Posts Tagged ‘Bruce Springsteen and the E.Street Band’

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and the E.STREET BAND – ” The River Tour “

Posted: December 4, 2015 in MUSIC
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It’s called The River Tour and it’s coming to Newark.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will play Sunday, January 31st 2016 at the city’s Prudential Center, according to the venue’s Web site,www.prucenter.com.

Tickets are $73 to $155 and they go on sale Friday, December. 11th  through Ticketmaster, according to the posting. Calls requesting  additional details to spokespersons for the Prudential Center and Springsteen were not returned. The post was taken down after about an hour but an official announcement is expected on Friday, Dec. 4.

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Springsteen is releasing a box set treatment for his 1980 double album “The River” called “The Ties That Bind: The River Collection” on Friday, Dec. 4th. If the Newark show is part of a tour, that would call into question Springsteen’s participation in the annual Light of Day festival, scheduled for Friday, January. 8th through Monday January. 18th at multiple venues in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Philadelphia  and New York City.

While Springsteen began performing full album sequences in 2008, The River has been performed in its entirety exactly once: November 8th, 2009, at Madison Square Garden. While no specific setlist plans have been discussed, we have high hopes for that 20-track feat to be repeated, along with live airings of 1979-’80 outtakes.

Perhaps an indication that Bruce will be downsizing the “E Street Orchestra” of recent tours for this 2016 outting, today’s press release lists the E Street Band’s members as Roy Bittan, Nils Lofgren, Patti Scialfa, Garry Tallent, Stevie Van Zandt, and Max Weinberg, with Soozie Tyrell, Jake Clemons, and Charlie Giordano.

The announcement also notes: “Each night of the tour will be mixed for release on Live.BruceSpringsteen.net as high-quality downloads and CDs. Recordings will be available within days of each performance.”

The highlight is the Light of Day Main Event, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 16 at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, where the birthday of Light of Day founder Bob Benjamin is celebrated and Springsteen often performs unannounced.

While still awaiting an official announcement, these US dates are circulating from reliable sources on the day of the box set release, and appear to fit the expected time frame for the New Year 2016 tour. Newark is already listed on the Prudential Center website, with an on sale date of December 11. Not clear if this is a ‘final’ list or if more dates may be added. Amy Lofgren confirmed on Twitter that Nils is touring with the band for what’s being called ‘The River Tour’...

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band launch The River Tour 2016, a nine-week US trek, on January. 16th in Pittsburgh. The announcement of the tour coincides with today’s release of “The Ties That Bind: The River Collection,” a comprehensive look at the era of the 1980 “The River” album that “Rolling Stone” calls “Springsteen’s best archival release yet.”

Each night of the tour will be mixed for release on Live.BruceSpringsteen.net as high-quality downloads and CDs. Recordings will be available within days of each performance.

The original The River Tour began Oct. 3, 1980, two weeks before the release of Springsteen’s fifth album, and continued through Sept. 4, 1981. With sets that regularly approached the four-hour range, the 140-date international tour firmly established a reputation for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as marathon performers.

Tickets to The River Tour go on sale December. 11th.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 2016 US Tour Dates:

Jan 16 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center
Jan 19 Chicago, IL United Center
Jan 24 & 27 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Jan 29 Washington, DC Verizon Center
Jan 31 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
Feb 2 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Feb 4 Boston, MA TD Garden
Feb 8 Albany, NY Times Union Center
Feb 10 Hartford, CT XL Center
Feb 12 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
Feb 16 Sunrise, FL BB&T Center
Feb 18 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
Feb 21 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
Feb 23 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena
Feb 25 Buffalo, NY First Niagara Center
Feb 27 Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena
Feb 29 St Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
Mar 3 Milwaukee, WI BMO Harris Bradley Center
Mar 6 St Louis, MO Chaifetz Arena
Mar 10 Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Arena
Mar 13 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena
Mar 15 & 17 Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena

UPDATE: Backstreets is reporting the band’s lineup as as Roy Bittan, Nils Lofgren, Patti Scialfa, Garry Tallent, Stevie Van Zandt, and Max Weinberg, with Soozie Tyrell, Jake Clemons, and Charlie Giordano.

