The Eagles did this as well. Soooo - I didn't buy it. No Brucee either. Walmart exclusive? Sorry. And Bruce really did screw the pooch on this one.

He admitted it. Good.

Why?

His shtick was always about the Walmart culture.

just gave the new album to my BF a few moments ago.

Hey cut the old guy a break. He's in the autumn of his career, nobody listens to his music anymore, he's gotta do something to turn a buck these days. Times is hard.

Springsteen is a Wentz.

/and water is wet

I love the new album, but I wish the E Street Band had more of a presence in the music.

I listen to a song like "So Young and in Love" and compare it to anything off Working on a Dream, and I get a little sad.

"I grew up in Monmouth County, New Jersey, which contains both Springsteen's hometown (Freehold) and his early haunt (Asbury Park), so I can't stand him in the same way that only a New Yorker can really, really hate the Yankees. I'll say this much about the Boss: His output over the past 25 years or so would make even Beethoven nostalgic for the first few albums. Springsteen is in that elite group of rock stars who have objectively sucked two, three, or even four times longer than they were ever any good (are you listening Sting, David Bowie, R.E.M., Patti Smith?). That, and in the video for "Glory Days," he had the worst fake baseball throwing arm since Gary Cooper in Pride of the Yankees. Which is saying something."

- Nick Gillespie

Like him or hate him, at least he admitted that he farked up. The good nuns taught me that "when you mess up, you have to 'fess up". He's now 'fessin'.
The alternative would be for him to say it was not a douchey move, so I give him big time points for accepting the criticism and the responsibility.
Kudos to Bruce.

Somebodys' gonna have to explain to me why Springsteen isn't allowed to earn as much money as anyone else....

I'm currently in the process of "borrowing" this CD from my friends on alt.binaries.sounds.mp3.complete_cd, so I'm getting a kick from these replies.

/I'm Canadian, so it's not illegal. Really.
//I like Bruce, I think his career path is interesting, but the Wal-mart shiat was a head-scratcher.

moparedtn: Somebodys' gonna have to explain to me why Springsteen isn't allowed to earn as much money as anyone else....

Because he sucks beyond comprehension?

moparedtn: Somebodys' gonna have to explain to me why Springsteen isn't allowed to earn as much money as anyone else....

Three years ago, Springsteen released an album of covers by activist folk musician Pete Seeger, called We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions.

From Wikipedia: "In the '50s and, indeed, consistently throughout his life, Seeger continued his support of civil and labor rights, racial equality, international understanding, and anti-militarism ... and he continued to believe that songs could help people achieve these goals."

Wal-mart and labor rights don't mix. For Bruce to release an album of folk protest songs, then two years later to support Wal-mart, raises the hackles of those who like authenticity in their music.

/personally, I think Bruce liked what Mermaid Avenue did to the careers of Wilco and Billy Bragg, and decided to jump on the bandwagon with his Seeger album.
//Bruce is very hit or miss.

I was at a Wal-Mart the day it was released. The aisles were jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive.

It's still available at WM, so I guess he doesn't regret it that much.

To be clear:

It was not Working On A Dream that was released via Wal-Mart. It was a new version of Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band's Greatest Hits.

Bruce should stop kissing so much ass. Most of us are never buying the new cd anyway. We still listen to Born and Darkness only.

We also notice that the hits cd is still on sale at Wal Mart. We don't expect Bruce to refuse to accept any royalty checks, either. It's all feh.

About the cover, it's always hilarious now when Springsteen tries to look like a regular guy. There's probably also a picture with the cd of him inside some rundown house or building somewhere. Like, that's where he lives. Please.

barneyfifesbullet:
About the cover, it's always hilarious now when Springsteen tries to look like a regular guy. There's probably also a picture with the cd of him inside some rundown house or building somewhere. Like, that's where he lives. Please.

Actually, if you look in the actual covers, it's not that way at all. :)

LIAR! How could he not know anything about or heard anything about Walmart before he made this deal? LIAR!!!

I don't get Springsteen. I don't like what I've heard at all.
Anyone have any album suggestions to change my mind?

DontBeSoDigital: I love the new album, but I wish the E Street Band had more of a presence in the music.

That's really my only complaint about the album. It had more of a solo album vibe and sounded more Tunnel of Love-ish than like an E Street album. There were tinges of the trademark sound, but not as pronounced as on Magic. But it does have some great songs.

