≡ PDF Runaway Dream Born to Run and Bruce Springsteen American Vision Louis P Masur 9781596916920 Books

Runaway Dream Born to Run and Bruce Springsteen American Vision Louis P Masur 9781596916920 Books

Download As PDF : Runaway Dream Born to Run and Bruce Springsteen American Vision Louis P Masur 9781596916920 Books

Runaway Dream Born to Run and Bruce Springsteen American Vision Louis P Masur 9781596916920 Books

Mazur is both a fan and a scholar, and both come through loud and clear in this new examination of arguably the quintessential Springsteen LP, Born to Run. There is a little redundancy here about Bruce's life, band and background in the earlier years, but it's necessary context if, unlike me, you have not already read dozens of books about Springsteen and the E Street Band.

This could not have been published at a more perfect moment in time; for the late summer and into the fall of 2009 the band is touring and playing individual LPs from beginning to end, and Born to Run is the one most frequently played. On a drive to Chicago to see a show that featured BTR, I read the individual sections aloud in the car and we followed it up by listening to the song we just read/heard about. Although I have probably listened to this album, cassette, CD, DVD, and MP3 iterations of this disc thousands of times, I learned both about the context of the lyrics of the songs and the instrumentation and composition. The section about the locations that populate the album was also extremely informative to anyone not born in the shadow of Freehold, NJ.

It's a real treat to read something written by both a passionate fan and a dedicated scholar. If you are lucky enough to have tickets to a show this fall that will feature Born to Run, buy this book immediately. If fate does not deal you that lovely circumstance, buy the book, pull out whatever format you have this music on, and take the time to go through each song after you have read the section on the lyrics and the music. I would be dumbfounded if you didn't learn something new--and I have been to +-150 Springsteen concerts and read everything I could get my hands on, and this was enlightening in many ways. In short, a real treat.


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Runaway Dream Born to Run and Bruce Springsteen American Vision Louis P Masur 9781596916920 Books Reviews

To enjoy this book you have to believe that the song "Born to Run" is up there with "Maybelline" or "Stairway to Heaven."
If you're purchasing this book, it's because your already probably a Springsteen fan. The info presented about the album "Born to Run" is interesting, though you leave the book feeling there could have been more. Springsteen is quoted, but these quotes are items that were presented from the past, nothing new. The book (in my opinion) could have been better had there been some "new" info/quotes from people involved with the making of the album. The role of Clarence Clemons on Born to Run is huge -- so why not have some info from him about his role in the making of this masterpiece?? What about other band members? What were their feelings??

The other problem I had with the book is that about midstream, it moves away from Born to Run and tries to cram in more facts about Springsteen and his professional life after Born to Run. Is the book a reflection of Born to Run, or, a biography of Springsteen? The author can't seem to make up his mind. The book also feels rushed when it makes this transition -- probably because you can't cover that much ground in less than 200 pages.

With that said, you would think I didn't like the book; but I did. As a fan of Springsteen, this book was a good, quick read; and the author's love of the subject clearly shines through. In the end, there is a passage about the author feeling renewed after seeing Springsteen in concert and being able to now reconnect with the world. I couldn't agree more.

If you love Springsteen, this book will renew that feeling. If you're looking for more than that, I don't think you'll find it.
My perspective of this book is unusual. I'm probably one of the few people who own every studio album Springsteen has done who is indifferent to his breakout Born to Run. (That someone would write a book on that album and that an editor thinks enough copies would sell to justify publishing it is an indicator of the rarity of this view.) To me, Born to Run has some great lines but the whole is somehow less than the parts, and it's one of very few Springsteen albums that I'd only pick out a few songs I like. I already knew the basic biographical arc -- the simultaneous Newsweek and Times covers and all that -- but I came to Springsteen much later than most fans and to me, it's `just another album.'

From this point of view, what I like about this is book is that recreates the excitement of being there at the moment of creation. I used to work for a guy whose nostalgic memories for what it was like to run home from the store and eagerly fumble to put Sgt. Peppers on the turntable fueled my own infectious enthusiasm for British bands from the Beatles through the Clash. Masur's book has that same giddiness as it gives a sense of what a revelation Born to Run was for someone in their late teens in the mid-1970s.

The book is effectively split into three parts, each two chapters long. The first section is a history of Springsteen's musical career up to the release of Born to Run. This is the part of the book that's strongest as it gives `being there' feeling. The second section discusses each songs on the record and the album's reception. I tend not to get much out of musical criticism -- it reminds me a lot of talking about wine words don't really cut it -- and Masur's comments remind me of a kid who is so excited that they're talking so fast you don't know what they're saying but their enthusiasm rubs off onto you anyway. The negative reviews of the album are also interesting. One in particular does a good job of listing criticisms that go far to explaining my own indifference, but Masur quotes its conclusion `the man avoids these quibbles at his best and simply runs over them the rest of the time.' The third section is Springsteen's career since Born to Run. It tries to cover too much in too little space, and I have to concede that while I enjoyed reading this book, the two-star review by Lance P. Boos is spot on.
Book in very good conditions!

Thanks a lot!

Vitor França
Very interesting book by an academic (who happens to be a huge Springsteen fan) on the significance of Born to Run to Springsteen's career and its expression of American culture.
Author is known for his concise writing style and he is staying true to form. Book has lots of interesting insights into the path Bruce Springsteen followed as well as what influences shaped his career.
Mazur is both a fan and a scholar, and both come through loud and clear in this new examination of arguably the quintessential Springsteen LP, Born to Run. There is a little redundancy here about Bruce's life, band and background in the earlier years, but it's necessary context if, unlike me, you have not already read dozens of books about Springsteen and the E Street Band.

This could not have been published at a more perfect moment in time; for the late summer and into the fall of 2009 the band is touring and playing individual LPs from beginning to end, and Born to Run is the one most frequently played. On a drive to Chicago to see a show that featured BTR, I read the individual sections aloud in the car and we followed it up by listening to the song we just read/heard about. Although I have probably listened to this album, cassette, CD, DVD, and MP3 iterations of this disc thousands of times, I learned both about the context of the lyrics of the songs and the instrumentation and composition. The section about the locations that populate the album was also extremely informative to anyone not born in the shadow of Freehold, NJ.

It's a real treat to read something written by both a passionate fan and a dedicated scholar. If you are lucky enough to have tickets to a show this fall that will feature Born to Run, buy this book immediately. If fate does not deal you that lovely circumstance, buy the book, pull out whatever format you have this music on, and take the time to go through each song after you have read the section on the lyrics and the music. I would be dumbfounded if you didn't learn something new--and I have been to +-150 Springsteen concerts and read everything I could get my hands on, and this was enlightening in many ways. In short, a real treat.