Product Details

• Actors: Bruce Springsteen
• Directors: various
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Live, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Sony
• DVD Release Date: September 6, 2005
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000AMWJ16
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,518 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #2 in	Movies & TV > Music Video & Concerts > Series > VH1 Storytellers
  #10 in	Movies & TV > Music Video & Concerts > Artists > Springsteen, Bruce

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
If you'd rather hear Bruce Springsteen talk than sing or play, then this edition of VH-1 Storytellers is for you. That's not just faint praise. While it's obviously his music that has made his marathon concerts legendary, Springsteen is also a gifted raconteur; "storyteller" applies to no one if not to him. That's the case here, as he is effortlessly funny and wise, humble and self-deprecating, yet still the ineffably iconic Boss. Drawing from the full breadth of his immense catalogue, from early faves like "Blinded by the Light" (referring to Manfred Mann's hit version, he muses about how the British group managed to turn "deuce" into "douche") and "Thunder Road" to several tunes from his 2005 album Devils & Dust, Springsteen dissects his songs line by line, explaining how the music fuels, informs, and complements the lyrics. The insights are often fascinating, as is the reminder that he has always had the knack for taking any subject, be it personal or political, and expressing it in the simple poetry of the common man. Nevertheless, it's worth noting that he performs just eight songs, including two on piano, and that the actual music occupies less than forty minutes of this more than two hour show (counting the Q & A session with the fans). So if it's Bruce's music that you want, check out one of his several excellent concerts or video collections. Heck, the man himself seems to recognize that talking about his songs is somehow superfluous when, after going into great detail about the meaning of and motivation behind the Devils & Dust title song, he says, "How much of this was I thinking about when I wrote the song? None of it. How much of it was I feeling? All of it." --Sam Graham

Product Description
Studio: Sony Music Release Date: 09/06/2005

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best way to tell the story is to play the music ..., September 5, 2005

By	Schattenmann - See all my reviews

This DVD is the expanded and re-edited version of a show aired on VH-1 in the US in April 2005. The concept of VH1 storytellers has its problems, as Springsteen admits right at the start of his session: "Tonight, I'm gonna play a few songs and try to give you an idea about where they come from. It's kind of an iffy proposition. Talking about music is like talking about sex. Can you describe it? Are you supposed to?"

8 songs from 6 different albums are featured on this DVD. With most of them, Bruce's explanation consists in going through them again line by line and making some comments. Especially in the later part of the show, it's nice to see him getting carried away. He more or less starts really playing the song again ... Doesn't that indicate that often times, the music really speaks for itself? Or like someone said (possibly Miles Davis): Writing about music is like dancing about art.

For Springsteen fans who have been to some of his shows, particularly on the Tom Joad and D&D tours, many aspects of this show are not much of a surprise. In contradistinction to many other musicians and bands, this is a rock and roll singer who regularly talks to his audience and sometimes at length. And it has been captured on official releases before: just think of the long introduction to The River on Live 1975-85. So, on the one hand, there is not much that is new or surprising. On the other hand: it has all the excitement and joy and human touch that Springsteen fans are used to. So go and get it!

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disarmingly honest and with perceptive insights into human nature, May 6, 2006

By	Rennie Petersen (Copenhagen, Denmark) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Any inclination to put Bruce Springsteen into the mold of being a shallow pop performer is wiped away after watching "Bruce Springsteen - VH1 Storytellers".

"VH1 Storytellers" is a television program where singer-songwriters perform some of their songs and tell about the how and why of each song's creation. One can argue that the program is more for the education and inspiration of budding songwriters than for fans of the artists invited to participate. Still, I'm reviewing this DVD version of "Bruce Springsteen - VH1 Storytellers" as a fan, not as an aspiring songwriter.

In this program Bruce sings eight songs, accompanying himself on guitar or piano. No band. On "Brilliant Disguise" he invites his wife Patti Scialfa to sing backup, but otherwise he is alone on the stage.

Between the songs Bruce tells the story behind each song. This results in about 40 minutes of music and 56 minutes of talk, at least for the PAL version of the DVD. (Timing may be a bit different on the NTSC version.)

Bruce's discussion of his songwriting is very enjoyable, even confidence-inspiring. He comes across as a disarmingly honest person with perceptive insights into human nature. I found myself liking him a lot, much more than I had expected, having my prejudices regarding what show business and success does to people.

For example, Bruce mentions that he wrote up a lot of notes in preparation for this program. He then quips that on reviewing the notes he thought they made him sound very self-centered, and figured that for that purpose he didn't need notes!

And when discussing "Thunder Road", he dissects the line, "I got this guitar and I've learned how to make it talk." His verdict: "Probably the hokiest line I ever wrote - and I've written a few of them, let me tell you!"

Bruce presents both serious songs and fun songs. The serious songs are followed up by serious discussions of personal ideals vs. politics and reality, the influence of religion (his Catholic background) on his songwriting, and the multiple personalities that we each present depending on the situation. All of which I found fascinating - I was impressed by his understanding and his modesty.

Following the main program there is a 16-minute question and answer session. This too was very interesting, with Bruce talking about his feelings and motives as a songwriter. For example, when asked about "Devils and Dust", he mentions that he has a couple of boys who are 14 years old, so a parent's concern about his child going off to war has become relevant for him.

A few final notes about the DVD itself. As mentioned above, for the PAL version the program is 96 minutes and the Q&A session is 16 minutes, for a total of 112 minutes. Subtitles are available in Dutch, French, German, Italian and Spanish, but not, unfortunately, in English.

Highly recommended, even if you're not a Bruce Springsteen fan.

Rennie Petersen

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For TOTAL Bruce Fans -- or Aspiring Songwriters, November 6, 2005

By	Nicholas J. Lester (Park City, Utah) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you love Bruce and go back to the Asbury Park days, you'll love this DVD. Bruce's sense of humor and raw honesty make this so enjoyable for fans. And if you're a musician (or even ex-musician like me) his insights into composing songs are worth the $12.

Bruce took his task of "decoding" his lyrics seriously -- bringing with him a book of notes to which he continually refers. He reminded me of a very hip college professor who is in love with his topic.

The performances themselves are OK, nothing special, but certainly up to Bruce's high standard (in most cases). Sure, he's older (aren't we all?) and it's slightly disappointing to see R&R's most dynamic and honest performer grow slower. So if you can't or don't remember the original Bruce, get one of his earlier DVD performances (but not the Barcelona DVD, it's awful) and definitely pick up "Darkness on the Edge of Town" to get the man at his most powerful. (To really understand the power of his songs and performances get the anniversary edition of Born To Run, which includes a DVD performance of Bruce and the ESB during their first UK tour.)

My daughter knows nothing of early Bruce. She saw this DVD and wondered why so many people love Bruce (yet she loves Dylan's "Unplugged" and Don Henley's "Live", so she has a lot of taste for a 16-year-old). I can see her point. If you don't know Bruce's body of work and can't see this DVD as just a small part of his career, this DVD will disappoint.

But for long-term fans, I highly recommend it.