Product Description
Titles include: Brilliant Disguise
* Spare Parts
* Valentine's Day and bonus selection Lucky Man. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

whoops--made a mistake on previous review
The book review prior to this (by me--"The Title says it all") is for a different novel altogether!The one I reviewed is an out-of-print version by Hilma Worlitzer. Sorry!

The Book's Title Says it All
"Tunnel of Love" is a story about relationships. Family love, affectionate love, sexual love, maternal love, sibling love, and friendship are explored from the perspectives of two very different women. Linda is 28 years old, widowed after only six weeks of marriage to an older man who hasa fifteen year-old daughter, Robin. In addition, she finds out she is alsopregnant! She is determined to make the best out of life for herself andher new "instant family".Robin is a truculent, troubled, and inmany ways, typical teenager. The story is told from her point of view, aswell as Linda's. This makes for an interesting and realistic examination ofthe issues in the book.When baby Phoebe is born, we experience the wonderof learning to love a brand new person, from the view of a big sister and anew mom.I admired Linda's perserverance, optimism, and "never saydie" attitude. It was in contrast to the anger and frustration I feltfor Robin...which goes to show how good the writing in this book is. I am a36 year old mother with a daughter approaching the teenage years; theauthor managed to convey the struggle and, ultimately, the love betweenmother and daughter.While the story doesn't exactly qualify as apage-turner, I truly enjoyed this book about the many ways love isexpressed and experienced. Four stars is the highest rating I have yetgiven a book on Amazon.com. ... Read more

Product Description
Titles are: Devils & Dust
* All the Way Home
* Reno
* Long Time Comin'
* Black Cowboys
* Maria's Bed
* Silver Palomino
* Jesus Was an Only Son
* Leah
* The Hitter
* All I'm Thinkin' About
* Matamoros Banks. ... Read more

Product Description
Album-matching folio to the single CD compilation of highlights from the Tracks box set. Features three bonus cuts, including ""The Fever,"" a new solo acoustic version of ""The Promise,"" which Springsteen recorded in New Jersey in February 1999, and ""Trouble River."" Titles are: Growin' Up
* Seaside Bar Song
* Rendezvous
* Hearts of Stone
* Where the Bands Are
* Loose Ends
* I Wanna Be with You
* Born in the U.S.A.
* My Love Will Not Let You Down
* Lion's Den
* Pink Cadillac
* Janey Don't You Lose Heart
* Sad Eyes
* Part Man, Part Monkey
* Trouble River
* Brothers Under the Bridge
* The Fever
* The Promise. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
The first full-length biography of the Boss in almost a decade

Bruce Springsteen turned fifty in 1999-the same year he was inductedinto both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall ofFame. He remains one of the last true rock stars and nothing less thana cultural icon, with album sales of fifteen million annually andconcerts that are instant sellouts worldwide-now more than ever withthe revival tour of the E Street Band. In Springsteen, ChristopherSandford takes us back to the Boss's early days in New Jersey andthrough the sensational hits and rock-god lifestyle of themid-seventies...bringing the Springsteen story right up to the presentand a second generation of fans. By interviewing virtually all themajor figures in Springsteen's life past and present, and combiningthat with his own celebrated skill as a writer and critic, Sandfordhas created a compelling-and often surprising-portrait, one that givesnew insight into Springsteen's music and influence and illuminates themany contradictions in his complex makeup. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Seemed like a good idea at the time.....
Sorry to have to give this a bad review.This sounded like such a great book, and I really liked the title.But yikes, how to figure out what the author is actually trying to say? I find myself reading the paragraphs over and over again and still not knowing quite what happened.Oh well, I'm glad some readers were able to figure it all out, I'll keep trying. At least the author picked a great topic!

Dismal at best...
I've been an avid and captive listener of Bruce Springsteen's music for about three decades.That said, I'm not above reading a juicy/tell-all tome such as this one that Sandford strived to create.

The problem is, he just doesn't do it well (mercy, he makes Angela Bowie's teall-all book, BACKSTAGE PASSES; LIFE ON THE WILD SIDE WITH DAVID BOWIE, seem like a masterpiece by comaprison).

