Magic

Bruce Springsteen | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 2, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Columbia Records
• ASIN: B000V8I2QU
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (440 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,771 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Thirty-five years as a justifiable rock musician allows Bruce Springsteen an opinion on the state of over-the-air radio, and he takes it--and takes the medium to the woodshed on the ruthless "Radio Nowhere." The opening smash sets the tone, with the ageless Boss wondering, "Is there anybody out there?" before imploring, "I just want to hear some rhythm." Then, with E Street Band in tow, Springsteen goes on to retrace every step between here and Greetings from Asbury Park, hand-delivering more could-be, would-be hits than anything he's done since Born in the USA. Credit producer Brendan O'Brien for the wall of sound that backs "Girls in Their Summer Clothes," which sets the atmosphere for one of the great vocal performances by Springsteen, who plays the misfit "in the cool of the evening light" watching the girls "pass me by." With piano, glockenspiel, and infinite guitars, the rocker "I'll Work for Your Love" recalls The River, with Springsteen even settling for blue-collar hero in matters of the heart. "Livin' in the Future" could be an out-take from Darkness on the Edge of Town, with shades of Election Day blasting away with the boastful sax of Clarence Clemons and Little Steven's relentless backing vocals. There's even a hint of Nebraska on "Terry's Song," an earnest (and mostly solo) accolade with Springsteen acknowledging the death of a friend: "When they built you, brother/They broke the mold." The hidden track closes this unforeseen comeback, and for 48 minutes the nearly 60-year-old Bruce Springsteen sounds 35 again. --Scott Holter

Product Description

a music cd. classical rock

Magic, Bruce Springsteen's new studio recording and his first with the E Street Band in five years, is set for release by Columbia records on October 2, 2007. Produced and mixed by Brendan O'Brien, the album features eleven new Springsteen songs and was recorded at southern tracks recording studio in Atlanta, Ga.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

280 of 323 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Springsteen's spiritual successor to BORN IN THE USA; best album of 2007, October 12, 2007

By 

Mike London "MAC" (Oxford, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Magic (Audio CD)

Intro Note

My original review of MAGIC has generated a lot of votes, but also a lot of negative backlash, so I thought I would elaborate on a few things before we get to the review proper. First, I am posting a revised version of the review. The original is still listed on Amazon.co.uk. Now onward.

When I wrote this review back in early October, I made it quite clear that, although I like Springsteen's music, I haven't taken the time to go through his discography like I have with other musicians. My original review was written from a point of view of a middle-of-the-road Springsteen fan. Although Springsteen obviously has a very strong, devoted fanbase, I think my status as a good, but not hardcore, fan represents a good proportion of potential listeners for this album, and so is a valid or helpful review.

I freely confessed I hadn't listen to all of his albums, though I have a passing familiarity with most of them. People really took me to task for not having heard TUNNEL OF LOVE, which is USA's followup, even though I made it clear I haven't listened to Springsteen as extensively as I have other musicians due to time and money. Yes, you an be a fan of Springsteen and not have heard TUNNEL. I'm a Tom Waits fan and there's a lot of his albums I haven't heard all the way through.

Since I posted the review, I have taken the time to listen to TUNNEL, and have even wrote a review of it for Amazon. It's quite good, and it's a perfect bridge between USA and MAGIC. I consider it his pop trilogy, much like NEBRASKA, TOM JOAD, and DEVILS & DUST is his acoustic/folk trilogy.

Though I've been accused of "not being a fan" because I hadn't heard TUNNEL, listening to it really didn't radically change my position on MAGIC. It only slightly modified it.

All major artists have various populations in their fanbases. I count myself hardcore when it comes to Bob Dylan (see my review for the new DYLAN compilation for further elaboration). With Springsteen, I've always liked his music. But just remember one thing. Each album services the various populations in different ways, and I was writing from a different perspective than those who have followed Bruce for years and have all his records memorized and been to lots of his shows. But it doesn't mean I'm not a fan, or that Bruce's music doesn't move me.

Because it does.

Mike London, November 16, 2007






Revised Review

I must confess, ever since I learned about MAGIC, Springsteen's newest, I was pretty excited. Though I haven't gotten into Springsteen the same extent I've gotten into some other rock giants (the biggest being Bob Dylan), I proudly count myself
among his fans, though not, perhaps, a card carrying member of the Asbury Fan Club (or Cult perhaps would be a better term).

I also have another confession. I've been listening to this album incessantly for the past month, since early September from the version leaked on the internet. Now, if history repeats itself like Radiohead with KID A back in 2000, this prerelease leak should drive sells. I know it made me want to buy it. I can't stop listening to it. We haven't heard Bruce do a real pop album like this for years, and it's great to hear him do a new record in vein of TUNNEL and USA.

Of course, a big reason for the great sound is Springsteen is back with the E Streeet Band. Springsteen would not use the E Street Band on an album for a full eighteen years following USA. They finally resurfaced on the 2002 effort THE RISING. And while THE RISING is certainly a fine record, it was largely preoccupied with the post 9/11 universe we as the international community have been thrust into.

While Springsteen has been active releasing albums since then, he didn't use the band, and the albums he did release were either folk or bluegrass driven. Which is not to say they're bad albums. DEVILS & DUST is great, especially the title cut. SEEGER SESSIONS is an interesting, and very fun, history lesson about Pete Seeger, even if he did ax the sound equipment at Dylan's Newport appearance in 1965. But those looking for Springsteen's rock sound will be disappointed by them.

