working on a Dream: Three Stars 2012 Wrecking Ball: Four Stars 2014 High Hopes: Four Stars 2019 Western Stars: Four Stars 2020 Letter to You: Three and a Half Stars

It seems as though, at the age of 71, Bruce Springsteen has come full circle. *Letter to You,* his twentieth studio album, faces mortality, and the finality of death, head on, and is in part a fond look backward, evoking friends and bandmates he has lost along the way. And yet, surprisingly, the album as a whole is reminiscent of some of his earliest work, recalling in particular *The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle.* Indeed, three of the songs included here were written at the very beginning of his career, but have never been officially released until now. These tracks--"Janey Needs a Shooter," "If I Were the Priest," and the very Dylanesque "Song For Orphans," display the elaborate lyrical density common to the Boss's classic early albums, but the restrained majesty of the accompaniment provided by the E Street Band allows them to sit easily alongside the stripped-down directness of the more recent compositions, and the set as a whole is surprisingly satisfying and cohesive. Along with a handful of peers like Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, Mr. Springsteen is among the very few songwriters who have a legitimate claim to being recognized as serious poets, and his lyrical brilliance is on full display here. "I feel the blood shiver in my bones," he declares in the magnificent "Ghosts," and "shiver" is precisely the right verb, just as the "soft, infested summer" described in an early song was perfectly right 45 years ago. And in the new song "House of a Thousand Guitars," the line about "churches and jails" is surely intended as a nod to "Jungleland." Perhaps the most poignant offering here is the heartbreaking "Last Man Standing," a tribute to Springsteen's late '60s Asbury Park bar band the Castilles, of which he is now the only surviving member. Like nearly every song here, it achieves a potent combination of wistful tenderness and sheer unbridled power which is impossible to resist. Bruce Springsteen is indeed still standing, and we can hope that he still has much more music to share with us in coming years. For the moment, however, *Letter to You* is a wise and moving letter to us all, and a fitting coda to a legendary career. Put it on, crank it up, and be grateful.

As a person who dragged friends to clubs in the 70s to hear this guy named Bruce Springsteen, and stayed with him through the nadir of Queen Of The Supermarket, and listened to him continue to play electric in Fenway Park through the rain - let me tell you this album is the real deal. Yes, the departed members of the E Street Band are missed, God love 'em - but this band plays with the decades of experience and shared memory that you only hoped to hear again one day. Now, I proclaimed Western Skies (Live) a true, mature masterpiece. I felt privileged that Bruce had shared his maturity, accumulated wisdom, and deeply personal insights with us. Not only in the music of Western Skies, but the film, On Broadway, and of course in his stunningly well-written autobiography BTR. But a mature masterpiece implies a leveling off - an apex, or at least a plateau of sorts. Letter To You is nothing of that kind. It's a youthful (though wizened) return to form. It's thrilling, its majestic, and its a helluva rock'n'roll record. Or disc. Or file. Whatever. At the age of 71, Bruce may be slowing down - but his musical soul and wellspring of creativity isn't. Mostly new songs, and some chestnuts off the shelf finally dusted off and recorded - the songs themselves re-explore classic Springsteen themes: religion, small towns, trains, rivers, thoughts of mortality.....and the need to move on. I'm grateful to have been given the opportunity to hear this great, great band play some new tunes once again. For all of us fans - Letter To You is an early holiday present and just what we need to weather these difficult times.

Never considered myself a fan... BUT I AM NOW!! Lyrics are meaningful,heartfelt, and new. Catchy tunes pull you into this musical collection.

Cela fait longtemps, que je n'ai pas acheté un album du BOSS, préférant les premiers albums époque E STREET BAND, et je ne suis pas déçu par ce nouveau disque, assez calme, malgré, le décès de Danny Federici( orgue) en 2008, et celui de Clarence Clemons en 2011 saxophone, remplacer par Charlie Giordano, et Jake Clemeons( le neveu) au saxe( très discret sur cet album) , on retrouve le son du E STREET BAND avec l'orgue Hammond, le piano et le saxe qui font le style de Springsteen, un bel album, plutôt calme, avec de bonnes compos, Lofgren et Van Zandt sont toujours là (discrets aussi su l'album) on retouve les racines du Boss, un clin d'oeil à Dylan vocalment sur un titre, disons in Gimmick,je vous conseille vraiment cet album, vocalement, Bruce est au top, une belle maturité, MERCI , et bonne continuation