Being pretty well-grounded and centered as an adult in my forties, I'm a bit beyond the need to have heroes (though I'll be the first to admit that Springsteen was something of a hero to me back when I was in my teens, back in the days when I still was dumb and innocent enough to have heroes in the form of rock stars).So, this book could have revealed that Springsteen spent a chunk of his life slumming around the most seedy places in Time Square...and it really wouldn't diminish the admiration that I have for the fine canon of songs & performances that he's given the world).

So, no, there was no offense taken...nor were my sensibilities shattered... by some of the rumors and theories that Sandford tries to put forth in his book.

The problem with Sandford's book is that its poorly written. I mean, the writing is downright bad.So bad that I'm surprised an editor didn't demand a complete overhaul of this book before allowing it to go to print.This book is laden with vague/obtuse sentences, along with some of the most awkward paragraph constructions that I've ever tried to wade my way through.

To make matters even worse, Sandford clearly has an agenda...and damned if he'll let facts get in the way of his agenda.There's certainly no crime when one tries to take a few feet off of a pedestal. And, really, I'm glad he did this while Springsteen was still alive, rather than after (what I hope will be a far off) death.There's nothing more demonic than the likes of Albert Goldman who've written scathing biographies of folk such as Lenny Bruce, Elvis and John Lennon after they're dead and gone.....and have no way of defending some of his more vile and vitriolic claims on their lives.

In the case of Sandford's book, he does such a poor job of masking his agenda that it's unlikely that a cat such as Springsteen gave a rat's behind about what is contained in these pages.Or, equally as plausible, Springsten...like many others whom I've known who've read this book...may have tossed it aside after a few pages of discovering that Sandford gropes with forming a coherent thought or even a decent sentence structure.

I am always wary of biographers who approach a subject with an agenda.As mentioned, their agenda often tends to ride roughshod over actual facts.That in itself would cause me to encourage folks to steer clear of this book.There are better and more objective biogrpahies about Bruce Springsteen readily available.

But, for those of us who dig a little dirt, Sandford's factual errors....and just plain bad-writing...make this book a trial and a chore to plow through.If one is going to dish out some dirt...and there will ALWAYS be a market for that....then I don't think it's asking too much for an author to get his facts straight and to write it in a style that doesn't read like a shoddy translation into the English language.

In a nutshell, this book is poorly researched and poorly written.Really, if one is looking for dirt on Springsteen, then hunt down the article that appeared in ESQUIRE magazine some years back.At least that piece is well-written.

This book is nothing less than a hack-job.

I liked it
This is one of those books that people seem to either like or dislike...I have been a huge Springsteen fan since 1974, and I enjoyed every page. This books does a great job of taking you closer to Springsteen than any other book out there. Is Springsteen an narcissist? Probably...A few years ago I wrote down 10 things I wanted to do before I died and one of those ten things was to meet Bruce Springsteen...After reading Point Blank...I don't want to meet him anymore...But I will always carry his music in my soul for the rest of my life.

An effective devolution of the demolition man
The most widely accepted version of Bruce Springsteen has it that abstract objects are distinguished by their causal inefficacy, is he?Concrete objects (whether mental or physical) have causal powers; numbers and functions and the rest make nothing happen. There is no such thing as Bruce not being Bruce.Or maybe causal commerce with the game of chess. And even if impure songs do in some sense exist in space, it is easy enough to believe that they make no distinctive causal contribution to what transpires, the only bruce matters theory of music. Peter and Paul may have effects individually; and they may have effects together which neither has on his own. But these joint effects are naturally construed as effects of two concrete objects acting jointly, or perhaps as effects of their mereological aggregate (itself a paradigm concretum), rather than as effects of some set-theoretic construction. (Suppose Bruce's band tip a balance. If we entertain the possibility that this event is caused by a gig, we shall have to ask which set caused it: the set containing just Peter and Paul? Some more elaborate construction based on them? Or perhaps the set containing the molecules that compose Peter and Paul? This proliferation of possible answers suggests that it was a mistake to credit causal powers to sets in the first place.)

Biographical gibberish
This biography attempts to document Springsteen's meteoric rise to fame, placing emphasis on his music, concerts, politics and personal life. The author's assessment of Springsteen's albums mirrors my own, but he downplays or fails to recognise the extent to which Springsteen so radically changed the nature of rock performance. The intensity, pure exhilaration and uplifting nature of Springsteen's concerts are only hinted at. Sandford's account of Springsteen's political development is expressed in a rather patronising manner, and at times irritatingly mixed in with the author's own seemingly reactionary views. The story of Springsteen's personal life, in particular that concerning his parents and various relationships and friendships, despite much analysis and many words, offers little that Springsteen hasn't expressed more eloquently himself in interviews, especially in recent years.