Bruce Springsteen is scheduled to appear on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” on December 19th. The last time the E Street Band played together was May 18th, 2014 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. to conclude the High Hopes tour.
plus a statement from Nils 
To all the wonderful people who have purchased tickets for my upcoming Nils Lofgren solo shows and the clubs and theaters who’ve been kind enough to invite me to perform in 2016: I am truly sorry I must postpone some of these shows due to an unexpected run of concerts with the E Street Band of which I’ve been a member for 31 years. We will work with the venues to reschedule these shows as soon possible to honor my commitments which my team and I take very seriously.I apologize to all for the inconveniences this causes and will make it up to you all as best as I can.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and the E.STREET BAND – ” Party Lights “

Posted: November 23, 2015 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Hear “Party Lights” a poignant yet anthemic Bruce Springsteen rarity, released for the first time on the upcoming box set ‘The Ties That Bind: The River Collection.”

Springsteen spent well over a year writing songs for his 1980 LP The River, and by the time he was done, he had much more songs than he could fit on even a double album. Some of the tracks wound up as B-sides, while many others appeared on the 1998 box set Tracks or the 2003 Essential Bruce Springsteen collection. But when it came time to collect material for Springsteen’s upcoming box set, The Ties That Bind: The River Collection due out 4th December, the curators still found 11 songs that hadn’t previously appeared on any previous release.

You can listen to one of those songs here, “Party Lights,” right now. An incomplete, solo acoustic home demo of the song from 1979 originally leaked out to bootleggers many years ago, but the finished, full-band rendition has never been heard until now. It contains lyrics that were later used on “Point Blank” and in the additional verse that Springsteen added to “Jersey Girl” by Tom Waits. Much like the title track of The River, the song is about a young girl forced to “grow up fast” after becoming a young mother.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are promoting the new River box set on Saturday Night Live on December 19th, but plans beyond that are unclear. Earlier this week, Springsteen performed “American Skin (41 Shots)” with Tom Morello, Max Weinberg and Roy Bittan at the Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America  event in Los Angeles. 

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – ” The Darkness Tour ” Cd Sets

Posted: November 19, 2015 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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This is a suberb Springsteen live CD ( actually 3 cds) of one of his finest ever shows.The 1978 tour was renowned for supporting a number of Radio Broadcasts and this one from LA’s Roxy Theatre is, I beleive, the finest of them all.
The sound on here is as near perfect as you could get in ’78, and the decent packaging makes for a very nice product all round. Excelllent bonus on the third disc is the full 1978 inteview Bruce gave to DJ Dave Herman – a fascinatuing recording that tells us a lot about what was making the boss tick at this point in time!

Stating the obvious first of all, this performance is the stuff of which legends are made. What you really need to know is if this particular release is sonically upgrading any of the other tapes you may already have of this well circulated performance. Well the great news is ‘yes’ in my opinion. I have various copies of the Roxy performance on different labels in my collection and I honestly feel this is the best sounding version out there including the Crystal Cat release. The even better news is that this release won’t cost you anywhere near what you would have to pay for a CC release and it is packaged very nicely. Definitely one to go for, even if you have it on other labels like I do. And for the money, an out and out no-brainer. Enjoy.

If you’re a fan then you’ll know about this but if you’re browsing and you’re in any way tempted then go for it without delay. It helps a lot if you’re familar with the first 4 albums especially Born To Run and Darkness but if you’re not you’ll be buying them very quickly after hearing this. A magnificent live album with Bruce at his peak
The nowadays “AGORA Theatre & Ballroom” in Cleveland, OH, (known since 1903 as “Metropolitan Theatre”) was not the place of this legendary appearance of Bruce The Boss” Springsteen. That colloquially “AGORA beta” called event site in close vicinity to Cleveland State University fell victim to a fire in 1984 and just afterwards the name changed to the current location. Reason for the concert in the old AGORA on 08/09/1978 was the 10-year jubilee of the local radio station WMMS and it was emitted nationwide.

Until today there was no legal publication of this concert, only different bootlegs now and then like “The teenage werewolf” for example. These recordings “travelled” inside the group of hardcore fans and for a long time we wished to be able to hear this wonderful concert in a much better quality. Therefore I bought it immediately beginning of November in the UK and I was absolutely not disappointed.

The concert is simply fantastic, all musicians are in the same top form like The Boss himself. And it took place in an atmosphere which was not possible in many of the later appearances in Mega Stadiums and Domes. It was more like a big school assembly hall with a small stage, rather few equipment, but very close contact between audience and artist(s).

The sound quality is unexpectedly good – someone must have spent a lot of work to extract this off the analogue material of that time. Of course there will always be any people who will have to find faults in everything. Simply ignore it – first it is The Boss, secondly it is The Boss, thirdly he was in top form and of course one could make it nowadays a little better, however, it’s not possible!

