The River (Bruce Springsteen album)

The River
Studio album by Bruce Springsteen
Released October 17, 1980 (1980-10-17)
Recorded March 1979 – August 1980
Studio The Power Station, New York
Genre Rock, rock and roll, heartland rock
Length 83:47
Label Columbia
Producer Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt
Bruce Springsteen chronology
Darkness on the Edge of Town
(1978)Darkness on the Edge of Town1978		 The River
(1980)		 Nebraska
(1982)Nebraska1982
Singles from The River
  1. "Hungry Heart"
    Released: October 21, 1980
  2. "Fade Away"
    Released: January 22, 1981
  3. "I Wanna Marry You"
    Released: 1981
  4. "Sherry Darling"
    Released: 1981 (UK only)
  5. "The River"/"Independence Day"
    Released: May 1981 (UK only)
  6. "Cadillac Ranch"
    Released: 1981 (UK only)
  7. "Point Blank"
    Released: 1981 (UK only)

The River is the fifth studio album by Bruce Springsteen. It was released on October 17, 1980, by Columbia Records.[1] Springsteen's only double album, The River was produced by Jon Landau, Springsteen and bandmate Steven Van Zandt. The album was Springsteen's first to go #1 on the Billboard 200 and spent four weeks at the top of chart.[2]

Background

The sources of The River go back into earlier parts of Springsteen's recording career. "Independence Day", "Point Blank", "The Ties That Bind", "Ramrod", and "Sherry Darling" were leftovers from his previous album, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and had been featured on the 1978 tour, as had parts of "Drive All Night" as a long interpolation within "Backstreets."[3] "The River" had premiered at the September 1979 Musicians United for Safe Energy concerts, gaining a featured spot in the subsequent documentary No Nukes.[3]

Originally, Springsteen intended The River to be a single set entitled The Ties That Bind and released in late 1979 with 10 tracks.[4] Springsteen added darker material after he'd written the title track. Indeed, The River became noted for its mix of the frivolous next to the solemn. This was intentional, and in contrast to Darkness, for as Springsteen said during an interview, "Rock and roll has always been this joy, this certain happiness that is in its way the most beautiful thing in life. But rock is also about hardness and coldness and being alone ... I finally got to the place where I realized life had paradoxes, a lot of them, and you've got to live with them."[5]

On November 8, 2009, at a concert, Bruce Springsteen spoke about the album, saying: "The River was a record that was sort of the gateway to a lot of my future writing. It was a record we made after Darkness on the Edge of Town. It was a record made during a recession—hard times in the States. Its title song is a song I wrote for my brother-in-law and sister. My brother-in-law was in the construction industry, lost his job and had to struggle very hard back in the late 70s, like so many people are doing today. It was a record where I first started to tackle men and women and families and marriage. There were certain songs on it that led to complete records later on: 'The River' sort of went to the writing on Nebraska, 'Stolen Car' went to the writing on Tunnel of Love. Originally it was a single record. I handed it in with just one record and I took it back because I didn't feel it was big enough. I wanted to capture the themes I had been writing about on Darkness. I wanted to keep those characters with me and at the same time added music that made our live shows so much fun and joy for our audience. So in the end, we're gonna take you down to The River tonight."[6]

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Absolute Punk93%[7]
AllMusic[8]
Chicago Tribune[9]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[10]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[11]
MusicHound Rock5/5[12]
The New Rolling Stone Record Guide (1983)[13]
Q (1989)[14]
Q (1994)[15]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004)[16]

In a contemporary review for Melody Maker, Paolo Hewitt compared listening to The River to "taking a trip through the rock 'n' roll heartland as you've never experienced it. It's a walk down all the streets, all the places, all the people and all the souls that rock has ever visited, excited, cried for and loved."[17] Rolling Stone critic Paul Nelson deemed it "a rock & roll milestone" and said it possesses "weighty conclusions, words to live by" regarding "the second acts of American lives", conclusions "filled with an uncommon common sense and intelligence that could only have come from an exceptionally warmhearted but wary graduate of the street of hard knocks".[18] The River was voted the second best album of 1980 in the Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of American critics nationwide, published by The Village Voice. Robert Christgau, its creator and supervisor, wrote of Springsteen in a column accompanying the poll, "All the standard objections apply--his beat is still clunky, his singing overwrought, his sense of significance shot through with Mazola Oil. But his writing is at a peak, and he's grown into a bitter empathy. These are the wages of young romantic love among those who get paid by the hour. Maybe he's giving forth with so many short fast ones because the circles of frustration and escape seem even more desperate now."[19] In The New Rolling Stone Record Guide (1983), Dave Marsh called The River "by far Springsteen's most mature work, and arguably his most consistent".[13] According to Jon Pareles of The New York Times, The River was the beginning of 1980s heartland rock.[20] In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked it at number 253 on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[21]

