Gary "US" Bonds: On The Line - 1982


 

To be honest, despite the presence of seven Springsteen compositions and one Steve Van Zandt track, this is a bit of a patchy, underwhelming album. 

The previous one is the better one. The standout tracks are Out Of Work, the soulful Club Soul City, the uplifting, muscular soul of The Box Tops' Soul Deep and the fairground rock of Angelyne. Springsteen's Rendezvous is competent enough, but was done better by him, performed live on his Tracks box set. 

The opener, Hold On (To What You Got) is ok, as is Van Zandt's heartbreaker, Last Time. However, Bring Her Back, All I Need and Love's On The Line are certainly nothing special. 

Turn The Music Down is a bit of an embarrassment, it has to be said. One can't help but feel, however, that these are a bunch of Springsteen rejected songs. There were to be no more albums, either, so the venture had run its course.

Secondary, 4 of 14

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