Your Friday Bruce Fix

Bruce Springsteen, Bobby Jean

I'm not quite sure how this happened, but at around three months short of four years of doing Friday Bruce Fixes, and after roughly 450 songs, I've somehow managed not to play a song that I've loved from the very first time I heard it. Today, a horrible wrong is righted.

'Bobby Jean' was one of the last of the 50 or so songs that were played and recorded during the recording sessions for Bruce's 1984 monster hit album 'Born In The USA'. If I remember correctly, that album spawned seven top 10 singles: (In no particular order: Dancing in the Dark, Cover Me, Born in the USA, Glory Days, I'm On Fire, No Surrender, My Hometown.)

Since I thought Bobby Jean was such a great song, I was sure Bruce would see fit to release it as a single. As he released each new single, I kept thinking, "well, the next one will be Bobby Jean". I was really pulling for 'Bobby Jean' because I wanted that 8th top 10 single so he could surpass Michael Jackson's 7 top 10 singles from 'Thriller'.  But, of course that never happened.  Bruce didn't listen to me and missed his chance at immortality.

So, to make up for nearly 4 years of a 'Bobby Jean' free Friday Bruce Fix, here are 4 live renditions of, you guessed it, 'Bobby Jean'!  Always great to hear Clarence Clemons blow his horn, too.

Happy Friday!

 

Bruce Springsteen, Levon Helm, Up On Cripple Creek, Atlantic City, Summertime Blues

Alright, here’s a rare occasion….  Bruce Springsteen and Levon Helm together on stage.

This seems to have happened in Asbury Park on the Jersey Shore, in the small but storied club called The Stone Pony.  Apparently Bruce dropped by to do a couple of songs at Levon’s gig.  There seems to be evidence that this may have happened in 1987, which makes sense to me judging by Bruce’s hair, and Levon’s pre throat cancer voice.  Of course, seeing the red baseball cap stuffed in Bruce's back pocket suggests this was around the time of his 'Born in the USA' album and tour, potentially placing this during 1984 or 1985.

The thing that throws me off is that this looks like low resolution digital from a cell phone or a point and shoot camera, yet no such thing existed in 1987.  It doesn’t look like it was shot on film.  Maybe just some low grade video.  Hmmmmm….   Any ideas?

Unfortunately, you’ve got to work for this one.  It’s in 5 parts, the audio is lousy and features a lot of fine close ups of Bruce’s back.

For a little twist here on the Friday Bruce Fix, fast forward to 2008 and watch post throat cancer Levon back out touring, performing Bruce’s “Atlantic City”.

This one’s a bit of a stretch, but for Levon, I’m prepared to stretch.  Both Bruce and Levon have covered this Eddie Cochran classic, although I don’t believe Bruce ever appeared on SCTV!  First up is Levon on SCTV, followed by Bruce opening his stop in Landover, MD on the Darkness tour in 1978. If you've still got the Summertime Blues after those two, the Eddie Cochran original follows.

Happy Friday!

Bruce Springsteen, Goin' Back, Turn! Turn! Turn!, Roger McGuinn

Back in the mid-1960s, in Bruce Springsteen's formative years as a musician and band-leader, Roger McGuinn and the Byrds were reinventing popular music and in the process creating folk rock and country rock.  They (and others) were also instrumental in bringing Bob Dylan to the masses with debut hit 'Mr. Tambourine Man' and the 12 other Dylan covers they recorded between 1965 and 1970.

Roger and the Byrds were clearly an early influence of Bruce's.  I first became aware of this upon hearing a recording from the 'Born to Run' tour in 1975 from The Roxy in LA.  In October of that year, Bruce played 6 shows over 4 nights, each time performing 'Goin' Back', which the Byrds had recorded.  'Goin Back' was written by song-writing duo Carole King and Gerry Goffin.  On opening night at the Roxy, Carole King was in the audience and Bruce dedicated the song to her.

Fast forward about 33 years to 2008, on April 23rd during the 'Magic' tour's stop in Orlando, Florida.  Roger McGuinn joined Bruce and the E Street Band for two songs, 'Mr. Tambourine Man' and this great rendition of 'Turn! Turn! Turn!'.  The grins on Bruce and Stevie Van Zandt's faces during Roger's solo tell you they probably each played 'Turn! Turn! Turn!' over and over in their respective homes in late 1965, trying to learn that solo.

Finally, to complete our little Byrds fest, here's Roger explaining how this guest appearance happened.

Happy Friday!

Bruce Springsteen, American Land, Old Dan Tucker, John Henry

With St. Patrick's Day just barely behind us, it felt right to visit Bruce Springsteen's Seeger Sessions Band and a very Irish sounding tune called 'American Land'.  This song was written by Bruce, inspired by the song 'He Lies In The American Land' (a Slovakian worker’s poem adapted and later set to music by Pete Seeger).

This first clip is from Udine, Italy, October 4, 2006.

The next night, the band was in Verona, and with some fine vocal support from the locals, launched into a spirited version of 'Old Dan Tucker'.

