Bruce's first album did not sell well (only 25000 copies in a year), but those familiar with the tracks praised Bruce and some critics even went as far as calling him "The New Bob Dylan".
Both "Blinded By The Light" and "Spirit In The Night" were released as singles, but neither even made it onto the charts. (Blinded would later become a number one hit for Manfred Mann)
Springsteen figured this was his one shot at fame and poured everything he had into the album resulting in a very wordy record. It is by no means Bruce's best work, but it sure is great to see where it all began for Bruce. Speaking of the album a year later Bruce said:
"I got a lot of things out on that first album. I let out an incredible amount at once - a million things in each song. They were written in half-hour, 15-minute blasts. I don't know where they came from . . . I had all that stuff stored up for years, because there was no outlet in the bars I had been playing. No one is listening in a bar, and if they are, you've got a low PA system and they can't hear the words anyway."
The album's title can be explained by the fact that CBS and Columbia Records were pushing for Bruce to put "New York" on the cover. They figured an artist would do better if he made a link with a well known, big city. Bruce however had other plans:
"Like, the main reason I put Asbury Park on the title was because they were pushing for this big New York thing, this big town. I said, 'Wait, you guys are nuts or something. I'm from Asbury Park, New Jersey.'"
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