Bruce Springsteen: The torment and triumph of Born In The USA

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All I really seem to do lately is lament how quickly time has passed and is passing. How can it possibly be 40 years since Bruce Springsteen released his mid-80s masterpiece and global smash hit album Born In The U.S.A?

But it is, and I wonder whether Bruce realised at the time of its release that some four decades on he’d still be touring the stadia of the world and delivering some of its songs.

While I know his setlist is always an infinitely malleable thing, when I saw him in Cardiff back in May of this year he played five of the dozen songs from the album. I wonder how many will make the cut when Springsteen returns to the UK later in July?

In this issue, to celebrate the album’s 40th birthday, we asked Warren Zanes to look at how Springsteen put together Born In The U.S.A., and how it is intrinsically linked to the bare-bones Nebraska, an album with which (on the surface and sonically, at least) you’d think it has little in common.

Until next month,

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Features

Bruce Springsteen
Forty years on, we look at how he made the album that elevated him from star to global superstar: Born In The U.S.A.

Q&A: Suzi Quatro
The glam icon on not resting on her laurels, paving the way for other women in rock, social media, age, working hard.

Orange Goblin
With their frontman now slimmed down and sobered up, their new album is similarly fat-free and muscular.

Blues Pills
Ten years and four albums in, they’ve ditched the self-imposed constraints and made exactly the record they wanted.

Deep Purple
With a new guitarist and a new album, one of rock’s last great survivors look likely to be around for some time yet.

Canned Heat
Drummer Fito de la Parra has survived the deaths of all his original bandmates, and keeps the flame burning.

Regulars

The Stories Behind The Songs: Dio
A song begun by Ronnie Dio when he was fronting Black Sabbath and completed after he’d been fired, it transformed his career and became one of the classic metal tracks of the 80s.

The Classic Rock Interview: Fish
As he prepares to quit music, the solo artists and former Marillion frontman looks back over an extraordinary life.

The Gospel According To: Duff McKagan
Addiction can be beaten. Understand money. Put your partner first. Don’t hold grudges. Clothes maketh the man. These are among the things that shape his world view.

Record Store Challenge: Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown
What Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown spent ￡50 on.

Ever Meet Lemmy?: Clem Burke
He’s been star-struck at dinner with Dylan, was a Ramone, been treated like royalty when touring with Nancy Sinatra, reckons Debbie Harry “is as talented as Bowie”, got hot dogs and advice from Jerry Nolan, played with Pete Townshend, Iggy Pop and many others…. He’s Blondie drummer and more Clem Burke, and these are some of his stories.

Reviews
New albums from Mr. Big, Blues Pills, Orange Goblin, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Tim Bowness, Big Special, Hammerfall, March Violets, Linda Thompson and more. Reissues from Van Halen, John Cale, The Police, Jethro Tull, Beastie Boys, Spooky Tooth, Bad Brains, War, Jack Bruce and more. DVDs, films and books on Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, Big Big Train, The Beach Boys and more. Live reviews of Rock In Rio, Jane’s Addiction, Scorpions, Extreme, Bruce Dickinson, The Wildhearts, Robin Trower, These Wicked River, Eagles and more.

Buyer’s Guide: Toto
A group of talented musicians with a bunch of tracks among the top of the AOR pops, they’re among the genre’s big boys.

Lives
We preview tours by Journey and Opeth. Plus gig listings – who’s playing where and when.

The Soundtrack Of My Life: Gene Simmons
Kiss’s bassist, fire-breather and Beast Gene Simmons on the records, artists and gigs that are of lasting significance to him.

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