The Bruce Springsteen album that saw The Boss refuse to ‘play by the rules’

An album released by legendary songwriter Bruce Springsteen refused to “play by the rules” according to fans.

The Boss has no shortage of albums challenging the mainstream, from hit albums like Born in the U.S.A. to lesser-known pieces like The Seeger Sessions. But an album from the so-called “lost” period had Springsteen release an album where he was arguably at his very best. Springsteen himself has called The Ghost of Tom Joad, an album some believe to be a defining moment in The Boss’ career, the album where he refused to play by the rules. It’s an album which seems overlooked when compared to the likes of Born to Run and The River, but it’s just as crucial a listen as those hits. While the album would win the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album, it wasn’t something Springsteen had been taking into account during recording.

He said at the time: “I want to make a record where I don’t have to play by the rules… have any hit singles or none of that stuff. I can make whatever kind of music I want to make. I hadn’t done that in a real long time. I guess I wanted to see if I could do it again.”

It isn’t the first or last time Springsteen would rely on softer, acoustic stylings. Nebraska did much the same in 1982, and a decade on from The Ghost of Tom Joad, Springsteen would return to the well of acoustic songs with Devils & Dust.

The album was ultimately not as successful as previous smash hits from The Boss, but he knew this would be the case before recording The Ghost of Tom Joad. He said: “I knew [the album] wouldn’t attract my largest audience. But I was sure the songs on it added up to a reaffirmation of the best of what I do.”

It would be the first Springsteen record in almost two decades to not crack the top ten, though it did reach eleventh in the charts at the time of its release. There’s plenty of praise from fans for other, lesser-known Springsteen projects too. Listeners remain full of love for The Seeger Sessions, an album which, much like The Ghost of Tom Joad, did not have the wider audience in mind.

A post to the r/BruceSpringsteen subreddit reads: “This has to be the least talked about Springsteen album.” On release in 2006, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions received universal praise. Springsteen’s tour to follow, which ran from April 20, 2006 to November 21, 2006, was likewise praised.

The tour would not feature The E Street Band however, with Springsteen opting instead for a collection of musicians who had played with him on The Seeger Sessions album, as well as a rotating guestlist of pianists, banjo players, and vocalists. Fans say The Seeger Sessions: We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions and the live album, Live in Dublin, are must-listens.

One fan wrote: “It’s a gem. The Live in Dublin album is even better. I’d love to see Bruce do another album like this, but of protest songs. Lots of Woody Guthrie, some more Pete Seeger and others. I feel like we need something like that these days.”