Your Friday Bruce Fix

Bruce Springsteen, I Wish I Were Blind, Better Days

I don't know what came over me, perhaps it's just that I'm feeling a bit under the weather this week battling a cold, but today I'm going to feature two songs from Bruce Springsteen's wilderness years away from the E Street Band.  I hope you E Street purists won't mind.  I struggle with this period of Bruce's career, but it is certainly worthy of an examination every now and then.

I'll lead off with an overlooked gem from Bruce's extensive catalogue.  'I Wish I Were Blind' was released on the 'Human Touch' album.  It's a hurtin' song, about a guy longing for his former lover who now has a new man.  I think it's a great song, off a much maligned album culled from 30 songs recorded over 19 months between September 1989 and March 1991.  Had he asked, I might have counseled Bruce to include songs like 'Sad Eyes' and 'Secret Garden' in place of some of the duds that made the final cut. 

I believe this clip comes from his appearance on MTV's 'Unplugged', for which Bruce performed plugged in, other than the opening song, which was an acoustic rendering of 'Red Headed Woman'.

After completing the 'Human Touch' recording sessions, perhaps sensing he hadn't quite assembled the right collection of songs, Bruce didn't release the album right away, and instead headed back into the studios in July of that year.  The sessions went well and he emerged in January 1992 with enough material for the 'Lucky Town' album.  He apparently completed recording 15 songs in these sessions.  'Happy' is the most notable song from these sessions that was left off 'Lucky Town'.

'Lucky Town' and 'Human Touch' were released simultaneously on March 31, 1992.  Most consider 'Lucky Town' to be the superior of the two, despite the fact that Bruce had recorded only half as many songs for that album.  Some feel that he should have edited the 45 songs from the two recording sessions down to what might have been one pretty solid album.  I refer to that might have been album as 'Better Town'. 

'Better Days' is a less overlooked song than 'I Wish I Were Blind'.  It seems to have been written by a guy who had gone through some rough times ("It's a sad man my friend that's livin' in his own skin but can't stand the company"), but had gotten to a better place, to better days.  "Tonight this fool's halfway to heaven and just a mile outta hell, and I feel like I'm comin' home."

Happy Friday! 

Bruce Springsteen, City At Night, Taxi Cab, The Way

I think that on one or two occasions (OK, maybe a lot more than that) I may have mentioned that I'd love Bruce Springsteen to release a re-mastered 'Darkness On The Edge Of Town' album, in a box set along with a full concert from the Darkness tour in 1978.  I was pleased to learn before Christmas that Bruce, who undoubtedly reads this blog regularly (even Bruce needs a Bruce Fix), decided to take my advice and we now know that said box set is imminent.

The next thing I would like Bruce to do is to release more lost gems from the Darkness recording sessions.  He squeezed a few onto the 'Tracks' box set that he released in 1998, but there are so many more.  One option for Bruce is to release a 'Tracks II".  Another option might be to slip a third disc of studio outtakes, and maybe a couple of live audio tracks, into the upcoming 'Darkness' box set.  Bruce, I appreciate that you took my advice on releasing the 'Darkness' box set, so I'll be good about this and let you choose which of the above two options I've outlined for you, but you must choose one of them.

Today's fix features two outtakes from the 'Darkness' recording sessions.  The first I've long known as 'City At Night', although it is alternately known as 'Taxi Cab'.  (We'll find out which it is now that Bruce knows what he has to do.)  I find 'City At Night' very cinematic and can visualize it set to scenes of Robert De Niro driving around in his cab in Martin Scorsese's 'Taxi Driver'. 

Since we know that De Niro stole his famous "You talkin' to me?" line from Bruce (see the June 5, 2009 fix), I wonder if Bruce was somehow inspired by the movie to write this song.  The timeline is right.  Bob saw Bruce in 1975, 'Taxi Driver' came out in 1976, Bruce recorded 'City At Night' in 1977.  It all adds up.

'The Way' is a nice, romantic ballad that clearly didn't belong, either musically or lyrically, on the Darkness album.  Another example is 'Hearts of Stone' which I featured in the October 23, 2009 fix.  These are just some of the many great songs that didn't make the cut, but are worthy of being properly mixed and mastered so we can enjoy them the way they deserve to be heard.

Happy Friday! 

Bruce Springsteen, Terry's Song

Yesterday afternoon, I was contemplating two distinctly different ideas for this week's fix.  Then I received an email that knocked me onto by butt for a few hours.  Today, I don't feel much better, but I do know what to do with this week's fix. 

