Customer Reviews

Tunnel Of Love

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

on equal par with "born in the usa" one of my fave springsteen albums.
this album shows a more pronounced romantic side, perhaps to appeal to his feminine fans???
or perhaps because he'd fallen in love?
anyway, "i ain't got you" a totally wicked song, with a great simplistic accoustic sound & poetic lyrics.
"tougher than the rest" (if you're tough enough for love...?) this is one of bruce's best ever songs, totally love it, typically romantic in his gritty edged way, but showing his sensitive soul,
"brilliant disguise" as with other tracks herein, it is a man being totally honest, admitting his failings, his fears & his demons - love him for this!
"tunnel of love" continues the theme, taking a chance on the bumpy (and often scary!) ride that is love........
"when you're alone, such a deeply sensitive song, very beautiful.
this whole album really just sounds like a man totally bearing his soul, being honest & humble. a lot of people could learn from this!

Obviously the majority of the reviews posted here agree with me that this is one of Bruce's finest albums. However, it seems to be one of the more neglected collections in his catalog, even from Bruce himself who rarely plays any of these songs in concert. To me, it's his most cohesive and coherent collections- a concept album without the pretentions that often go along with such. Bruce captures all the aspects of love and relationships, and that's not always a pretty thing. There's the unrealistic idealization of "Ain't Got You", the giddy joy and optimism of "All That Heaven Will Allow", the swagger and cockieness of "Tougher Than the Rest" (a great country song from a non-country artist), the ambiguity of the title song, and the despair and self-doubt of "Brilliant Disguise" and "One Step Up" (Bruce's most beautiful song, rivaled only by "Racing in the Street"), and finally the acceptance and moving on of "When You're Alone". I hope that my marriage never "falls apart when out go the lights", but it's great comfort to know that there's someone who recognizes that love is a strange, tenuous concept and that romance and relationships can bring out both the best and worst times in our lives. That we have Bruce Springsteen putting these ideas into song is truly a gift to any music-lover...

I became a fan of Bruce's music because of his brilliance as a latter-day rock'n'roll singer, exemplified best on his classic album, Born in the USA. I was therefore somewhat doubtful when I learned that this album was very different with none of the hard rocking songs I'd come to expect from him (although some songs get close, notably Spare parts). Nevertheless, there is a lot to like about this album, which reflects the difficulties he was having in his personal life - he was heading for divorce - during the period he was creating this album. As usual, Bruce wrote all the songs by himself.

One of the more upbeat songs here (compared to the rest of the album) is All that heaven will allow, which was later covered by the Mavericks. This song exactly suited their style and I prefer their version although I also enjoy hearing Bruce sing it. Another song that I became familiar with via a cover is Tougher than the rest, a song of defiance in the face of adversity, which has been covered by Emmylou Harris.

The set open with Ain't got you, which Bruce starts singing unaccompanied, although the musicians join in eventually. Spare parts, a tragic tale about a woman who gets pregnant only for her man to desert her, has a driving rock beat to disguise the sadness. Bruce pays tribute to his father in Walk like a man. Most of the other songs are love stories, generally sad.

In its way, this is a great album, but Born in the USA remains my favorite of Bruce's, with The River second. If you are new to Bruce's music, this is not the best starting point - however, it is a fascinating album that shows a different side to him. No self-respecting fan of Bruce's music should overlook this album.

A beautiful record that will stay with you for years to come. So much more than just Brilliant Disguise. One of the rare cds where each song is as strong as the next. So many great songs, stories, music in one record. I highly reccomend this album.

This 1987 release of TUNNEL OF LOVE is more adult contemporary than hard rock unlike his predecessors. Only BRILLIANT DISGUISE was recycled for the GREATEST HITS compilation nearly eight years later. The E Street Band is seldom heard on this album. His not-yet second wife Patti Scialfa provides background vocals on many songs. Most of this album was recorded in the studio of Bruce's New Jersey home. At the time of recording,he was married to actress Julianne Phillips. Other hits from this album include the title track and ONE STEP UP. After this album,Bruce would take a five-year studio break to marry Scialfa and start and raise a family with her.