"Hungry Heart" was his first U.S. pop singles chart top ten hit single, reaching number five.[22] (Springsteen had not intended the song to be for himself, having initially written it for The Ramones; manager/producer Jon Landau convinced Springsteen to keep the song for himself.) The album hit number one on the U.S. pop albums chart, a first for Springsteen, and sold 1.6 million copies in the U.S. between its release and Christmas.[23] "Fade Away" reached number 20.[22]

The album was followed by a lengthy tour of North America and Western Europe during 1980 and 1981.[24] Since its release, The River has been certified quintuple platinum by the RIAA in the U.S., making it one of his best-selling albums and his highest certified studio release after Born in the U.S.A. and Born to Run.[25]

Track listing

All tracks written by Bruce Springsteen.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."The Ties That Bind"3:34
2."Sherry Darling"4:03
3."Jackson Cage"3:04
4."Two Hearts"2:45
5."Independence Day"4:50
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Hungry Heart"3:19
2."Out in the Street"4:17
3."Crush on You"3:10
4."You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)"2:37
5."I Wanna Marry You"3:30
6."The River"5:01
Side three
No.TitleLength
1."Point Blank"6:06
2."Cadillac Ranch"3:03
3."I'm a Rocker"3:36
4."Fade Away"4:46
5."Stolen Car"3:54
Side four
No.TitleLength
1."Ramrod"4:05
2."The Price You Pay"5:29
3."Drive All Night"8:33
4."Wreck on the Highway"3:54

The Ties That Bind: The River Collection

The Ties That Bind: The River Collection
Box set by Bruce Springsteen
Released December 4, 2015 (2015-12-04)
Recorded The Power Station, New York 1979-1980
Genre Rock, heartland rock
Length 1:54:45
Label Columbia
Producer Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt
Bruce Springsteen chronology
Ippodromo delle Capannelle, Rome 2015
(2015)Ippodromo delle Capannelle, Rome 20152015		 The Ties That Bind: The River Collection
(2015)		 Arizona State University, Tempe 1980
(2015)Arizona State University, Tempe 19802015
Singles from The Ties That Bind: The River Collection
  1. "Meet Me in the City"
    Released: October 16, 2015
  2. "Party Lights"
    Released: November 23, 2015

Springsteen celebrated the 35th anniversary of The River by releasing a boxed set titled The Ties That Bind: The River Collection on December 4, 2015. The set contains 52 tracks on four CDs along with four hours of video on three DVDs or two Blu-ray discs. The first two CDs feature the remastered version of The River and the third CD contains the previously unreleased The River: Single Album. As is noted above, the single album was originally to be titled The Ties That Bind; it circulated as a bootleg for many years. The fourth CD, The River: Outtakes, spans the entire The River sessions in 1979 and 1980 and contains eleven previously-unreleased outtakes. The fifth disc (DVD or Blu-ray) contains a 60-minute documentary, The Ties That Bind, which was produced and directed by filmmaker Thom Zimny and features an interview with Springsteen as he reflects on writing and recording The River. The film transitions between Springsteen telling the stories behind the music—and illustrating them with solo acoustic guitar performances—interspersed with period concert footage and photos. The remaining disc(s) feature Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: The River Tour, Tempe 1980, a new film produced from footage professionally filmed in 1980 using four cameras and recorded in multitrack audio. The film features 23 of 33 songs performed, clocking in at 2 hours, 40 minutes on 2 DVDs (or one Blu-ray), from Springsteen’s November 5, 1980, concert at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. Also included is 20 minutes of footage from the late September 1980 River Tour rehearsals held in Lititz, Pennsylvania. The boxed set also includes a 148-page coffee table book featuring 200 rare or previously unseen photos and memorabilia, including a new essay by Mikal Gilmore.[26]

On October 16, 2015, along with the announcement of the boxed set, "Meet Me in the City", one of the eleven unreleased outtakes, was released through Springsteen's website and on iTunes to promote the release of the boxed set. On November 23, 2015, "Party Lights" was released to promote the box set and made available through iTunes. Much like with The Promise, Springsteen recorded new vocals for some of the outtakes in the set.

Springsteen announced details for The River Tour 2016 on December 4, 2015. The tour began in January 2016 and features a full-album performance of The River at every show, as well as other songs from Springsteen's career. As of the end of the U.S. leg on April 25, 2016, "Meet Me in the City" opened all but one show; the song previously made its live debut when Springsteen and the E Street Band performed on the December 19, 2015, episode of Saturday Night Live.