But not now. MAGIC is the album we've been waiting for for a long time. While there are some quite serious moments, overall Springsteen just lets his hair down and doing some great pop rock and roll in a way that only he can.

Without a doubt, MAGIC is one of Springsteen's funnest albums in the last twenty five years. In fact, I would argue that MAGIC is closest to that seminal 1984 masterpiece and TUNNEL OF LOVE out of all of Springsteen's previous albums. MAGIC feels very much akin to those two towering records.

To me, these three albums are Springsteen's harrowing forays into pop music, and sound very much like a pop-trilogy.

BORN IN THE USA is a strange animal. Musically, it's upbeat, it's poppy, it's just fun to listen too. BORN IN THE USA, though very pop-driven, had a dark pessimism underbelly that has always been a constant in Springsteen's early records. Lyrically, however, the album featured the characters in the songs following the same dark, desperate fate that most of Springsteen's narrators did on DARKNESS, THE RIVER, NEBRASKA, etc. USA dressed up Springsteen's bitter stories about his down-on-their-luck characters in such brilliantly poppy music that the Reagan administration famously used the title cut in their bid for reelection. The political publicist machine can be pretty damned oblivious at times.

TUNNEL OF LOVE examines marriage, love, and the failures of commitment in a heart-breaking way. TUNNEL lacks the strange dichotomy so apparent with USA between lyrical outlook (USA's lyrics are more akin to singer-songwriter and blues than pop) and actual music. But TUNNEL is a much different record than either lyrically, and is a rather devastating and insightful analysis of relationships between the sexes.

MAGIC, on the other hand, is just fun, but, like USA, can be rather deceiving if you listen only to the music and don't pay that much attention to the lyrics. There's a wistful nostalgia here that we haven't seen from Springsteen before, a remembrance of things past. There's anger here too ("Radio Nowhere", a diatribe against the radio landscape of the new millennium, "Last to Die", a politically charged rocker, and the title track, a song that can unfortunately apply to several different government administrations).

Springsteen makes some serious statements on MAGIC, but he still manages to make the whole affair quite fun, and there are a few numbers here that sound like Springsteen playing rock and roll and pop music just for the hell of it. All the songs sound like they belong together, with the sole exception of the hidden track "Terry's Song", a tribute to one of his friends who died. While a pleasant enough song, doesn't really do a lot for me. While there are some dark undercurrents on MAGIC, the sound itself is rather glorious. Especially given how long we haven't really got to hear something like this from Bruce.

Another thing that should be mentioned is the way in which Brendan O'Brien, the album's producer (also affiliated with Pearl Jam, Neil Young, and any number of major rock acts), and Springsteen's chose to record it. Working around the band's busy schedule, they would record their own parts solo with O'Brien producing, and then O'Brien would assemble all the different tracks into a finished song. The sole exception to this recording process was the Big Man, Clarence Clemmons, the E Street Band's famous saxophonist. Springsteen personally oversaw all of Clemmons' sessions, due to the rich dynamic relationship they have with one another.

While this protools method of recording albums can sap modern music of their vitality, it's amazing how organic and lived in the music feels. Of course, this is Springsteen, and this is the E Street band, so they obviously know how to make great music. What a backing band they truly are.

Like most of Springsteen's music, none of this is disposable music. The best pop never is.

Ultimately, MAGIC is probably the best album for 2007. For those Springsteen fans who didn't much care for DEVILS & DUST and SEEGER SESSIONS, rejoice! We have Springsteen making some phenomenal rock and roll at long last!

73 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Why does it sound so bad??, October 4, 2007

By 

Bornintime (The East Coast) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Magic (Audio CD)

I've bought every Bruce Springsteen album since Darkness the first day it was released so I'm not a newcomer to Bruce. This is a great collection of songs. Bruce says so much here musically and lyrically, but I have to agree with so many other people that the production is terrible. In listening to this cd a few times in my car I actually considered whether I needed better speakers; until I put in another cd which sounded perfectly fine. I listened to the album online last week through my cheap PC speakers. I loved it and was looking forward to listening to it in high fidelity. Apparently this will never happen unless a remastered version of this comes out many years from now. I find that this cd can not be turned way up without horrible distortion and it is actually tiring to listen to this for long periods of time. Great - a Springsteen cd that I can't crank up and listen to repeatedly. Contrast The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle (which was released a mere 34 years ago) with Magic and you'll find you're now waist deep in the Big Muddy.

45 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Would've been a GREAT album but...., October 3, 2007

By 

Garbonzo "rr martin fan" (Corona, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magic (Audio CD)

Don't get me wrong, this is a very good album with great song writing but I have to agree with others who have complained about the sound quality of the album. At first I thought I had screwed up the settings on my ipod but after I played the songs on my stereo with the same results, I was really disappointed. It's really a shame because with a good sound mixing job I think this would've been a truly great album. As it is now, I can barely listen to it without getting a headache.

All those great riffs and lyrics get buried in an avalanche of noise. I can only guess that this was done on purpose for some reason. I guess it does make the album seem more nostalgic but it comes at the cost of making the album painful to listen to.

My favorite song on the album is "Girls in their summer clothes." Like Bruce, I often look back on lost youth and yearn for those days again.