Topic: Any Springsteen fans?

[Timbo's Goals]

I've been a massive Bruce follower for longer than I care to remember. Got all his stuff etc but never ventured into bootlegs as I've always believed that like with any artist his official stuff must represent 99% of Springsteen the artist and that bootlegs are essentially for completists which I'm not.

In recent years with his release of Tracks [his previously unreleased stuff dating back to his early days] it kind of proved I was mistaken and there was actually an awful big chunk of fantastic material often as good as his official recordings - and in some cases better. I'm thinking of songs like The Promise [possibly his best ever song?], Light of Day, Janey Dont You lose heart etc etc.

Anyroad - finally getting to the point - I've just come across this on You Tube from 1986. It's called Follow That dream. I don't think I'd ever heard of it let alone heard it. The guy is fucking amazing. How can you keep a song as good as this under wraps from someone as keen as me? Any other Bruce nut as bemused as me?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKKG0Lg5cf4

 

[Matt S]

Not a massive fan but he's headlining glasonbury next year. Along with kylie and the killers.

[Raul!]

Great. 

In '85, I had a shirt made that was a replica of the one he wore in the Dancing in the Dark video with Courtney Cox - you know the one - white, rolled up sleves, linen...

That 5 album compilation they came up with about 15-20 years ago was tremendous lots of old stuff from his Asbury Park days and before.  Saw him live in '88 - to date one of the best live acts I have ever seen.

[hooded claw]

Not a massive fan but he's headlining glasonbury next year. Along with kylie and the killers.

Whci is a bit like saying, Schwarzennegger will armwrestle Woody Allen and Stephen Hawking.

[Timbo's Goals]

Whci is a bit like saying, Schwarzennegger will armwrestle Woody Allen and Stephen Hawking.

Now that is one funny image.

Actually, I reckon Woody might just scrape it by worrying Arni to defeat!!

 

But as you say HC,  Bruce and Glastonbury?

    

Question still stands. Anyone familiar with the song before this clip?

[Dread Breath]

Have to admit I'm not a big fan of The Boss, but do have his 75-85 live box set thing, and especially in the stuff recorded early in that period, he is fucking impressive.

Have not heard Ghost of Tom Joad or whatever it is, and definitely nothing recent of his.

[MadErik]

Never heard it before, but I remember Steven Van Zandt saying (jokingly) that it really irritated him that Bruce knocks out entire album's worth of songs in double-quick time. There must be tons of stuff that's unreleased.

[Captain-Carra]

During his early years he was prevented from publishing songs for almost 2 years during a court case. He's said there are probably 2 or 3 hundred songs he wrote and recorded in those days that will never be heard.

On YouTube there is mounds of material. Even a clip of him busking in the street during a tour of Europe in the late 80s:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsykNMK11lU

Anyone who hasn't heard Thunder Road - listen to this. I think one of the greatest songs written of all time. Pure poetry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsykNMK11lU

[hooded claw]

Thunde Road...what an incredible song that is. Didn't he say he was trying to conjur the spirit of Roy Orbison in the music?

If you've never heard the Tortoise/Bonnie Prince Billy cover, try to track it down... then pour yourself a stiff drink and get your hands on Kevin Rowland's version, which I believe was dropped from 'My Beauty' on Springsteen's insistence.

[Jai]

Thunde Road...what an incredible song that is. Didn't he say he was trying to conjur the spirit of Roy Orbison in the music?

If you've never heard the Tortoise/Bonnie Prince Billy cover, try to track it down... then pour yourself a stiff drink and get your hands on Kevin Rowland's version, which I believe was dropped from 'My Beauty' on Springsteen's insistence.

Was watching footage the other day of The Boss and Elvis Costello backing up Roy Orbison. Quality stuff.

[hooded claw]

Was watching footage the other day of The Boss and Elvis Costello backing up Roy Orbison. Quality stuff.

A Black and White Night?

[Jai]

A Black and White Night?

Not sure, I was just flipping channels and came across it. Would be fitting since it was shot in B/W.

[Captain-Carra]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNFXZ5mOTGk

Another of Bruce's best songs is Racing In The Street. A song about the difference in people's lives:

"Some guys they just give up living
And start dying little by little, piece by piece,
Some guys come home from work and wash up,
And go racin' in the street."

