One of the greatest double-albums of all-time (The River - Bruce Springsteen)

Member Name: Wezzo

Product:	The River - Bruce Springsteen
Date:	15/07/07 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some of Springsteen's finest songwriting; wide range of musical styles

Disadvantages: None

One of Bruce Springsteen's most varied, exciting records, "The River" is often overlooked in lists of the all-time great albums in favour of critical darlings "Born to Run" and "Nebraska". But to brush over "The River" is to brush over some of Springsteen's absolute best work, and one of the best double-albums of all-time.

CD1, containing 11 tracks, is the more upbeat of the two discs presented here. "The Ties That Bind", "Jackson Cage", "Two Hearts" and "Hungry Heart" are archetypal Springsteen pop-rock - irresistibly catchy pop with more than a touch of heartland rock also present. "Hungry Heart" was actually Springsteen's first big hit, and despite a rather short lyric, is one of his most successful songs to date, the opening line one of the most well-known in the Springsteen canon: "Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack / I went out for a ride and I never went back". Like many of his other hits ("Born In The USA", "Dancing In The Dark") it combines jaunty, upbeat music with lyrics that hint at darker undercurrents.

Disc 1 is also home to several of Springsteen's funniest songs to date. "Sherry Darling" tells of the inconvenience a mother-in-law can be when you're young and want to have fun; "You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)" shares the perils of breaking the old shopkeeper's adage; while "Crush On You" is a fun, loving ode to a woman who "makes the Venus de Milo look like she's got no style". "Out In The Street", a personal favourite, sees Springsteen at his most impassioned: "When I'm out in the street / I talk the way I wanna talk!"

The more emotional side of Bruce isn't entirely MIA on the first CD though. "I Wanna Marry You" is a sweet, soulful tune about a young man's proposal, while "Independence Day" tells of a son leaving his father and his hometown, a song undoubtedly partially influenced by Springsteen's strained relationship with his own father. It's a gem of a song that deserves a spot in anyone's Bruce top 20.

Title track "The River", meanwhile, closes disc 1 with a showcase of some of Springsteen's finest lyrics to date. Melancholy, ominous, stark and grim, Springsteen uses "the River" as a metaphor for hope in a life filled with despair. "Is a dream a lie if it don't come true or is it something worse?" the narrator asks in one the song's most poignant lines.

Disc 2 begins picks up in the same subdued manner in which disc 1 left us. "Point Blank" is one of the best piano-focused ballads in the Springsteen canon; it sounds beautiful and listening closely reveals a deep, dark tale of promises, secrets and lies that build to the wonderful chorus: "well they shot you point blank / shot in the back.."

"Fade Away" is a "give me one more chance" ballad laced with pain and yearning; Springsteen's vocals are at their most powerful. "Stolen Car" is a nice little tune in the vein of "Nebraska" that is all too easy to overlook among the 20 tracks here; while "The Price You Pay" is another sad, working-class tale of life and loss.

A couple of weaker upbeat tracks pad out the middle of disc 2, but they are by all means still worth a listen. "Cadillac Ranch" is a loveable, rowdy country-tinged rocker; "I'm A Rocker" is a pop-culture-reference laden ode to being a, erm, rocker; while "Ramrod" is listenable rockabilly fun.

The disc ends with something of a driving-themed double-header. "Drive All Night" and "Wreck on the Highway" are two exceedingly powerful ballads that combine to make one of the most heart-wrenching 12-minute stretches on any Springsteen album (although admittedly, if you're not in the mood, 8-and-a-half minute long "Drive All Night" might start to drag).

At 20 tracks and 83 minutes (more than double the length of "Born to Run"), this is no quick listen, but the sheer variety of offer will make the time fly by.

Modern CD pressings display CD1 when the jewel case is opened; CD2 can be accessed by pulling the jewel case open from the right, as with most double-CD cases. A booklet is contained, featuring lyrics to all 20 songs and some photos of Springsteen and the E Street Band (mostly in black-and-white, a la the front cover).

Summary: Twenty tracks that cover every aspect and style of Springsteen's output