This is a flawed biography, but worst of all Sandford simply can not write. His style is long-winded, repetitive and turgid, and his syntax awful. The book rambles on for over 400 pages in a pseudo-academic manner. The first few chapters, in particular, are poorly structured and at times sentences are incomprehensible and meaningless. Here are just a few examples (I gave up marking the margins after the first three chapters): "No longer would the Boss be the hard-eyed capo who flouted his moll". "Whatever his shin-guard flaws, they were more than matched by his academic scrapes". "Their few talks, hissed through carious teeth, soon left the foreshore of debate for the choppy seas of 'screw you'". "More than once he communicated in a semi-colon". Who does Sandford think he's writing for, never mind impress, with this gibberish? One of Springsteen's great talents is his ability to communicate. It's a pity that Sandford didn't try and follow his example. ... Read more

Product Description
Extrovert on stage, introvert off, Bruce Springsteen has a lot to say about his life and work, and his place in American society. The Boss has retained his dignity through 25 years as America’s foremost rock performer. Never a man to rush into anything, Bruce’s words are carefully considered, thoughtful, passionate and sincere.

QUOTES INCLUDE:‘In the third grade a nun stuffed me in a garbage can under her desk because she said that’s where I belonged.’;

‘There ain't a note that I play on stage that can’t be traced back directly to my mother and father.’;

‘The first day I can remember looking into a mirror and being able to stand what I saw was the day I had a guitar in my hand.’;

‘You ride in a limousine the first time, it’s a big thrill but after that it’s just a stupid car.’;

‘At this point, I don’t need my records to be Number One or sell as many as this person or that person. That’s not fundamentally important – I don’t believe that sustains you.’ ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A collection of memorable quotes

Bruce Springsteen "Talking" is a collection of memorable quotes from rock-and-roll veteran legend Bruce Springsteen. Black-and-white and a handful of color photographs illustrate this memorable assembly of keen insight, carefully considered discussions, and since exhortations straight from the heart. Covering everything from daily life to roles in American society to the turn of the millennium, these vignettes make for quick reading yet expose one to the depth of Springsteen's personal character, in a most thought-provoking and intriguing manner. "When Regan mentioned my name in New Jersey, I felt it was another manipulation, and I had to disassociate myself from the president's kind words." - Springsteen, 1984.
... Read more

Product Description
This unique book, Bruce tells his own story from his unhappy school days in New Jersey to his superstar lifestyle in Beverly Hills. Extrovert on stage, introvert off, Springsteen has retained his dignity through 25 years as America’s foremost rock performer. Here, is what he has had to say about his life and work, and his place in American society. B/w photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not bad, nothing new
The book is fine for those that have not followed Bruce throughout hiscareer. It hits the highlights with some good photos, but doesn't get tothe art of the man. Recommended for those who like "Born In theUSA," but are uninitiated with the stronger works like "Tunnel OfLove," "Darkness On The Edge Of Town" or "TheRiver."

Dan

BRUCE DUMBED DOWN
This review focused on the mundane aspects of Bruce's life and adds nothing new to the literature on The Boss.Nevertheless, its a fun easy read, with decent photos, as long as someone is not too knowledgeable orinterested in Springsteen. ... Read more

Product Description
A biography highlighting the career of the well-known rock musician. ... Read more

Product Description
How did critically acclaimed rocker Bruce Springsteen achieve icon status in the 1980s? Filled with candid comments from Springsteen, a behind-the-scenes perspective, and perceptive commentary, Glory Days chronicles both Bossmania and the context in which it blossomed. 63 photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Lots of documentation
This book is a collection of material documenting Springsteen's activities throughout the 1980s.In writing this book, Marsh, a music writer and long-standing fan of Springsteen's, collected interviews from Springsteen himself and many of Springsteen's friends and colleagues in the 1980s.The book covers roughly the period between the tour after "The River" and the release of the 75-85 Live album.Marsh includes discussions of the makeup of the E Street Band, Springsteen's songwriting and recording processes, critical interpretations of Nebraska and Born in the USA, and blow-by-blow descriptions of tours and some of their individual concerts.The book is illustrated with 3 sections of black and white photographs, mostly tour footage.