[hooded claw]

Not sure, I was just flipping channels and came across it. Would be fitting since it was shot in B/W.

That'll be the one- think Bruce helped organise that. What comes through is the fact he is still a fan, first and foremost. Great stuff.

"Some guys they just give up living
And start dying little by little, piece by piece,
Some guys come home from work and wash up,
And go racin' in the street."

Darkness. What a fucking album.

Nebraska is probably one of my favourites though; pared-down brilliance. Anyone seen The Indian Runner?

[Jai]

Nebraska is probably one of my favourites though; pared-down brilliance.

Didn't he record that one on a 4-track?

[Art Vandelay]

My favourite Springsteen song has always been "Growin' Up".  One man, one guitar, class song.

[hooded claw]

Didn't he record that one on a 4-track?

Yep, while he was in dispute with his record company I think?  Massively effective.

[kavah]

I saw him on the tunnel of love tour at Villa park. One of the best things bout RAWK is reading a thread about Tom, Dick or Harry and realising you haven't listened to any of his stuff for ages.

It's also a pain in the arse when you can't find the CDs

[RedmeisterOZ]

Hooded claw wrote:

Thunder Road...what an incredible song that is.

Hooded, I'll see your "Thunder Road" and  raise you a "Stolen Car".

[Timbo's Goals]

Hooded claw wrote:Hooded, I'll see your "Thunder Road" and  raise you a "Stolen Car".

If it's the "Tracks" version, I can certainly see your point.

Thing is every song that's so far been pointed out is a true classic. Every last grunt I know off by heart.

From what I've heard over the years, the only other artist to approach this amalgam of lyrical intensity and stand out melody is Dylan, though when it comes to voicing the inner plaintive/hidden feelings of the ordinary man Bruce leaves Dylan far behind if you ask me. It's why "The Promise" is my personal favourite. Its sheer honesty delivered against the haunting stark beauty of its melody sets it apart from anything else I've ever heard - even from Bruce.

'..the promise was broken,
cashed in to fuel my own dreams'

'lived with a secret I should've kept to myself,
I got drunk one night and I told it'

'all my life I've fought the fight,
a fight that you just can't win
Every day gets harder to live
the dreams you believe in'

'the promise was broken,
you go on living,
but it steals something from down in your soul.
It's like when the truth gets spoken
but it don't make no difference
and something in your heart turns cold'

...there again my favourite Bruce moments are when he's at the completely opposite end of the scale goofing round on stage like with Ramrod and Light of day. The man's a god - but an absolutely down to earth human one! Basically he's Shanks in blue jeans with a guitar and harmonica.

 





 

[hooded claw]

Hooded claw wrote:Hooded, I'll see your "Thunder Road" and  raise you a "Stolen Car".

I'll go listen again to that- not heard it in ages..

It strikes me- how misunderstood is the man? I'd bet that if you did a poll on here, and asked people what their immediate mental image of Springsteen is, they'd almost to a man plump for 'arms  raised, sweat pouring, screaming 'BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN'S TOWN...' neck sinews standing like cords, songs about cars and girls. Gung-ho Yankeeism at its most crass.

And how far off the fucking mark is that?

[Timbo's Goals]

I'll go listen again to that- not heard it in ages..

I'd try and grab  a listen to the version off "Tracks". Can't really explain why but it's stunning in a way the original isn't. Not that the original isn't great if you get my drift.

 

[Raul!]

This is the one.  If you don't have it, get it.  Brue really fizzes in the live context.   Too many great tracks to single out - the collection merits a listen through.



