Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle

Bruce Springsteen's second album found him at a pivotal point in his development. The most musically expansive record of his career, THE WILD, THE INNOCENT & THE E STREET SHUFFLE found Bruce beginning to find his own sound, moving beyond the Dylan-meets-Van Morrison folk-rock of his debut. Though the signature Spector-on-steroids E Street Band sound wouldn't fall fully into place until the next album, this one sounds like a sudden realization of a universe of musical possibilities. While this is solidly a rock record, there are hints of jazz, blues, soul, Latin music, and more.
This would be the only time the cinematic vistas of Springsteen's early lyrics were matched by equally impressionistic music. "Wild Billy's Circus Story" marks the point on wildly divergent career paths when Springsteen and Tom Waits seemed to intersect. "4th of July, Asbury Park" and "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" are unlike anything that had come before them, story-songs full of shifts in tone, dynamics, and mood that are as surprising as they are evocative. Springsteen hadn't yet transformed into the Rock God he'd soon become, but THE WILD, THE INNOCENT... clearly shows him already well on his way.