Because he spent so many of his formative years painstakingly crafting his albums, we don’t often think of Bruce Springsteen as a prolific artist. But when you look at the entries on our list of Bruce Springsteen Albums, Ranked from Worst to Best, you'll notice that he’s averaged an album nearly every other year throughout his recording career, which began in 1973.

And as he approached and reached middle age, when most acts will traditionally slow down their output, Springsteen sped up, with nine records since 1998, some of which hold their own against his best work. There are very few rockers of his vintage about whom that can be said.

While he's associated with straightforward bar band rock n' roll, looking at some of his lesser-known works reveal a willingness to experiment, either with short stories set to spare arrangements (Devils & Dust). folk music (We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions) and lush, orchestral pop (Working on a Dream).

The 20 LPs in this list consist of his 18 studio records and two larger collections of previously unreleased material (the four-CD career-spanning Tracks and The Promise, which collects outtakes from Darkness on the Edge of Town). We've left out the three EPs (Chimes of FreedomBlood Brothers and American Beauty), live albums (five proper collections, plus several concert DVDs and official downloads of archival shows) and compilations-with-some-new-songs (1994's Greatest Hits, 1999's 18 Tracks and 2003's The Essential Bruce Springsteen that he’s put out.

So, with this many albums, where does one begin? Check out the following list of Bruce Springsteen Albums, Ranked from Worst to Best.

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