10 Best Bruce Springsteen Albums

When it came to deciding Bruce Springsteen’s number one greatest album, there’s a case to be made for seven or eight of his 19 studio releases. But 1980’s The River – a double album consisting of 20 songs, pared down from a whopping 50 recorded during the sessions – is peerless in scope. Springsteen had previously spoken of his maturation process in the writing of 1975’s Born To Run, but on this his fifth studio release, the complexity of Springsteen’s penmanship scaled new heights. "I finally got to the place where I realized life had paradoxes, a lot of them, and you've got to live with them," he said.

As a result, half of the record comprises of life-affirming, rock and roll revivalist anthems: The Ties That Bind, Sherry Darling, Out In The Street and others, with the bouncy Hungry Heart going on to be his breakthrough hit in the US Singles market. On the other hand, tracks such as The River, Drive All Night and Wreck On The Highway are harrowing character-led portrayals that cut deep into the heartland of working class America. Another standout track, Fade Away, a favourite of Steven Van Zandt’s but not of Springsteen himself, is as straightforward a love song as he had ever conjured up to that point. But despite its simplicity, this wonderfully aching song is no less arresting.

From the very beginning, Springsteen has strived to make each of his albums a journey. The River marks the apotheosis of this ambition.