DISC 1:
1.   Thunder Road
2.   Adam Raised A Cain
3.   Spirit In The Night
4.   4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
5.   Paradise By The "C"
6.   Fire
7.   Growin' Up
8.   It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City
9.   Backstreets
10.   Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
11.   Raise Your Hand
12.   Hungry Heart
13.   Two Hearts
         DISC 2:
1.   Cadillac Ranch
2.   You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
3.   Independence Day
4.   Badlands
5.   Because The Night
6.   Candy's Room
7.   Darkness On the Edge Of Town
8.   Racing In The Street
9.   This Land is Your Land
10.   Nebraska
11.   Johnny 99
12.   Reason To Believe
13.   Born In The U.S.A.
14.   Seeds
         DISC 3:
1.   River, The
2.   War
3.   Darlington County
4.   Working On The Highway
5.   Promised Land, The
6.   Cover Me
7.   I'm On Fire
8.   Bobby Jean
9.   My Hometown
10.   Born To Run
11.   No Surrender
12.   Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
13.   Jersey Girl

Notes
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Bruce Springsteen (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, harmonica); Steve Van Zandt (acoustic & electric guitars, background vocals); Nils Lofgren (acoustic & electric guitars, background vocals); Clarence Clemons (saxophone, percussion, background vocals); Roy Bittan (piano, synthesizer, background vocals); Danny Federici (organ, accordion, glockenspiel, keyboards, background vocals); Patty Scialfa (sunthesizer, background vocals); Max Weinberg (drums). Flo & Eddie: Mark Volman, Howard Kaylan. Miami Horns: Stan Harrison (tenor saxophone); Eddie Manion (baritone saxophone); Mark Pender (trumpet); Richie La Bamba (trombone). Producers: Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin. Recorded live between 1975 and 1985.

There's one song from a 1975 show, which makes the title of this box set true in the literal sense, and eight from a 1978 appearance at the Roxy in Los Angeles, but in essence this is Bruce Springsteen in the '80s--physically huge, politically charged and desperate to connect. You get the sense this is no accident. LIVE/1975-85 easily could have been a celebration of Springsteen's rise to rock & roll fame, instead, it's a concerted effort to make something of it. Almost all of LIVE/1975-85 was recorded in arenas and stadiums and almost all of it is intent on spreading a message. The cover song that resonates most isn't the party encore "Raise Your Hand"(from 1978) but the anti-war chant "War" (from 1985). The most astonishing sequence of songs is all acoustic and almost all angry: Woody Guthrie's protest song "This Land Is Your Land" and Springsteen's own "Nebraska," "Johnny 99" and "Reason To Believe." With its reverberant keyboards and a haunting intro that quotes the soul classic "Nowhere to Run," even the love song "Cover Me" sounds like some sort of protest. There's lots of celebrating and rocking here, too, but mostly there's lots to think about.

[hooded claw]

This is the one.  If you don't have it, get it.  Brue really fizzes in the live context.   Too many great tracks to single out - the collection merits a listen through.



DISC 1:
1.   Thunder Road
2.   Adam Raised A Cain
3.   Spirit In The Night
4.   4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
5.   Paradise By The "C"
6.   Fire
7.   Growin' Up
8.   It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City
9.   Backstreets
10.   Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
11.   Raise Your Hand
12.   Hungry Heart
13.   Two Hearts
         DISC 2:
1.   Cadillac Ranch
2.   You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
3.   Independence Day
4.   Badlands
5.   Because The Night
6.   Candy's Room
7.   Darkness On the Edge Of Town
8.   Racing In The Street
9.   This Land is Your Land
10.   Nebraska
11.   Johnny 99
12.   Reason To Believe
13.   Born In The U.S.A.
14.   Seeds
         DISC 3:
1.   River, The
2.   War
3.   Darlington County
4.   Working On The Highway
5.   Promised Land, The
6.   Cover Me
7.   I'm On Fire
8.   Bobby Jean
9.   My Hometown
10.   Born To Run
11.   No Surrender
12.   Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
13.   Jersey Girl

Notes
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Bruce Springsteen (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, harmonica); Steve Van Zandt (acoustic & electric guitars, background vocals); Nils Lofgren (acoustic & electric guitars, background vocals); Clarence Clemons (saxophone, percussion, background vocals); Roy Bittan (piano, synthesizer, background vocals); Danny Federici (organ, accordion, glockenspiel, keyboards, background vocals); Patty Scialfa (sunthesizer, background vocals); Max Weinberg (drums). Flo & Eddie: Mark Volman, Howard Kaylan. Miami Horns: Stan Harrison (tenor saxophone); Eddie Manion (baritone saxophone); Mark Pender (trumpet); Richie La Bamba (trombone). Producers: Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin. Recorded live between 1975 and 1985.

