Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run
Columbia, 1975: Bruce Springsteen (vocals and guitar) and the E-Street Band: Clarence Clemons (saxophone, died 2011), Roy Bittan (piano), Garry Tallent (bass), Danny Federici (organ, died 2008), Steven Van Zandt (vocals and horns), Max Weinberg (drums)
Notable songs (The whole album!)
This is the rock that I grew up with in the late 1970s--the early 1970s meant Kiss and Aerosmith. These first three albums by Springsteen (Greetings from Asbury Park; The Wild, the Innocent & the E-Street Shuffle; Born to Run), defined not only "New Jersey rock," if there ever was such a thing, but the classic rock of the 70s and 80s.
The Springsteen concerts were legendary; they sold out quickly; they were energetic; and they were long, often three to four hours. I was finally able to see Springsteen on his "The River" tour--that was another great rock album--when he played the Athletic and Convocation Center at Notre Dame (about 13,000). Sat in the bleacher seats, center stage, and vividly remember his version of "Double Shot (of my Baby's Love)," popularized earlier by the Swingin' Medallions. Clarence Clemons was simply awesome on stage with his mighty saxophone.
Rolling Stone put "Born to Run" on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The album has been certified as 6x platinum; that means a lot have been sold.