Top Artists – Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen – Born In The U.S.A. – What to Listen For

We would be foolish to make claims for “audiophile quality” sound on Springsteen’s albums — they are what they are. The simple claim we make for our Hot Stampers is that the best of them sound as good as the album can sound, and we back that up with a 100% Money Back guarantee.

If you’re bored by the first chorus of the title song, that’s a bad sign, and that was exactly our experience with most of the pressings that hit the table. When we threw this one on, our mood brightened considerably. Bruce was really screaming, the drums were really pounding, and before we knew it we were rockin’ out and really enjoying the music.

Not many copies have this kind of full, solid lower midrange. When you hear the album this way, without the edgy, thin sound that plagues most pressings, it really works wonders for the music. The vocals and instruments are more real, and the improved low end lets the whole thing rock.

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Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run – Our Shootout Winner from 2010

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For the first time ever on our site, here’s BORN TO RUN available in Hot Stamper form with a very good side one and a side two that’s as good as we ever expect to hear! It shouldn’t be too hard to figure out why we’ve never put up a Hot copy before: most copies of this album sounds just plain awful, a fact that will not surprise any of you who have tried to find a good one.

I wish I could tell you that this record sounded as good as After The Gold Rush or Sgt. Pepper’s, but it just ain’t so. Mindblowing sound is simply not in the cards for this album, I’m sorry to report. The Boss and his crew are known for their great songs, not the sound of their recordings. There are better copies and worse copies of course, but none of them are going to become the kind of record you’d demo your stereo with.

That said, if you’re a fan of this album, I’m betting you’ve never heard it sound this good. We played a ton of copies — White Label Promos, originals, later pressings — and didn’t hear very many that were in the ballpark with this one, particularly on side two.

Side one is super transparent with a punchy bottom end. Springsteen’s vocals sounds JUST RIGHT — textured and breathy with real immediacy. Like nearly every copy we’ve ever heard, the top end isn’t quite what we’d like it to be. Still, the sound was enjoyable enough to earn a grade between A+ and A++.

Side two was much better. In fact, we don’t think you could find one that sounds any better! Compared to the average copy there’s less grit, less edge and more energy. The bottom end is strong and the brass actually sounds good. We gave this side our top grade of A+++ because it did exactly what we needed it to do for this music — it just plain ROCKED.

As I’ve said, the typical pressing is an absolute sonic nightmare. Gritty, grainy, edgy and dull, with recessed vocals and a lightweight bottom end. I was not blown away by even the best copies, but at least I could appreciate the music. I’m pretty sure that’s all we can ask for when it comes to The Boss on vinyl. (more…)

Bruce Springsteen – Darkness on The Edge Of Town

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This KILLER pressing boasts Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound or close to it throughout – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
The piano was solid and weighty, and there’s a fair amount of Tubey Magic considering the troubled history of the project
The background vocals absolutely jump out of the speakers on this copy – track after track, the life and energy get bigger and better
Forget whatever dead-as-a-doornail Heavy Vinyl record they’re making these days – if you want to hear the size and energy of this classic from 1978, this is the only way to go
4 1/2 stars: “Springsteen presented these hard truths in hard rock settings, the tracks paced by powerful drumming and searing guitar solos.”

It’s not easy to find good sound on this record — or any Springsteen album, for that matter — but copies like this prove that this is a MUCH better recording than we ever gave it credit for. It’s a rare pressing that can bring this passionate, emotionally charged music to life, but the open, spacious soundstage and full-bodied tonality here are up to the challenge. (more…)

Bruce Springsteen – The River

A superb pressing of The River with outstanding Double Plus (A++) sound or BETTER on all FOUR sides – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
The best sounding Springsteen album we have ever played – it’s open, spacious, full-bodied, Tubey Magical and rockin’ like no other Springsteen album we know of – go figure!
5 stars: “Springsteen rises to his own challenges as a songwriter, penning a set of tunes that are heartfelt and literate but unpretentious while rocking hard, and the E Street Band were never used to better advantage, capturing the taut, swaggering force of their live shows in the studio with superb accuracy… [Springsteen] rarely made an album as compelling as this, or one that rewards repeat listening as well.”

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Bruce Springsteen – The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle

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An incredible sounding copy and the best to hit the site in many years — Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound throughout
These sides are As Good As It Gets — clean, clear and full-bodied with lots of energy and lovely breathy vocals
Exceptionally quiet vinyl – Mint Minus to Minus Minus Minus – they don’t come quieter in our experience
5 Stars: “He would later make different albums, but he never made a better one. The truth is, The Wild, The Innocent & the E Street Shuffle is one of the greatest albums in the history of rock & roll.”

It’s not easy to find good sound on this record — or any Springsteen album, for that matter — but the better copies prove that this is a perfectly fine recording for what it is. Full and solid, the best pressings have the kind of energy and power to really communicate the passion and excitement of the music. (more…)

Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska

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With two Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) sides, – just shy of our Shootout Winner – we guarantee you’ve never heard Nebraska sound as good as it does here – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
There’s more space, richness, vocal presence, and performance energy on this copy than others we’ve played, but please take the time to read about the recording of the album so you know what to expect from the sound
5 stars: “[A] recording artist’s demos of new songs often come off better than the more polished versions later worked up in a studio. But Bruce Springsteen was the first person to act on that theory, when he opted to release the demo versions of his latest songs, recorded with only acoustic or electric guitar, harmonica, and vocals, as his sixth album, Nebraska”

This famously compromised recording certainly has its limitations, but here is a copy that shows what Bruce recorded on four-track cassette tape in the best possible light. (more…)

Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love

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An incredible sounding copy with both sides earning Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) grades
On the better pressings you get something approaching the warmth and unforced clarity of analog we audiophiles crave
Some of Bruce’s best material is here: the title track and One Step Up are two of our favorites
“Bruce Springsteen followed the most popular album of his career, Born in the U.S.A., with [a] low-key, anguished effort, Tunnel of Love.”

As is the case for the Bob Clearmountain mix of Born in the USA, the sound is not exactly vintage analog at its best, but at least on vinyl you get some warmth and unforced clarity. After all, this is 1987, not 1967 and not even 1977. That said, the copies that earned the better grades were big and rich, with plenty of studio space and nicely present vocals.

Mostly what they do well is that they fill out the sound and take the edge off of it without losing musical information, dynamics or energy. Not many copies managed that feat but this one did. (more…)

Bruce Springsteen – Darkness On The Edge Of Town – Cleaner and Clearer than You Might Think

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More Darkness On The Edge Of Town

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We used to say that Springsteen recordings from this era always suffered from some grit and grain. With the better cleaning technologies we employ now, and dramatically better playback quality as well, much of that gritty, grainy sound is simply no longer a problem. That change and the others like it come under the general heading of Revolutionary Changes in Audio. It’s what real Progress in Audio is all about.

It’s not easy to find good sound on this record — or any Springsteen album, for that matter — but the better copies prove that this is a much better recording than we ever gave it credit for. Full and solid with a big, punchy bottom end, this pressing has the kind of energy and power to really communicate the passion and excitement of the music. (more…)

Bruce Springsteen – Born In The U.S.A.

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An amazing copy with Triple Plus (A+++) sound on the second side and Double Plus (A++) on the first
Big, present and lively, with good weight to the bottom end, this is clearly the right sound for this music
Take our word for it – you’ll have a devil of a time finding a copy that sounds as good as this one
Relatively quiet vinyl, Mint Minus to Mint Minus Minus throughout
5 stars: “… where Springsteen remembered that he was a rock & roll star, which is how a vastly increased public was happy to treat him.”