Since Marsh is such a good friend of Springsteen's, the book presents a very sympathetic biography; in this book, Springsteen can do no wrong or even make any bad decisions. Marsh's accounts of Springsteen's writing processes are quite illuminating.It is fascinating to read how albums such as Nebraska and Born in the USA were written and recorded.On the other hand, Marsh includes voluminous amounts of material that are of lesser interest, such as his critical interpretations of album tracks, or details of events at individual concerts.Marsh also manages to insert some of his personal opinions that are hardly relevant for the topic, such as "most leftists are uncomfortable around rock and roll; they prefer folk music--in particular the pseudofolk produced by white, acoustic urban writer-performers of topical songs".Hmmm...how very interesting....On the whole, if the material in the book had been cut by about half, the remainder would have made a remarkable, readable account of this period in Springsteen's career.As it is, the book is a bit too thick with unnecessary details and opinions, but within all the fluff are some great stories documenting Springsteen's life in music.

Bruce in the 80's
Granted, Marsh is a big fan and friend of Springsteen, but this book is incredibly well-researched and gives you a lot of insight into the music and performances of Springsteen leading up to the Born in the USA phenomenon. A quality read if you're interested in Bruce and I highly recommend it.

A little creepy
First off, let me say that I really liked "Born To Run", the first part of this story, when it came out.I bought "Glory Days" hoping for more of the same, only to find that Dave Marsh had apparently gone from being a fan of Bruce Springsteen to being something of an apostle of the man.I guess that's fine for some, but although I'm a fan of some of his music, I can't see anything about Bruce that would lead me to think he walks on water.A little bit of objectivity could have gone a long way in this book.

Glory Days by Dave Marsh
In David Marsh's biography of one of the best rockers; of his era; he portrays the life story of Bruce Springsteen in his book, Glory Day's. The book starts off with the telling of Springsteen's emense popularity throughout almost all the nations in the world. Springsteen scheduled more concerts in different countries than could be imagined by any fan. He was a man who tried to play as many concerts as he could, to try to give the much desired music to his awaiting fans.Bruce's music was extremely popular in the 1980's as he toured throughout the world.
In the beginning of this book, Marsh states that Springsteen's career started up with the release of the album "Born in the U.S.A." on June 4, 1984. People referred to the album as the base for the start of his career. Marsh dictates all the little details of Bruce Springsteen's career starting with release of "Born in the U.S.A." all the way through the individual concerts on each individual tour. He wrote about them to magnify the talents and achievements of Springsteen's life and career. Marsh depicted the unappreciated things that Springsteen did for his fans and that were not taken note of or recognized by some of his fans.
Dave Marsh writes in a couple different types of styles about his opinions and views on Springsteen and his music. Marsh first writes about him in a type of constructive criticism. This up to the reader mainly to decide whether he is actually going after Bruce or is maybe implying something that Bruce could have done differently.The other way Marsh writes about Springsteen is in a larger than lifeoverwhelming presence figure in the music world at that time. He writes about Bruce as if he were a god like figure. He also writes it to say that he was grossly underestimated for being a part of some of the most new music at that time. Marsh tried to make it clear that Bruce did more for his fans than ever could be expressed like the way he did. "After Leeds, the Born in the U.S.A. tour, about a year on the road, had played 128 shows with a total attendance of 2.9 million." (p. 321) Bruce played each concert with the same excitement he did as when he played his first show.
I thought that Dave Marsh was a bit to critical at times, however fair in others. He tried to show the general public that Springsteen was an amazing musician that played with the same vigor even if he played 128 shows in a year he loved playing each and every one of them. It was a quick read at times and at others I thought the details were overwhelming and not needed. Marsh did a nice job at complimenting Springsteen at his accomplishments and his superb playing contributions to the music world.

