I made a strange discovery yesterday. Without knowing anything about it, without having ever heard of it, I started listening to a Bruce Springsteen album called \u201cBefore the Fame\u201d.<\/p>\n
At first it seemed interesting. It sounded like the voice of The Boss from his earliest days, and in one of those first songs I thought I heard a whiff of \u201cThe Angel\u201d, my favorite stroke of Springsteenian dystopia from \u201cGreetings From Asbury Park.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite that glimmer of recognition the songs sounded strange. Springsteen has certainly had some dud songs along the way but this stuff was different. By the third or fourth song I said right outloud: \u201cThis stuff is horrible.\u201d Bruce sounded sick. None of the songs seemed to make any sense. It actually made me nauseous. Bad music has that effect on me.<\/p>\n
I was relieved to find that my judgment was not impaired. This review by Matt Springer at PopCulture.com summarizes everything I had to say about these songs, though his comments are better informed. I never got past listening to the first four or five tracks but he seems to have given time to hear out the complete 2-CD set.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore the Fame\u201d comprises 20 early demo songs which Springsteen did not want released to the public. The songs were recorded early in his career. They sound like warm-ups for the finished songs to come. The effluvial lyrics and music seldom seem to go anywhere. It shows how messed up the music industry can be when an artist has no control over release of his own material. Listening to this stuff I honestly felt bad for the guy. It\u2019s like his singing-in-the-shower-while-drunk tapes got released.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Bruce\u2019s career has been established for enough decades now that his reputation can withstand such a morbid footnote. You could even say that it supplements and improves his stature, giving some from-the-ground-up material for die-hard fanatics to dig into. I am not enough of a Springsteen fan to fall into that camp but I can understand where that enthusiasm would emerge.<\/p>\n
I have heard that in a vault somewhere exists hours of recordings of pianist Vladimir Horowitz playing like a pig. Those recordings (if they really exist) will likely never be released, and that is as it should be.<\/p>\n
Certain recordings of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji playing his own music have been similarly described as unworthy of general release, and potentially detrimental to the composer\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n
Piano roll recordings of Scott Joplin (notwithstanding the fact that their very authenticity has been questioned) were long ago dismissed as morbid relics.<\/p>\n
Just because a famous performer drops a few songs onto a recording does not make them precious jewels, no matter how famous or influential the artist.<\/p>\n
At best these unreleasable tracks foster an appreciation for just how much unheard work goes in to the creation of a single song or record.<\/p>\n
Once I realized that \u201cBefore the Fame\u201d was released against the performer\u2019s wishes I put it away. No one needs to hear that stuff.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n\n