There's one song from a 1975 show, which makes the title of this box set true in the literal sense, and eight from a 1978 appearance at the Roxy in Los Angeles, but in essence this is Bruce Springsteen in the '80s--physically huge, politically charged and desperate to connect. You get the sense this is no accident. LIVE/1975-85 easily could have been a celebration of Springsteen's rise to rock & roll fame, instead, it's a concerted effort to make something of it. Almost all of LIVE/1975-85 was recorded in arenas and stadiums and almost all of it is intent on spreading a message. The cover song that resonates most isn't the party encore "Raise Your Hand"(from 1978) but the anti-war chant "War" (from 1985). The most astonishing sequence of songs is all acoustic and almost all angry: Woody Guthrie's protest song "This Land Is Your Land" and Springsteen's own "Nebraska," "Johnny 99" and "Reason To Believe." With its reverberant keyboards and a haunting intro that quotes the soul classic "Nowhere to Run," even the love song "Cover Me" sounds like some sort of protest. There's lots of celebrating and rocking here, too, but mostly there's lots to think about.

The Woody Guthrie cover is the highlight of the whole album for me.

I'd try and grab  a listen to the version off "Tracks". Can't really explain why but it's stunning in a way the original isn't. Not that the original isn't great if you get my drift.

 

Will do. Soon as I top up my allofmp3.com account that is 

[Raul!]

The Woody Guthrie cover is the highlight of the whole album for me.

Good choice, Mr. Claw.  Though I have to confess personal attachment to the musically light but absolutely smouldering version of "I'm on Fire", due to certain 18 year old affections I bore at the time for a rather pretty girl.

[Dread Breath]

That's my one and only Bruce release that I've got, Raul: fantastic, though the stadium stuff isn't really a patch on the earlier material for obvious reasons.

Listening to some of the 'story' songs where he stops mid song to tell the audience a tale are super: Growin' Up etc. Always get a rush out of listening to those and tunes like Hard To Be a Saint.

Funnily enough the only stadium stuff that really connects for me is the acoustic material on the second disc, some of it off Nebraska.

[Captain-Carra]

It strikes me- how misunderstood is the man? I'd bet that if you did a poll on here, and asked people what their immediate mental image of Springsteen is, they'd almost to a man plump for 'arms  raised, sweat pouring, screaming 'BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN'S TOWN...' neck sinews standing like cords, songs about cars and girls. Gung-ho Yankeeism at its most crass.

And how far off the fucking mark is that?

Exactly, my housemate is a massive music fan, constantly listening to Dylan, Beatles, Clash, Jam, etc. I asked him about Bruce not long ago and he said he was a sad 80s rocker. Thought that Born in the USA was a song about how great the USA is. How far off the mark can most people be?

Agree that Dylan is a great lyricist but his songs don't hold the same power. Bruce manages to sum up the middle class life so perfectly, how people are constantly striving to achieve a life that always seems that little bit out of reach.

Thing is I don't think he cares that much about recognition. He's never allowed anyone to use his face or image to advertise or sell anything. The only thing he seems to worry about is producing music that people and his fans will enjoy. Forget all the crap music these days which is produced with the sole aim of getting to number one. He wouldn't care if his singles never charted as long as he produced music with a message that lasts.

[MadErik]

Every time I listen to one of his older albums I rediscover a track that automatically becomes your favourite for the next while, currently 'Jungleland.' One of the greatest intros ever.

[themule]

Rumoured to be headlining Glastonbury next year I think.

Looking forward to him touring with the E Street Band again. The Seeger Sessions stuff isn't a touch on Born to Run.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV5iHgdRQRg

[hooded claw]

Rumoured to be headlining Glastonbury next year I think.

'Rumoured' is all at the moment.

[Captain-Carra]

Think he will tour with the E Street again?

Must come a time when they get too old and they call it a day touring together. Bruce will continue touring but mostly doing his solo, acoustic stuff.

Spoke to a guy a few months ago who went 5 gigs of his with the E Street band. Said every night they played the songs differently to the night before.

[Timbo's Goals]

The Woody Guthrie cover is the highlight of the whole album for me. Will do. Soon as I top up my allofmp3.com account that is 

Got to say my favourites on the live collection are yours [mainly because of the way he alters the melody at the very end and takes it up a notch which makes it an even more stirring song than Guthrie probably ever imagined], Jersey Girl [I love Tom Waits original but Bruce just nails it]and Racing in the Streets.

