I think Springsteen has more in common with the Bat Out of Hell record than the Rolling Stones… East Coast salt water taffy boardwalk blues…

[Mike Eskimo]

I’m talking classic Era, Bruce Springsteen.

Every time I hear certain Billy Joel songs or unfortunate enough to be within earshot of someone playing that bat out of Hell or bat out of hell 2 record, I always think this reminds me a hell of a lot of Springsteen.

I know what came first, but that’s not my point. It’s just very unique and specific to the East Coast.

Maybe trace it back to doo-wop and then later bands like the young rascals ?

In terms of their influences ?

I guess you gotta grow up “going down the shore” in the summer to fully appreciate that stuff?

Growing up in Detroit was all about “Guitar” and beating you over the head so that’s what I’m acclimated to.

 

[blowtorch]

I wrote a Springsteen song once, directly after reading Dave Marsh's biography
I never got further than this rough demo with it

 

[pypa]

I don't see the similarity beyond the fact that both could write songs with different parts, and could emote pretty completely.

Bat out of Hell has more camp, cheese, black humor, and irony than Springsteen. Both are hurtling down the highway in a convertible. The difference is Springsteen is white knuckling the wheel in a muscle tee. Meatloaf is standing up in the back seat, sweatily bare chested in a feather boa and lipstick.

I think early Springsteen shares more in common with early The Killers. Sams Town is basically 100% pure Springsteen. stadium songs about people and characters, gutturally bellowed. Unapologetically unironic.

Meatloaf and Steinman share more in common with Wayland Flowers and Madam than Springsteen.

I love them all though. So, I appreciate the comparison!!!!

 

[blowtorch]

Come to think of it, I wrote two springsteen songs.
This one came to me while waiting for the demo derby to start at a county fair way up north

 

[black_doug]

Springsteen has said that Gary US Bonds was a big influence.

 

[getbent]

Springsteen has a lot more flourishes than the stones (the keyboard parts are more theatrical) and in general, Springsteen is more theater than blues, so I think a fair comparison to Meat Loaf.

 

[Milspec]

Springsteen has a lot more flourishes than the stones (the keyboard parts are more theatrical) and in general, Springsteen is more theater than blues, so I think a fair comparison to Meat Loaf.

That is a fair point, Bruce has often talked about how his stage version of himself is an act. He isn't really showing you who he is, but taking on a role as the entertainer / songwriter. Hell, he wrote a lot about street racing in his early days yet never had a driver's license nor knew how to drive a manual.

 

[getbent]

That is a fair point, Bruce has often talked about how his stage version of himself is an act. He isn't really showing you who he is, but taking on a role as the entertainer / songwriter. Hell, he wrote a lot about street racing in his early days yet never had a driver's license nor knew how to drive a manual.

agree.

you know, as a songwriter he is more Jackson Browne than Keith and Mick too. While Jackson is more internal, the story is still the person in a situation, the stones seem to be more observation of a situation that has people.

 

[421JAM]

At least two E Street Band members play on Bat Out of Hell (Roy Bittan on 1 and 2, Max Weinberg on 1), so there's bound to be strong similarities.

 

[blowtorch]

never cared much for the earlier mentioned bombast, much prefer the more stripped-down and stark things he did

 

[blowtorch]

jon apes bruce's writing pretty well at times

 

[getbent]

never cared much for the earlier mentioned bombast, much prefer the more stripped-down and stark things he did

agree but brilliant disguise bought the mansion, nebraska soothes the soul.

 

[Peegoo]

I tend to think that Sprinsteen's rekkid Nebraska was a shot across the bow of the S.S. John Cougar Boyscoutcamp.

But I could be wrong

 

[loudboy]

At least two E Street Band members play on Bat Out of Hell (Roy Bittan on 1 and 2, Max Weinberg on 1), so there's bound to be strong similarities.

I may have read that Steinmann was looking to parody the grandiose Springsteen sound, and was delighted when he got Bittan to do it, but Bruce wasn't happy about it?

How about this Schnauzer? "We need a Bruce song for our movie, but we can't afford one, what can you come up with?"

 

[loudboy]

Springsteen has said that Gary US Bonds was a big influence.

Also, Roy Orbison and Chuck Berry. That shows up in stuff like "Pink Cadillac" and "Sherry Darling."

Good story songs are very hard to do, especially with the wit and incredible use of language that Berry used. He was every bit as great a songwriter as Dylan and others, just plowing in a different field.

 

[maxvintage]

The first couple Springsteen records the influence was clearly Dylan and Van Morrison. Then he went in big for the bombast

 

[WalthamMoosical]

I tend to think that Sprinsteen's rekkid Nebraska was a shot across the bow of the S.S. John Cougar Boyscoutcamp.

Early-to-mid '80's I read through an article that was a set of reviews of recently-released albums. At the end of the review of Mellencamp's latest album the reviewer wrote "the poor man's Bruce Springsteen."

Much farther down in the article the *entirety* of the review of a Bryan Adams disc was "The poor man's John Cougar Mellencamp."

 

[Stringbanger]

I tend to think that Sprinsteen's rekkid Nebraska was a shot across the bow of the S.S. John Cougar Boyscoutcamp.

But I could be wrong

Na. He was just experimenting with a stripped-down sound, and it turned out to be very successful. IMO.

 

[getbent]

Na. He was just experimenting with a stripped-down sound, and it turned out to be very successful. IMO.

it is his 16th best record in terms of sales.

 

[lammie200]

There are a ton of early Springsteen bootleg recordings on YouTube. I don't much meatloaf there.