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From its bright, brittle production to its tossed-off postage stamp cover art, Working on a Dream is in every respect a companion piece to Magic, an album that's merely a set of songs, both sprawling and deliberately small, songs that don't necessarily tackle any one major theme but all add up to a portrait of their time. Magic chronicled the dog days of Bush where Working on a Dream is designed as a keynote to the Obama age, released just a week after the inauguration of the U.S.'s 44th president and not coincidentally containing not a little optimism within its 13 tracks. This sense of hope is a tonic to the despair that crept into the margins of Magic but it's easy to posit Working on a Dream as pure positivity, which isn't exactly true: a hangover from W lingers, most vividly in the broken spirit of "The Wrestler," and Bruce mourning departed E Street Band member Danny Federici with "The Last Carnival." Springsteen peppers his tribute with images recalling the early days of the E Street Band but saves a revival of their wild, woolly sound for the opening "Outlaw Pete," a cavernous, circular, comical epic reminiscent of Springsteen's unwieldy portraits of rats on the Jersey Shore. "Outlaw Pete" is Working on a Dream at its best, playing like nothing less than The E Street Shuffle as reflected and refracted through Arcade Fire's naked hero worship, casually highlighting how producer Brendan O'Brien has gently nudged the Boss toward new musical avenues. Many of these new sounds are drawn from the past, often feeling informed by Little Steven's Underground Garage -- Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren's guitars chime like the Byrds; the band knocks out a tough little blues number on "Good Eye"; and Springsteen shows a knack for pure pop on "Surprise, Surprise" and indulges his ever-increasing Brian Wilson fascination on "This Life," whose percolating organs and harmonies rival the High Llamas. All this rests nicely alongside the Boss' trademarks -- galloping rockers that fill a stadium ("My Lucky Day") and their polar opposite, his intimate acoustic tunes ("Tomorrow Never Knows") -- which all make Working on a Dream read like a rich, inventive, musical album...which it is, to an extent. The ideas and intent are there, but the album is hampered slightly by the overall modesty of Springsteen's writing -- by and large, these are small-scale songs and feel that way -- and hurt significantly by the precise, digital production that muffles the music's imagination and impact. A large part of Springsteen's appeal has always been how the E Street Band has sounded as big and open as his heart, but Working on a Dream, like Magic before it, has a production that feels tiny and constrained even as it is layered with extraneous details. It's possible to listen around this production and hear the modest charms of the songs, but the album would be better if the sound matched the sentiment.