For me, not quite as clear a recording as the “Agora Ballroom” release, but it is a recording of a nearly 40 year old radio broadcast. The good news is that the band performance is as vital and thrilling as ever, with some tantalising glimpses of songs later realised on his next album “The River” (“Sad Eyes”/”Drive All Night”). Bruce is in fine voice and his guitar cuts as sharp as Little Steven’s pointed collar. The E Street Band play with a passion and drive rarely heard (and still do). This takes you back to a time when playing live was where truly great artists proved it all night. There’s the standard Bruce rock n roll medleys which are never as convincing as his own stuff, but a burning, angry cover of “It’s My Life”. Live rock doesn’t get much better than the epic 11-minute “Prove It All Night”, and “Because The Night” is stunning. (Just realised how often “night” appears in Bruce’s lyrics and titles). “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” is almost funky, and Bruce’s Telecaster just cries and bites on “Kitty’s Back”. A superb show – but this guy doesn’t do average.

A great concert and famed performance, (alongside the Passaic show “Piece de Resistance” boot set from ’78 as well). Although I haven’t heard the newly issued 3cd set of that show.

Beats any of the vinyl Winterland boots I have owned in the past (no crackles!) and it’s a well packaged set with decent photos, which appear to be from this era. I would also recommend the Agora 78 show as well. Also a great price for a triple cd set, beats the bootleggers?

Of the 1978 radio broadcasts that have recently been released this is up there with the Agora ballroom set as the best. The highlights for me are ‘Prove it all night’, ‘Because the night’ and of course ‘Santa clause is coming to town’, but it’s all good and at a reasonable price too.

Yet another excellent 1978 show from the Leftfield Media people. I think they have now put out all of the broadcast concerts from the Darkness tour and I’ve yet to be disappointed with any of them
I’d certainly recommend sticking with this series if you want to collect all the best Springsteen Concerts from this era as I have been doing, and before these began I was disappointed with the sound on a couple of titles on other labels.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and the E STREET BAND – ” Live From The Capitol Theatre Passiac ” 1978

Posted: November 10, 2015 in MUSIC
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyJ0TvVkhxQ

19.09.78 Passaic, NJ, intro to ´Darkness on the Edge of Town´
´´Thank you….this is uh….this is for my friend Dominic who´s at home listening….or, I guess, I wish he was at home listening….and I just wanna let you know that we´re all with you and at one time or another everybody´s got to drive through the darkness on the edge of town….. and I know you´re gonna make it….”

19.09.78 Passaic, NJ, intro to ´Independence Day´
´´(?) it´s not my birthday yet (chuckles)….don´t rush it, don´t rush it, alright ? (chuckles)…. this is uh, this is a song I wrote, uh, it was originally gonna be on the ´Darkness´-album…. and I guess will be on the next one, this is called, uh, ´Independence Day´….”

19.09.78 Passaic, NJ, intro to ´Racing in the Street´
´´This is….for anybody out there driving around listening to this in their car….and this is for Barbara, I hope you get, get well real soon out there, Barbara…..so we can go racing in the street…. ”

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19.09.78 Passaic, NJ, intro to ´Thunder Road´
´´There was this….there was this Robert Mitchum movie…..and it was about these moonshine runners down south….and I never saw the movie, I only saw the poster in the lobby at the theater (chuckles) and I took the title and I wrote this song but I didn´t….I didn´t think that there was ever a place that was like….that was like what I wrote in this song (?) you know, didn´t know if there was or not….and uh….we were out in the desert….over the summertime…..driving, driving to Nevada and we came upon this, this house on the side of the road this indian had built…..had a big picture of Geronimo out front with ´Landlord´, said ´Landlord´ over the top, had a big sign, said ´This is the land of peace, love, justice and no mercy´….and it pointed down this little road, said ´Thunder Road´….this is for Matty….”

19.09.78 Passaic, NJ, intro to ´Meeting Across the River´
´´What is this ?….can I open this right now ?….this better not be embarrassing, this thing….is the present here ?….ooh, socks and underwear (chuckles)….so nice, thank you….it fits too, how´d you know my head was so big, huh ?….I´ll check this out too….oh, ´Your bankaccount is overdrawn´, no (chuckles)….oh, for you…..what´s this, the Declaration of Independence (?)….what a likeness, right ?….it´s from the Islanders, alright….thank you, Vinny, North Long Branch….alright, this is for, uh….(?)….we´re on the radio, people can´t see these things…. Clarence, stop that (chuckles) hold up the ´Applause´-sign one more time, alright (chuckles) (cheers) ok, put it down (crowd quiets down) hold it up (cheers)(crowd quiets down)(cheers) oh, that works great (chuckles)….alright, this is, uh, this is for the New York City folks that treated us so good at the Garden and stuff and this is for Eddie and the guys from the Bronx ….”

