Hi friends, welcome to Peanut Gallery. Every Wednesday here at MusicOlogy, we'll be presenting two classic albums from the same iconic band or artist and asking you... the smart, savvy, blindingly attractive Ology readers... to debate amongst yourselves over which record reigns supreme. Individual songs, concepts, music videos, lyrics, album artwork—everything's on the table here, folks. Give us your best argument in the comments section below. We'll announce the winner at the beginning of next week's Peanut Gallery face-off.
Last Week's Winner:
We pitted Red Hot Chili Peppers' two commercial blockbusters, Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Californication, up against each other in a battle to the... well, not death, but something definitely painful. As always, it was a pretty close match down to the finish, but in the end, Californication beat out Blood Sugar 6-4. That's right: suck it, grandpa! Who was even alive in 1991?!
This Week's Match-Up:
Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run (1975) vs. Born In The U.S.A. (1984).
Bruce Springsteen cemented the classic E Street Band line-up with his 1975 magnum opus Born To Run. A culmination of the themes and characters from his two overlooked previous records, the album boasted a bright, shimmering Phil Spector production and (of course) some of The Boss' all-time best songs. From the tersely dramatic opening of "Thunder Road" through the gangland ballet of "Jungleland," Springsteen poured the entirety of his heart and soul into this record. It sure paid off— the album has sold close to 10 million copies and is rightly remembered as one of the greatest rock 'n' roll records ever recorded.
Classic Songs: "Born To Run," "Thunder Road," "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," "Backstreets" and "Jungleland."
Few artists are lucky enough to land one critical and commercial smash hit, but Springsteen scored another home run with 1984's Born In The U.S.A. The follow-up to his bleak acoustic Nebraska, the album and its lush, radio-friendly, synthesizer-embracing sound tapped into the hopes, fears, ambitions and dreams of Reagan-era America, no more blatantly than on its deceptively-patriotic title track. Boasting a record-tying seven Top 10 singles (and, in a Springsteen first, a handful of classic music videos), Born In The U.S.A. was the best-selling album of 1985 and one of the few pivotal, decade-defining records of the 1980s.
Classic Songs: "Born In The U.S.A.," "Dancing In The Dark," "I'm On Fire," "Cover Me," and "Glory Days."
Okay, ladies and gentlemen... it's in your hands now. Hit up the comments section below and let us know why Born To Run or Born In The U.S.A. deserves to be declared the greatest Bruce Springsteen album of all time. Don't forget to check back next Wednesday! We'll announce the winner along with next week's Peanut Gallery match-up.
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