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Billy Bowers, Engineer - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Mixing Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Producer - Bruce Springsteen, Composer - Bruce Springsteen, Guitar - Bruce Springsteen, Harmonica - Bruce Springsteen, Keyboards - Bruce Springsteen, Lyricist - Bruce Springsteen, Percussion - Bruce Springsteen, Performer - Bruce Springsteen, Vocal - Chris Bellman, Mastering Engineer - Clarence Clemons, Saxophone - Danny Federici, Organ - Darren Tablan, 2nd Engineer - Derek Karlquist, 2nd Engineer - Garry Tallent, Bass - Kevin Mills, 2nd Engineer - Max Weinberg, Drums - Nick DiDia, Recording Engineer - Nils Lofgren, Guitar - Patrick Warren, Keyboards - Patrick Warren, Organ - Patrick Warren, Piano - Patti Scialfa, Vocal - Paul Lamalfa, 2nd Engineer - Rick Kwan, 2nd Engineer - Roy Bittan, Acordeon - Roy Bittan, Piano - Soozie Tyrell, Vocal - Stevie Van Zandt, Guitar - Stevie Van Zandt, Vocal - Tim Mitchell, 2nd Engineer - Toby Scott, Engineer - Tom Syrowski, Engineer - Tom Tapley, 2nd Engineer
(P) 2009 Bruce Springsteen
Billy Bowers, Engineer - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Mixing Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Producer - Bruce Springsteen, Composer - Bruce Springsteen, Guitar - Bruce Springsteen, Lyricist - Bruce Springsteen, Percussion - Bruce Springsteen, Performer - Bruce Springsteen, Vocal - Chris Bellman, Mastering Engineer - Clarence Clemons, Saxophone - Danny Federici, Organ - Darren Tablan, 2nd Engineer - Derek Karlquist, 2nd Engineer - Garry Tallent, Bass - Kevin Mills, 2nd Engineer - Max Weinberg, Drums - Nick DiDia, Recording Engineer - Nils Lofgren, Guitar - Patti Scialfa, Vocal - Paul Lamalfa, 2nd Engineer - Rick Kwan, 2nd Engineer - Roy Bittan, Organ - Roy Bittan, Piano - Soozie Tyrell, Vocal - Stevie Van Zandt, Guitar - Stevie Van Zandt, Vocal - Toby Scott, Engineer - Tom Syrowski, Engineer - Tom Tapley, 2nd Engineer
(P) 2008 Bruce Springsteen
Billy Bowers, Engineer - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Mixing Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Producer - Bruce Springsteen, Composer - Bruce Springsteen, Guitar - Bruce Springsteen, Harmonica - Bruce Springsteen, Keyboards - Bruce Springsteen, Lyricist - Bruce Springsteen, Performer - Bruce Springsteen, Vocal - Chris Bellman, Mastering Engineer - Clarence Clemons, Saxophone - Clarence Clemons, Vocal - Darren Tablan, 2nd Engineer - Derek Karlquist, 2nd Engineer - Garry Tallent, Bass - Kevin Mills, 2nd Engineer - Max Weinberg, Drums - Nick DiDia, Recording Engineer - Nils Lofgren, Guitar - Nils Lofgren, Vocal - Patti Scialfa, Vocal - Paul Lamalfa, 2nd Engineer - Rick Kwan, 2nd Engineer - Roy Bittan, Organ - Roy Bittan, Piano - Soozie Tyrell, Vocal - Stevie Van Zandt, Guitar - Stevie Van Zandt, Vocal - Toby Scott, Engineer - Tom Syrowski, Engineer - Tom Tapley, 2nd Engineer
(P) 2008 Bruce Springsteen
Billy Bowers, Engineer - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Mixing Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Producer - Bruce Springsteen, Composer - Bruce Springsteen, Guitar - Bruce Springsteen, Lyricist - Bruce Springsteen, Percussion - Bruce Springsteen, Performer - Bruce Springsteen, Vocal - Chris Bellman, Mastering Engineer - Clarence Clemons, Vocal - Darren Tablan, 2nd Engineer - Derek Karlquist, 2nd Engineer - Garry Tallent, Bass - Kevin Mills, 2nd Engineer - Max Weinberg, Drums - Nick DiDia, Recording Engineer - Nils Lofgren, Guitar - Nils Lofgren, Vocal - Patti Scialfa, Vocal - Paul Lamalfa, 2nd Engineer - Rick Kwan, 2nd Engineer - Roy Bittan, Organ - Roy Bittan, Piano - Soozie Tyrell, Vocal - Stevie Van Zandt, Guitar - Stevie Van Zandt, Vocal - Tim Mitchell, 2nd Engineer - Toby Scott, Engineer - Tom Syrowski, Engineer - Tom Tapley, 2nd Engineer
(P) 2009 Bruce Springsteen
