Bruce Springsteen: Ranking His Albums From Worst To Best

3. Nebraska

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLTFZLoUgzc Year Of Release: 1982 Key Tracks: Atlantic City, Open All Night, Highway Patrolman There aren't many artists who would choose to follow up three hit rock/pop albums with a raw, haunting solo acoustic effort, but that's what Springsteen did in 1982 with Nebraska, a sparse album full of stories concerning the plight of blue collar Americans. Springsteen recorded demos for the record on a basic 4-track cassette recorded using only his voice, an acoustic and electric guitar and a few other instruments like his trusty harmonica. Unsure of the results, Springsteen assembled the E Street Band to record a full studio version but decided he liked the demo version better and, after some studio sweetening to remove unwanted noise, that was the version released. The album is dark, bleak even, and unlike anything Springsteen had recorded up until that point. Some accounts state that Springsteen was depressed when he wrote and recorded it. Regardless, the album was a refreshing change of pace and displays Bruce's versatility and ability to explore a wide range of themes. Nebraska was a critical hit, and a hit with other artists, too. Johnny Cash covered two of the album's songs Highway Patrolman and Johnny 99 for his 1993 album named after the latter. If all you've heard are stadium hits like Born to Run and Dancing in the Dark, do yourself a favour and listen to Nebraska today.