19.09.78 Passaic, NJ, middle of ´Backstreets´
´´Baby, I remember you….baby, I remember you….standing on the corner….standing on the corner….of Kingsley Avenue….with your hair all up high….with your hair all up high (?)…. with an eye for every….boy that was passing you by….and I swore that for you I´d drive…. for you, little girl, I´d drive all night long….little girl, I´d drive all night long…..little girl, I´d drive all night long….just to buy you some shoes….and to taste your tender charms….to have you hold me in your arms….for just one kiss…..and a look from your sad eyes….a look from your sad eyes…..you had such lonely sad eyes and all the time they was crying, crying, crying, crying….all the time they was crying, crying, crying, crying….little girl, they was crying….and me, I was so ready to be your fool….I thought somehow that I could stop all your crying, maybe somehow I could stop your crying, maybe somehow I could stop your crying, but I didn´t know….I didn´t know….that baby´d been lying….baby´d been lying…. little girl, you´d been lying….little girl, you´d been lying….little girl, you were ly-ly-ly-ly-lying….your pretty li-li-li-lies, all them little li-li-li-lies…..and now you´re back…..well, baby, I´m back too….and I´ve been out…..and I´ve seen some things….about me, about you, and I found out….we´ve got to stop, little girl, we´ve got to stop, little girl, we´ve got to stop, little girl, we´ve got to stop, little girl, we´ve got to stop, little girl, we´ve got to stop, little girl, we´ve got to stop, little girl, we´ve got to stop, little girl, we´ve got to STOP !….”

19.09.78 Passaic, NJ, intro to ´Sandy´
´´This is uh….this is for everybody from Sea Bright and Long Branch…..(?)….somehow I´ve lived in every one of those places (chuckles)….this is for Vinny down at the Islander….all the guys from North Beach….Dominic, and this is for everybody who´s still back in Asbury Park ….”

19.09.78 Passaic, NJ, middle of ´Raise Your Hand´
´´What ?….are you talking to me ? (cheers)….well, I´m talking to you…..in Boston, in Providence, in Worchester, in Hartford, in New York, in Philadelphia, in Baltimore, in Washington D.C, in New Jersey….are you talking to me ? (cheers) are you talking to me ? (cheers) if you´re talking to me, you better talk loud….and raise your hand…..”

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1. Good Rockin’ Tonight *
2. Badlands
3. Streets of Fire
4. Spirit in the Night
5. Darkness on the Edge of Town
6. Independence Day
7. The Promised Land
8. Prove It All Night
9. Racing in the Street
10.Thunder Road
11. Meeting Across the River
12. Jungleland
13. Kitty’s Back
14. Fire
15. Candy’s Room
16. Because the Night
17. Point Blank
18. Not Fade Away
19. She’s the One
20. Backstreets
21. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
22. 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
23. Born to Run *
24. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
25. Detroit Medley
26. 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
27. Raise Your Hand
28. Twist and Shout *

* Taken from September 20, 1978 performance. All other songs from September 19, 1978.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and the E.STREET BAND – ” Ramrod “

Posted: November 5, 2015 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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One month and 20 shows into his 1980 tour, Bruce Springsteen took a turn east, from Los Angeles to Arizona. The River, his new two-record set, had reached the top of the charts, which should have put anyone in the best of moods. And even though he was about to play to a Phoenix audience that had supported him going back to 1974, something must not have been sitting well with him as the sun came up on November 5th. On stage that night in Tempe, he would tell the crowd, “I don’t know what you guys think about what happened last night, but I think it’s pretty frightening.” It was the day after the landslide election of Ronald Reagan.

That historic event and the performance it helped inspire have been central threads in the Tempe 1980 story. Another is the knowledge that footage of the legendary concert existed, the missing counterpart to the multi-track audio used just once, for “Badlands” on Live/1975-85.

Now, for the first time anywhere, 35 years later to the day, fans can see a complete song from the fabled concert. The film itself, part of the anniversary box set The Ties That Bind: The River Collection, comes out on December 4th. In an exclusive first look, we present an excerpt from that two-hour-and-40-minute Tempe 1980 concert film: not “Hungry Heart” or “Badlands,” but “Ramrod.”

“Ramrod” has always stood out. It was among the first River songs Bruce Springsteen performed (in Pittsburgh, one of the last stops on the 1978 tour), and it was the last great stretch of rock on the album. Its concert arrangements have varied, from straight-down-the-middle on the River tour, to acoustic rave-ups, whether solo in 2005 or with the Sessions Band in 2006. As recently as last year, anyone who wants to know the time will find out soon enough after Bruce tells the E Street Band, “Let’s roadhouse!”