My friend Kevin died in a terrible car accident Wednesday afternoon.  We worked together for a few years in the early 90s and kept in regular contact over the years, right up until last week's phone call.  He was in good spirits, as he generally was.  He loved life, life loved him back and he leaves a staggering number of people with a lot of fond memories.  A lot of my memories involve golf, beer, chicken wings and many laughs.

I've met a lot of people in my life, but there was only one Kevin.  So, this week's fix features Bruce Springsteen's tribute to his friend and personal assistant Terry Magovern who passed away on July 30, 2007.  On August 1st, Bruce wrote this song and performed it at Terry's memorial service the next day.

It seems Terry and Kevin may have been very much alike, at least in their uniqueness and in the force of their personalities.  I'm struggling to find words, so I'll let Bruce's lyrics carry the rest of this fix. 

We'll all miss you, bud.  When they built you, brother, they broke the mold.

Well they built the Titanic to be one of a kind
But many ships have ruled the seas
They built the Eiffel Tower to stand alone
But they could build another if they please
Taj Mahal, the Pyramids of Egypt
Are unique I suppose
But when they built you, brother
They broke the mold

Now the world is filled with many wonders
Under the passing sun
Sometimes something comes along
And you know it's for sure the only one
Mona Lisa, the David, the Sistine Chapel
Jesus, Mary and Joe
And when they built you, brother
They broke the mold

When they built you , brother
They turned us into gold
And when they built you, brother
They broke the mold

They say you can't take it with you
But I think that they're wrong
Cause all I know I woke up this morning
And something big was gone
Gone into that dark ether
Where you're still young and hard and cold
Just like when they built you, brother
They broke the mold

Now your death is upon us
And we'll return your ashes to the earth
And I know you'll take comfort in knowing
You been roundly blessed and cursed
But love is a power greater than death
Just like the songs and stories told
And when she built you, brother
She broke the mold

That attitude's a power stronger than death
Alive and burning when you're stone cold
And when they built you, brother

Bruce Springsteen, Ride On Sweet William, Blinded By The Light

Inspired by the cold winter weather, last week's Friday Bruce Fix brought you two rather obscure tunes called 'Winter Song' and 'Randolph Street'.  Inspired by little more than last week's obscurity, this week's Friday Bruce Fix dares to be perhaps even more obscure, although I'm not sure how we'd settle the debate over which week's fix is most obscure.

'Ride On Sweet William' is a song that made a few live appearances in 1974 and does not appear to have ever been recorded in studio.  The audio recording in the clip that follows has been attributed to a concert at Liberty Hall in Houston on March 10, 1974, however the track listings I've seen from that show do not list 'Ride On Sweet William' or the song's other name, 'She's So Fine'.  So, perhaps it is from another show.  If anyone out there can clear up this confusion, please post a comment. 

If the date is right, another obscure fact about this song is that the drummer was Ernest "Boom" Carter, who had joined the band just a couple of weeks previously, for what would turn out to be a short tenure as drummer for the E Street Band.  Ernest's claim to fame is that he was the drummer on the officially released recording of 'Born to Run', his only recording credit with Bruce.  If the date is wrong, then don't read this part about Ernest.  Oops, too late.

I like 'Ride On Sweet William' musically more than lyrically.  In fact, I suspect its lyrical shortcomings are the reason Bruce relegated this composition to his considerable scrap heap of discarded original songs.  How are these for lyrical shortcomings?

"She's sweet, she's educated, she knows about history, geometry, she's so fine"

or

"I'll get in my car and burn it up, now switch on the radio and turn it up" 

Now, ride on sweet William.... 

Speaking of obscure, here's a version of an early Bruce Springsteen composition that was and still is known for its lyrics.  This is so obscure, that I had never heard it before, and was completely unaware of its existence, prior to finding it in my search for something obscure to go with 'Ride On Sweet William'.  Should I try to use the word "obscure" one more time?

This funky arrangement of 'Blinded By The Light' is from the Allen Theatre in Cleveland on February 1, 1974, just a month or so before the previous clip.  This band featured Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez on drums, and David Sancious on piano and keyboards, before they LEFT THE BAND (good idea guys....) and were replaced by Max Weinberg (after Ernest went "Boom") and Roy Bittan.  I think it's safe to say that the musical character of the E Street Band shifted with this personnel change.  It is also fair to say that extended jam intros of this type were not uncommon during the early 1970s.

Happy Obscure Friday!

Bruce Springsteen, Winter Song, Randolph Street

I'm easing into this new year with a bit of a cold that I've just about killed.  It has been fairly cold around here lately, and I've noticed that winter seems to have a pretty icy pair of vice grips on much of the continent.  Such thoughts led me to think, "Today, I need a winter song".  Fortunately for us, Bruce once wrote something called 'Winter Song'.  I guess that's close enough.

