Working on a Dream [Import]

Bruce Springsteen | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 27, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Columbia
• ASIN: B001LF4IA6
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (155 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,981 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2009 album by one of the finest American songwriters of his generation. Working on a Dream was recorded with the E Street Band and features 12 new Springsteen compositions plus a bonus track: 'The Wrestler'. . It is the fourth collaboration between Springsteen and Brendan O'Brien, who produced and mixed the album. Springsteen also wrote an eponymous song for Darren Aronofsky's 2008 film The Wrestler. The song, also titled 'The Wrestler' won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. SBME. 2009.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

90 of 114 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Bruce is a genius, but this cd is lousy, January 29, 2009

By 

jhl (VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Working on a Dream (Audio CD)

I read a Springsteen interview once where he noted that his fans don't seem to like his music when he's happy. I thought then - and I think now - that even his serious albums have music that makes me happier than anything else I've ever heard, and I don't mean just Thunder Road or Born to Run, but Open All Night (Dublin Live) or Maria's Bed (Devils & Dust).

So I'm sorry to say that I'm yet another one of those long-time Springsteen fans who's disappointed in this album. The Bruce I love seems to sing directly to the audience, but in this CD, as in Magic, he sounds about 10 miles away, with a lot of noise between us. I have to say I think this album is worse than Magic, however, because there's not a single song that makes you want to get up and rock, and only the Wrestler genuinely touches your emotions. Are we having fun or do we care when we listen to this? When the answer to both is no then the album comes nowhere near Bruce's usual standards. Outlaw Pete is the closest we can get to enjoyment, but Supermarket Queen and Surprise Surprise are so cheesy that I'm embarrassed to listen to them. And the album is unusually unvaried (read: boring), with nearly every song at a similar volume and tempo.

Bruce still has plenty of energy in concert - I saw him last in August when he was outstanding - but he sounds pretty tired here. And, as others have mentioned, the E-Street band might be credited, but I can't hear them. He's always had ups and downs, so we can keep our fingers crossed for Better Days...

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Give the Album a Chance, January 31, 2009

By 

NAFCISUM2000 "WN" (TEXAS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Working on a Dream (Audio CD)

Warning... Avoid this album if:
1) You only enjoy older Springsteen Classics (BTR, Darkness, The River, Nebraska, BITUSA) and haven't enjoyed anything he has put out since 1984!
2) You are expecting a full blown Rock album with the E Street Band

If you're not and can appreciate the diverse styles that Bruce has offered on recent albums such as Devils and Dust and the Seeger Sessions, then you will find another excellent album by the Boss which has depth to it that may not be fully evident on first listen. The writing really is top notch. I appreciate the fact that Springsteen continually is moving forward, trying new styles and not writing the same songs that he did when he was the 25-30 year old who penned Born to Run or Badlands. (Classics yes but three decades ago!) I think thats what seperates him from some of the other "classic" rock artists still making music today.

Standout tracks:
Outlaw Pete (lush orchestration, nice storytelling song)
What Love Can Do (Great Rocker that should be good live)
My Lucky Day (Another Good Rocker)
The Last Carnival (Very nice tribute to Danny Federici)
This Life (Lush, takes a few listens to appreciate, Nice Sax Solo to close the song)
Life Itself

I highly recommend this album as I think it represents the excellence of Springsteen once again.

35 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Like Magic, A Fine Collection Of Songs Butchered In The Studio, January 28, 2009

By 

Samuel Shabrin (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Working on a Dream (Audio CD)

Like Magic, Working On A Dream is a good collection of songs, some stronger than others, but great to hear Springsteen's creative juices are still flowing. Also like Magic, it's too bad the recording is so compressed that it hurts to listen to it. Strangled cymbals, organ that sound like it's being played through a toilet paper roll, background singers that are singing... something- can't make out a melody...

Unlike Magic, I am hoping a 5.1 surround mix is released so I can actually hear and distinguish the drums, organ, guitar, strings, bass, instead of hearing "drumsorganguitarstringsbass".