I started Bruce's discography in November 2019. I graded Bruce's classic albums with asterisks since most of them were not revisited when they were graded. I recommend listening to all his albums up to Tunnel of Love. You can skip around after that.
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973): B+*
Born to Run (1975): A*
Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978): A-*
The River (1980): A-*
Nebraska (1982): A-*
Born in the U.S.A. (1984): A+*
Live 1975-85 (1986): B*
Tunnel of Love (1987): A*
Human Touch (1992): B-
Lucky Town (1992): B-
In Concert/MTV Plugged (1993): B-
The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995): B
Live in New York City (2001): C+
The Rising (2002): B
Devils & Dust (2005): C+
Hammersmith Odeon London ‘75 (2006): B
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006): B-
Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band: Live in Dublin (2007): C
Magic (2007): B
Working on a Dream (2009): B-
The Promise (2010): B
Wrecking Ball (2012): B
High Hopes (2014): B-
The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (2015): B+
Chapter and Verse (2016): C+
Springsteen on Broadway (2018): B+
Western Stars (2019): B
Letter to You (2020): A-
Only the Strong Survive (2022): B
The Rising (2002):
I wish this album were cut down to its best 40 or so minutes, but as it is, it's a respectable album and a decent return to form. B
Devils & Dust (2005):
Close to a B-, but all the good songs are near the beginning, which makes this album more difficult to get through than necessary. Unrelated, check out Bruce's funniest lyric ever "Reno." C+
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006):
Bruce and his country band sound corny too often, but after three listens, you'll be singing "Old Dan Tucker" and "We Shall Overcome" without restraint. B-
Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band: Live in Dublin (2007):
I thought that Bruce's energetic stage persona would help provide some needed "umph" to the session songs, but it turns out he only leans into the corny. C
Working on a Dream (2009):
"Outlaw Pete" is a bit too long and this whole album drags a bit, but it continues the good form of Magic, especially with songs like "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Working On a Dream." B-
The Promise (2010):
Bruce’s revitalization of these Darkness on the Edge of Town outtakes make one of his best albums of his late career. Because the different arrangement of “Racing in the Street” is so good, I wish Bruce added two or three other arrangements or takes of previously released songs throughout the album to help with its flow, especially because this album is so damn long. B
Wrecking Ball (2012):
In many ways, this is the mature version of We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, and not just they both contain "American Land." Here, Bruce nails the sound he went for on We Shall Overcome although the backup vocalists that appear throughout the album muffle the music's effect. B
High Hopes (2014):
"The Ghost of Tom Joad" is quite interesting in Bruce's discography even if Tom Morello is an overall negative for the song. Elsewhere, Bruce does "High Hopes" pretty well and "Dream Baby Dream" is a good closer. B-
The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (2015):
If for whatever reason you weren't sold on Bruce's brilliance as a musician and songwriter, look no further than this double LP of outtakes. The double album The River was already impressive enough, but a double LP of outtakes with songs nearly impressive? 25 outtakes and not a single one is humdrum and they certainly wouldn't have sounded humdrum if included on the 1980 album. "Mr. Outside" sounds like a precursor to Nebraska, "Living on the Edge of the World" encapsulates everything that makes Bruce a fun rock and roller, and "Cindy" shows off Bruce's soulful side. I already admire The River a great deal more and I haven't even re-listened to it yet. Very easily the best outtake album I've ever heard. B+
Chapter and Verse (2016):
This greatest hits album contains six previously unreleased songs, which is what saves this otherwise sorry compilation from a C and also why I listened to it in the first place. The six songs are all from Bruce's very early days, three of them before he was even signed. But while all of these are certainly interesting for fans like myself, I doubt anyone will be playing these on repeat. C+
Springsteen on Broadway (2018):
Well over half of this album is just Bruce talking about himself and his major relationships in life. Springsteen is a master storyteller and the best parts of this album are not when he's singing, although his solo performances are pretty solid. In the process of this two hour performance, Bruce talks about his mom and dad, some of his friends who died in Vietnam, and even discussed the deep sadness he felt after a tree he had known since adolescence was cut down. Sounds crazy but afterwards you'll felt like a horrible person for never mourning the death of a tree. B+
Western Stars (2019):
The strings and acoustic guitar mesh a whole lot better than you might except and Bruce's lyrics are strong as usual. None of these songs are particularly exceptional but none of them are particularly humdrum either. B
Letter to You (2020):
While "If I Was a Priest" and "Song for Orphans" are no doubt two of the strongest cuts, "Janey Needs a Shooter"--the third track that is nearly fifty years old--further proves that much of the magic of Springsteen's first album was the many wordy verses, not a melodramatic chorus which repeats over and over for the last two minutes. Luckily, that's the only major criticism I have for Springsteen, who has just released his best studio album probably since Tunnel of Love. On the opener, he has one of his most vulnerable vocal performances and right after that is a classic E Street rocker "Letter to You." It barely lets the rest of the track-list. A-
Only the Strong Survive (2022):
So much of Springsteen's appeal is his understanding of the workingman. Because this is a covers album, we don't get that although we do get Springsteen's voice in great shape and several obscure soul cuts that are never overstated. I don't believe there's enough here for me to listen to it again in full but the first three songs as well as "When She Was My Girl" are more than worth a few re-listens. They are even good enough to supersede my worry that the album title all too well explains his upsetting comments about his recent high ticket prices. B
