On Nebraska

I didn't mention this October being the 40th anniversary of the release of Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen's most haunting, austere album which would grow exponentially in its influence over the ensuing decades. I can't think of anything brilliant to say about it other than posting something I did 10 years ago (NOTE: in re-assessing I'd probably drop Johnny 99 a few spots and raise Atlantic City up a few spots but dammit in this life we live with no regrets dammit):

Springsteen sat in his bedroom and recorded Nebraska:

While the album was released on September 20, 1982, today officially marks three decades since Springsteen began recording what would become his sixth album...At the time, of course, Bruce did not intend for any of the tracks he was recording at home to be what listeners actually would hear when they played his next album. Springsteen thought he simply had found a convenient way to prepare a set of demos for the E Street Band to use as a guide in recording his new songs. The idea was just to make the recording process with his band more efficient and less expensive. Some of the Nebraska-era demos actually led to successful full-band recordings that were released later (often sounding much different than the original demos), such as "Born in the U.S.A.," "Working on the Highway," and "Pink Cadillac." For the most part, however, it became clear pretty quickly that much of what Bruce had recorded at home was very special in and of itself.

I will now list my Nebraska slices in order, followed by a photo of Bruce on that day with a group he called "The Guys!"

Johnny 99
Mansion on the Hill
My Father's House
Reason to Believe
Open All Night
Atlantic City
Highway Patrolman
Nebraska
Used Cars
State Trooper