Our postie usually turns up early on a Saturday so when there was no sign by 11.30am we thought our luck was out. The temptation to stand and stare out the window all morning was hard to resist but in the end I settled for sticking my head out the front door at regular intervals. Then just as we had given up hope Mike shouted that the postman was on his way- spotted coming down the street just as Mike glanced through the bedroom window. We can always count on Badlands for what they describe as 'prompt' dispatch - our postal system isn't always so reliable.
I'd felt really disappointed when I thought I'd missed out - more upset than is strictly normal - after all it's only a CD and I had no more than a couple of extra days to wait. Mike opened the envelope just to be certain of the contents - you can never be too careful you know - and there it was: Wrecking Ball in all its glory. I was elated but soon knocked down to size when I realised I hadn't bought the 'deluxe' edition. What's that all about anyway? It really burst my bubble for a while. I had to give myself a good talking to about getting overwrought about a CD.
Anyway it's off to HMV to buy the release including the bonus tracks and a stroke of good luck for my brother who will get the non- deluxe copy.
True to my plan I waited until evening to play the CD. Actually Leeds United were responsible for making us wait for longer than we might have done as their match was being shown live on TV and it's our local team. Mike is Leeds born and bred so he has always been a supporter. I've just adopted them since I came to live here.
Anyway I digress. We settled down with a glass of red each. This really was my first listen. I had managed to avoid all the leaks. Mike, though, had been playing our unofficial copy (minus track 8 because it wouldn't burn) for two weeks in the car.
I had no problem with his choice to listen in advance of the official release but my excitement was diluted because he wasn't hearing it for the first time with me. I've found out it's no fun being excited on your own! I'm sure, if the opportunity arises again, I will grab the chance to hear anything at the same time as Mike and my Bruce buddies so I can enthuse along with them.
I'm no music critic - I know what I like and know what I don't like. I can change my mind and even be persuaded that something is good when originally I wasn't keen. I don't play a musical instrument except for a few chords on the guitar and I barely know a viola from a violin or a trumpet from a french horn. Bruce's ambiguous lyrics often go over my head until someone explains them to me and even then I'm not always sure I get it. What I am telling you here is that I am not qualified in any way to review the album.
I haven't listened enough to pick out a favourite track. I think they are all very, very good. I get the impression that Jack of All Trades is a stand out for many people, and interestingly in this track by track Telegraph review, which I mentioned last week this seems to be one of their least favourite tracks. Shows that a critic doesn't necessarily reflect popular opinion.
My favourite review is this short and sharp paragraph in 'Shortlist'
Springsteen returns, angrier than ever, with an album that seethes about the 'vultures' who caused the economic downturn. Echoes of Nebraska are evident on tracks such as the folk-infused Jack Of All Trades. Though as the album progresses (and the message turns to hope) unfamiliar hip-hop influences soak in. But it's still unmistakably Springsteen.
It's that last sentence that really rings true. Nearly every album Bruce releases is different from the last. If any of us are expecting Born to Run 2 or another Tunnel of Love we aren't going to get it. Whatever he does, though, it will be, indeed, unmistakably Bruce.
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