Bruce Springsteen
Rock of ages
Trevor Dann
Even by the mega-hype standards of the American rock-business reaction to the new Bruce Springsteen album has been phenomenal. Despite a price tag of $28 (£25 over here) Live '75–'85, a five-record boxed set which contains 40 tracks and lasts well over three hours, is expected to sell ten million copies by Christmas. This compares favourably with the number of people who bothered to vote in the US mid-term elections a few days before its release.
Overnight queues formed outside record stores as the deadline approached. Radio stations scrapped their playlists to adopt 24-hour all-Bruce formats. In New York there was a noticeable increase in school and job absenteeism on the day of the set's release. Some dealers put cash tills on the backs of lorries and saved themselves the bother of a shop display. One retailer in the mid-west took on extra security guards to protect late-night customers from mug- gers.
In Britain too Springsteen is big busi- ness. After a slow start in the mid- Seventies when his reputation suffered from a disastrously arrogant press cam- paign, he remained a cult hero until the happy coincidence of a BBC television profile, an uncharacteristically catchy sing- le, 'Dancing in the Dark', and an engaging promotional video. By the summer of 1985 when he arrived for gigs in Newcastle, Leeds and Wembley Stadium all seven Springsteen albums, from 1973's Greetings from Asbury Park to his latest, Born in the USA, were in the charts.
However, he remains a mere pop star; an unusually successful one but still a pop star. Broadcasters as well-known as Frank Bough can admit openly — as he did recently on Breakfast Time — that Spring- steen is a mystery to them. This could never happen in the States where rock 'n' roll is accepted as an integral part of the nation's cultural life — and where the momentum which drove the Boss (as fans like to style him) from cult to legend shows every sign of continuing his rise and rise.
His authentic 'Born to Run' is now his home state New Jersey's official song. During the 1984 US presidential campaign both candidates quoted Springsteen lyrics in support of their own policies occasioning a rare press statement from the reclusive star dissociating himself from both parties.
The apotheosis of this particular guitar- toting singer-songwriter reveals a lot about the values of American society. But no- thing should obscure the fact that he is undeniably a major talent. He writes as well as Bob Dylan, and more directly. He sings and growls with a resonance which recalls some of the best soul and blues voices and he surrounds himself with one of the hottest, subtlest backing groups in rock history, the 'E' Street Band.
The word which most often springs to the lips of Springsteen devotees is integri- ty. They feel they can trust him because he takes care. His records and concerts show a meticulous attention to detail. He may be a multi-millionaire but he dresses in the same T-shirt and blue-jean uniform favoured by his audiences. He has never been tainted by drugs or sex scandals and only appeared in the gossip columns by dint of getting married — which he still is apparently quite happily. His life is taken to represent that curious stateside ideal, the American Dream: the ordinary guy with a passion for girls and cars who works hard and makes a packet but still loves his Mom.
As well as writing and singing about peace, equality and fairness Springsteen is admired for taking more practical action. His donation to striking British miners during his 1985 tour was just one of many similar gestures. In the Seventies he was an important member of the anti-nuclear Musicians for Safe Energy (MUSE). He made a telling vocal contribution to the USA For Africa famine appeal record. So Springsteen the Man and Springsteen the Image are inseparable, perhaps uniquely in contemporary music. But to understand why he has achieved such prominence it is important to consider the ecology of the American music scene. Cut-throat competition among radio sta- tions has led not to more but to far less variety on the air than we are used to. No programmer dare take a risk so the record industry plays safe too, looking for the lowest common musical denominator and fighting shy of innovation. The negative result of this stultification is that the mid-tempo, squealing guitar, heavy snare- drum rock orthodoxy has taken a strangle- hold for more than a decade. (The current No. 1 album by the group Boston is identical to their debut LP from 1976.) But on the positive side the conservatism has allowed quality artists like Springsteen to stay above fashion and flourish without the risk of appearing untrendy. And most significant of it all it has allowed audiences the same freedom.
The remarkable aspect of Springsteen's success is his multi-generational appeal. No one over 30 bought Elvis or Beatles records in the Fifties and Sixties. None of their supporters could have afforded a five-album set. But the rock audience has grown up with the music. Springsteen has admirers in their fifties who attend his concerts with their children. And the American teenager is more tolerant than his British counterpart, having abandoned the conceit that good rock 'n' roll must be something which offends parents. So Springsteen may not be the biggest pop star of all time. His sales are simply coming from a much broader marketplace. Among pop's traditional clientele, the under 25s, he is less dominant than the Beatles were in their day, but the goalposts have been shifted.
In Britain we have no home-grown Springsteen. But there are recognisable signs that using record sales as a guide to the tastes of young people is a practice which must be questioned. Adult- orientated artists like Dire Straits and Phil Collins reign supreme in the album charts: 45-year-old Paul Simon recently enjoyed his first No. 1 since 1971. Rock and pop music is no longer the monopoly of teen- agers. Most of the records (or more likely tapes or compact discs) around this year's Christmas tree will be opened by Mum and Dad.
Previous page
