Backtracking

Listening to the first CD of Tracks, the Bruce Springsteen compilation I don't play often enough, and wonder why I don't. He's telling me how hard it is to be a saint in the city and, despite the youthful posing (this is his audition for Columbia), I believe him. By the time he gets to Growin' Up it's obvious he's more than something special. Once the original incarnation of the E Street Band kick in, we're in the range of the chosen few. And I think he knows it. The exuberance of the early stuff stems at least in some part from the fact he knows he's something remarkable and this is a very special group of players. The seeds of an amazing career are apparent throughout - once the posing stops, or comes under artistic control he'll deal with truths beyond most songwriters - but this stuff is just wonderful for what it already is.