Bruce Springsteen: Album by Album

by Ryan White, Peter Ames Carlin (Introduction)

With in-depth explorations of 17 studio albums spanning over 40 years of music history, Springsteen is the definitive book on "The Boss." Bruce Springsteen stands astride the rock 'n' roll stage like a colossus. Renowned for his passionate songwriting, galvanizing live shows, and political activism, the iconic rocker shows no signs of slowing down. Richly photographed, and featuring brilliant writing by one of America's top music critics as well as a foreword by Peter Ames Carlin (author of the bestselling biography Bruce), this is a must-have for Springsteen's millions of fans. 

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Twice named one of the top writers in the country by the Society for Features Journalism, Ryan White spent nearly 16 years at the Oregonian covering sports, music, and culture. He's appeared on the public radio variety show Live Wire! as both an interviewer and an essayist. He has also written for Sports Illustrated, the Wall Street Journal, the Dallas Morning News, the Washington Post, the Portland Mercury, and Portland Monthly magazine. A perfectly Ok beer league hockey player, he lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife and daughter.

Reviews

[Jamie Lyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only is this a beautiful "coffee table" book filled with truly amazing photographs, the actual book itself is very well written and insightful. The die-hard Springsteen fan may not learn a lot from this book, but as a career overview it is excellent.

[Vee · Rating 3 out of 5]

not enough bruce springsteen information and trivia. we need to go deeper. but interesting how it showcases american history through the bruce-lens.

[Max Washington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Fascinating insight and info on The Boss's great albums.

[Larry Jarocki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit uneven, but still a good read if you're a fan. The album by album review favors the late 70s and 80s releases, with the rest getting less attention. Each song get a line or three, making this useful and interesting only for those who've done the listening. It will make you nostalgic for the music, but only if you've already soaked in it. A fans-only affair, but one I'm glad I went through.

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 / 5.0

Nice Narrative analyzes inspiration and focus behind each Album. Timeline is rather detached from Short Narrative and not much regarding Bio. Nice Pictures.

[Giacomo Rivolta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must have

[Freddie Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good chronological explanation of Springsteen's career. An enjoyable and easy read, with a load of really cool images from the 70s all the way to the 2010s.

[J.J. Lair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this on sale, which is a good way to get this. There are some good pictures, some good quotes, but not much new information. I did learn that Springsteen was on a Lou Reed album and I looked up some of the guest appearances on ITunes. The author gives the inspiration for some songs or shows similarities between songs. It made me go look these songs up or re-listen to them.
There's no analysis or in depth story about any album or tour. It was more of a listing. The book does start strong with story, but slows down. There is some interesting forming the band stories, but by the end, it's just a listing.
It was a good quick read, not for a deep fan.

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautiful coffee table book brings the reader on a journey through Springsteen's discography from Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973) to High Hopes (2014). The writing is quite insinghtful and gives clues as to how to interpret the songs from each album, and the photos are amazing. For those who would like to know more about the man rather than the musician, I would recommend Bruce. Long live the Boss!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a huge fan since 1975 so to experience this book was indeed a treat! A beautiful volume packed full of quotes, images of and insights from Bruce Springsteen, The E-Street Band, and those associated with him. Each chapter goes deep into the making of each of his 18 studio albums & discusses each track. I will go back and revisit this book many times as I sit listening to the music that relates to each chapter. A marvellous experience!

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal!

[Dianne J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of the stories in the book were familiar to me but even more of the photos weren't. Loved all the photos and the way the books is laid out.

[Hugh Mulligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

reread again 04/07/18 in version bought in Portland

[Meredith Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed. Amazing photos.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some new (for me) photos and stories. Like many recent Springsteen books, though, it provides so much info on the early stuff but lacks info on and moves hastily through the later stuff.

[Pat Fallon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great text / great pictures . Perfect coffee table book

[Theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great look at Springsteen's albums.
Every chapter made that album play in my mind and made me long to listen. Layout is well done with gorgeous photography.