The River (studio album) by Bruce Springsteen

From Brad1770 08/22/2023 08:07

Originally signed off and submitted as a single album, Bruce on his manger’s suggestion would at the last minute scrap this version and go back to the drawing board with the more than 50 tracks the sessions had produced. Should he have stuck with the original single album? General consensus is yes, however Bruce felt he had more to say that could only be expressed across 4 sides. Personally I’ve always believed there was plenty of fat that could have been trimmed namely “Crush on You (o-o-o)”, “I Wanna Marry You”, “I’m a Rocker”, “Ramrod”, “Sherry Darling” (with its cheesy 80’s sax solo) and “Wreck on the Highway” (what a downer to end the album) just off the top of my head

From HoldenM 05/25/2023 17:12

Kinda wish it was its best tracks, but still a fantastic display of rock and roll history, not to mention some of Bruce's sharpest songwriting and production up to this point.

Great record

Another solid album from Bruce, but not as consistent as previous two, especially on the second half. But great tracks are really great, I would like to highlight The River (of course), Independence Day, Hungry Heart, Point Blank, Sherry Darling, Two Hearts and I also think that Wreck On The Highway is great closer which is the most underrated song here. There is a big amount of filler on this album, but most of it is fun (I really like Cadillac Ranch). The only track I really don't enjoy is Crush On You because of annoying chorus repeated too many times. Overall this album creates great experience, but it's not as cohesive as Born To Run or Darkness On The Edge Of Town.

First 12 tracks are a decent 80-90, the complement tracks are for me filler, better thank nebraska though

En mi opinión, este es el mejor álbum de Springsteen, una colección de canciones comparable al mejor recopilatorio.

This album is just unnecessarily long and really needed to be cut down. The whole of side 2 is filler and could be taken off the record and it would be improved drastically. Even without that side it still isn't up to the same level as his other work even though a few of the tracks on the first side are some of my favourite Springsteen songs. There is definitely an improvement in song writing on this record so if you are into the more lyrical side of Springsteen you might enjoy this one more than most. Furthermore, no song is sonically bad and there is still very enjoyable moments, such as the trumpets when they appear and the drum work. However, my attention kept wavering while listening and by the middle of the second half I end up just waiting for it to end. Overall, this is a huge dip in quality for me and is an over rated album that desperately needs to be trimmed down and is far off the mark from his masterpieces.

I usually frown on double albums, but there is a decent set of songs here. The River is mostly an upbeat album, with hints of rockabilly and a few ballads to mix things up. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band would record Cadillac Ranch and an outtake from this session called From Small Things.

Recommended.

A Side: Cadillac Ranch
B Side: Drive All Night

From teague 10/05/2021 16:12

I went into The River thinking it would expose a lot of Springsteen's flaws due to the length of it, but it's a lot more consistent than, say, Darkness On the Edge of Town or Born in the U.S.A.

Pfff... It's a very rough album. It has a lot of real gems in there, but a lot of 'bad' tracks for sure. As a single album it may have been one of his best, now it is an average one at best.