Oh, why stop now?!! Let's go with one more, this time 'John Henry' and thankfully, with higher quality video and audio.

Happy Friday!

Bruce Springsteen, Seaside Bar Song, The Ghost of Tom Joad

A comment posted last week on a Friday Bruce Fix from April 2009 has inspired this week's Fix, and at least the next two.  This week begins a string of three Fixes in which I'll feature two of Bruce Springsteen's songs that share a lyric. 

I'm pretty sure there are more examples of this.  Without really thinking about it, there probably are a few contained within the Darkness Box Set alone.  'Candy's Boy' and 'Candy's Room' leap to mind, but they share so many lyrics, that we probably shouldn't even count that one.  They're really just two arrangements of what is mostly the same song.

This week's matching pair share the lyric "The highway is alive tonight".  'Seaside Bar Song' finishes that with "so baby do not be frightened", whereas 'The Ghost of Tom Joad' finishes it with "but nobody's kiddin' nobody about where it goes".  These are two very different songs, both musically and lyrically, recorded 22 years apart.

I won't tell you which other matching pairs I have in mind, but if you'd like to suggest any, please post a comment and I'll look forward to your ideas!  I wonder how many there are.  Maybe Bruce could save us all a lot of trouble and post a comment himself to clairfy for us!

We lead off with Bruce and the Max Weinberg Seven delivering a rare live performance of 'Seaside Bar Song'.

The second half of our matching pair features Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine joining Bruce and band for a scorching version of 'The Ghost of Tom Joad'.

Happy Friday!

 

Bruce Springsteen, You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)

In my October 8th post, I unofficially began my campaign to force Bruce to release a River Box Set some day.  In that post, I mentioned that 'The River' almost never was, in the sense that a single album called 'The Ties That Bind' was contemplated for release the previous year.  Today, I'm going to feature one of the songs that would have been on that album, and was later included on 'The River'.

For many in the retail industry, the shopping season starts to kick into gear around this time of year.  I imagine Halloween gets things rolling, there's some serious action in the US around Thanksgiving, especially on Black Friday, and then we roll into Christmas.  So, in honour of shopping season, today I'll feature a shopping song of sorts, 'You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)', in a few incarnations so you can follow its evolution.

I'll lead off with an acoustic demo that must pre-date whichever version was going to be released on 'The Ties That Bind'.  It's raw, but I like it.

Next up, is a better quality recording that comes from early in the River recording sessions, though I doubt it's the version that was considered for 'The Ties That Bind' album, given its style likely didn't fit.  It's rockabilly, but I like it.

The arrangement you're all familiar with is up next, not the official studio version mind you, but a rendition from 'The River' tour.  It's live, but I like it.

In 1986, Neil Young called up his pal Bruce Springsteen to ask for his support by performing at Neil's first annual Bridge School benefit concert.  I recall reading somewhere that this opening number was not even on the set list and at the last minute Bruce called an audible.  It's a cappella, but I like it.

20 years later, Bruce was touring in Italy with his Sessions Band, and here's what happened one night in Bologna.  It's Zydeco, but I like it.

Now, I dare you to play all five versions at the same time and stick with it until all five end.  I can't do it, can you?

Happy Friday! (and yes, I like it.)

Bruce Springsteen, Girls In Their Summer Clothes, Racing In The Street

I can't believe that September is here, I'm already booking meetings in October and November, and I know that before long summer will be just a fading memory.  I'm not quite ready to let summer pass me by, and so with stubborn determination, I'm going to hang on just a little longer and play a couple of summer tunes for you.

'Girls in their Summer Clothes' is certainly a summer song that conjures up all sorts of lovely images, sung by a guy in the autumn of his years, who notices that those girls in their spring years don't seem to notice him anymore.  I wouldn't know anything about that. :)

In this clip from Sweden, Bruce makes a fine effort to speak a little Swedish in his intro. Also, check out the "we're not worthy" treatment these great fans give Clarence during his sax solo. I gather they were doing this all night.

Next up is 'Racing In The Street', an audio only recording from one of Bruce's great performances on the Darkness tour of 1978.  This clip comes from the first of two nights at San Francisco's Winterland Arena, on December 15, 1978.  I'm playing this because of the obvious summer references, and also because Bruce alters the final line from "Summer's here and the time is right..." to "Summer's gone and the time is right...".  It's not gone yet, but it's going fast.

I also chose a track from that tour to mark the occasion of the world premiere this coming Tuesday night of "The Promise: The Making of 'Darkness On The Edge Of Town'".  Bruce will be in town to introduce the film at the Toronto International Film Festival.  Welcome back to Toronto Bruce and, hey if you've got some down time and feel like getting caught up over a couple of pints, you know where to find me.

Happy Friday!

Bruce Springsteen, It's My Life, Life Itself

Hearing a little Eric Burdon and the Animals last week prompted me to seek out today's lead clip featuring Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band covering Eric's hit single 'It's My Life', which was penned by Screen Gems Music songwriting team Roger Atkins and Carl D'Errico.  As Bruce so often does, he put his own unique stamp on this arrangement, and then layered on his tightly wound, intense vocal delivery.  In the end, it felt like it was no longer Eric's life, or that of lyricist Roger Atkins, it was Bruce's. 