On The River, Springsteen set up “Ramrod” not as a rambunctious, pile-driving encore, but as the lead in a series of goodbyes, casting that entire LP side — the last of four, rather than the two he had intended only a year before — as “summational.” Until that detail was revealed in the initial coverage of the new box set, one might never have put two and two together quite that way. But it was that attention to detail, sometimes woven into songs that might otherwise come off as simple rockers, with which The River cut a deep bed.

Few songs typify the 1980 E Street Band better than “Ramrod.” To the car, the girl, and the story arc, Bruce joined a live-in-the-studio sound he’d been seeking, including a rich Clarence Clemons solo and the complementary work of Roy Bittan and Danny Federici. Max Weinberg called it his favorite song to play. As the tour went on, “Ramrod” gained prominence, often serving as the set-up for “Rosalita.”

Watching it 35 years later, the first thing one notices about “Ramrod” is the array of wonderful viewing angles. Director Thom Zimny says that a four-camera crew captured the evening’s proceedings. Numerous vantage points, including wide shots from the back of the floor, show a vintage performance in ways no other video release has before Tempe. One might easily conclude more than four cameras were present: they seem to be everywhere.

That results in stunning moments, from a zoom to the audience through the Big Man’s wide stance, to a close-up of Bruce and Miami Steve at the mic and Bruce’s fancy footwork at the end. The interplay between the band members is remarkable, and so is the plain-as-day fact that they’re having fun up there. For any longtime fan, the ability to watch what was previously only a listening experience is astounding.

In part, Tempe’s legend stems from its availability: a decent soundboard recording of this night has long circulated among fans (though it can’t compete with Bob Clearmountain’s new juggernaut mix from the original multi-track audio tapes). And speculation about the existence of a video component has bolstered its reputation. But the show’s rep (Springsteen performed 18 of the new LP’s 20 songs in Tempe), and a clamoring for footage, ultimately comes down to the intensity of the performance.

As he’s told it over the years, Springsteen wasn’t exactly enthused about being filmed, fearing interference with his audience. But it’s good that he tolerated it to the extent that he did; 35 years later, we have a treasure on our hands. Tempe captures a transition, a moment where Springsteen was still largely content to let the music do the talking for him.

Watch “Ramrod” a time or two, and that becomes apparent. A film crew can’t hurt, it turns out; elections and hit songs come in handy, too (at the time, “Hungry Heart” was well on its way to becoming Bruce’s first Top Ten hit). More than anything, what shines through is the pure, unadulterated joy of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band playing rock ‘n’ roll, like they could do it ’til half-past dawn.
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The Ties That Bind: The River Collection, which includes the Tempe 1980 concert film with more than two-and-a-half hours of the 11/5/80 performance, is just one month away. Thanks to Backstreets magazine.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and the E.STREET BAND – ” The Ties That Bind ” River Box Set

Posted: October 16, 2015 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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At last after months and maybe a full year of rumour, Coming December 4th 2015 — The Ties That Bind: The River Collection box set featuring 52 tracks on 4 CDs + 4 hours of never-before-seen video on 2 Blu-rays or 3 DVDs.

Columbia Records will release Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Ties That Bind: The River Collection’ on December 4th.  A comprehensive look at ‘The River’ era, the set contains 52 tracks on 4 CDs with a wealth of unreleased material, and 4 hours of never-before-seen video on 3 DVDs. It is comprised of the original ‘The River’ double album; the first official release of ‘The River: Single Album;’ a CD of 1979/80 studio outtakes; a two-DVD film of never-released, newly edited multi-camera footage from Springsteen’s famed 1980 show in Tempe, AZ, long rumored but never-before-seen; rare tour rehearsal footage; a brand new documentary “The Ties That Bind” about ‘The River;’ and a coffee table book of 200 rare or previously unseen photos and memorabilia with a new essay by Mikal Gilmore.

‘The River,’ was Bruce Springsteen’s fifth album, was released on October 17,th 1980 as a double album and reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. In his notes, Gilmore calls ‘The River’ Springsteen’s “pivotal album—[the] hinge between the ambitious commotions that had preceded it and the more succinct musical riots, and sometimes terrifying storytelling, that followed.”

