As an avid Bruce Springsteen fan forty years ago, I dutifully acquired every project affiliated with the star. Springsteen’s imprimatur compelled me to buy albums by the likes of Gary “U.S.” Bonds, Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers and Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes. Some were good; many were forgettable. Springsteen’s winning appearance on Bleachers’ Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night helps makes the new album superior to those bygone projects. Even though I’ve long been skeptical about the output of Bleachers mastermind Jack Antonoff, I’m finally won over by the unabashedly bombastic effort. Not only does the album rekindle the overwrought emotions behind the decisions I made as an incipient adult, it seems to momentarily resurrect a few of my departed friends. Springsteen insisted “I don’t want to be just another useless memory” on The River, an obvious touchstone for Antonoff’s unexpected stroke of genius. Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night is a spellbinding conduit for curative recollections.
