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Springsteen on the other hand, has written complex and searching songs, and has displayed a solid musical knowledge of blues, jazz, and other uniquely American forms without crushing them under the weight of his ego.

BS is basically warmed over Dylan with a side of Stax. I find him to be the most BORING of "rock legends" and that's saying alot (considering how tedious much of the work of Led Zep and the Who truly is).

The only reason why he succeeded and Southside Johnny did not was his stamina as a live performer. He truly was the hardest working man in showbiz (with all due respect to James Brown) in the 70s and 80s.

Springsteen's best work (IMHO) was on three albums: Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and Nebraska. The first is a masterpiece of monumental human energy and production values. The second features even better guitar work than on BTR and good, gritty urban poetry. The third is a stark and spare exploration of Americana, and a big musical risk for him at the time.

And yes, Dylan probably did it first (arguably better) on Highway 61 and Blonde on Blonde, but Springsteen is a better guitarist if not as sublime a lyricist. I have to agree in retrospect on Led Zeppelin (although how much of their tediousness is the result of being sickeningly overplayed on FM Radio is hard to say). Early Who is still pretty cool to listen to, though.