Maps of Music

Western Stars (2019)

Where the lyrics of Western Stars take you, and where it was really made.

The album was built as a return to Springsteen's solo recordings, yet the studio sessions were spread across several studios in New York and Los Angeles, and the record was later extended into a film.

Key places

Ocean Studios, Burbank (2019)

Recording site Ocean Studios (Burbank) — Ocean Studios in Burbank is listed among the studios where Western Stars was recorded. The point is placed at the studio's building coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Sage and Sound, Hollywood (2019)

Recording site Sage and Sound (Hollywood) — Sage and Sound in Hollywood is listed among the studios used for recording Western Stars. The point is placed at the studio's building coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Stone Hill, Colts Neck (2019)

Recording site Stone Hill (Springsteen's home recording studio) — Stone Hill in Colts Neck, New Jersey is listed among the recording locations of Western Stars. The point is placed at the studio's building coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Power Station at BerkleeNYC (2019)

Recording site Power Station Studio — The Power Station at BerkleeNYC in New York is recorded as a recording location for Western Stars. The point is set at the city-level grade because the building position is not confirmed. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Very Loud House, Woodland Hills (2019)

Recording site Very Loud House (Woodland Hills) — Very Loud House in Woodland Hills, California is listed as a recording location for Western Stars. The point is placed at the city center because the exact building position is not given. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Avatar Recording Studios, New York City (2019)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — Avatar Recording Studios in New York City is listed as a recording location for Western Stars. The point is placed at the city center because the exact building position is not given. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Western Stars: nineteenth studio album by Bruce Springsteen
• Released June 14, 2019 by Columbia Records
• Produced by Ron Aniello, who had also worked with Springsteen on Wrecking Ball (2012) and High Hopes (2014)
• Chart success in the United States and abroad
• Became Springsteen's 20th top-10 album in the United States
• A full performance of the album was filmed and released by Warner Bros. Pictures

Background

• Springsteen said in April 2019 that the album was influenced by 1970s Southern California pop music
• Artists named as influences include Glen Campbell and Burt Bacharach
• At the announcement he called it a return to his solo recordings, with character-driven songs and sweeping, cinematic orchestral arrangements
• The press release described American themes of highways and desert spaces, isolation and community, and the permanence of home and hope

Recording

• Recording sessions were held at several studios: Ocean Studios in Burbank, Sage and Sound in Hollywood, Stone Hill in Colts Neck, Power Station at BerkleeNYC in New York, Very Loud House in Woodland Hills, and Avatar in New York City
• The album was produced in a span of studios on both coasts rather than in one room

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born September 23, 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey; grew up in Freehold, New Jersey.
• Inspired by Elvis Presley and the Beatles, began playing with local bands in the 1960s, including the Castiles, Steel Mill and the Bruce Springsteen Band.
• Formed the band that became the E Street Band in October 1972; the name came into use in September 1974.
• Signed to Columbia Records in 1972 by John Hammond; debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. released January 1973.

Members

• Performs solo and with the E Street Band, his backing band since 1972.
• Long-time members include Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici, Steven Van Zandt, Roy Bittan, Max Weinberg and Patti Scialfa.
• Clemons died June 18, 2011; Federici died in 2008.

Career

• Born to Run (1975) brought worldwide fame; Born in the U.S.A. (1984) became one of the best-selling albums of all time.
• Won an Academy Award in 1994 for "Streets of Philadelphia"; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.
• Has sold more than 140 million records worldwide; holds 20 Grammy Awards and a Special Tony Award.
• The 2023–2025 tour with the E Street Band was among the highest-grossing tours in history.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone: Will Hermes wrote in May 2019 that the music evokes country-tinged California pop from the Sixties and Seventies, sounding like nothing Springsteen had done before
• Entertainment Weekly: Maura Johnston praised Springsteen for transforming the enormous into the intimate
• The Independent: Mark Beaumont called the album a late-period masterpiece
• NME: Thomas Smith found it majestic in its scale but traditional in its subject matter and narratives
• Hot Press: Pat Carty described it as a heartbreaking yet life-affirmingly beautiful record, both elegiac and warm
• Pitchfork: Sam Sodomsky said it is Springsteen's best studio album in years
• AllMusic: Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the songs gather a deep, lasting resonance when collected on the album
• The Guardian: Alexis Petridis hoped Springsteen would take more stylistic detours in the future

Reappraisal

• Metacritic: average score of 84 out of 100, based on 31 reviews
• Consumer Guide: Robert Christgau called the album a worthy effort and cited Tucson Train and Moonlight Motel as highlights
• Christgau doubted that Springsteen's nostalgia for America's past would be received equally by all fans
• Financial Times: Ludovic Hunter-Tilney was critical of the roots rock and orchestral pop setting, calling the combination confected and forced

Records

• Debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 the week after release
• Sold 66,000 album-equivalent units that week, of which 62,000 were pure album sales
• Springsteen's 20th US top 10 album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was used as the basis of a film, with Springsteen making his directorial debut and co-directing it with longtime collaborator Thom Zimny.
• The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and grossed $3.7 million worldwide.
• The music video for Tucson Train was directed by Thom Zimny.
• Springsteen did not tour for the album and turned to recording a new studio album with the E Street Band in the fall of 2019.
• On June 27, 2025, twelve songs left off Western Stars appeared on the album Twilight Hours in the Tracks II: The Lost Albums box set.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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