The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle

Performer: Bruce Springsteen
Engineer: Louis Lahav; Louis Lahav
Producer: Mike Appel; Jim Cretecos; Mike Appel; Jim Cretecos
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel: Bruce Springsteen (vocals, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, maracas); Bruce Springsteen (recorder); Vini Lopez (vocals, cornet, drums, background vocals); David Sancious (saxophone, soprano saxophone, piano, electric piano, Clavinet, organ, keyboards); Albee Tellone, Al Tellone (baritone saxophone); Garry Tallent (tuba, horns, bass instrument, background vocals); Vincent Lopez (drums, background vocals); Danny Federici (vocals, accordion, piano, organ, keyboards, background vocals); Clarence Clemons (vocals, saxophone, background vocals); Richard Blackwell (congas, percussion). Bruce Springsteen's second album found him at a pivotal point in his development. The most musically expansive record of his career, THE WILD, THE INNOCENT & THE E STREET SHUFFLE found Bruce beginning to find his own sound, moving beyond the Dylan-meets-Van Morrison folk-rock of his debut. Though the signature Spector-on-steroids E Street Band sound wouldn't fall fully into place until the next album, this one sounds like a sudden realization of a universe of musical possibilities. While this is solidly a rock record, there are hints of jazz, blues, soul, Latin music, and more. This would be the only time the cinematic vistas of Springsteen's early lyrics were matched by equally impressionistic music. "Wild Billy's Circus Story" marks the point on wildly divergent career paths when Springsteen and Tom Waits seemed to intersect. "4th of July, Asbury Park" and "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" are unlike anything that had come before them, story-songs full of shifts in tone, dynamics, and mood that are as surprising as they are evocative. Springsteen hadn't yet transformed into the Rock God he'd soon become, but THE WILD, THE INNOCENT... clearly shows him already well on his way.

Rolling Stone (12/11/03, p.128) - Ranked #132 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "E STREET is where Springsteen gets ready for the last laugh."

Bruce Springsteen came out of New Jersey in the early 1970s sounding like a cross between Bob Dylan and early Tom Waits, backed by the rambunctious E Street Band. After toughening up his sound, Springsteen created his 1975 masterpiece, BORN TO RUN, which garnered critical acclaim for its blend of Spectorian grandeur and street poetry. Nine years later, BORN IN THE U.S.A. made him a worldwide superstar with its beefed-up stadium-rock sound. Along the way, he's produced such low-key acoustic-based milestones as NEBRASKA and THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD, never losing the blue-collar ethos that is central to his vision. His 2002 album, THE RISING, is considered one of the finest artistic responses to the 9/11tragedy produced in the event's immediate aftermath.

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