I didn't like Springsteen at the height of his 80s popularity. Not enough shredding solos or punk rock aggression for me. He seemed like old people music when I was 18. To me, lyrical depth was exemplified by Roger Waters, not Bruce Springsteen. At some point in the mid 90s, that began to change.
I picked up Nebraska in a bargain bin somewhere and suddenly figured this guy out. I think I had to be older to understand some of the stories and some of the characters. I worked back to The River and Darkness on the Edge of Town and those three remain my favorites although I am a huge fan of his post 2000 work as well. I have a lot of time for The Rising and Magic especially. As I get older, longevity in the business becomes more and more admirable to me. If you're skeptical of The Boss' songwriting prowess, I highly recommend The Promise, a double album set of outtakes from the Darkness sessions. He's got some serious Motown and Tin Pan Alley chops.
If you'd like to hear anything you don't have For The Posterity of it, let me know. I think I've got most all of it save one or two 90s efforts.
Scale: 9/10