My Rating - 5.4/5 (For great songs - One Step Up and Valentines Day)

"Tunnel of Love," in some ways, is a transition for Bruce. Some songs echo former songs, but with a slight twist. "Spare Parts" reminds me of songs on "Born in the U.S.A," but without the synthesizer, while "Cautious man" belongs more on "Nebraska." The album as a whole carries on the synthesizers from "Born in the U.S.A." but to a more heartbroken beat, as most of the album deals with the difficulties involved in love and relationships. Bruce will go on to develop this music style in "Streets of Philadelphia," "Secret Garden," and "Nothing Man." Be warned, you will develop a love/hate relationship with these songs. Bruce uses the synthesizers brilliantly in most of the songs, but in some cases the fake music ruins the song.

Highlights -
"Spare Parts" - A great song reminiscent of former Springsteen music, with a new look.
"One step up" - A great song about a relationship on the rocks with someone you really love. The song is good for foot tapping, shaking your head, closing your eyes, staring out over a lake, or walking and thinking.
"Valentines Day" - Overall great song.
"Walk like a man" - A song that will probably strike a chord in every man.
"Two Faces" - See below.

Negatives -
"Tunnel of Love" - Really a good song but the heavy synthesizers in the beginning ruin it.
"Two Faces" - Also a good son featuring a brilliant solo guitar beggining ruined by solo synthesizer ending.

This is an album you never get tired of! I certainly never have. Some of my favorite Bruce songs are on this record, such as Tougher Than the Rest, Tunnel of Love, One Step Up, and Valentine's Day. Try to push all your misconceptions of the "Boss" aside -- that "Born in the USA" bandana-wearing rocker -- and discover the sheer beauty of these songs and what he is trying to convey. I love how Bruce can combine deep, sometimes cynical, introspective lyrics with upbeat melodies like on the title track(another example, Dancing in the Dark), or just blow the listener away with the sparse but intense and sorrowful arrangement on "Cautious Man". There's also the more Bruce-sounding rocker, Spare Parts, the only almost unsentimental track on the album. These songs are just too much. They remind you that everyone has had emotional scars and troubled love, and self-doubts about themselves. Bruce's voice may not have the edge, the raw power, of Born to Run or Darkness on the Edge of Town, but Tunnel of Love gives us the opportunity to hear a soft, bruised-sounding voice full of longing and hope, and to hear this amazing musician at his songwriting best.

One of the most revealing things I remember reading once about Bruce Springsteen is that he's been in therapy for years. I always connect this with this album, which is brilliant. There's a lot of conflict in this record, a lot of tension, a lot of human suffering. It's the rarest possible kind of rock album -- music made by a rock star who actually matured. It's absolutely beautiful -- "Tunnel of Love" is actually heartbreaking and "One Step Up" is a lovely waltz. But throughout it all, there's an awareness of mortality, of failure, of pain, of the fact that even though you're "Bruce Springsteen", whoever that is, you are confused, lost and hurting. This is a really, really good record.

While I am not a major Bruce Sprinsteen fan, I have to say that his "Tunnel Of Love" album struck some chords in my own heart, and in my own life. Springsteen is not afraid to let us into his personal life, and share with us those emotions that are both painful and lonely, yet true to life. Kudos to you Bruce for your bravery. People seem to enjoy various tracks on this album, and its not hard to understand why. If you own a copy of this album, then you have no regrets. If you don't own a copy then you have no excuse.

and that`s Tougher than the Rest. A wonderful song, in my opinion the best Springsteen has written. The lyrics, as simple as they may be is true to life, sweet and lonely. The melody is beautiful and catchy at the same time, it is a gem he never will succeed. My favoritesong from Springsteen(personal opinion).
On to the rest of the record. Laid back, hitless(except for Brilliant Disguise and Tougher than the Rest), and easy, this is a record both to dig in and to relax to. The songs have an accoustic feel to them, like One Step up and Two steps back, who gives it a moody, blue sound. Pretty unlike his other records. There are songs with a more fresh, upbeat feel, like Tunnel of Love, Ain`t got you and Brilliant Disguise, but the rest of the songs, like earlier mentioned One Step up, Walk like a man and Valentine Day makes it a good combination of varied styles combined with consistent songwriting and a knack for melodies.
Put it simply, a great record from the boss.