Thunder Road is one of the great opening numbers, and I have a special place in my heart for it after Nick Hornby's eloquent description of its universality in his book 31 Songs. The idea of escaping the mundanity of everyday existence for something bigger and better is a powerful story. Hornby, unsurprisingly, does a stellar job of encapsulating it, and I recommend you dig the book out if you get a chance.
Other songs worthy of note include Backstreets, which manages to somehow give a nod to each instrument on it, and the utterly divine Jungleland, which is one of the Boss's lyrical high points "The Poets round here don't write nothing at all/ they just stand back and let it all be." The title track is clearly great, and has a bit of everything, in a sonic sense, including what sounds like a rattlesnake.
The summary of the album in the book is accurate - it is overblown, and trying too hard to be epic; it is the playbook for every Bon Jovi album. It takes itself too seriously, and tries to throw too much into 39 minutes. It should be an utter car crash, but somehow it is not. Bruce single-handedly manages to control the thing throughout, through sheer force of will, and so it is an utter triumph. To achieve this level of mastery on your third album is astonishing.
Chloe's album rating: 9
Chloe's favourite track: 1. Thunder road
Olly's album rating: 9
Olly's favourite track: 8. Jungleland
Next week's album is 495. 1999 by Prince.
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