The Stolen Cars version I'm talking about is on the original triple album "Tracks" as distinct from the single "18 Tracks" album, though "The Promise" is on "18 Tracks".

Also got to agree about the perception of many in this country. There's a definite resistance to recognising Bruce's qualities. As you say it stems from a pre-conception that lodged itself with the fist pumping over exposure of Born in the USA.  His incredible qualities as a peerless performer and creative artist deserve far more recognition than they currently receive.

[Timbo's Goals]

Think he will tour with the E Street again?

Must come a time when they get too old and they call it a day touring together. Bruce will continue touring but mostly doing his solo, acoustic stuff.

Don't think there's any way in which Bruce will stop performing. It's too much a part of him. Cut him open and he'd bleed music - especially live music. Above anything else, he's a performer. Pure and simple. His idea of a night off is to go down the Stone Pony or wherever and join in with whoever's on that night. Someone above said the Seeger sessions isn't a patch on Born To Run. for me, any comparison is futile. One is one of popular music's masterpieces. The other is a celebration of Folk Music. As with any Bruce work it's heart and soul. Tell you what , I went to two of Seeger Session concerts and they were two of the best Springsteen shows I've been to - which now stands at 18.

[Captain-Carra]

Agree.

My point was that at some point he will stop touring with the E Street Band. Must get hard to get a group of people with families and settled lives to tour the world for almost a year.

I think Bruce will carry on for years and years to come but not sure how much longer with the full band. There shows are all about the energy they bring. When they get too old they will stop, as they would rather give it everything rather than half the effort.

Also, comparing the albums is futile. Bruce seems to write from the place HE is in, not what he wants people to like. Some of his albums are darker than others, which reflects the period of his life he was going through.

The Seeger album is awesome. Born to Run is awesome. Both knock the pants off any album in the chart at the moment, for me.

[Timbo's Goals]

Agree.

My point was that at some point he will stop touring with the E Street Band. Must get hard to get a group of people with families and settled lives to tour the world for almost a year.

I think Bruce will carry on for years and years to come but not sure how much longer with the full band. There shows are all about the energy they bring. When they get too old they will stop, as they would rather give it everything rather than half the effort.

Also, comparing the albums is futile. Bruce seems to write from the place HE is in, not what he wants people to like. Some of his albums are darker than others, which reflects the period of his life he was going through.

The Seeger album is awesome. Born to Run is awesome. Both knock the pants off any album in the chart at the moment, for me.

Spot on with every point, though personally I think the E-Streeters have a few more miles still left in them.

[Captain-Carra]

Hope so, really hope so. Heard stories of people spending £1000s just to see them perform live.

Never seen them live and hoping for 1 more tour. Going to see Bruce a Wembley in November. Cannot wait.

[Timbo's Goals]

Honestly - don't panic, you'll deffo see the E street again. Personally I'm hoping the Kings Dock is up and running by then so they'll at last come to the Mersey. What a night that would be. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on the banks of the mersey.

Bit of advice. Join Badlands - the official fan club based in Cheltenham. Doesn't cost that much for annual subscription but gives you the best chance of tickets at face value. I've just got 4 tickets for the NEC and 2 for Sheffield for November.

Incidentally, you won't be disappointed. It's a fantastic musical night with half a dozen absolute stonking highlights and I think "Long Black Veil" - a fantastic version that I've seen on You Tube -  may well be a regular by November. Also wouldn't surprise me if he's incorporated "Shenandoah" by then.

[bellinter]

. Also wouldn't surprise me if he's incorporated "Shenandoah" by then.

Hope so, was disappointed he didnt play it when I saw him in may... More of the same from that show would go down nicely in November!

[Boston-Sox]

His pete seegers sessions we shall overcome is brilliant 

[Captain-Carra]

Any fan has to watch the VH1 Storytellers DVD.

Goes thru all his songs from Blinded by the Night, Brilliant Disguise, Waiting on a Sunny Day, The Rising to Devils and Dust, telling the story behind each of them and what the lyrics mean.

Truly amazing.

Then he finishes with him on the piano playing Thunder Road.