Springsteen’s first three (and a half) albums aren’t just a prelude to superstardom—they are the foundation of everything he would become. Here’s a look at the records that built the legend. The Vibe: Lyrical firehose. Overcrowded, brilliant, and slightly exhausting.

The Boss didn't become a legend because of the money or the fame. He became a legend because, on these early records, he made escaping a small town feel like the most important fight in the world.

Before the stadiums, before the blue jeans became a uniform, and before Born in the U.S.A. made him a global icon, Bruce Springsteen was a hungry kid from New Jersey with a poetry-streaked desperation and a band that played like their lives depended on it.