31 Years Ago Today

Greil Marcus' review of Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run appeared in the October 9, 1975 edition of Rolling Stone magazine. It is a review worthy of the album that it describes, and it is a review that you would never see in any major publication today, including (and especially) Rolling Stone. My favorite part of it is the introduction - Marcus has not yet begun to describe the record, but in setting the stage he creates a sense of drama that provides the perfect canvas on which to fully paint his account of the record's greatness:

As a determinedly permanent resident of the West Coast, the furor Bruce Springsteen's live performances have kicked up in the East over the last couple of years left me feeling somewhat culturally deprived, not to mention a little suspicious. The legendary three-hour sets Springsteen and his E Street Band apparently rip out night after night in New York, Province-town, Boston and even Austin have generated a great tumult and shouting; but, short of flying 3000 miles to catch a show, there was no way for an outlander to discover what the fuss was all about.

A bit of a dig at East Coast elitism, perhaps even directed at his friends Robert Christgau and Dave Marsh, neither of whom ever had much use for most of "the West Coast sound."

Certainly, I couldn't find the reasons on Springsteen's first two albums, despite Columbia's "New Dylan" promotional campaign for the debut disc and the equally thoughtful "Street Poet" cover of the second. Both radiated self-consciousness, whereas the ballyhoo led one to hope for the grand egotism of historic rock & roll stars; both seemed at once flat and more than a little hysterical, full of sound and fury, and signifying, if not nothing, not much.

Truth be told, Springsteen's first two albums have major flaws. I'm a huge fan, but anyone who listens can hear the problems in the production and the fact that Bruce hasn't quite yet figured out where he is going. Fun to listen to today, but neither holds a candle to what was to come.

A bit guiltily, I found anything by Roxy Music far more satisfying. They could at least hit what they aimed for; while it was clear Springsteen was after bigger game, the records made me wonder if he knew what it was. Whether he did or not, with two "you gotta see him live" albums behind him, the question of whether Springsteen would ever make his mark on rock & roll -- or hang onto the chance to do so -- rested on that third LP, which was somehow "long awaited" before the ink was dry on the second. Very soon, he would have to come across, put up or shut up. It is the rock & roller's great shoot-out with himself: The kid with promise hits the dirt and the hero turns slowly, blows the smoke from his pistol, and goes on his way. Or else, the kid and the hero go down together, twitching in the dust while the onlookers turn their heads and talk safely of what might have been. The end. Fade-out.

Goosebumps. It is now very clear what is at stake. Con-tender, or pre-tender?

Springsteen's answer is Born to Run. It is a magnificent album that pays off on every bet ever placed on him--a '57 Chevy running on melted down Crystals records that shuts down every claim that has been made. And it should crack his future wide open.

Beautiful - "A '57 Chevy running on melted down Crystals records..." A perfect description of how the record sounded, and a climax worthy of the review's buildup. But read it all. After all, it's only one of the handful of greatest rock albums of all time.