It was make or break time for Bruce when this third album was released; fortunately, he delivered an album that established him as the voice of a generation and one of the strongest acts in American rock and roll. Born To Run joined together Bruce’s evocative lyrical gifts, grandiose arrangements that recalled Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, and the shaggy jam-band prowess of this live ensemble, The E Street Band (now featuring the talents of additional pianist Roy Bittan, drummer Max Weinberg and Springsteen’s longtime music partner Steve Van Zandt). The result: an album that almost immediately became a Top 5 smash, earning Springsteen cover stories in Time and Newsweek in the same week and resting atop scores of greatest albums of all time lists, from Rolling Stone to VH1.
In November 2014, Columbia Records / Legacy Recordings released ‘Bruce Springsteen: The Album Collection Vol. 1 1973–1984,’ a boxed set comprised of remastered editions of the first seven albums recorded and released by Bruce Springsteen for Columbia Records between 1973 and 1984. Now these 7 titles are available individually on CD, and feature artwork true to the original packaging.
Acclaimed engineer Bob Ludwig, working with Springsteen and longtime engineer Toby Scott, has remastered these albums, all newly transferred from the original analogue masters with the Plangent Process playback system.