High Hopes
by Bruce Springsteen

From jhuik TOP 100 COMMENTER 05/17/2014 21:11 | #112096 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Probably does not sustain the energy of Wrecking Ball (let alone his legendary much earlier work) but.... still has its moments. The re-version of Tom Joad is worth the time. So is some of the rest of this.

Its pretty okay, not great by Springsteen standards (especially after how good Wrecking Ball is) but for all intents and purposes its an outtakes compilation being marketed as an album so in light of that its really not too shabby. Would rather have the songs than not. (Edited)

High hopes, is Bruce Springsteen's mop up album, it's unfinished business finally dealt with. There's outtakes from previous records, cover versions, and studio versions of songs that had only been recorded in their live incarnations. The album just about holds itself together. Off the covers, there's the title track, a song previously by the havalinas', it's a great gospel/rock track hybrid. The saint's, just like fire would, sounds more like Bruce than Bruce does here, and suicide's, dream, baby, dream, is a lovely closing track. Off the Springsteen songs, Harry's place, is a leftover from, the rising, sessions, and you can hear why, it wouldn't have worked on that album, it's still okay. Down in the hole, is atmospheric, and, heaven's wall, an enjoyable singalong. Frankie fell in love, is a bit lightweight, and, this is your sword, not bad. Hunter of invisible game, is Dylanish, and, the wall, is a moving cut about a musician Springsteen knew who sadly died in the Vietnam war. American skin(41 shots), is a brilliant new studio job of a track recently only available live from the Madison square gigs in 1999, and, The ghost of Tom Joad, is turned into a fiery epic, thanks to some fine guitar from Tom Morello. High hopes, for all it's hodge podge origins is still an enjoyable record, but certainly not essential, you feel that Springsteen needed to get these songs out the way before he could move on.

From junodog4 TOP 100 COMMENTER 01/26/2014 18:09 | #101580 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Big surprise - Rolling Stone gushed about this.

From zags7000 06/11/2015 23:30 | #143622 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Had its moments but kind of a letdown after Wrecking Ball. They can't all be classics though.