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russycarps Newbie

russycarps

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If you don't like Bruce you really won't like Tunnel of Love.

I love Bruce and I don't really have much time for it.

I didnt like the first track, didnt mind the 2nd one (I guess that one is kind of similar to war on drugs stuff) but the ones after that I wasnt too keen on and I turned it off.

To summarise: meh!

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The Nal Grand Master

The Nal

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Tunnel of Love is ace. As a study on what commitment does to a man it is a compelling listen.

My synth and electric drums phobia means its not an album I can really listen to unfortunately as there are some cracking songs on there.

When he does any of them solo on piano or live though they work.

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Wooderson Proficient

Wooderson

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My synth and electric drums phobia means its not an album I can really listen to unfortunately as there are some cracking songs on there.

When he does any of them solo on piano or live though they work.

Dunno. Its a record about divorce made in the late 1980's. Not the most instantly engaging and gregarious of concepts! No other artist I'm familiar with is able to articulate the fear and anxiety - the fuckedupness - of being a bloke in his late thirties than this cat. I've never been in a place where I've gone through similar things to him - bar maybe this record. It was at this point that Bruce became as "tangible" to Joe Q Public as he would ever be. Mixed up, lonely, married, kids, aging parents, youth evaporating, domesticity casting a long long shadow with a huge clock ticking louder and louder in the background over the "dirty little war"... to be honest its the record of his I'm connecting with most in recent times. I really, really like it.

This is poorly-dressed, pre-hair transplant, pre-facelift, pre-demi-god leader-of-the-progressives Bruce. He was - as he famously and ironically puts it - "still jus' a normal guy" then. He had tonnes of issues despite his wealth and fame. This is the introverted and at-sea-emotionally man with weakness and doubt and guilt and "all those things we're so scared of."

Great record. Look past the synths FFS.

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tevaburger Apprentice

tevaburger

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Dunno. Its a record about divorce made in the late 1980's. Not the most instantly engaging and gregarious of concepts! No other artist I'm familiar with is able to articulate the fear and anxiety - the fuckedupness - of being a bloke in his late thirties than this cat. I've never been in a place where I've gone through similar things to him - bar maybe this record. It was at this point that Bruce became as "tangible" to Joe Q Public as he would ever be. Mixed up, lonely, married, kids, aging parents, youth evaporating, domesticity casting a long long shadow with a huge clock ticking louder and louder in the background over the "dirty little war"... to be honest its the record of his I'm connecting with most in recent times. I really, really like it.

This is poorly-dressed, pre-hair transplant, pre-facelift, pre-demi-god leader-of-the-progressives Bruce. He was - as he famously and ironically puts it - "still jus' a normal guy" then. He had tonnes of issues despite his wealth and fame. This is the introverted and at-sea-emotionally man with weakness and doubt and guilt and "all those things we're so scared of."

Great record. Look past the synths FFS.

brilliantly put...

at my age Born In the USA was the era that i bought my first Bruce album, 1984 (altho I'd always seen the Nebraska album in the shelves) but in that period I did go back and buy all the old records before he came around for that famous 3-gig stint at Wembley Stadium in 85 (3, 4, and 6 July) but Tunnel of Love was the first 'new' record of his that I could look forward to (apart from the 'live' boxset that came out Christmas time one year) and while I didn't get the full meaning of it all at my age then, it has always been one of my consistently fave records of his, and on those nights when he turns to the side and asks "Is Patty here tonight?" and they pull out a 'Tougher The Rest' or something it's quite a moment.

It was sort of a solo record in a way, very little instrument playing from rest of the band (Clarence basically had the whole album off I think), but obviously it was played live on the Tunnel of Love tour w/ the band, so there's no reason why we couldn't expect a full-band version run-through album version? (I must admit I haven't been a frequent Backstreets checker for past 2 years and havent' seen what albums he's being playing apart from the usuals, so perhaps I missed a 'Tunnel of Love' show?)

i didn't think Russy would get past "Ain't Got You"...From what I hear, Little Steven couldn't even get by that track...

