Where does Springsteen's Magic Rank?

If Born To Run is the gold standard where does Magic rank as compared to the other works of "the boss" ?

 

Good question to which I don't have an answer.

But I do know this thread ranks as a double D_B and a half:

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/47536/

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/47536/

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/48859/

 

A rough order for me...

• Born To Run
• The River
• Darkness on the Edge of Town
• Born in the USA
• Tunnel of Love
• The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle
• Nebraska
• Magic
• Human Touch/Lucky Town
• Greetings From Asbury Park
• Seeger Sessions
• Ghost of Tom Joad
• The Rising
• Devils and Dust

So, I'd say it's his best since "Tunnel of Love"... but I really haven't liked anything he's done since then, so the praise isn't all that lofty. "Magic" is pretty good, and I have no doubt it's much better live - I don't care for the production of it at all, but I think there are some terrific songs partially obscured on there.

 

Good list though I would rank Greetings from Asbury PK and The Rising higher on mine.

 

I'd also have to separate Human Touch and Lucky Town.

I honestly don't know if I can do this, but I will try...

 

I have a friend who grew up the next town over from Asbury Park, was there for all the early stuff, wasn't a friend of Springsteen then but was around him a lot and they knew each other. Anyway, a few days after I bought Magic I asked him what he thought and I fully expected a sane response. "Arrgghh," he says. "He's been worthless since he made his deal with the devil." When did Bruce make his deal with the devil, I ask. "Born in the USA," he sneers. Bruce has been with Satan for the past 23 years? Really? "You heard me," he says. "He even admits it in Tunnel of Love."

Me, I like the deal-with-Satan album. Not his best, but I think Bruce got his money's worth if he indeed sold his soul for it. Some of his albums I can listen to any time. Others, depends what mood I'm in. Magic might rank one place today, someplace else a week from now. It's OK, nothing more. But then I'm not some Nebraska-listening purist who takes perverse pride in enjoying the stuff that makes normal people want to drink Raid.

 

Perfect description for Nebraska - it makes normal people want to drink Raid.

 

Guess I like to drink Raid:
Born To Run
The River
Darkness on the Edge of Town
The Rising
Nebraska
Magic
Human Touch/Lucky Town
Greetings From Asbury Park
Born in the USA
Ghost of Tom Joad
Tunnel of Love
The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle
Seeger Sessions
Devils and Dust

 

Drop "Atlantic City" from "Nebraska" and it drops at least 3 places on my list. I love that song. The rest of the album does little for me.

My problem with a lot of his music from recent years is he seems to be trying very, very hard to be Important... and the result is a bunch of songs that sound like funeral dirges. I like acoustic stuff, but Bruce needs to realize it's OK to put a little life in it now and then.

 

I'm not a enough of a Bruce fan to have an educated opinion on where Magic ranks, but I've liked everything I've heard so far.

And 2under, I pictured you as more of a D-Con man.

 

Here's my attempt at ranking his albums...after the top 5, the order is subject to change.
This is not a typo.. BTR is No. 2 in book

- Wild, Innocent & the E Street Shuffle
- Born to Run
- Darkness
- The River
- Lucky Town
- Born in the USA
- Nebraska
- Magic
- Tunnel
- Greetings from Asbury Park
- The Rising
- Ghost of Tom Joad
- Seeger Sessions
- Devils & Dust
- Human Touch


edited to include my glaring omission of forgetting Tunnel

 

You left out Tunnel, E Street.