Billy Bowers, Engineer - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Mixing Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Producer - Bruce Springsteen, Composer - Bruce Springsteen, Guitar - Bruce Springsteen, Keyboards - Bruce Springsteen, Lyricist - Bruce Springsteen, Percussion - Bruce Springsteen, Performer - Bruce Springsteen, Vocal - Chris Bellman, Mastering Engineer - Clarence Clemons, Saxophone - Darren Tablan, 2nd Engineer - Derek Karlquist, 2nd Engineer - Garry Tallent, Bass - Kevin Mills, 2nd Engineer - Max Weinberg, Drums - Nick DiDia, Recording Engineer - Patti Scialfa, Vocal - Paul Lamalfa, 2nd Engineer - Rick Kwan, 2nd Engineer - Roy Bittan, Organ - Roy Bittan, Piano - Soozie Tyrell, Vocal - Stevie Van Zandt, Vocal - Tim Mitchell, 2nd Engineer - Toby Scott, Engineer - Tom Syrowski, Engineer - Tom Tapley, 2nd Engineer
(P) 2009 Bruce Springsteen
Billy Bowers, Engineer - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Mixing Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Producer - Bruce Springsteen, Composer - Bruce Springsteen, Guitar - Bruce Springsteen, Keyboards - Bruce Springsteen, Lyricist - Bruce Springsteen, Percussion - Bruce Springsteen, Performer - Bruce Springsteen, Vocal - Chris Bellman, Mastering Engineer - Clarence Clemons, Saxophone - Clarence Clemons, Vocal - Darren Tablan, 2nd Engineer - Derek Karlquist, 2nd Engineer - Garry Tallent, Bass - Kevin Mills, 2nd Engineer - Max Weinberg, Drums - Nick DiDia, Recording Engineer - Nils Lofgren, Guitar - Nils Lofgren, Vocal - Patrick Warren, Keyboards - Patrick Warren, Organ - Patrick Warren, Piano - Patti Scialfa, Vocal - Paul Lamalfa, 2nd Engineer - Rick Kwan, 2nd Engineer - Roy Bittan, Organ - Roy Bittan, Piano - Soozie Tyrell, Vocal - Stevie Van Zandt, Vocal - Tim Mitchell, 2nd Engineer - Toby Scott, Engineer - Tom Syrowski, Engineer - Tom Tapley, 2nd Engineer
(P) 2009 Bruce Springsteen
Billy Bowers, Engineer - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Mixing Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Producer - Bruce Springsteen, Composer - Bruce Springsteen, Guitar - Bruce Springsteen, Harmonica - Bruce Springsteen, Keyboards - Bruce Springsteen, Lyricist - Bruce Springsteen, Organ - Bruce Springsteen, Percussion - Bruce Springsteen, Performer - Bruce Springsteen, Vocal - Chris Bellman, Mastering Engineer - Darren Tablan, 2nd Engineer - Derek Karlquist, 2nd Engineer - Garry Tallent, Bass - Kevin Mills, 2nd Engineer - Max Weinberg, Drums - Nick DiDia, Recording Engineer - Nils Lofgren, Guitar - Patti Scialfa, Vocal - Paul Lamalfa, 2nd Engineer - Rick Kwan, 2nd Engineer - Roy Bittan, Organ - Soozie Tyrell, Vocal - Stevie Van Zandt, Vocal - Tim Mitchell, 2nd Engineer - Toby Scott, Engineer - Tom Syrowski, Engineer - Tom Tapley, 2nd Engineer
(P) 2009 Bruce Springsteen
Billy Bowers, Engineer - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Mixing Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Producer - Bruce Springsteen, Composer - Bruce Springsteen, Guitar - Bruce Springsteen, Keyboards - Bruce Springsteen, Lyricist - Bruce Springsteen, Performer - Bruce Springsteen, Vocal - Chris Bellman, Mastering Engineer - Clarence Clemons, Saxophone - Clarence Clemons, Vocal - Darren Tablan, 2nd Engineer - Derek Karlquist, 2nd Engineer - Garry Tallent, Bass - Kevin Mills, 2nd Engineer - Max Weinberg, Drums - Nick DiDia, Recording Engineer - Nils Lofgren, Guitar - Nils Lofgren, Vocal - Patrick Warren, Organ - Patti Scialfa, Vocal - Paul Lamalfa, 2nd Engineer - Rick Kwan, 2nd Engineer - Roy Bittan, Organ - Roy Bittan, Piano - Soozie Tyrell, Violin - Soozie Tyrell, Vocal - Stevie Van Zandt, Guitar - Stevie Van Zandt, Vocal - Tim Mitchell, 2nd Engineer - Toby Scott, Engineer - Tom Syrowski, Engineer - Tom Tapley, 2nd Engineer