'Greetings From Asbury Park' had already been released a month earlier and on February 20, 1973, Bruce Springsteen was at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, New York, working on material for his next album.  'Winter Song' didn't make the cut to appear on 'The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle', although the intro sounds like a musical idea that would survive and evolve into the intro to 'New York City Serenade'.

Bruce wrote prolifically between 1971 and 1973, and seems to have recorded a great many of those songs.  'Randolph Street', also known as 'Master of Electricity', was likely also recorded at 914 Sound Studios, in the summer of 1972.  It sounds like Bruce was nostalgic, and maybe a little wistful, thinking back to his grandfather who according to the lyrics may have been a self-employed electrician that passed away in the winter of 1963, followed by Bruce's grandmother in August of 1964. 

Happy Friday!

Bruce Springsteen, Land of Hope and Dreams, Happy New Year

On a morning that begins the new year, a song that looks forward with hope feels like the right fit.  I believe that with the new year comes new opportunities.  As we transition into the new year, it is a time to look forward to realizing our goals and fulfilling our dreams. 

I first heard 'Land of Hope and Dreams' on the reunion tour in 1999.  I still remember my reaction.  I was astounded that Bruce could close a show with a song no one had ever heard, and still blow everyone away.  While I couldn't quite make out all the lyrics, I grasped their optimism and inclusiveness, and the music was entirely uplifting.  When I think about my long list of favorite Bruce tunes, this is one that doesn't always come to mind, yet when it does, I always end up thinking it's one of his best.

So, here are two renditions of what I feel is one of Bruce's most overlooked and underrated songs.  The first is an acoustic version that comes from the Flood Aid concert in Pittsburg on December 2, 2004.

The second version comes from the reunion tour on its stop in Washington, DC on September 3, 1999. This was actually the second to last song of the night, with 'Ramrod' closing the proceedings on this night.

Happy Friday and a very Happy New Year to all!

Bruce Springsteen, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

I'm going to keep this short and sweet, after all, it's Christmas morning and I've got presents to give out, and hopefully even a couple to receive.  I also have to prepare myself for all the overindulgences of the day that will surely follow last night's overindulgences.  It won't be easy, but I'm sure if I stay focused, I will somehow get through it all. 

So, here you go.  If Santa hasn't yet arrived, then maybe this will tide you over until he does.

If that wasn't enough, how about this from the Max Weinberg Seven, with support from key members of New Jersey rock royalty, including Bruce, Little Steven, Jon Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny, and Bobby Bandiera, with Nils Lofgren, Gary US Bonds and Willie Nile thrown in for good measure.

Merry Christmas and Happy Friday!

Bruce Springsteen, The Fever

I just got off the phone with a friend who's not feeling well.  No, it's not H1N1 flu, but he does have a fever, and it seems to get worse at night.  Many Fridays I have no idea what I'm going to write about, but sometimes the inspiration comes from somewhere unexpected, like a friend's misery.  If my friend has a fever, then I think it's only fair that we spread 'The Fever' around on this Friday, for everyone who's feeling under the weather today. 

Hmmmm, I know that any flu is no laughing matter, but since having a fever tends to be one of the symptoms of flu patients, do you suppose there might be an opportunity for 'The Fever' to become the official song of the 2009/2010 flu season?  Is it even possible to sponsor a flu season?  You can sponsor the Olympics and they only last a couple of weeks.  A good flu seaons lasts for months!  Might be a great opportunity.  You don't see Jon Landau coming up with gems like this. Hey Bruce, let's do lunch.

Bruce wrote 'The Fever' back in 1971 and considered releasing it on his second album, 'The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle'.  He did record it in studio and his manager Mike Appel sent a copy of the recording to radio stations, perhaps including KLOL-FM in Houston.  On a subsequent tour through Houston in 1974, Bruce recorded it at KLOL for broadcast the same afternoon.  The next night, Bruce played it live in concert, for the first time following its only other live performances about a year earlier.  Here is that second ever live performance, from March 10, 1974, at Liberty Hall in Houston.

Bruce never did release 'The Fever' back in those days and in 1976 he let his Jersey shore pal Southside Johnny record it for his debut album.  This great song certainly helped Johnny launch his recording career.  If you haven't already seen it, be sure to check out the great live video clip of Bruce joining Johnny on stage in August of 1978 to perform 'The Fever', which you can find in the July 24, 2009 edition of Your Friday Bruce Fix. 

