Born to Run [30th Anniversary Edition]

( 10 )

Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - David Sprague
What's the best way to celebrate a landmark birthday of a musical touchstone? For a blueprint, look no further than the 30th anniversary edition of Born to Run. No new material has been tagged onto the album itself, a decision that makes perfect sense when you consider how iconic the original is. Like Sgt. Pepper or the fourth Led Zeppelin album, Born to Run is a world unto itself, a realm with a beginning and end so defined, and a character-driven story so precise, that it would be almost impossible to tinker with it. The anniversary edition does, however, offer a huge amount of bonus material in the form of two DVDs that tell the story of Bruce Springsteen and the E ...
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Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - David Sprague
What's the best way to celebrate a landmark birthday of a musical touchstone? For a blueprint, look no further than the 30th anniversary edition of Born to Run. No new material has been tagged onto the album itself, a decision that makes perfect sense when you consider how iconic the original is. Like Sgt. Pepper or the fourth Led Zeppelin album, Born to Run is a world unto itself, a realm with a beginning and end so defined, and a character-driven story so precise, that it would be almost impossible to tinker with it. The anniversary edition does, however, offer a huge amount of bonus material in the form of two DVDs that tell the story of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band circa 1975 in incredible detail. The first, a concert recorded at London's Hammersmith Odeon, highlights both the power and the often overlooked subtlety that made the Boss stand out from the pack starkly enough to merit those simultaneous Time and Newsweek covers. The choice of a British venue is intriguing, given the degree to which Springsteen was -- and, arguably, still is -- considered to be an avatar of American music. Cultural barriers, however, are all but absent here, as evidenced by the rabid response to the music -- fiery versions of "Spirit in the Night" and the galvanizing "Detroit Medley," as well as more nuanced takes on "For You" and "4th of July Asbury Park" -- and to Springsteen himself, in this instance a looser goofier, even performer than he would become in later years. The second DVD, more or less a "making of" documentary, is even more illuminating, as it delves into the mind-set of an artist who had yet to experience real success, and who clearly felt any chance at doing so slipping from his reach. Footage from the era finds Springsteen and his band some of whom were kicked to the curb in the process fretting over just about every note on Born to Run, building the songs from spare rock beginnings to the wall-of-sound grandeur that would eventually win over arenas full of fans. That footage, captured over the course of two years, appears alongside more contemporary interviews with the principals, telling the whole story with a minimum of revisionism and self-satisfaction. It's the sort of thing that could even win over Springsteen doubters -- and will offer plenty of food for thought for his legion of admirers.
All Music Guide - Thom Jurek
There is such a strange feeling to be writing this, listening intently to the remastered version of Bruce Springsteen's breakthrough 1975 recording Born to Run, as if it hadn't happened at all but was happening in this moment. To look back at pop history as something of an oracle through the glass on its reverse side is always tricky. There was a lot at stake in rock & roll in those days. David Bowie was about to move into his next incarnation after the death of Ziggy Stardust and into his Berlin period; Queen was moving away from hard rock and into its own identity as well; Roxy Music was about to crack it; the J. Geils Band was shattering houses everywhere with its brand of roots blues and barroom rock; T. Rex was almost absent on American shores, and Kiss had stepped in mightily and faultily to cash in on it all. Meanwhile, the Faces were history, and the New York Dolls were disintegrating; Aerosmith were fighting each other, Led Zep were the power and glory of hard rock; Iggy was lost to addiction; Marvin Gaye and Motown were turning into something else, as was the Philly soul sound, mutating into the next phase of funk, and eventually disco. P-Funk were tearing it up musically and on the road, but not to many white audiences; Marvin Gaye was working on I Want You; Leroy Hutson was releasing the best albums of his career but to little notice of rock audiences; Miles was in retirement, and only Grover Washington was carrying the soul-jazz banner into the future with Mister Magic and Feels So Good. The Rolling Stones were doing their thing, but they were the Rolling Stones. And then the dread Yes and Jethro Tull and Emerson, Lake & Palmer were ruining rock for another five years. The time was right for something to happen, and happen it did. Springsteen and his E Street Band, armed with a slew of session players, came ambling out of the New Jersey shadows, having no idea what they were doing with a brand of guttersnipe, gritty rock infused with soul, R&B, garage band aesthetics, and a stage show that challenged even Mott the Hoople's, to conquer the world whether they wanted to or not. In its present incarnation, finally remastered to full satisfaction of fans in the post-LP era, Born to Run sounds as startling, dynamic, and desperate as it did in 1975. The songs roar once more with all the drama of the young, where everything is at stake. Back porches, ramshackle motorcycles, the hidden intimacy of back streets, the violent danger of street gangs vying for turf, and the story of their life and death struggles told and retold with apocryphal detail from a group of observers to those who would retell and embellish them. There's the boredom of summer days and working nine to five just to break out into who knows what, and that desire -- the one that covers everything -- the one that knows that just beyond the confines of front yards and downtowns lies America, and some dream that would materialize if only one had the courage to run toward it. Springsteen's voice is full, raging, howling, crooning, and above all simply full of the magic of his own words as given life by a band who knows nothing except for putting it all on the line. In its present incarnation Born to Run once again proves its place among the greatest rock & roll albums ever recorded. This is it -- life, death, love, betrayal, and the dynamics of big-screen portrayals of the mysteries of everyday -- ordinary life boiled down to an explosive essence that carries within it everything rock & roll ever promised. The bonus DVDs are something to behold as well. The Hammersmith Odeon concert from the tour that's included here has a set list to die for. It's adrenaline-filled and fear-drenched. These guys were scared and it fueled the gig. There's everything to prove, and the E Street Band had the quavering guts and naïveté to pull it off. These guys play their asses off; it's as if tomorrow they'll die so what the hell -- and given that the bile Brit music tabloids had the proven potential for, it was entirely possible, as Springsteen explains in his liner notes. The track list is simply incredible, from the cuts to the album at hand to those coming from Greetings from Asbury Park -- "Lost in the Flood," "Hard to Be a Saint in the City," "For You," -- to those from The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle -- "Fourth of July Asbury Park Sandy," "Kitty's Back," "Rosalita." And as if this weren't enough, there is the classic "Detroit Medley" and "Quarter to Three." This is a mind-blowing gig, filmed for preservation and forgotten about, until it was recently resurrected from Springsteen's own archives and mixed for this presentation by Bob Clearmountain. As if all this weren't enough, there is another disc , Wings for Wheels, a kind of hodgepodge documentary on the making of the album with rare film footage from between 1973 and '75, concert footage, and the intimacy of the studio as this band struggled to keep their deal with the label -- they were on the verge of being booted into eternal obscurity as has-beens who couldn't deliver the big one. The fascination as Springsteen edits and works with Jon Landau to build the crazy, roaring Wall of Sound that became the single "Born to Run" is almost harrowing to watch -- not just as history, bus as a gamble that paid off. This is as close to a fan's dream come true as it's going to get. But more than that, the package is the one that proves the reason for Springsteen's longevity. His faith and doubt, his willingness to go the distance, and his belief in the music itself as the conveyor of something bigger than himself to get the poetry across is awe-inspiring. Presented in this way, Born to Run is enough to make one accept that rock & roll is a force to be reckoned with rather than something to market cars, beer, and lingerie; it contains the mythic power of the ages, and dare it be said the proof that God himself can speak through a sleazy looking, beat, flesh and blood batch of street urchins using the ordinary as a means of speaking of the power, vulnerability, romance, and redemption of everyday life as something to be celebrated, struggled through, and cherished.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Calvin Wilson
[Grade: A] "Classic rock" in the best sense: personal in its vision, impassioned in its execution and timeless in its artistry.

