Devils & Dust
Studio album by
Bruce Springsteen
ReleasedApril 26, 2005 (2005-04-26)
Recorded1996–1998, March–August 2004, January 2005
StudioSouthern Tracks Recording Studio, Atlanta, GA Thrill Hill Recording, Los Angeles and New Jersey
Genre
Length50:55
LabelColumbia
ProducerBrendan O'Brien, Bruce Springsteen, Chuck Plotkin [notes 1]
Bruce Springsteen chronology
The Essential Bruce Springsteen
(2003)		 Devils & Dust
(2005)		 Hammersmith Odeon London '75
(2006)
Singles from Devils & Dust
  1. "Devils & Dust"
    Released: March 28, 2005
  2. "All the Way Home"
    Released: October 31, 2005

Devils & Dust is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, and his third acoustic album (after Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad). It was released on April 25, 2005, in Europe and the following day in the United States, where it debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 album chart.

Background

Springsteen revealed that many of the songs from Devils & Dust dated back a decade or more.[1] He wrote "All the Way Home" for Southside Johnny to use in his album Better Days (1991). "Long Time Comin'" and "The Hitter" were written and performed on Springsteen's 1996 solo Ghost of Tom Joad Tour. "Devils & Dust" featured in soundchecks during The Rising Tour in 2003. The following year it was on the set list for at least one Vote for Change show, but was swapped out at the last moment for a 12-string guitar rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner", which he would later release for free through his official website.[1]

Release and promotion

On March 28 the title track was featured as an exclusive preview on AOLmusic.com.[2] The next day it was released on iTunes, and also on DualDisc, the DVD side of which featured Springsteen performing and commenting on five tracks: "Devils and Dust", "Long Time Comin'", "Reno", "All I'm Thinkin' About", and "Matamoros Banks".[3] Springsteen embarked on a solo Devils & Dust Tour to promote the album.[4]

Starbucks had been considered a possible retail outlet for the album, as it had accounted for about a quarter of all sales for the recently successful Ray Charles's Genius Loves Company.[5] The company declined, with news coverage citing as reasons the song "Reno", with its reference to anal sex,[6] and Springsteen's refusal to approve a co-branded disc and promotional deal that prominently featured the Starbucks name. "There were a number of factors involved. It [the lyrics] was one of the factors, but not the only reason," Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks Entertainment, told Reuters.[5] At a concert at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia, Springsteen introduced "Reno" by joking that the album would be available "at Dunkin' Donuts and Krispy Kreme stores everywhere."[7]

The album was Springsteen's seventh No. 1, and fourth No. 1 debut, on the Billboard albums chart, his second for an album containing only previously unreleased content, and his first ever without the E Street Band.[8] It went gold in the US in 2006, where it had sold 650,000 copies as of November 2008.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[10]
Robert ChristgauA−[11]
PopMatters[12]
Rolling Stone[13]
Tom HullA−[14]

In a rave review, Rolling Stone lauded the album as being "in striking and affecting ways... Springsteen’s most audacious record since the home-demo American Gothic of 1982’s Nebraska".[15] The songs are "rendered with a subdued, mostly acoustic flair that smells of wood smoke and sparkles in the right places like stars in a clear Plains sky", David Fricke wrote. "Shocked by the song about sodomy? Wait 'til you hear the Dylan impression" was how The Guardian opened its review, citing the "Reno" lyrics, "Two hundred dollars straight in, two-fifty up the ass", and which it reports Springsteen as having justified with the remark, "It's just what felt right". It found the album to be flawed, but praised that it "rarely does what you expect it to".[6]

Devils and Dust received five Grammy Award nominations, three for the song "Devils & Dust"; Song of the Year and Best Rock Song. Springsteen was nominated for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance, and the album for Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best Long Form Music Video.[16] He took home the award for Best Solo Rock Vocal, which he had previously won for "Code of Silence" and "The Rising".[16] During the February 8 Grammy telecast, Springsteen gave a live solo performance of "Devils & Dust", adding "Bring 'em home" at the finish, and then immediately turned and left the stage without staying to receive his partial standing ovation.[16]

Track listing

All songs are written by Bruce Springsteen.

No.TitleLength
1."Devils & Dust"4:58
2."All the Way Home"3:38
3."Reno"4:08
4."Long Time Comin'"4:17
5."Black Cowboys"4:08
6."Maria's Bed"5:35
7."Silver Palomino"3:22
8."Jesus Was an Only Son"2:55
9."Leah"3:32
10."The Hitter"5:53
11."All I'm Thinkin' About"4:22
12."Matamoros Banks"4:00

Personnel

Adapted from the liner notes:

Technical

  • Brendan O'Brien – production (tracks 1-12), mixing (tracks 1–4, 6, 7, 10, 11)
  • Bruce Springsteen, Chuck Plotkin – production (tracks 2, 4)
  • Toby Scott – recording (tracks 1-12), mixing (tracks 5, 8, 9, 12)
  • Nick Didia – recording
  • Karl Egsieker – second engineer
  • Billy Bowers – additional engineering
  • Tom Tapley – additional recording assistant
  • Eddie Horst – string & horn arrangements
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • Chris Austopchuk – art direction
  • Dave Bett, Michelle Holme – art direction, design
  • Anton Corbijn – photography

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Devils & Dust
Chart (2005) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[17] 10
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[18] 1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] 1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[20] 5
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[21] 1
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[22] 1
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[23] 3
French Albums (SNEP)[24] 3
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[25] 1
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[26] 16
Italian Albums (FIMI)[27] 1
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[28] 13
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[29] 2
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[30] 10
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[31] 1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[33] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[34] 1
US Billboard 200[35] 1

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Devils & Dust
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36] Gold 35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[37] Gold 15,000*
Belgium (BEA)[38] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[39] Gold 50,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[40] Gold 20,000^
Germany (BVMI)[41] Gold 100,000‡
Ireland (IRMA)[42] Platinum 15,000^
Italy
sales in 2005 		— 120,000[43]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[44] Gold 50,000^
Sweden (GLF)[45] Gold 30,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[46] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[47] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ↑ Springsteen and Plotkin only on "All the Way Home", "Long Time Comin'"

References

  1. 1 2 "Bruce Almighty". The New York Times. 2005-05-06. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  2. ↑ "Springsteen Single To Premiere Monday". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  3. ↑ "Devils & Dust [DualDisc] by Sony, Bruce Springsteen | 827969390023 | DualDisc - CD/DVD | Barnes & Noble". Barnesandnoble.com. 2014-01-30. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  4. ↑ "Bruce Conquers Europe With 'Devils & Dust' Tour". Billboard. 2005-07-13. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  5. 1 2 "Starbucks Puts Lid On Springsteen CD". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  6. 1 2 Petridis, Alex (22 April 2005). "Bruce Springsteen, Devils and Dust". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  7. ↑ "Entertainment | Coffee chain bans Springsteen CD". BBC News. 2005-05-06. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  8. 1 2 "Chart Watch Extra: What A Turkey! The 25 Worst-Selling #1 Albums - Chart Watch". Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  9. ↑ "Devils & Dust". metacritic.com. Retrieved 2014-09-22.
  10. ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine (2005-04-26). "Devils & Dust - Bruce Springsteen | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  11. ↑ "CG: Artist 5142". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  12. ↑ Kalet, Hank (April 24, 2005). "Bruce Springsteen: Devils & Dust". PopMatters. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  13. ↑ Fricke, David (May 5, 2005). "Devils & Dust: Bruce Springsteen". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  14. ↑ Hull, Tom (October 29, 2016). "Streamnotes (October 2016)". Tom Hull - on the Web. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  15. ↑ Fricke, David (5 May 2005). "Music: Devils & Dust". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  16. 1 2 3 "Bruce Springsteen". GRAMMY.com. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  17. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  18. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  19. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  20. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  21. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  22. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  23. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen: Devils & Dust" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  24. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  25. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  26. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2005. 17. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  27. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  28. ↑ "Charts.nz – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  29. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  30. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  31. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  32. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  33. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  34. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
  35. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  36. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  37. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  38. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2005". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  39. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust". Music Canada. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  40. ↑ "Danish album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  41. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bruce Springsteen; 'Devils & Dust')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  42. ↑ "The Irish Charts - 2005 Certification Awards - Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  43. ↑ De Luigi, Mario. "Ricossa nazionale" (PDF). Musica e Dischi. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 26, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  44. ↑ "Spanish album certifications" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved August 29, 2022. Select Álbumes under "Categoría", select 2005 under "Año". Select 30 under "Semana". Click on "BUSCAR LISTA".
  45. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2005" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  46. ↑ "British album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Devils And Dust". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  47. ↑ "American album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
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