In December of 1978, Bruce played two shows at Winterland in San Francisco, site of The Band's 'The Last Waltz'.  The clip is from the first of those shows, and is one of my favorite performances of this great song. 

Happy Feverish Friday!

Bruce Springsteen, Thundercrack

I didn't plan it this way, but over the past month I have featured four cuts from Bruce Springsteen's second album, 'The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle'.  The catalyst for this flurry of classic tunes was Bruce's November 7th first ever top to bottom performance of the seven cuts off that album.  This week I'm featuring a song that might have been cut number eight were it not for the fact that there simply wasn't enough room left on the disc for another long song.

Bruce's sophomore effort yielded some of his most beloved concert pieces, including 'Kitty's Back', 'Incident On 57th Street' and 'Rosalita'.  'New York City Serenade' is one of Bruce's most rarely played in concert songs, and yet judging by its performance and the crowd reaction on November 7th in Madison Square Gardens (see the November 13, 2009 fix), I think we'd all love to be in the audience some night for a reappearance, with strings of course.

Now this is an educated guess, but I think 'Rosalita' was Bruce's pre-encore show closer for every full length concert from the beginning of the 'Born to Run' tour in 1975 (and many shows in 1974) until midway through the 'Born In The USA' tour towards the end of 1984, (and perhaps several times thereafter, and also as an encore).  I doubt that there are official records anywhere on this, but perhaps that makes 'Rosalita' the Cal Ripken of show closers.

Before 'Rosalita', a common closer was the song that opened the great aforementioned November 7th show, 'Thundercrack'.  I was fortunate enough to be in the pit (about 10 feet back, slightly on the Steve side of Bruce) in Toronto on the 'Magic' tour and caught my only ever 'Thundercrack'.  To this day, it is still my clearest memory from a night of many great ones. 

Here's the first of two of the many ways to do 'Thurdercrack', acoustically on piano from the great 'Devils and Dust' tour.

Way number two is from a May 1, 1973 performance at Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, with the inimitable Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez on drums.  By the way, on this night, Bruce opened for Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show and headliners New Riders of the Purple Sage.  I hope the marquee was big enough for all those names.

Happy Thundercrackin' Friday!

Bruce Springsteen, Kitty's Back, Merry Christmas Baby, Conan O'Brien, The Gift Of Bruce

One wintery Friday morning in the first week of December 2007, I emailed a video clip of Bruce Springsteen to four friends.  Without giving it much thought, in the subject line I wrote "Your Friday Bruce Fix".  In the body of the email, all I wrote was "Admit it, you need it.", and provided a link to a clip on YouTube. 

I had no thoughts of sending more clips in the future, certainly not every Friday, and I could have guaranteed you that it would never become a blog.  I'm not sure I even knew what a blog was.  A year later, and a year ago this week, after 52 Fridays of emails to a growing list of friends and assorted Friday Bruce Fixees, Your Friday Bruce Fix became a blog. 

Last week I featured what I feel is the definitive performance of 'Incident On 57th Street'.  This week, I give you another definitive version of a song from Bruce's second album 'The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle'.  This performance of 'Kitty's Back' comes from Bruce's appearance on 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien', on December 11, 2002, aligning nicely with the anniversary date of the launch of Your Friday Bruce Fix.  I suppose one could make the argument that Bruce was the original Bruce Fixer, but December 11 fell on a Wednesday that year, and "Your Wednesday Bruce Fix" just isn't sticky enough to catch on. 

This clip of 'Kitty's Back' is the one that I sent to the original four Bruce Fixees two years ago.  This amazing performance is the source of my inspiration and motivation to share the gift of Bruce with my friends.  The band on stage that night was a hybrid of the E Street Band and the Max Weinberg 7, and on the second and final song of the night, they were joined by "the man himself", Conan O'Brien, on guitar.  Ordinarily, I would rather wait until later in the month to feature 'Merry Christmas Baby', but it comes bundled with 'Kitty's Back' in this clip.  I guess it's not too early to start spreading some Christmas cheer.

So, happy Friday Bruce Fix anniversary to us, to the original four fixees, and to every other Bruce Fixee that has come along for the ride ever since.  In fact, today would be a great day for everybody to spread the gift of Bruce.  Wish your friends, family and colleagues a Happy Friday Bruce Fix by sending them the link to this blog.  It's a great way to mark the day, and to begin the holiday gift giving season.  Here's my gift of Bruce to you, and yours to them, and theirs to whoever.  Here's 'Kitty's Back'.  Crank up the volume and watch repeatedly until you no longer tap your toes.  It could be a while....

Kittys Back-Merry Xmas Baby- bruce springsteen live
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Happy Friday Bruce Fix!