/didn't buy it at Wal-Mart
//don't buy anything at Wal-Mart

FTFA: 'But the more cynical part of me (who, as it happens, has trouble getting through all of Working on a Dream) can't help but interpret the Wal-Mart fiasco as a bait-and-switch: bite the bullet, appease the label, work with Wal-Mart and then calm the fans with a heartfelt apology in the paper of record. I hope I'm wrong;'

You're not.

I finally realized why my enjoyment of him faded: he hasnt done ANY THING new; his music is this the same old crap and please dont mention The Seegar Sessions - they are nothing but a semi-acoustic version the E Street Band - or Nebraska. It's still overdone or underdone folk.

I also dont buy into anything he sings about any more; the whole 'I'm representing the 'working class'/'little man' is bullshiat coming from a man worth several hundred million dollars.

Add this to his crappy political stances and what do you have?

A fraud.

Will Obama say that's wrong for BRUCE to make so much money?

Somehow I think not.

If I want a folk sound with kickbutt stories, I prefer to stick with my Stan Ridgeway music, thanks.

MikeyistheDevil: Because he sucks beyond comprehension?

I am going to punch you directly in the face.

MikeyistheDevil: moparedtn: Somebodys' gonna have to explain to me why Springsteen isn't allowed to earn as much money as anyone else....

Because he sucks beyond comprehension?

I am going to have to agree with you 100%

Nightmaretony

Re: Stan Ridgeway

One of the most underrated writers and performers in popular (or more accurately, unpopular) music. Stan's awesome. Every album is chock fulla win.

I also don't mind Bruce at all. I could do without some of the stuff that's been run into the ground on the radio, (mainly the "Born In The USA" album) but he's written a lot of great stuff. The fact that his CD was sold at Wal-Mart doesn't change that.

Years ago, I sold that mush-mouth a bag of kaiser rolls at Freedman's Bakery in Fair Haven, NJ. Looked like no shower for about 3 days, everyone in the store fawning over him. What a pantload...but when he left all the customers went with him, which was really nice.

after he got his check.

If I was the head-cheese at Wal-Mart, I would call Springsteen and say this to him: "Bruce, if you want to cancel the deal just say the word. Matter of fact, we would like to cancel the deal with you. Truth be told, Bruce, I think you are an arrogant, self-serving, elitist who hasn't done diddly squat to help people. You run your mouth while Wal-Mart has done more to help people and communities due to hurricanes and other storms than any other private business. You don't like our labor practices? Hell, Bruce, you probably can't spell labor practices. You want to complain about labor practices, why don't you go to Detroit and biatch about their union deals that have ruined the automotive industry? Here's the new deal, Bruce. We don't want to sell any of your music in our stores. Just say the word, and you will be vanquished from our shelves forever."

I don't see the big issue here....He put out a pretty good new disc that is available everywhere & put out a retread greatest hits that his fans won't need since they should already have these songs at Wal-mart. So Wal-mart buys all these copies of old music & doesn't sell many well he sells his new disc all over...Bet "Working on a dream" is a top 5 record on the next chart, if not #1

I hope he also admits he hasn't written a good song in at least 30 years.

Slu: I hope he also admits he hasn't written a good song in at least 30 years ever.

There we go. Now it's accurate.

I wonder if any members of the E Street Band wrote protest songs about their being summarily dismissed and made unemployed by Bruce back in the day.

MikeyistheDevil: Because he sucks beyond comprehension?

Yes.

I love the Springsteen hate. It makes me giggle. Keep on hatin'.

I just hope everyone who biatched about it never sets foot in a big-box store or supports any corporation with shady labor, business or financial practices. If Bruce Springsteen has to walk the walk, every last one of the complainers do, too.

I'm not a Wal-Mart shopper. I'm not a particularly fervent Springsteen fan, either. I do enjoy the new album, though I bought it at Best Buy. (I also never complained about a musician's decision to release his album where he wants to.)

Nightmaretony: If I want a folk sound with kickbutt stories, I prefer to stick with my Stan Ridgeway music, thanks.

I don't know how you managed to shoehorn Stan Ridgeway into a Bruce Springsteen thread, but... good work by you.

I'm not sure where I read this, but someone said that Bruce Springsteen has now achieved the uneviable distinction of sucking for more than twice as long as he was any good. That pretty much sums it up, really. I never cared much for Springsteen, but actively began to hate his music during the Born in the USA epidemic.

STFU and GTFO, Bruce, and take your shiatty music with you.

Springsteen lingers like a bad fart; we lose Hendrix and SRV in the prime of their lives. There ain't no farkin justice in the world.

/John Cougar Humboldt Throatwobbler Mangrove Mellencamp can fark right off too