My Greatest 100 (or so) Albums...

The Wild, The Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (Columbia, 1973) Bruce Springsteen. This record reminds me of For A Few Dollars More, because it is legitimately great, but has often been seen as a transitional work. This was Bruce's second album and was clearly and strongly influenced by what Van Morrison had been doing in terms of writing, song length and band composition. Still, what Bruce did was different and equally magnificent. Here's the track list:

"The E Street Shuffle" – 4:31
"4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" – 5:36
"Kitty's Back" – 7:09
"Wild Billy's Circus Story" – 4:47
"Incident on 57th Street" – 7:45
"Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" – 7:04
"New York City Serenade" – 9:55

Notice there are only 7 songs, and all of them are over the radio friendly limit. Still, 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy), Kitty's Back, Incident on 57th Street, Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) and New York City Serenade, are among my favorite songs, and give this disc and incredible slugging percentage. Bruce was already great here, but the world at large wouldn't realize it for two more years...