(P) 2009 Bruce Springsteen
Billy Bowers, Engineer - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Mixing Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Producer - Bruce Springsteen, Composer - Bruce Springsteen, Guitar - Bruce Springsteen, Lyricist - Bruce Springsteen, Percussion - Bruce Springsteen, Performer - Bruce Springsteen, Vocal - Chris Bellman, Mastering Engineer - Danny Federici, Organ - Darren Tablan, 2nd Engineer - Garry Tallent, Bass - Max Weinberg, Drums - Nick DiDia, Recording Engineer - Nils Lofgren, Guitar - Nils Lofgren, Vocal - Patti Scialfa, Vocal - Rick Kwan, 2nd Engineer - Roy Bittan, Organ - Roy Bittan, Piano - Soozie Tyrell, Vocal - Stevie Van Zandt, Vocal - Toby Scott, Engineer - Tom Tapley, 2nd Engineer
(P) 2008 Bruce Springsteen
Billy Bowers, Engineer - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Mixing Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Producer - Bruce Springsteen, Composer - Bruce Springsteen, Glockenspiel - Bruce Springsteen, Guitar - Bruce Springsteen, Keyboards - Bruce Springsteen, Lyricist - Bruce Springsteen, Percussion - Bruce Springsteen, Performer - Bruce Springsteen, Vocal - Chris Bellman, Mastering Engineer - Clarence Clemons, Saxophone - Darren Tablan, 2nd Engineer - Derek Karlquist, 2nd Engineer - Garry Tallent, Bass - Kevin Mills, 2nd Engineer - Max Weinberg, Drums - Nick DiDia, Recording Engineer - Nils Lofgren, Guitar - Nils Lofgren, Vocal - Paul Lamalfa, 2nd Engineer - Rick Kwan, 2nd Engineer - Roy Bittan, Organ - Roy Bittan, Piano - Soozie Tyrell, Vocal - Stevie Van Zandt, Guitar - Stevie Van Zandt, Vocal - Tim Mitchell, 2nd Engineer - Toby Scott, Engineer - Tom Syrowski, Engineer - Tom Tapley, 2nd Engineer
(P) 2009 Bruce Springsteen
Billy Bowers, Engineer - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Mixing Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Producer - Bruce Springsteen, Composer - Bruce Springsteen, Guitar - Bruce Springsteen, Keyboards - Bruce Springsteen, Lyricist - Bruce Springsteen, Percussion - Bruce Springsteen, Performer - Bruce Springsteen, Vocal - Chris Bellman, Mastering Engineer - Clarence Clemons, Saxophone - Danny Federici, Organ - Darren Tablan, 2nd Engineer - Derek Karlquist, 2nd Engineer - Garry Tallent, Bass - Kevin Mills, 2nd Engineer - Max Weinberg, Drums - Nick DiDia, Recording Engineer - Nils Lofgren, Guitar - Nils Lofgren, Vocal - Patti Scialfa, Vocal - Paul Lamalfa, 2nd Engineer - Rick Kwan, 2nd Engineer - Roy Bittan, Organ - Roy Bittan, Piano - Soozie Tyrell, Vocal - Stevie Van Zandt, Guitar - Stevie Van Zandt, Vocal - Tim Mitchell, 2nd Engineer - Toby Scott, Engineer - Tom Syrowski, Engineer - Tom Tapley, 2nd Engineer
(P) 2009 Bruce Springsteen
Billy Bowers, Engineer - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Mixing Engineer - Brendan O'Brien, Producer - Bruce Springsteen, Composer - Bruce Springsteen, Guitar - Bruce Springsteen, Keyboards - Bruce Springsteen, Lyricist - Bruce Springsteen, Performer - Bruce Springsteen, Vocal - Chris Bellman, Mastering Engineer - Derek Karlquist, 2nd Engineer - Jason Federici, Acordeon - Kevin Mills, 2nd Engineer - Nick DiDia, Recording Engineer - Patti Scialfa, Vocal - Paul Lamalfa, 2nd Engineer - Rick Kwan, 2nd Engineer - Roy Bittan, Acordeon - Toby Scott, Engineer - Tom Syrowski, Engineer
(P) 2009 Bruce Springsteen
