http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3t9SfrfDZM Springsteen has used production in a lot of different ways throughout his career. On one end, his first two albums were loose, raucous affairs with almost no production to speak of. On another end, "Born in the U.S.A." is arguably the best example of 80s pop and rock and roll maximalism. The dichotomy can be equally well illustrated by looking at "Nebraska," a stark acoustic album that the Boss made in his bedroom (on a four track recorder, no less), and then comparing it to his post-millennial work with Brendan O'Brien. For how many different sonic modes Springsteen has taken throughout his career, it's almost remarkable that he can blend songs from each part of it into cohesive concerts. With all that said, the ultimate Springsteen album both from a songwriting standpoint and a production standpoint is "Born to Run." Any track from that record this authors's pick for the greatest album in music history could earn a spot on this list, from the baroque piano intro of "Backstreets" to the rousing and cinematic saxophone solo on "Jungleland." But arguably the biggest production marvel on the record is the title track, where Bruce and co-producers Mike Appel and Jon Landau channel Phil Spector's legendary "Wall of Sound" production technique into a veritable force of youthful optimism and exuberance. The number of guitar tracks on the song (at least 11) is representative of the dictatorial perfectionism Springsteen exhibited while recording it. Legend has it that he worked his band to exhaustion and frustration to get the sound just right, but in the end, the tireless effort paid off: "Born to Run" is the kind of song that sounds spontaneous and meticulously flawless at the same time, and listeners have responded to its driving anthemic swell during concerts, in cars and everywhere else for generations.
Craig is a Chicago-based freelance writer who like to talk incessantly about music on AbsolutePunk.net. He also does writing for marketing companies to "pay the bills," but his true passion lies with the pop culture sphere.