I'll take your sorrow if you want me to (Bruce Springsteen) #368 - 373

Bruce Springsteen My Hometown/ Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (CBS, BA 3394, 1984)
Bruce Springsteen I'm On Fire/ Johnny Bye Bye (CBS, BA 223269, 1985)
Bruce Springsteen Glory Days/ Stand On It (CBS, BA 3305, 1985)
Bruce Springsteen I'm Goin' Down/ Janey, Don't You lose Heart  (CBS, BA 3350, 1985)
Bruce Springsteen War/ Merry Christmas Baby (CBS, BA 3504, 1986)
Bruce Springsteen War; Merry Christmas Baby/ Incident On 57th Street (CBS 12", 6501936, 1986)

This final selection of six Springsteen singles in my collection takes in just 3 years.

Born In The U.S.A. again supplies all of the A sides apart from War (which came from a five album set of live material released in 1986).

Scooter and the Big Man - bustin' the city in half.

The phrase I'm on fire sums it up as Bruce serves up a variety of styles, all effortlessly presented by the amazingly adaptable E Street Band.

There's the slow burn of I'm On Fire (ha ha); the nostalgic Glory Days (Miami Steve was leaving so this may have prompted the looking back that features in some songs); the social comment of My Hometown; and the rebuffed sexual overtures of I'm Goin' Down.

It all sounds pretty effortless (in a good way). 

Then there's the live take of War (What Is It Good For) - btw - that was Tolstoy's original title for his epic novel War And Peace.

In the eighties it sounded pretty current and heartfelt even. To my mind, it's aged a bit as a sentiment but the performance is still on the money.

Hidden gems: None of these B sides appeared on the parent albums - further evidence of Bruce's strict quality control and the fact that he had so much quality productivity going on.

Pick of the bunch may be Janey... but Johnny Bye Bye is pretty cool as well, then again the Christmas songs are fab. Maybe it's Stand On It - a rave up?

Actually they're all great!!