Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.

by

Bruce Springsteen

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I am a brand new, 19-year-old Bruce fan. I have just finished reading the rest of the reviews and I am confused. A good friend of mine gave me two of Bruce's cd's to start off with: "Greetings..." and "The Wild..." I'd never heard Bruce before, and I was completely astonished when I heard it. Bruce Springsteen is absolutely incredible. I listened to it nonstop for a month, and easily picked out what I considered to be the best. On "Greetings", two of my favorites were "Mary, Queen of Arkansas" and "The Angel", second only to "Lost in the Flood." I don't understand why all the reviews seem to cast those as the weakest points of the album. What struck me about Bruce was his compassion, intensity, and the forcefulness of his poetic, melancholic yet youthful sincerity. I find those qualities most in the songs that everyone else finds lacking. I am now at the complete mercy of Bruce's romantic, expressive genius and I will faithfully stick by that side of him. I hope I'm not the only one who appreciates these masterpieces.

Like he has said, this was the last time he made music without wondering if anyone would ever hear it.

It shows. It's rough, but verbally virtuous. There are more lyrics on this album than on his next three combined! He can't stop.

Compared to his subsequent albums, it's terrific to see his progression...but as a start, it's merely average.

There are a handful of stone classics...like "Growin' Up" and "It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City", but having been exposed more to his incendiary live versions, these pale.

But, in my opinion, if you get ONE Springsteen album, you should get them ALL. Like The Beatles. Even their "weak" albums are essential, if you know what I mean.

Besides, it's fun to put on "Blinded By The Light" for your uninitiated friends and watch them say, "He covered this song?"

Then they wonder why you're laughing...