Bob Clearmountain, Mixing Engineer - Bob Ludwig, Mastering Engineer - Brandon Duncan, 2nd Engineer - Bruce Springsteen, Composer - Bruce Springsteen, Lyricist - Bruce Springsteen, Performer - Bruce Springsteen, Producer - Chris Bellman, Mastering Engineer - Toby Scott, Recording Engineer
(P) 2008 Bruce Springsteen
Album review
From its bright, brittle production to its tossed-off postage stamp cover art, Working on a Dream is in every respect a companion piece to Magic, an album that's merely a set of songs, both sprawling and deliberately small, songs that don't necessarily tackle any one major theme but all add up to a portrait of their time. Magic chronicled the dog days of Bush where Working on a Dream is designed as a keynote to the Obama age, released just a week after the inauguration of the U.S.'s 44th president and not coincidentally containing not a little optimism within its 13 tracks. This sense of hope is a tonic to the despair that crept into the margins of Magic but it's easy to posit Working on a Dream as pure positivity, which isn't exactly true: a hangover from W lingers, most vividly in the broken spirit of "The Wrestler," and Bruce mourning departed E Street Band member Danny Federici with "The Last Carnival." Springsteen peppers his tribute with images recalling the early days of the E Street Band but saves a revival of their wild, woolly sound for the opening "Outlaw Pete," a cavernous, circular, comical epic reminiscent of Springsteen's unwieldy portraits of rats on the Jersey Shore. "Outlaw Pete" is Working on a Dream at its best, playing like nothing less than The E Street Shuffle as reflected and refracted through Arcade Fire's naked hero worship, casually highlighting how producer Brendan O'Brien has gently nudged the Boss toward new musical avenues. Many of these new sounds are drawn from the past, often feeling informed by Little Steven's Underground Garage -- Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren's guitars chime like the Byrds; the band knocks out a tough little blues number on "Good Eye"; and Springsteen shows a knack for pure pop on "Surprise, Surprise" and indulges his ever-increasing Brian Wilson fascination on "This Life," whose percolating organs and harmonies rival the High Llamas. All this rests nicely alongside the Boss' trademarks -- galloping rockers that fill a stadium ("My Lucky Day") and their polar opposite, his intimate acoustic tunes ("Tomorrow Never Knows") -- which all make Working on a Dream read like a rich, inventive, musical album...which it is, to an extent. The ideas and intent are there, but the album is hampered slightly by the overall modesty of Springsteen's writing -- by and large, these are small-scale songs and feel that way -- and hurt significantly by the precise, digital production that muffles the music's imagination and impact. A large part of Springsteen's appeal has always been how the E Street Band has sounded as big and open as his heart, but Working on a Dream, like Magic before it, has a production that feels tiny and constrained even as it is layered with extraneous details. It's possible to listen around this production and hear the modest charms of the songs, but the album would be better if the sound matched the sentiment.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 13 track(s)
- Total length: 00:51:16
- Main artists: Bruce Springsteen
- Composer: Bruce Springsteen
- Label: Columbia
- Genre: Pop/Rock
(P) 2009 Bruce Springsteen
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