This performance is from the 1977 tour during that period when Bruce's legal battles with his former manager Mike Appel prevented him from recording and releasing new material.  To make ends meet and pay the boys in the band, Bruce took the band out on mini tours in the US, mainly keeping to the eastern half of the country, and on this tour squeezed in a quick visit across the Canadian border into Ottawa and Toronto. 

On February 19, 1977, the tour stopped at the Civic Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.  From what I can determine, one bootlegger made an audio recording of the full concert while another shot a 45 minute silent 8mm film, comprised mainly of excerpts from most of the songs.  Many years later, someone then married the two to create a bootleg DVD.  This is one example of the results from those collective efforts.  I think we can call this a rebel song, and knowing Bruce was in the legal battle of his life to reclaim control over his career and livelihood, the ferocity and conviction of his vocal seem just right.

Fast forward to the 'Working On A Dream' album and a song called 'Life Itself', connected to 'It's My Life' in title only, oh and by the guy singing.  Bruce wrote "Life Itself' during the mixing of his previous album 'Magic'.  I think we can call this one a love song.

Happy Friday!

Bruce Springsteen, Cuts Like A Knife, Bryan Adams, Born to be Wild, Steppenwolf, Helpless, Neil Young

A long time friend and Bruce Fixee called my attention to Bruce Springsteen's appearance at the Rainforest Benefit Concert last week in which Bruce covered Bryan Adams' 'Cuts Like A Knife'.  In an effort to be unusually current, I thought I'd post the clip that found its way onto YouTube just a few short days ago during the week in which YouTube seems to be celebrating its 5th anniversary.  Happy anniversary, YT.  Glad you're here!

To my knowledge, that's the first time Bruce has performed a Bryan Adams song, and it got me thinking about other Canadian covers from Bruce's live performances.  After a bit of thought, I remembered Bruce closing the Magic tour on August 30, 2008 in Milwaukee, WI with a little Canadian content at a concert celebrating the 105th anniversary of Harley Davidson.  'Born to be Wild' was a massive hit for Steppenwolf, a band with two Canadian born members, Jerry Edmonton (great name for a Canadian) and Goldy McJohn (great name for anybody).  Steppenwolf front man, John Kay, was German born but later became a Canadian citizen.  So, in my books, that makes this band Canadian enough to merit inclusion in today's Canadian covers theme.

Finally, this one isn't a really a cover but more of a duet, featuring Bruce and Nils Lofgren joining Neil Young for a rendition of Neil's composition 'Helpless', on October 13, 1986 at the benefit concert for the Bridge School.  Nils and Neil (let's call them Neils) have a long history dating back to Nils' days in Neil's band Crazy Horse.  They really nail this one, don't they?

Happy Canadian Cover Friday!

Bruce Springsteen, Countin' On A Miracle, You'll Be Comin' Down

Often times here at the Friday Bruce Fix, I try to find two or three clips that fit together for any number of reasons.  Some weeks that approach works better than others, but mostly I have a pretty clear idea of why I chose the songs and clips in question.  This week, two songs jumped into my head, and I was a bit perplexed as to why, but somehow they felt linked in some way.  I'll take a stab at explaining, but if anyone has a point of view on this that you'd like to share, please post a comment.

'Countin' On A Miracle' is not a happy song.  Lyrics like "It's a fairytale so tragic, there's no prince to break the spell" and "Our happily ever after darlin', forever come and gone', fairly conclusively says this love story is over, despite the romantic's stubborn insistence to be "countin' on a miracle to come through". 

Out of context, this might have been a simple love story gone bad.  In context on 'The Rising' album, it may well be a story told from the perspective of just one of the thousands of broken hearts the resulted from the losses of 9/11.  The music doesn't feel as sad as it might have been, as with so many of Bruce's songs, there's hope in the despair of this situation.

'You'll Be Comin' Down' is not a happy song either, unless it makes you happy when someone gets their just desserts.  "What goes around, it comes around and you'll be comin' down" is fairly generic in that it could apply to all sorts of relationships gone bad, be they personal or professional.  "You'll be fine so long as your pretty face holds out, then it's gonna get pretty cold out" certainly suggests a love gone bad, or perhaps the bitterness than can follow rejection.  Either way, not a lot of smiling faces around here either. 

I'm not sure whether the hope in this story is for the just desserts to be delivered or just some optimism that comes from moving on and starting fresh with someone new.  There's definitely some strut and swagger in the music that doesn't exist in the previous clip.  The hope and faith in that one may go unrewarded, but then that generally comes with the territory when you're countin' on a miracle.

The other possible explanation that linked these two songs for me would be the dropped "g"s in Countin' and Comin'.  Yes, of course, that must be why these songs came to mind.

Happy Friday, sort of, maybe, at least I'm hopin'....