Working on a Dream

by Bruce Springsteen

Overview

From its bright, brittle production to its tossed-off postage stamp cover art, Working on a Dream is in every respect a companion piece to Magic, an album that's merely a set of songs, both sprawling and deliberately small, songs that don't necessarily tackle any one major theme but all add up to a portrait of their time. Magic chronicled the dog days of Bush where Working on a Dream is designed as a keynote to the Obama age, released just a week after the inauguration of the U.S.'s 44th president and not coincidentally containing not a little optimism within its 13 tracks. This sense of hope is a tonic to the despair that crept into the margins of Magic but it's easy to posit Working on a Dream as pure positivity, which isn't exactly true: a hangover from W lingers, most vividly in the broken spirit of "The Wrestler," and Bruce mourning departed E Street Band member Danny Federici with "The Last Carnival." Springsteen peppers his tribute with images recalling the early days of the E Street Band but saves a revival of their wild, woolly sound for the opening "Outlaw Pete," a cavernous, circular, comical epic reminiscent of Springsteen's unwieldy portraits of rats on the Jersey Shore. "Outlaw Pete" is Working on a Dream at its best, playing like nothing less than The E Street Shuffle as reflected and refracted through Arcade Fire's naked hero worship, casually highlighting how producer Brendan O'Brien has gently nudged the Boss toward new musical avenues. Many of these new sounds are drawn from the past, often feeling informed by Little Steven's Underground Garage -- Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren's guitars chime like the Byrds; the band knocks out a tough little blues number on "Good Eye"; and Springsteen shows a knack for pure pop on "Surprise, Surprise" and indulges his ever-increasing Brian Wilson fascination on "This Life," whose percolating organs and harmonies rival the High Llamas. All this rests nicely alongside the Boss' trademarks -- galloping rockers that fill a stadium ("My Lucky Day") and their polar opposite, his intimate acoustic tunes ("Tomorrow Never Knows") -- which all make Working on a Dream read like a rich, inventive, musical album...which it is, to an extent. The ideas and intent are there, but the album is hampered slightly by the overall modesty of Springsteen's writing -- by and large, these are small-scale songs and feel that way -- and hurt significantly by the precise, digital production that muffles the music's imagination and impact. A large part of Springsteen's appeal has always been how the E Street Band has sounded as big and open as his heart, but Working on a Dream, like Magic before it, has a production that feels tiny and constrained even as it is layered with extraneous details. It's possible to listen around this production and hear the modest charms of the songs, but the album would be better if the sound matched the sentiment. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	01/27/2009
Label:	Columbia
UPC:	0886974135524

Tracks

1. Outlaw Pete
2. My Lucky Day
3. Working on a Dream
4. Queen of the Supermarket
5. What Love Can Do
6. This Life
7. Good Eye
8. Tomorrow Never Knows
9. Life Itself
10. Kingdom of Days
11. Surprise, Surprise
12. The Last Carnival
13. The Wrestler

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Bruce Springsteen   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Harmonica,Keyboards,Percussion,Glockenspiel
Jason Federici   Accordion
Roy Bittan   Organ,Piano,Accordion
Patrick Warren   Piano,Keyboards
Soozie Tyrell   Violin,Vocals
Garry Tallent   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Max Weinberg   Drums
Nils Lofgren   Guitar,Vocals
Patti Scialfa   Vocals
Steven Van Zandt   Guitar,Vocals
Clarence Clemons   Vocals,Saxophone
Danny Federici   Organ

Technical Credits

Tom Tapley   Audio Engineer
Edward Horst   Arranger
Darren Tablan   Assistant,Audio Engineer
Paul Lamalfa   Assistant,Audio Engineer
Shari Sutcliffe   Contractor
David Bett   Design,Art Direction
Christopher Austopchuk   Design,Art Direction
Alison Oscar   Management
Jennifer Tzar   Photography
Sophia Pecora   Management
Patti Horst   Contractor
Kevin Buell   Coordination
Mala Sharma   Project Coordinator
Michelle Holme   Design,Art Direction
Jackie O'Brien   Project Coordinator
Wayne Lebeaux   Coordination
Tom Taley   Assistant
Bob Ludwig   Mastering,Remastering
Billy Bowers   Engineer,Audio Engineer
Kevin Mills   Assistant,Audio Engineer
Eddie Horst   Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Jon Landau   Management
Nick DiDia   Engineer,Audio Engineer
Danny Clinch   Portraits,Cover Photo
Tim Mitchell   Assistant,Audio Engineer
Brendan O'Brien   Mixing,Producer,Audio Production
Bruce Springsteen   Composer
Toby Scott   Engineer,Audio Engineer
Derek Karlquist   Assistant,Audio Engineer
Tom Syrowski   Engineer,Audio Engineer
Rick Kwan   Assistant,Audio Engineer
Barbara Carr   Management