Maps of Music

The River (1980)

Where the lyrics of The River take you, and where it was really made.

This record began as a single LP called The Ties That Bind, which Springsteen scrapped before release.

Key places

Where the sessions began (1980)

Recording site Power Station Studio — Recording sessions for The River began in March 1979 at the Power Station in New York City. The band recorded mostly live in the studio's large room. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The River: fifth studio album by Bruce Springsteen
• Released as a double album on 17 October 1980 through Columbia Records
• Springsteen's attempt to capture the E Street Band's live sound on record
• Co-produced by Springsteen, manager Jon Landau and bandmate Steven Van Zandt
• Recording sessions lasted 18 months in New York City, March 1979 to August 1980
• Over 50 songs recorded; outtakes released as B-sides or on compilation albums

Background

• Preceded by the Darkness Tour, May 1978 to January 1979
• Springsteen wanted a band album that captured the feel of the band playing on stage
• Originally planned a single LP, The Ties That Bind, for late 1979
• Scrapped the single LP because it did not fit his vision
• Rehearsals in early 1979 at a studio inside his home in Holmdel, New Jersey
• Material drew on Byrds-style harmony vocals and early rock and roll and country records
• Performed the new song The River at the No Nukes concerts in mid-September 1979, then reshaped the album
• Landau proposed making the record a double album in 1980
• By the end of April 1980, 22 tracks had been selected

Recording

• Sessions began in March 1979 at the Power Station in New York City
• Band recorded mostly live, with occasional vocal, guitar or saxophone overdubs
• Bob Clearmountain engineered early sessions; Neil Dorfsman engineered later ones
• Mixing at Clover Studios in Los Angeles by Chuck Plotkin and Toby Scott, reportedly lasting five months
• Mastering by Ken Perry at Capitol Studios in Hollywood

Cover

• Black-and-white close-up photograph of Springsteen by Frank Stefanko
• The photo was an outtake from the Darkness photo sessions, chosen during mixing
• Springsteen's name and the album title are set in blue against a black background
• Cover designed by Jimmy Wachtel

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born September 23, 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey; grew up in Freehold, New Jersey.
• Inspired by Elvis Presley and the Beatles, began playing with local bands in the 1960s, including the Castiles, Steel Mill and the Bruce Springsteen Band.
• Formed the band that became the E Street Band in October 1972; the name came into use in September 1974.
• Signed to Columbia Records in 1972 by John Hammond; debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. released January 1973.

Members

• Performs solo and with the E Street Band, his backing band since 1972.
• Long-time members include Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici, Steven Van Zandt, Roy Bittan, Max Weinberg and Patti Scialfa.
• Clemons died June 18, 2011; Federici died in 2008.

Career

• Born to Run (1975) brought worldwide fame; Born in the U.S.A. (1984) became one of the best-selling albums of all time.
• Won an Academy Award in 1994 for "Streets of Philadelphia"; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.
• Has sold more than 140 million records worldwide; holds 20 Grammy Awards and a Special Tony Award.
• The 2023–2025 tour with the E Street Band was among the highest-grossing tours in history.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics praised the songwriting, the E Street Band's performances and the lyrical evolution
• Others believed Springsteen was recycling old material and lacking creativity
• Robert Palmer of The New York Times said the album could have used trimming
• Ira Robbins of Trouser Press called it a water-treading exercise
• Julie Burchill of NME wrote a very negative review
• Rolling Stone ranked it the year's best album
• It was also voted the second-best album of 1980 in The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop poll, behind the Clash's London Calling

Reappraisal

• In later decades commentators regarded it as one of Springsteen's finest works
• Mark Guarino of The Guardian said it explores the highs and lows of growing pains
• Steven Hyden of Grantland called it the most representative of Springsteen's entire body of work
• Mark Deming of AllMusic found the first half stronger than the second
• Kenneth Partridge of Billboard said it would have been more consistent as a single LP
• Most critics remain divided on its consistency and feel it works as two separate albums

Records

• First Springsteen album to top the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart in the US
• Fastest-selling Springsteen album at the time, 1.6 million US copies by Christmas 1980
• Certified quintuple platinum by the RIAA
• Topped the charts in Canada and Norway; number two in the UK, Netherlands and Sweden
• Number three in France, five in Spain, eight in Australia
• Number 28 in Japan, 31 in Germany, 36 in Switzerland
• Hungry Heart: first US top ten single for Springsteen, number five on the Hot 100
• Best-of lists: Rolling Stone number 250 in 2003 and 253 in 2012; NME number 484
• In 2020 lists of the best albums of 1980: Paste number two, Rolling Stone number eight

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Hungry Heart was first written for the Ramones, but Landau convinced Springsteen to keep it on the album
• The cover photo was an outtake from the Darkness sessions, chosen by Springsteen while mixing The River
• The scrapped single LP The Ties That Bind finally came out in the 2015 expanded box set
• Flo & Eddie, formerly of the Turtles, sang harmony vocals on Hungry Heart
• The 2015 box set The Ties That Bind: The River Collection contains four CDs and three DVDs
• Springsteen debuted The River during the No Nukes concerts in mid-September 1979

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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