Bruce Springsteen's debut album found him squarely in the tradition of Bob Dylan: folk-based tunes arranged for an electric band featuring piano and organ (plus, in Springsteen's case, 1950s-style rock & roll tenor saxophone breaks), topped by acoustic guitar and a husky voice singing lyrics full of elaborate, even exaggerated imagery.
But where Dylan had taken a world-weary, cynical tone, Springsteen was exuberant.
His street scenes could be haunted and tragic, as they were in "Lost in the Flood," but they were still imbued with romanticism and a youthful energy.
Asbury Park painted a portrait of teenagers cocksure of themselves, yet bowled over by their discovery of the world.
It was saved from pretentiousness (if not preciousness) by its sense of humor and by the careful eye for detail that kept even the most high-flown language rooted.
Like the lyrics, the arrangements were busy, but the melodies were well developed and the rhythms, pushed by drummer Vincent Lopez, were breakneck.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blinded by the LightBruce Springsteen | Bruce Springsteen | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 34 MB |
| 2 | Growin' UpBruce Springsteen | Bruce Springsteen | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 3 | Mary Queen of ArkansasBruce Springsteen | Bruce Springsteen | Play | 05:21 | 12 MB | 33 MB |
| 4 | Lost in the FloodBruce Springsteen | Bruce Springsteen | Play | 05:18 | 12 MB | 33 MB |
| 5 | The AngelBruce Springsteen | Bruce Springsteen | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 6 | For YouBruce Springsteen | Bruce Springsteen | Play | 04:39 | 10 MB | 33 MB |
| 7 | Spirit in the NightBruce Springsteen | Bruce Springsteen | Play | 05:00 | 11 MB | 32 MB |
| 8 | It's Hard to be a Saint in the CityBruce Springsteen | Bruce Springsteen | Play | 03:14 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 9 | Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street | Bruce Springsteen | Play | 02:05 | 4 MB | 13 MB |
| 37 mins | 85 MB | |||||
| 37 mins | 240 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Appel | Producer |
| 2 | Jack Ashkinazy | Remixing |
| 3 | John Berg | Cover Design |
| 4 | John K. Chester | Digital Transfers |
| 5 | Clarence Clemons | Saxophone, Vocals (Background) |
| 6 | Jim Cretecos | Producer |
| 7 | Richard Davis | Bass (Upright), Guest Artist |
| 8 | Jamie Howarth | Digital Transfers |
| 9 | Louis Lehav | Engineer |
| 10 | Fred Lombardi | Back Cover Photo |
| 11 | Vincent "Loper" Lopez | Drums |
| 12 | Bob Ludwig | Remastering |
| 13 | David Sancious | Organ, Piano |
| 14 | Toby Scott | Supervising Editor |
| 15 | Bruce Springsteen | Arranger, Bass, Composer, Congas, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Harmonica, Lyricist, Primary Artist |
| 16 | Garry Tallent | Bass |
| 17 | Harold Wheeler | Piano |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |