Bruce SpringsteenBorn in the U.S.A.

Gated snares crack like rifle shots and Roy Bittan's synths gleam: Springsteen gone arena-sized. The title track stomps so hard people still miss its bitter heart, a Vietnam vet abandoned by his country. Dancing in the Dark rides a glossy synth pulse into restless frustration, and I'm on Fire drops to a whispered slow burn, brushed drums and aching desire proving the range under all that big-drum power. Seven Top 10 singles, every one celebratory on the surface and melancholy beneath. Drop the needle and feel the tension that made him a superstar.