‘The River: Single Album’ is the 10-track album that Springsteen recorded in 1979 as a follow up to 1978’s ‘Darkness On The Edge Of Town’ but never released. “The songs lacked the kind of unity and conceptual intensity I liked my music to have. So we went back in the studio,” he wrote in the lyrics/photo book “Songs.” The early sessions marked the beginning of a prolific 18-month long journey of writing and recording. Seven of the 10 titles on ‘The River: Single Album’ eventually appeared on ‘The River,’ some with alternate lyrics and arrangements, with outtakes like “Cindy” and a rockabilly version of “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)” never released. Now for the first time ‘The River: Single Album’ will be officially available.

The fourth CD on the box set is ‘The River: Outtakes,’ which spans the entire ‘The River’ sessions in 1979 and 1980 and illustrate the depth and variety of Springsteen’s work during this period. Eleven songs are rarities that have never been released before, and for the most part are completely unheard and unknown even to fans, who have long considered Springsteen’s outtakes to be treasured secrets.

“The Ties That Bind” is a brand new 60-minute documentary produced and directed by Grammy and Emmy-winning filmmaker Thom Zimny that features an intimate interview with Springsteen as he reflects on the tumultuous, extended period writing and recording ‘The River.’ The film transitions between Springsteen telling the stories behind the music — and illustrating them with solo acoustic guitar performances — interspersed with period concert footage and rare photos of Bruce and the band in and out of the studio.

The final video component is “Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: The River Tour, Tempe 1980,” a new film produced from footage professionally filmed in 1980 using four cameras and recorded in multitrack audio. The film features 24 songs — 2 hours, 40 minutes — on 2 DVDs from Springsteen’s November 5, 1980 concert at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. Widely regarded as one of Springsteen’s finest performances, this intense show features early live versions of over half of ‘The River’ songs. Also included is 20 minutes of footage from the late September, 1980 River Tour rehearsals held in Lititz, PA, showing Springsteen and The E Street Band working through live arrangements of what was then unreleased material from the upcoming album.

‘The Ties That Bind: The River Collection’ is packaged in a 10” x 12” box with a hardcover 148-page coffee table book containing 200 studio and live photographs — most of which have never been seen before — plus pages from Springsteen’s notebooks, single covers, images and outtakes from the original album package, and other memorabilia documenting the album.

‘The Ties That Bind: The River Collection’ is available for pre-order at Amazon (4CD/3DVDs or 4CD/2Blu-ray) and iTunes.

 

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – ” The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle ” Released 11th September 1973

Posted: September 11, 2015 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on September 11th, 1973, by Columbia Records. It was recorded by Springsteen with the E Street Band at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, New York. The album includes the song “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)“, the band’s most-used set-closing song for the first 10 years of its career.

As with Bruce Springsteen’s first album released earlier in the year, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle was well-received critically but had little commercial success at the time. However, once Springsteen achieved popularity with the album Born To Run , several songs from this album became popular FM radio airplay and concert favorites. On November 7th, 2009, Springsteen and the E Street Band played the album in its entirety for the first time ever in a concert at Madison Square Gardens and in Brisbane Australia,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHXMqqruWMQ

26th February 2014 Brisbane
THE E STREET SHUFFLE
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY )
KITTY’S BACK
WILD BILLY’S CIRCUS STORY
INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET
ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE

The E Street Band is known to have taken its name from keyboard player David Sancious home in Belmar New Jersey. The back cover photo on the album has the six band members standing in a doorway. The picture was of an antique store on Sairs Ave in the West End section of Long Branch, New Jersey.

Springsteen had developed a renewed passion for full-band rock ‘n’ roll” when he began to record The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle in May 1973. The album departed from the folk influences of Springsteen’s 1973 debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and was instead characterized by “a grand fusion of nostalgic rock ‘n’ roll and soulful R&B”.

Springsteen recorded many songs for this album; at least eleven are known not to have made the final cut. Out of those eleven, “Zero and Blind Terry”, “Thundercrack”, “Seaside Bar Song” and “Santa Ana” were released on the Box set Tracks , whereas The Fever a song which had also been recorded by Southside Johnny,  was released on 18 Tracks.

songs from the album’s recording sessions remain officially unreleased:

  • “Evacuation of the West”. Recorded without Sancious and with no overdubs. It circulates in several bootlegs.
  • “Phantoms” (aka “Over the Hills of St George”). An early version of “Zero and Blind Terry”. It circulates in the bootleg Deep Down in the Vaults.
  • “Fire on the Wing”. Considered for inclusion in Tracks. The song remains uncirculated.
  • “New York Song”. An early version of “New York City Serenade”, which also included parts of an earlier song called “Vibes Man”. The song remains uncirculated.
  • “Secret to the Blues”. Reworking of a previous Springsteen song called “The Band’s Just Boppin’ the Blues”. The song remains uncirculated.
  • “Angel’s Blues” (aka “She So Fine” or “Ride On Sweet William”). Another uncirculated song.