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Monkismo Rookie

Monkismo

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I'm not feeling this at all, much like I didn't feel the Kurt Vile record last year. It's just all a bit one-paced and nothingy and there's been absolutely no single riff or melody line that made me sit up and think "hello - I want to hear that again ".Perfect for a summer's day lying down and snoozing off a hangover I imagine but in my bedroom on a dreary, wet and cold March day in Manchester? No thanks.

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Time Being Explorer

Time Being

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as in the crew that just knocked him off the Hurt/Heal headliner game...

By past precedence…(and these 3 are all of equal levels of prestige, right?)

2009: Neil Young + CSN on bill

2013: Stones + Billy Wyman on bill

2014: The War on Drugs + Kurt Vile appearing?

KV’s dates look unlikely – he’s in your neck on the woods in a few weeks’ time tho?

this actually made me think how many of similar double/related appearances like those above there's been at a Glasto over the recent decade or two...

i didn't, but was able to get one quite easily

I walked by Adam Granduciel, who was relaxing on a bench w/ 2 or so others, outside a watering hole (Cubana Social) next door to venue that a lot of bands linger in pre-Music Hall of Williamsburg gigs, and had I had a few more drinks in me i might have violated his privacy and asked him "Neil wants to know if there's any chance he can put you down as an 'R', 'SR' or 'TBC' for Glasto this year?", but alas, only managed an acknowledging head nod

Ah, yeah. Glad you scored a ticket. I should have done the same, just headed over there and picked up an extra from someone outside. Hopefully we'll all be seeing them in June anyways.

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russycarps Newbie

russycarps

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i didn't think Russy would get past "Ain't Got You"...From what I hear, Little Steven couldn't even get by that track...

I did skip that one I must admit :lol:

but tougher than the rest I liked, and cautious man is also good, and I liked walk like a man (is that the synth heavy one?).

Sigh at this rate I'll not be able to slag him off anymore :(

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The Nal Grand Master

The Nal

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Posted (edited)

brilliantly put...

at my age Born In the USA was the era that i bought my first Bruce album, 1984 (altho I'd always seen the Nebraska album in the shelves) but in that period I did go back and buy all the old records before he came around for that famous 3-gig stint at Wembley Stadium in 85 (3, 4, and 6 July) but Tunnel of Love was the first 'new' record of his that I could look forward to (apart from the 'live' boxset that came out Christmas time one year) and while I didn't get the full meaning of it all at my age then, it has always been one of my consistently fave records of his, and on those nights when he turns to the side and asks "Is Patty here tonight?" and they pull out a 'Tougher The Rest' or something it's quite a moment.

It was sort of a solo record in a way, very little instrument playing from rest of the band (Clarence basically had the whole album off I think), but obviously it was played live on the Tunnel of Love tour w/ the band, so there's no reason why we couldn't expect a full-band version run-through album version? (I must admit I haven't been a frequent Backstreets checker for past 2 years and havent' seen what albums he's being playing apart from the usuals, so perhaps I missed a 'Tunnel of Love' show?)

i didn't think Russy would get past "Ain't Got You"...From what I hear, Little Steven couldn't even get by that track...

No Clarence wasn't mad on it either. He didn't even want Patti in the band never mind them singing about that sort of thing.

I just think its a bit MOR/AOR and has been done comprehensively to death elsewhere by other people. Particularly Dylan. Nebraska is light years ahead of it if we're talking deep, conflicted and reflective Bruce.

but tougher than the rest I liked, and cautious man is also good, and I liked walk like a man (is that the synth heavy one?).

Saw him do this in the Royal Albert Hall. So so good and such an underrated tour.

Anyway back on topic.....

They covered Lennon at the weekend.

Thats great! Lovely.

Edited by The Nal
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CaledonianGonzo Grand Master

CaledonianGonzo

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Posted (edited)

A cursory Google suggests I'm the only one to think that the third track owes most of its existence to Wrecking Ball by Shakey Deal.

Edit: I've seen plenty of comparisons to both Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler. That track Burning exists at a halfway point between Dancing In the Dark and Walk of Life.

Edited by CaledonianGonzo
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