The Essential Bruce Springsteen - Bruce Springsteen

As someone looking to learn more about Bruce Springsteen, this was definitely a worthwhile purchase, as a child of the 80's most memories centred around 'Born in the USA', but this album takes you on a journey into the times before that and what a truly talented songwriter this guy is. I came to quickly love that earlier sound which shows a younger Bruce growing up, citing some of the more reckless things that you do when your young and what you have to face beyond that in the real world. 'the River' probably rates as my favourite track charting the relationship of a young couple, who have to face the harsh realities of growing up from frivolous teenagers to struggling ...  Read the complete review

This is one album where the title really is correct.its essential and thats for sure. if your new to the world of the boss this would make a great start . rather than buy the greatest hits which is 1 cd and not really a greatest hits cd, this one is 2 cd's ( 3 if you count the bonus cd you can get ) and full of the hits and classics that have made bruce springsteen the boss. ok there are songs missing that should have been included and is nebraska a essential track? not really but overall this has a good selection of tracks from springsteens career from his very first album right up until the rising in 2002. it includes the bar storm of rosalita , born to run, ...  Read the complete review

"The Essential Bruce Springsteen" is not the first time a Springsteen compilation has been attempted - "Bruce Springsteen Greatest Hits" had a go five years prior - but with two discs and thirty tracks, this is certainly the more complete effort. The collection spans Bruce's career up to 2002's "The Rising", and includes tracks from every full-length album he had recorded up to that point - a fact which compares favourably with "Greatest Hits"'s complete omission of anything from his first two albums. The tracks are ordered chronologically. -- Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ -- We kick off with the ...  Read the complete review