Bruce Springsteen signed Bob Dylan to the same label a decade earlier. Despite the expectations of Columbia Records' executives that Springsteen would record an acoustic album, he brought many of his New Jersey-based colleagues into the studio with him, thus forming the E Street Band (although it would not be formally named for several months). His debut album "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.", released in January 1973, established him as a critical favorite though sales were slow. Because of Springsteen's lyrical poeticism and folk rock-rooted music exemplified on tracks like "Blinded by the Light" and "For You", as well as the Columbia
Weird NJ the legend of the "Hookerman" Lights and the life of Zip the Pinhead. Subjects covered include the Evil Clown of Middletown, Midgetville,"Gates of Hell," Shades of Death Road, Clinton Road, Demon Alley, and the Devil's Tower. The painting of a grinning face named Tillie from the Palace Amusements building in Asbury Park has appeared in many "Weird NJ" books and on the magazine covers. In 2003 a "Weird NJ" book, made up of content from earlier issues, was published. The next year saw the follow-up "Weird US", covering sites and stories across the country. That led to a series of