On December 24, 2015, Springsteen released Arizona State University, Tempe 1980, a free download through the Bruce Springsteen Archives at http://live.brucespringsteen.net. The release contained the ten missing songs from the concert video featured in the boxed set.[27]

Track listing

All tracks written by Bruce Springsteen.

Disc three – Single album
No.TitleLength
1."The Ties That Bind"3:35
2."Cindy"2:25
3."Hungry Heart"3:28
4."Stolen Car"4:30
5."Be True"3:54
6."The River"4:56
7."You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)"2:09
8."The Price You Pay"5:51
9."I Wanna Marry You"3:28
10."Loose Ends"4:04
Disc four – Outtakes
No.TitleLength
1."Meet Me in the City"3:35
2."The Man Who Got Away"3:31
3."Little White Lies"2:39
4."The Time That Never Was"3:39
5."Night Fire"4:44
6."Whitetown"3:23
7."Chain Lightning"2:49
8."Party Lights"3:09
9."Paradise by the "C""3:10
10."Stray Bullet"6:09
11."Mr. Outside" (Demo)2:15
12."Roulette"3:53
13."Restless Nights"3:45
14."Where the Bands Are"3:46
15."Dollhouse"3:33
16."Living on the Edge of the World"4:19
17."Take 'em As They Come"4:30
18."Ricky Wants a Man of Her Own"2:46
19."I Wanna Be With You"3:23
20."Mary Lou"3:23
21."Held Up Without a Gun"1:16
22."From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)"2:42
Unreleased outtakes

Springsteen wrote a large amount of music during album sessions, and even with the 2015 box set, many songs still remain unreleased. Songs such as "Held Up Without a Gun", "Be True", and "Roulette" were featured as B-sides, the first two on the album's singles and the last on a Tunnel of Love single. "Mary Lou", "I Wanna Be with You", "Bring on the Night", "Ricky Wants a Man of Her Own", "Loose Ends", "Dollhouse", "Where the Bands Are", "Living on the Edge of the World", "Restless Nights", "Take 'em as They Come" were released on the Tracks box set with "From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)" on The Essential Bruce Springsteen collection. Prior to the album being recorded, Springsteen had intended to call it The Ties That Bind. Of the songs recorded for that release, most made The River. However, an alternate version of "Stolen Car" was released on Tracks while a rockabilly version of "You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)" and "Cindy" remained officially unreleased until 2015 (though both had been available in bootleg form for some years).[28][29] During The River sessions, Springsteen also recorded "Jole Blon", "Dedication", "Your Love" and "This Little Girl" — songs he would eventually give to Gary U.S. Bonds for two of his albums on which Springsteen produced and appeared on along with other members of the E Street Band. "Janey Needs a Shooter" was also given to Warren Zevon, which he re-worked and recorded.[30]

Personnel

Charts

The Ties That Bind: The River Collection

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[49] 39
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[50] 13
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[51] 92
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[52] 27
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[53] 14
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[54] 27
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[55] 12
Irish Albums (IRMA)[56] 24
Italian Albums (FIMI)[57] 14
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[58] 8
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[59] 22
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[60] 5
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[61] 20
UK Albums (OCC)[62] 49
US Billboard 200[63] 31