Bitter, cynical fans trash this book unfairly!
This is not an awful book, as other reviews have suggested.Dave Marsh's unabashed enthusiasm for Bruce's music should not be taken as gospel.Do you believe everything you read?Heck no!As with any rabid fan's writing, "Glory Days" contains its share of deification, but a closer look might reveal things of which you were not previously aware."Dancing in the Dark" does indeed possess a rather dark set of lyrics, but I, like many other Springsteen fans, had dismissed it as synthetic fluff.What a mistake!What insight on the part of the writer, in this and many other instances!What a great book! ... Read more

Product Description
Of all veteran rock and roll stars, Bruce Springsteen hasperhaps most been able to retain a special, reciprocal relationshipwith his following, a connection which transcends fanaticism and goesbeyond that of mere fan to artist.For over a quarter century,Springsteen has never changed his belief that his music should atleast attempt to offer something tangible and meaningful to thelistener.

Hungry Heart: The Music of Bruce Springsteen explains the reasons forSpringsteen’s unique relationship with his fans, the mutual feelingthat the other is “one of us.” As the title suggests, theemphasis is on Springsteen’s music, whether heard on recordings orin concert.While enough historical data is included to ensurenarrative flow and provide background information relevant to hismusic, the book is not intended as a biography.Instead it’s anin-depth, critical study of Springsteen’s entire recorded output asheard over sixteen albums, plus assorted singles, film songs andone-offs.Besides official releases, the book will also discuss themore generally well-known of his unreleased songs.There is also achapter on cover versions of Springsteen’s songs as recorded byother artists, including renditions of cuts Bruce has recorded, trackshe never released himself and songs he expressly wrote for or withanother performer.

Hungry Heart: The Music of Bruce Springsteen is written with passion,humor and insight, from a fan’s perspective but with a criticaleye.It is a book to be enjoyed by both hard-core and casualSpringsteen enthusiasts, and one to be referred to time and timeagain. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

An excellent review of Bruce's music
This book is a rare find; finally a book that focuses on the music of Bruce Springsteen and uses events in both Bruce's life and the world to explain the changes in his music.As a result, you get great coverage of the music, not a "tell-all" type book.Particularly rewarding is the coverage of so many bootlegs.Mr. Horn's writing style is easy and fun, with references to his own Bruce odessey over the years.If you are a serious Bruce fan, this book is a must.

Must buy for Bruce fans!
An insightful and detailed review of the bulk of Springsteen's songs, delivered in an entertaining fashion.Great book to get you through the between-release doldrums!

Banal...
The major problem with this book seems to be the fact it was written circa 1995. Thus the first 266 pages discusses Springsteen's music without paying any reference to "Tracks" and the enormous light it has shed upon the music. There are numerous mistakes within the text, songs attributed to different recording sessions and band members etc. Perhaps more inexcusable are the typos (52 or 56 Channels anyone?). The analysis of the music itself remains at best simplistic, at worst trite, in fact this analysis can be found in more detail yet less space in past articles of Backstreets. Any book which skims over In Freehold, and fails to mention Long Time Comin', perhaps two of Springsteen's most autobiographical songs is criminal. Perhaps also is the author's inability to rent a copy of The Crossing Guard, which contains one of Spingsteens most interesting songs of the 90's. In all I would advise any Springsteen fan to avoid this book, there are others which do it better in half the time i.e. Patrick Humphries.

The Best Book of its Kind about the Songs of Bruce!
The author uses 300 pages to review just about every released and many unreleased songs of Mr. Springsteen. Not only do you get the author's opinion, but with many of the songs and albums you get background on the making of them as well as some personal andecdotes (some very funny). The author also spends the last few pages ranking each album, song and which band he prefers. My only complaint would be that I wish the author instituted some type of rating system for each song. The narrative flow wouldn't be interrupted as he could have put the actual ratings in a separate section in the back of the book. Overall though, this is a must-buy for any Bruce fanatic!

Essential reading for Bruce Tramps
Jeff Horn has not written another biography--there are certainly enough of them around.What the author has done is presented analysis of the songs and albums that make up the Springsteen cannon in a manner that no author author has done thus far, possibly because the task of analyzing such a vast catalog was too much for other authors.The prize of this book is Horn's writings on the unreleased songs of the Springsteen catalog, a subject, which most authors who have written about Springsteen, have ignored.A terrific addition to the Springsteen book catalog. ... Read more

Product Description
Follows the life and career of the popular performer, hailed as "The Boss" of rock and roll music. ... Read more

Product Description
A brief biography highlighting the career of the well-known rock musician. ... Read more