 

 

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and the E.STREET BAND – ” Los Angeles Sports Arena ” April 23rd, 1988

Posted: July 8, 2015 in MUSIC
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Just added to the Bruce Springsteen Live Store!

The second night of a five night stand at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles, 4/23/88 features 31 songs, including the debut of “Have Love Will Travel” (a garage rock classic by the Sonics, written by Richard Berry of “Louie Louie” fame) and the first appearance on the tour of “Sweet Soul Music.” The show, mixed from digital multitrack masters by Toby Scott, is available now in several download formats including DSD and 24 Bit HD files. A 3 CD set is on sale now and will ship starting August 4.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and the E.STREET BAND – ” Live at Meadowlands ” 5th August 1984

Posted: May 13, 2015 in MUSIC
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The next release of Bruce Springsteen’s Live Archive series, and the first full concert recording from the “Born in the U.S.A”. Tour: August 5th, 1984. This was the opening night of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s ten-night New Jersey stand at the Meadowlands Arena from early in the 1984-’85 world tour. Brad Serling from nugs.net tells us, “The big news with this one is its our first DSD release — an audiophile format that’s 64x the resolution of a CD.”

The latest archival release from Bruce Springsteen finds him at the peak of his commercial peak, performing in support of “Born in the U.S.A”.in 1984. This is the first complete recording to be officially issued from that tour.

This 1984 concert, taped at Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, N.J., follows earlier releases focusing on shows at Cleveland in 1978 and Springsteen’s most recent live concerts in support of the 2014 album “High Hopes“. Thirty of that tour’s 35 stops were also made available via live.brucespringsteen.net.

On Aug. 5th, 1984, Springsteen and the E Street Band played songs from “Born in the U.S.A”., which was released two months earlier, as well as a bunch of older favorites. The concert also featured their take on Tom Waits‘ “Jersey Girl.”  You can see the complete set list below.

The E Street Band had recently been remade during this period following Steven Van Zandt‘s departure. Springsteen added both Nils Lofgren and Patti Scialfa, who would eventually become Springsteen’s wife, to the lineup. The Aug. 5th show also marked the first of 10 nights at Brendan Byrne.

Following on from the release of their New Year’s Eve show from Nassau Coliseum on December 31, 1980, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have confirmed the latest volume in their ongoing live archive series.  Pre-orders are open now for Brendan Byrne Arena, New Jersey 1984.  The release is a bittersweet one for New Jerseyans; the Byrne Arena (later the Continental Airlines Arena and the Izod Center) opened in July 1981 in East Rutherford’s Meadowlands and earlier this year was closed, likely for the final time.

Springsteen and the E Street Band’s August 5, 1984 concert from the Born in the USA tour, which commenced in June of that year, was recorded with the Record Plant Remote Truck by Toby Scott.  Brendan Byrne Arena, New Jersey 1984 marks the first complete release of a show from the landmark tour which solidified Springsteen’s reputation as the most electrifying performer in rock and roll.  The tour introduced audiences to Nils Lofgren on guitar (replacing Steven Van Zandt) as well as The Boss’ future wife Patti Scialfa on vocals and percussion.  August 5th was the first of a ten-show stand at the arena, and includes a number of the songs from the chart-topping, international smash album (including the title song, “Glory Days,” “My Hometown,” “Dancing in the Dark” and “Bobby Jean”) as well as staples like “Thunder Road,” “Jungleland,” “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” and “Born to Run” plus favorite covers such as “Jersey Girl” and the “Detroit Medley.”

The show was recorded live with Record Plant Remote by Toby Scott, assisted by David Bianco and Jim Scott.  It was transferred from 24-track analog tape to PCM 24 bit/192khz at Sonicraft in Freehold, New Jersey.  The multitracks were mixed by Toby Scott at Thrill Hill, assisted by Rob Lebret.  This release has been mastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering.

Due to the high quality of the recording, it will be offered in Direct Stream Digital or DSD ($39.95) – a format with 64 times the sampling rate of CD – as well as the usual options of MP3 ($9.95, 256 kbps), FLAC or Apple Lossless ($12.95), HD-Audio ($24.95, 24 bit/192 kHz, FLAC-HD or ALAC-HD) and CD-R ($23.00).  CDs will not begin shipping until June 11, but those purchasing the CD have the usual option to pay an extra $5.00 to obtain the MP3s now.

