[bsder]

1) That hugely underestimates his ability as a songwriter. Springsteen, as a songwriter, is on par with people like Bacharach, in my opinion.

2) The traditional record company system pumped an ENORMOUS amount of money behind him to market him initially. So much so that he is embarassed about it to this day.

3) The E Street Band were some of the absolute best musicians around. The old joke about "Man, I don't know who Bruce Springsteen is, but he must be amazing. He has Clarence Clemons playing triangle in his band."