Peter Ames Carlin

Peter Carlin, welcome to Fresh Air.

It's lovely to be here, Terry.

Thank you.

It's a hugely transformative album for Bruce in terms of his career, his record sales, but also, I think most importantly, his understanding of his own identity and the voice he would carry forward in his music.

Well, when Bruce came on to Columbia in 1972, the president of the label at the time was Clive Davis.

And when he heard Bruce's demos and then had Bruce up to audition for him in person, he was won over immediately.

gave the marching orders to the company essentially that this is our new guy.

Like Bruce Springsteen is really going to make it and we're going to put everything we have behind him.

And what happened next was his first record, Greetings from Asbury Park, New Jersey, came out in January of 1973, was hugely promoted, didn't sell very well.

A few months went by.

Clive Davis got pushed out of the presidency at Columbia for –

Somewhat murky corporate intrigue reasons.

And then a new administration came in and people came to power in the label who were not connected at all to Bruce Springsteen.

The fellow who became the head of the artist and repertoire department was named Charlie Koppelman.

And he had brought into the company at the same time Bruce was signed.

Another sort of outer New York working class type of pop songwriter named Billy Joel.

And he heard a lot more potential in Billy Joel's music than he did in Bruce Springsteen.

So after Bruce's second album, The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle came out in the fall of 1973 and failed commercially as well, despite having rave reviews.

Koppelman essentially said, you know what?

I think we're going to cut bait on this Bruce Springsteen guy.