Born to Run: The Unseen Photos

by Eric Meola (Photographer)

"It is a magnificent album that pays off on every bet ever placed on him—and it should crack his future wide open." - Rolling Stone , on the 1975 release of Bruce Springsteen’s album Born To Run.
Photographer Eric Meola was hired thirty years ago to do a photo shoot which resulted in the iconic rock n’ roll album Born to Run . This magnificent book recreates that photography session, contains all of Bruce’s lyrics, and includes an introduction by distinguished popular music writer Daniel Wolff.
Bruce Springsteen is one of the most important songwriters and performers of the last three decades. Born to Run is the album that put Bruce Springsteen on the cover of both Newsweek and Time . It is a timeless snapshot of Americana—all sweaty, high energy, and tuned to a carnival-like level. For many critics of the day, Born to Run made Springsteen the most important artist of his generation. It was this album that Springsteen’s songs first portrayed a glorious yet very real side of the American Dream.
In this book, Eric Meola shares the photographic alternates and outtakes, most for the very first time, in stunning black- and-white quadratones, more than thirty years after the album’s release. In addition to the many never-before –seen photographs, here for the first time and in one place are all of the lyrics from this iconic American album.

Genres: Music, Photography

88 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a large "coffee table" book for the Rock and Roll enthusiast.
It is the outtakes, the unused shots of the "Born to Run" album cover photo shoot.
The professional photographer Eric Meola was called upon to shoot the photos.
This was made easier as Eric was already friends with the young Springsteen.
The result was one of the most iconic Album covers in the history of Rock and Roll, quite fitting for the great music just produced that would be cut onto vinyl and put into the cover sleeve.
Neither Meola or the Boss got to pick the cover shot. That duty went to Columbia Records art director John Berg. He came down to the studio, sifted through the photos and came up on the shot of Bruce Springsteen and Clarence Clemons back to back on a fold out cover shot. It was a nice pick.
In 2011 a "Rolling Stone Magazine " Readers poll voted it the 8th best rock album cover of all time.
As a bonus, this book contains the lyrics to all the songs on the album

[Maryann · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Still, on the small club stage, the show was mostly Bruce. He jumped up on the speakers, threw himself into the audience, crawled amongst the other band members, rasping and pleading for the music to give up its meaning."

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first concert I ever saw was Springsteen, on the Born To Run tour. I thought everybody played for 3 hours. This is a great set of photos, along with some fannish text. From these photos came the album cover. Back when we had album covers big enough to see.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous pictures. I've always loved this album cover, and there's a wonderful essay included here that makes you take a much deeper look at what's going on, what's being said, in a deceptively simple photograph. Bruce channels Brando, Dean, Presley, and Pacino circa Serpico.

[Margot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice photos for an album cover... Some lyrics about girls who just really aren't that exciting, maybe more confusing than anything else, but are around... The photos are more about two men enjoying their musical presence... Just as is described.

[Cvplummer · Rating 3 out of 5]

you may think that a picture is worth a thousand words.. but... actually, a picture is worth a thousand rejects.. who would have thought that tons and tons of pictures were taken for the born to run album cover, and that one that we all know was just one from many pictures.. I like to look through this and imagine what it would be like if whatever picture I am looking at was chosen instead..

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A definitive look at the photo shoot for Born To Run, The additional photos let you see what Bruce was trying to get at and why the actual album cover works so well.