Bruce Springsteen - 'Repo Man'
‘Repo Man’ is a country swerve from the Boss; ahead of his UK tour in the North of England as part of a 12 song collection on June 27.
Bruce Springsteen fans are in for a treat this summer with Tracks II: The Lost Albums being 7 full-lengths, and this feels in ode of the spirit of The Ghost of Tom Joad where he was recording at the same time with heavy shadows of that influencing this record and The Line experiencing the socially conscious working man on the road – it’s part of Somewhere North of Nashville and sure to be a hit with the die-hards. It lives and breathes classic Springsteen storytelling ballads, defining the character of the Repo Man and his role on the fringes of society.
The track is short; but loud and abrasive, a return to his rockier days after the quieter Western Stars and Letter to You. Think Chuck Berry by way of the country classics – coming in at 2:55 long, just under three minutes. The life of danger and living month- to-month is summed up in the opening act, the heartland Americana filtering through the sprit of his songs. Much of the core band is here, Denny Federici, Garry Tallent and Gary Mallaber, with Marty Rifkin on pedal steel with fiddle from Soozie Tyrell, it feels like Springsteen’s first time in the studio with a band since Born in the USA. It’s fascinating for any Springsteen head to see the progression in his musical style – “singing ‘Repo Man in the afternoon and ‘The Line’ at night. So the country record got made right along with The Ghost of Tom Joad”, and the dovetail into country now at the same time when pop is awash with its stardom feels like a real success in the making, released at the perfect time to strike while the iron is hot.
Springsteen’s and The E-Street Band The Land of Hope and Dreams Tour has already started in Manchester, England – and the first of 16 dates scheduled this summer makes it what Billboard have described as “the greatest show on Earth”. Having seen him live on the last leg of this tour last year in London; you’d be hard to be disproven otherwise. There’s something about the storytelling magic of Springsteen that feels earnest and honest, regardless of what he’s trying to capture and this abrasive angry spirit is felt loud and clearly through the punctured heart of Repo Man. If the rest of the lost albums, and of Somewhere North of Nashville is anything like this then we’ll be in for a real treat.
Words by Miles Milton-Jefferies