[Grade: A] "Classic rock" in the best sense: personal in its vision, impassioned in its execution and timeless in its artistry.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 11/15/2005
  • Label: Sony
  • UPC: 827969417522
  • Catalog Number: 94175
  • Sales rank: 14,961

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 She's the One - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  2. 2 Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  3. 3 Spirit in the Night - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  4. 4 Lost in the Flood - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  5. 5 She's the One - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  6. 6 Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  7. 7 The E Street Shuffle - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  8. 8 It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  9. 9 Backstreets - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  10. 10 Kitty's Back - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  11. 11 Jungleland - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  12. 12 Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  13. 13 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  14. 14 Detroit Medley - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  15. 15 For You - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  16. 16 Quarter to Three - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
Disc 2
  1. 1 The Journey - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  2. 2 Third Album Pressure - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  3. 3 Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  4. 4 A New Band - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  5. 5 The Studio - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  6. 6 The Mix - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  7. 7 The Record Release - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  8. 8 The Hype - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  9. 9 End of the Journey - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  10. 10 Credits - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  11. 11 Spirit in the Night - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  12. 12 Wild Billy's Circus Story - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
  13. 13 Thundercrack - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
Disc 3
  1. 1 Thunder Road (4:50)
  2. 2 Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (3:11)
  3. 3 Night (3:01)
  4. 4 Backstreets (6:31)
  5. 5 Born to Run (4:30)
  6. 6 She's the One (4:30)
  7. 7 Meeting Across the River (3:18)
  8. 8 Jungleland (9:35)
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
Bruce Springsteen Primary Artist, Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
Michael Brecker Tenor Saxophone
David Sanborn Baritone Saxophone
David Sancious Keyboards
Clarence Clemons Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone
Wayne Andre Trombone
Mike Appel Background Vocals
Roy Bittan Organ, Piano, Glockenspiel, Harpsichord, Background Vocals, fender rhodes
Randy Brecker Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Charles Calello Conductor
Ernest Carter Drums
Danny Federici Organ
Garry Tallent Bass
Steven Van Zandt Background Vocals
Suki Lahav Violin
Technical Credits
Bruce Springsteen Composer, Producer, Liner Notes, Executive Producer, Horn Arrangements
Mike Appel Producer
Charles Calello String Arrangements
Barbara Carr Executive Producer, Management
Jimmy Iovine Engineer
Louis Lahav Engineer
Jon Landau Executive Producer, Management
Steven Van Zandt Horn Arrangements
Joe Landau Producer
David Bett Art Direction
Christopher Austopchuk Art Direction
W.S. Stevenson Composer
Barry Rebo Director, Producer
Tammy Comstock Management
Michelle Holme Art Direction
Alison Oscar Management
Thom Zimny Director, Producer
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 10 )
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Sort by: Showing all of 10 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Greatness

