7. The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle (1973)
If there was ever a way to beat the dreaded second album syndrome that seems to claim so many musicians, then Springsteen's 1973 effort The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle is most definitely something that others can learn from. Whilst his debut effort was a success, it was a quiet one, and one which did not necessarily feature any shining examples of the future greatness in song writing that we'd see from the Boss. This effort, however, was greeted with open arms by the critics, thanks largely to a lessened reliance on folk, and in its place, a heavier soulful presence, something which would ultimately become a trademark of any E Street Band release. Furthermore, the inclusion of songs such as Incident On 57th Street gave the public their earliest taste of the music-for-the-common-people style of writing Springsteen has perfected. In short, it was this album which set the foundations for the future Springsteen and E Street Band method.
