Ranking Bruce Springsteen's albums from the 1970s

No. 3 - The Wild, the Innocent and the E. Street Shuffle (1973)

Recorded nearly a year after his debut record though both were released in the same calendar year, this album sounds like it came several years later. Overall, the songs seem much more confident and muscular. Bruce Springsteen and his band are not afraid to go all out either as there are only seven songs on the record but four of them lasted more than seven minutes. This is not a jam-band album, though; just a rock band playing the tune out to fruition.

This record did not chart much better than Springsteen's debut - the album only reached number 59 - but this did grow the blooming Springsteen legend, especially with his live performances. The length of the songs allowed that to happen and Springsteen became a legend in large part because of what he did live and without this set of songs that does not happen as easily.

There was only one single released in the United States from the album, the brilliant "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)," which would become a staple of the band's shows for eternity. To be clear, however, there are no bad songs on the record. While you may not hear any of them, likely even "Rosalita" on the radio, the fact that there is no pop to music makes the album stronger.

Rolling Stone magazine has named this record among the top 150 albums ever made, as much because of its importance in the Springsteen oeuvre as the quality compared to other records from the artist. While every Springsteen album sounds terrific on vinyl, this one is a must-buy because the record is a journey but in only a few tracks.