OTIIMO OTTIMO VINILE partiamo dalla copertina che ho trovato molto curata con i vinili inseriti in una busta di carta che è ricoperta da un'altra busta di carta lucida con foto avvolte nella luce soffusa del bianco e nero dato anche dalla trasparenza della carta . Poi il bel libretto fotografico con i testi con carta patinata ma con due fogli sempre in carta leggera trasparente con testi di LETTER TO YOU e foto in primo piano di BRUCE sotto la neve molto bella . Penso che sia tra le piu belle copertine della storia discografica di BRUCE forse si può collegare con GREETINGS FROM che era una cartolina che si apriva ed era proprio una cartolina da ASBURY PARK che certamente ho in questa prima versione altro collegamento quella una cartolina questa una lettera bello. La musica in questo album ,che è poi la polpa di ogni disco, è molto bella suonata bene con il piano nuovamente in rilievo ROI BITTAN è in forma smagliante e si sente il primo brano One minute you're here è superbo quasi acustico con voce calda chitarra acustica arpeggiata potrebbe stare il THE GHOST OF T J . anche se è piu semplice con pochi tocchi di piano molto di atmosfera,bella . Poi c'è la lettera molto bella fulla band con testo dedicato ai fans e a te con organo in evidenza ,che nostalgia DANNY manchi alla E STREET BAND . Burnin'Train Portami sul tuo treno in fiamme bel brano bel testo ma sentiamo JANEY NEEDS ecco uno dei capolavori pezzo vecchio ,lo so, ma cosa importa bella la chitarra bella la sua voce che è quella che mi fa palpitare il cuore la SUA VOCE con tutta la band in spolvero ORGANO BATTERIA GUITAR PIANO a tutta forza suonare tutti insieme questo è il segreto della band un equilibrio creato da tutti e dalla voce e l'organo che sottolinea la voce in tutto il brano MOLTO BELLA . Last Man Standing ecco il SAX si sente forte non è piu CLARENCE ,purtroppo, ma è sempre stato una caratteristica forte della musica di BRUCE e il martellare di MAX bello presente sempre importante . The Power of Prayer altro capolavoro melodia bella solare di pronta presa IL PIANO inizia e da il via alla musica poi tutti insieme allegra s dolce allo stesso tempo tanti diranno commerciale ma a me PIACE MOLTO e il piano è meraviglioso nel suo sottolineare con note suonate ben delineate poi per chiudere con IL SAX HOUSE OF A THOUSAND GUITAR ecco ,forse ,questo è il piu bello casa delle mille chitarre bella immagine si puo definire perfetto melodico il giusto ,non troppo,il PIANO degno dei piu bei pezzi di BRUCE E ROY BITTAN piu lo ascolti piu piace e la GUITAR che suona la melodia con il coro di voci è pura posia per le mie orecchie Rainmaker non è ancora entrato nel mio cuore devo ascoltare ancora un po'il pezzo. If i was the priest bella è un pezzo che cresce dopo tanti ascolti e bisogna studiare e riflettere sul testo diventerà un must per i prossimi LIVE quando ci saranno l'armonica finale con la batteria che sottolinea BELLA . GHOST mi ha colpito subito ONE TWO TRE FOUR e il concerto inizia questo è il PEZZO di APERTURA è stato composto per IL CONCERT LIVE dei suoi bello tirato con GARY TALLENT che si sente bello marcato ohhhh,,,come si sente I'M ALIVE AND I 'M COMIN HOME torna a casa casa tua è il CONCERTO LIVE casa di tutti noi . Song for Orphans ,qualcuno disse anni or sono ,ho visto il nuovo DYLAN qui BRUCE omaggia il vecchio BOB quasi strascica la voce come il poeta del rock con un vecchio pezzo che si può e si deve definire come la chiusura di una storia di un concerto di un'epoca come di una BAND che omaggia il suo vate. I'll see you in my dreams degna conclusione di un OTTIMO vinile bella melodia chitarra e organo in evidenza certamente con la voce bella calda LA SUA VOCE Per chiuder l'unico piccolo appunto visto che il vinile è doppio perche nell'ultima side ,che è vuota , non incidere due pezzi LIVE tra i tanti che ci sono per premiare noi AMANTI del vecchio vinile mai tramontato ecco mi sarebbe piaciuto che si pensasse che chi ama il vinile ama la musica e una side vuota è un peccato mah....è lo stesso .

The album is of course great, with Springsteen in his form through the album. The vinyl itself was delivered well on time, in great packaging and damn, is the album art beautiful!

Excellent CD, bonne qualité audio et chansons variées. Je ne suis jamais déçue de Bruce Springsteen!

Leuke CD van The Boss.