Maybe he needed it.
Jim, please explain for the benefit if us non-musicians. Needed it artistically? Financially? Professionally? In terms of legacy? BTW, I agree with what Larry hears in the late McLean. It all sounds fine, but I never find myself going back to it. In contrast,I play later Billy Harper through about 2000 as much as I do his earlier recordings.
Yes. Fot a long time Springsteen still brought it live even though the studio material was lame, but based on the last concert DVD, even the live shows seem to have lost the magic.