The Rising (album)

Infobox Album
Name = The Rising
Type = studio
Artist = Bruce Springsteen


Released = July 30, 2002
Recorded = January-March 2002
Genre = Rock
Length = 72:59
Label = Columbia
Producer = Brendan O'Brien
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Aivge4jj75wai link]
*"Blender" Rating|4|5 [http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=1214 link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|5|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/brucespringsteen/albums/album/228557/review/6211275/the_rising link]
Chronology = Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Last album = ""
(2001)
This album = "The Rising"
(2002)
Next album = "The Essential Bruce Springsteen"
(2003)

"The Rising" is the 12th studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 2002. In addition to being Springsteen's first studio album in seven years, it was also his first with the E Street Band in 18 years. It was released as Springsteen's reflections on the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Upon its release, "The Rising" was a critical and commercial success, and hailed as the triumphant return of "The Boss". It garnered a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 2003; although nominated for, and widely favored to take, the Album of the Year award as well, it was bested by Norah Jones' debut album "Come Away with Me". Title song "The Rising" was also a Grammy nominee and recipient.

In 2002, The Rising was one of only two albums to receive Rolling Stone magazine's highest rating - five stars - the other being Beck's "Sea Change".

History

While most of the songs were written after September 11, 2001, a few of them pre-date the attacks. "My City of Ruins" was originally performed in, and written about, Asbury Park, New Jersey. After its performance by Springsteen on the post-September 11 ' telethon, however, the song took on an expanded meaning. "Further On (Up the Road)" was performed live in Madison Square Garden during the summer of 2000 at the end of the Springsteen-E Street Reunion Tour, and was professionally recorded, although it was not included in the HBO, DVD, or CD versions of '. "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" was originally written in the early- or mid-1990s and played in at least one soundcheck during the Reunion Tour, and Springsteen has commented that "Nothing Man" was originally completed in 1994 but re-recorded for this album.

"Mary's Place" is directly inspired by Sam Cooke's "Meet Me at Mary's Place"; "Let's Be Friends" takes musical form from John Mellencamp's "Cherry Bomb" and Mariah Carey's "Dreamlover"; and the gospel-like "My City of Ruins" is reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready".

Helped by a substantial marketing campaign — pre-release promotion was the biggest of Springsteen's career [ [http://weblogs.variety.com/thesetlist/2007/08/springsteens-ma.html The Set List: Springsteen's 'Magic' Sitting Outside Grammy's Window: Might A Back Door Plot Be Devised? ] ] — and the concurrent Rising Tour, "The Rising" went on to become Springsteen's first #1 album on the U.S. pop albums chart since his 1995 "Greatest Hits" album and would go on to sell about 2,100,000 copies in the United States, making it Springsteen's best-selling album of new material since 1987's "Tunnel of Love".

Track listing

All songs were written by Bruce Springsteen.

# "Lonesome Day" – 4:08
# "Into the Fire" – 5:04
# "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" – 4:18
# "Nothing Man" – 4:23
# "Countin' on a Miracle" – 4:44
# "Empty Sky" – 3:34
# "Worlds Apart" – 6:07
# "Let's Be Friends (Skin to Skin)" – 4:21
# "Further On (Up the Road)" – 3:52
# "The Fuse" – 5:37
# "Mary's Place" – 6:03
# "You're Missing" – 5:10
# "The Rising" – 4:50
# "Paradise" – 5:39
# "My City of Ruins" – 5:00

Tour Edition Bonus DVD

#"The Rising" [live, 2002 MTV Video Music Awards performance]
#"Waitin' on a Sunny Day" [live, The Rising Tour, Barcelona, Spain, 2002]
#"Lonesome Day" [music video]
#"Mary's Place" [The Rising Tour, Barcelona, Spain, 2002]
#"Dancing in the Dark" [The Rising Tour, Barcelona, Spain, 2002]

Chart positions

Personnel

The E Street Band

*Bruce Springsteen – lead guitar, vocals, acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, harmonica
*Roy Bittan – keyboards, piano, mellotron, Kurzweil, pump organ, Korg M1, crumar
*Clarence Clemons – saxophone, background vocals
*Danny Federici – Hammond B3, Vox Continental, Farfisa
*Nils Lofgren – electric guitar, Dobro, slide guitar, banjo, background vocals
*Patti Scialfa – vocals, rhythm guitar
*Garry Tallent – bass guitar
*Steven Van Zandt – electric guitar, background vocals, mandolin
*Max Weinberg – drums

Additional musicians

*Soozie Tyrell – violin, background vocals
*Brendan O'Brien – hurdy gurdy, glockenspiel, orchestra bells
*Larry Lemaster – cello
*Jere Flint – cello
*Jane Scarpantoni – cello
*Nashville String Machine
*Asuf Ali Khan and group
*Alliance Singers
*The Miami Horns

References

External links

* [http://www.brucespringsteen.net/albums/rising.html Audio and lyrics]