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[64] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[65] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[66] 2× Gold 442,400[67]
United Kingdom (BPI)[68] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[69] 5× Platinum 5,000,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen's 'The River' at 35: Classic Track-by-Track Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
  2. ↑ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (17 August 2002). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  3. 1 2 The Words and Music of Bruce Springsteen - Rob Kirkpatrick - Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  4. ↑ Marsh, D. (1981) [1979]. Born to Run. Dell Publishing Co. p. 247. ISBN 0-440-10694-X.
  5. ↑ Dave Marsh (2004). Bruce Springsteen: Two Hearts - The Definitive Biography, 1972-2003. Routledge. p. 228. ISBN 978-0-415-96928-4.
  6. ↑ Transcribed Bruce Springsteen Quotes
  7. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen - The River - Album Review". AbsolutePunk.net. 1980-10-17. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  8. ↑ William Ruhlmann (1980-10-10). "The River - Bruce Springsteen | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  9. ↑ Kot, Greg (August 23, 1992). "The Recorded History of Springsteen". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  10. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1990). "Bruce Springsteen: The River". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. p. 381. ISBN 067973015X. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  11. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Bruce Springsteen". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0857125958.
  12. ↑ Graff, Gary (1996). "Bruce Springsteen". In Graff, Gary. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. ISBN 0787610372.
  13. 1 2 Marsh, Dave (1983). "Bruce Springsteen". In Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John. The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. Random House/Rolling Stone Press. p. 483. ISBN 0394721071.
  14. ↑ Williams, Richard (December 1989). "All or Nothing: The Springsteen back catalogue". Q. p. 149.
  15. ↑ "Review". Q. December 1994. p. 170. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  16. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Bruce Springsteen". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. London: Fireside. pp. 771–773. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Portions posted at "Bruce Springsteen > Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  17. ↑ Paolo Hewitt (1980-10-11). "Bruce Springsteen: The River (CBS) . By Paolo Hewitt : Articles, reviews and interviews from Rock's Backpages". Rocksbackpages.com. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  18. ↑ Nelson, Paul (December 11, 1980). "Bruce Springsteen The River > Album Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  19. ↑ Christgau, Robert (February 9, 1981). "The Year of the Lollapalooza". The Village Voice. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  20. ↑ Pareles, Jon (August 30, 1987). "Heartland Rock: Bruce's Children". The New York Times. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  21. ↑ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  22. 1 2 "Bruce Springsteen - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  23. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  24. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen The River Tour Song Count". Stoneponylondon.net. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  25. ↑ "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - January 29, 2014". RIAA. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  26. ↑ "‘The Ties That Bind: The River Collection’ 4CD/3DVD Box Set Out Now! - The Official Bruce Springsteen Website". Brucespringsteen.net. 2015-12-04. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
  27. ↑ "Download Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band November 5, 1980, ASU Activity Center, Tempe, AZ MP3 and FLAC". Live.brucespringsteen.net. 1980-11-05. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
  28. ↑ Greene, Andy (August 16, 2013). "15 Insanely Great Bruce Springsteen Songs You've Never Heard". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  29. ↑ WorkingClassBoss (September 29, 2009). "Bruce Springsteen - You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch) (Rockabilly Version)". YouTube. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  30. ↑ Archived July 24, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  31. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  32. ↑ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2012-04-04
  33. ↑ "dutchcharts.nl Bruce Springsteen – The River" (ASP). Hung Medien. MegaCharts. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  34. ↑ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2012-04-04.Note: user must select 'Bruce SPRINGSTEEN' from drop-down
  35. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  36. ↑ "charts.org.nz Bruce Springsteen – The River" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  37. ↑ "norwegiancharts.com Bruce Springsteen – The River" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  38. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  39. ↑ "swedishcharts.com Bruce Springsteen – The River" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  40. ↑ "hitparade.ch Bruce Springsteen – The River" (ASP) (in German). Retrieved 2016-08-10.
  41. ↑ "Chart Stats: Bruce Springsteen – The River" (PHP). UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  42. ↑ "allmusic ((( The River > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  43. ↑ "Album Search: Bruce Springsteen – The River" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
  44. ↑ "Top 100 Albums". RPM. 1980-12-20. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  45. ↑ "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1980" (ASP) (in Dutch). Retrieved 2014-05-01.
  46. ↑ "Les Albums (CD) de 1980 par InfoDisc" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  47. ↑ "Top 100 Albums of 1981". RPM. 1981-12-26. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  48. ↑ "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1981" (ASP) (in Dutch). Retrieved 2014-05-01.
  49. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Bruce Springsteen – The Ties That Bind - The River Collection" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  50. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Bruce Springsteen – The Ties That Bind - The River Collection" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  51. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Bruce Springsteen – The Ties That Bind - The River Collection" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  52. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – The Ties That Bind - The River Collection". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  53. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bruce Springsteen – The Ties That Bind - The River Collection" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  54. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen: The Ties That Bind: The River Collection" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  55. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". Offiziellecharts.de. 1978-09-19. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
  56. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 50, 2015". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  57. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – The Ties That Bind - The River Collection". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  58. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – The Ties That Bind - The River Collection". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  59. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – The Ties That Bind - The River Collection". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  60. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – The Ties That Bind - The River Collection". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  61. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – The Ties That Bind - The River Collection". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  62. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  63. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Bruce Springsteen. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  64. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  65. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – The River". Music Canada. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  66. ↑ "French album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – The River" (in French). InfoDisc. Select BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and click OK
  67. ↑ "Les Albums Or". infodisc.fr (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  68. ↑ "British album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – The River". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2012-04-04. Enter The River in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  69. ↑ "American album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – The River". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2012-04-04. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
Preceded by
Guilty by Barbra Streisand		 Billboard 200 number-one album
November 8 - December 5, 1980 		Succeeded by
Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits by Kenny Rogers
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