All five volumes of The Bruce Springsteen Archive Series – plus a number of recent concerts from 2014 – are available at Springsteen’s official live store for download and physical purchase.

Bruce Springsteen’s Brendan Byrne Arena, New Jersey 1984 Track List

“Born in the U.S.A.”
“Out in the Street”
“Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”
“Atlantic City”
“Johnny 99″
“Highway Patrolman”
“Prove It All Night”
“Glory Days”
“The Promised Land”
“Used Cars”
“My Hometown”
“Badlands”
“Thunder Road”
“Hungry Heart”
“Dancing the Dark”
“Cadillac Ranch”
“Sherry Darling”
“No Surrender”
“Pink Cadillac”
“Growin’ Up”
“Bobby Jean”
“Backstreets”
“Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”
“Jersey Girl”
“Jungleland”
“Born to Run”
“Detroit Medley”
“Travelin’ Band”
“Twist and Shout”

 

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and the E.STREET BAND – ” Tower Theatre Philadelphia 1975 “

Posted: February 14, 2015 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Fresh mix from multi-track of New Year’s Eve show at Tower Theater
For Bruce Springsteen, 1975 was a year that changed everything, 12 months of milestones which included recording the majority of and releasing the seminal “Born to Run” to critical acclaim; his first true national and international tour in support of the album; and appearing simultaneously on the covers of the National magazines Time and Newsweek. 

The year and the Born to Run tour came to a close with a four-night stand on friendly turf at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA, on the outskirts of Philadelphia, with the final show ringing in 1976. The band marked the occasion by wearing tuxedos, in response to which Bruce said, “If I’d known you guys would dress like this, I wouldn’t have come.” That memorable performance arrives today at live.brucespringsteen.net as the third archival release in Springsteen’s live Archive Series .

December 31, 1975 is newly mixed from 16-track master reels by Toby Scott and mastered by Adam Ayan at Bob Ludwig’s Gateway Mastering. It’s being released in standard and ultra-high-resolution 24-bit/192Khz digital files, as well as being available for CD pre-orders which will ship in another month, says Brad Serling, founder and CEO of Nugs.net which powers the Springsteen download store.

“In looking for the next release,” Serling tells Backstreets, “we wanted to go for the highest quality sources we could find. With Agora, we found the highest-quality two-track, but we didn’t want to go down that road with the next release. Toby was going through the list of what Sony had in their archive, and up came a complete set of multi-track reels from the last night of the Born to Run tour. So that was pretty compelling.”

Things moved impressively fast from there, as Scott got the tapes from Sony and shipped them to Sonicraft, which specializes in multi-track analog-to-digital transfers and just happens to be based in Bruce’s hometown of Freehold, NJ.

“It didn’t require the level of work of a Plangent transfer,” Serling explains. “The tapes just needed to be baked and sampled.” The 24/192 transfer made its way back to Thrill Hill, where Toby Scott began to mix “as purely as possible, with no gadgetry” through his SSL console. “He built the mix in a way he knew Bruce would like a live show to sound, particularly from that era,” Serling adds. Scott sent the results to Jon Landau and to Bruce for them to listen and approve, and then on to Gateway for mastering. The process wrapped up the first week in February.

The show was recorded by a young Jimmy Iovine in the Record Plant’s remote truck, one of a few select dates (including CW Post College on Long Island and Seneca College in Toronto) captured at the request of Mike Appel for a possible live album. Rough mixes of the show were made back in early 1976 for consideration, but the live album plan was scrapped.

Nine tracks from those ’76 mixes surfaced to collectors a few years ago, and a rough two-track board tape has been around for decades from the collection of the Philadelphia DJ Ed Sciaky. But this all-new Toby Scott mix marks the first time the complete performance has been heard, and the quality is undoubtedly unprecedented.

In terms of setlist, Philadelphia 12/31/75 varies materially from the other high-quality document we have of the Born to Run tour, Hammersmith Odeon, London ’75, recorded just six weeks earlier on November 18. The set includes the show jump-starter “Night,” “Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?,” the stunning and short-lived slow piano arrangement of “Tenth Avenue Freeze-out,” plus extraordinary covers of The Animals’ “It’s My Life,” Manfred Mann’s “Pretty Flamingo” and Harold Dorman’s “Mountain of Love” (also made famous by Johnny Rivers) before closing out the night with “Twist and Shout.”

“It is amazing how young Bruce sounds,” notes Serling. “It’s the end of this monumental tour, at a pivotal point in his career, and it is thrilling to listen to.”  Thanks to Erik Flannagan

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