POP/ROCK - March 20, 1987

Is the Boss peaking? A few indicators suggest that Bruce Springsteen’s popularity may have reached its zenith. Weekly Variety reported in a Page 1 story that demand for his five-record “Live” album has dwindled and retailers have been left with large unsold stockpiles. Ken Altman of Tower Records told the Associated Press that “sales have dwindled, but I’m not disappointed. It’s going to sell forever, like Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ or ‘Led Zeppelin Four,’ the album that had ‘Stairway to Heaven.’ ” Other indications that Springsteen-mania may be fading include a number of negative letters in the newest issue of Rolling Stone magazine and the Boss’ current single “Fire” that peaked at No. 46 and then fell off the Billboard chart. That makes it Springsteen’s first single in seven years not to go Top 10.