eMusic Review
Way back in the day, the Boss was what you'd call a "singer/songwriter," and the music industry was on a non-stop search for the "new Dylan." Understand, though, that as singer/songwriters go — or we should say, went — the South Jersey-based Springsteen was different. No sensitive wet noodle, this veteran of several Jersey shore bar bands was as rangy and tough as he was romantic and verbally dexterous. Hence, when Springsteen auditioned in the early ’70s for legendary talent scout and record man John Hammond, who had discovered the old Dylan a decade and change prior, Hammond really did hear something new. And for all the classic rock influences audibly evident on his debut album—Dylan, of course, but the Band and Van Morrison are the more obvious antecedents — the passion and the humor and the crazy imagery of songs such as "For You," "Growin'Up" and the epic "Blinded By the Light" still vibrate with a distinctive energy. David Bowie was impressed — he covered "Growin'Up," for potential inclusion on his Young Americans album. Prog Brits (and longtime Dylanologists themselves) Manfred Mann dug Bruce too—their synth-driven cover of "Blinded" became a US Top 40 hit.