    I believe 'Born to Run' is truly legendary. Other albums have had better songs, even Springsteen albums like 'Born in the USA' and 'Darkness on the Edge of Town.' But no other album has the sort of bigger than life cinematic effect that 'Born to Run' has. This 3 disc set is unreal. The cd is great by itself and might be worth the price alone. The Hammersmith Odeon concert lives up to it's expectations. You get to see Springsteen in his prime. When he was still trying to impress. Singing arguably his best setlist. The documentary gives you a good look at how impressive Springsteen was at 24 as a songwriter and musician. And the three bonus songs from '73 might be better than the legendary London concert. There is no greater live performer in the history of rock.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    one of the best rock albums, now better than ever!

    There's not much I can say that hasn't already been said about Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album (the grand epic cinematic sweep, the desperation, the longing, the hope, the whole emotional content of the lyrics and music that make up a just about perfect eight song cycle, etc). However I will say that I get the B2R box since a) I never owned this album on CD, and waited for any Springsteen remasters, which with this set finally happened and b) the DVD's looked enticing. So far, besides listening to the remastered disc (which sounds great, since I never heard the whole album on CD before, I have no sonic reference as to how much or little it's been improved rest assured, it sounds great, new comers and long-time 'B2R' fans will not be disappointed.) I haven't experienced the live from Hammersmith CD yet, so no words on that yet. However I did check out the whole 'Wings for Wheels' DVD - all 'B2R' and Bruce fans in general must see this at least once to fully appreciate what hard work went into the creation of the album. This has to be one of the top 'making of's' documentaries out there -- you get commentary from just about everyone (Bruce, all band members who were participants, including the two guys who left the group after recording the classic title track, and in an odd twist, both his past and current managers - how often do recording artists have such great relationships with their managers that they include them in their documentaries? 'Wings for Wheels' is one of them, and Jon Landau (and former, at the time manger Mike Appel) did play their parts in making 'B2R' a realty). Any recording musician, even if not a Springsteen fan, should see this documentary to fully appreciate the amount of hours it takes to get that right take (the story behind Clarence Clemons' sax solo on "Jungleland" would probably scare a few sax session players - now when I hear that track, I fully appreciate what the Big Man put into that song - his whole soul and being, nothing short of it). Such is the reality of a man with an artistic vision and how he and a whole team of dedicated players help shape and mold what is generally now felt to be Bruce Springsteen's finest hour (in fact, 39 minutes, ok). Box sets have been devoted to single albums before (the Beach Boys' 'Pet Sounds', Derek & the Dominoes' 'Layla'), and there's quite a few 'deluxe editions' out there (two CD sets of an original album remastered and a disc of outtakes, demos, etc, i.e. The Who 'Who's Next', Cream 'Disraeli Gears', and the first Cars album) ... but the 'Born to Run' set beats them all - a great package and historical tribute to a superb album

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Best. Album. Ever.

    well, perhaps not the best album ever, and besides, that is a matter pf personal taste. But it is one of the all time albums, and hopefully, just maybe, the remastering will give the music the sound that it deserves. Then, add in a full DVD of the Hammersmith show? And the extra music to be found in the documentary? What's not to like?

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    BEST Anniversary Package Ever

    The "Boss" hits one out of the park. I got the package on Friday night and spent the better part of the evening watching the concert footage and the documentary of the making of "Born to Run". Well worth the money!!!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    A must own

    While several of Springsteen's albums are among my favorites, where I do feel as though most of his work is exceptionally good, Born to Run is in my opinion the only Springsteen record that any casual rock and roll fan must own to have a complete collection. It is the ultimate rock story of rebellion, desperation, courage, fear, enthusiasm, and frustration, all of which culminating into stories which are impossible to not understand. It is as deserving of a place on any fans shelves as any other record made before or since.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Incontestable!!!!!!!!!.¿El mejor CD de rock de la historia?

    Creo sinceramente que esta grabacion es la mejor de la historia,INCANSABLE su escucha,siempre descubres matices nuevos y la emocion del rock and roll aqui es ABSOLUTA.Album seminal de futuras figuras y grupos.Ahora,en esta edicion,el sonido es inmejorable.Hay que tenerlo en casa ya!!!!!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Best album ever, ever

    This is the best album there ever was, ever in history. It is so assume, there is none better and there never, ever will. I am that sure of it. It is a must have, even if you throw away your other music, you have to have this. It is essential.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted July 16, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 13, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 6, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

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