   |
The OtherArena "Best not to think about it. I know that's a problem for you... not thinking. " -Steve Yohe
|
View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
jdw Site Admin
Joined: 01 Sep 2005 Posts: 17227
|
Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2014 9:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
You know me... I go long. :P
Then again, it's two years old... I don't think I have that in me anymore. :) |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
jdw Site Admin
Joined: 01 Sep 2005 Posts: 17227
|
Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 1:23 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Wait... what? I was not aware of this.
Bruce Springsteen Releases Famous 1978 Cleveland Concert
BruceBase: 1978-08-09 - The Agora, Cleveland , OH
Quote: | 1978-08-09 - THE AGORA, CLEVELAND, OH
Soundcheck: SUMMERTIME BLUES
SUMMERTIME BLUES (2.28) / BADLANDS (4.12) / SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT (6.35) / DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN (4.00) / FACTORY (2.13) / THE PROMISED LAND (5.18) / PROVE IT ALL NIGHT (9.32) / RACING IN THE STREET (9.05) / THUNDER ROAD (5.17) / JUNGLELAND (9.00) / PARADISE BY THE "C" (3.10) / FIRE (2.26) / SHERRY DARLING (3.45) / NOT FADE AWAY - GLORIA - SHE'S THE ONE (13.05) / GROWIN' UP (12.10) / BACKSTREETS (11.53) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (11.29) / 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) (6.28) / BORN TO RUN (4.23) / BECAUSE THE NIGHT (7.07) / RAISE YOUR HAND (4.25) / TWIST AND SHOUT (6.32)
Soundboard and radio broadcast tapes. In December 2014, this was the second in a series of archive shows to be officially released at live.brucespringsteen.net. The seven 15ips, half-track tapes located by Toby Scott were transferred via the Plangent Process, the same analogue tape restoration technique used to good effect for the November 2014 box-set release of Springsteen's first seven albums (although Plangent was not used for The River). and mastered by Gateway Mastering. The show is available as a three-CD set, as well as MP3, FLAC, ALAC and 24 bit 192kHz high definition FLAC. The audio quality of this transfer is a fine upgrade over any previously available bootleg. Also released on various bootleg LPs and CDs including Crystal Cat's 'Agora Night' (the best quality available from bootleg sources, transferred from pre-FM reels), 'Just In Time For Summer' (no label listed), 'Agora 1978' (Supersonic) and 'Summertime Bruce' (E Street Records). Released to retail in 2014 under the title 'Agora Ballroom 1978' (Left Field Media). This is not an official release.
Free concert to celebrate the tenth anniversary of WMMS, although the anniversary was somewhat artificial - it actually marked the change of call letters from WHK-FM to WMMS. The radio station drew postcards to give away almost 1200 tickets to the show. Broadcast by WMMS and simulcast by WABX in Detroit, WDVE in Pittsburgh, WEBN in Cincinnati, WLVO in Columbus, OH, WXRT in Chicago, KSHE in St. Louis and KQRS in Minneapolis with a total audience for the broadcast estimated at three million. Denny Sanders was the on-air DJ, while Kid Leo introduced Bruce on stage: round for round, pound for pound, there ain't no finer band around, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band! It's interesting to note that this show was later mastered by Bruce's management and given to KSAN in San Francisco who broadcast it as a replacement for a scheduled Winterland rebroadcast some time in 1979, WNEW-FM in New York City for a broadcast on Easter Sunday of 1979 and WWDC 101 in Washington D.C. on November 5. The song order of the WNEW-FM broadcast was adjusted, and the tape was edited to remove references to Cleveland. WMMS themselves also rebroadcast the entire gig on November 5. This remastered tape has fantastic stereo separation and coupled with the fact that this is a good show in the first place, it has to rank as one of the best of the available shows in 1978. 22-song set opens with "Summertime Blues" and closes with "Twist And Shout", performed some time after the radio broadcast had concluded. "Backstreets" is dedicated to Jim Kluter and Joe Juhasz, two of the 'Cleveland Boys', a group of hardcore fans that first met Bruce in Asbury Park in 1976, joining him for a benefit softball game. It's Jim and Joe's voices that you can hear along with Bruce's singing "explode into rock 'n' roll bands" during "Jungleland". Clarence's intro during "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" contains a snippet of The Village People's hit "Macho Man". |
http://live.brucespringsteen.net
brucespringsteen.net: The Agora, Cleveland, OH
Hopefully more cool stuff goes up. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
jdw Site Admin
Joined: 01 Sep 2005 Posts: 17227
|
|
Back to top |
|
 |
jdw Site Admin
Joined: 01 Sep 2005 Posts: 17227
|
Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 5:14 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Glenn and my (surprisingly for me) short comments on Tracks where here on the hold boards:
https://web.archive.org/web/20030520031738/http://www.otherarena.com/cgi/post.cgi?78882&1&4&music
https://web.archive.org/web/20030520031742/http://www.otherarena.com/cgi/post.cgi?78888&1&4&music
Which is useful since I don't know where my hold burned cd of a follow up to BitUSA made up of other cuts from those sessions is laying around, or the songs I selection. Pretty sure that when I ended up burning it that I deferred to the wisdom of Glenn's suggested replacements... especially on Brothers Under The Bridges which I was forgetting about due to the 1995 version :)
So these relative rankings kind of annoy me:
Born In The USA
158. "I'm Goin' Down" - Born in the U.S.A.
154. "Darlington County" - Born in the U.S.A.
141. "Downbound Train" - Born in the U.S.A.
138. "Working on the Highway" - Born in the U.S.A.
85. "Cover Me" - Born in the U.S.A.
75. "My Hometown" - Born in the U.S.A.
70.5. "Bobby Jean" - Born In the U.S.A.
56. "No Surrender" - Born in the U.S.A.
48. "Glory Days" - Born in the U.S.A.
25. "I'm On Fire" - Born in the U.S.A.
20. "Born in the U.S.A." - Born in the U.S.A.
7. "Dancing in the Dark" - Born in the U.S.A.
jdw's This Hard Land "album"
281. "Johnny Bye-Bye" - Tracks
264. "A Good Man Is Hard To Find" - Tracks
242. "Shut Out The Light" - Tracks
213. "Pink Cadillac" - Tracks
211. "Stand On It" - Tracks
206. "Wages Of Sin" - Tracks
204. "Rockaway The Days" - Tracks
187. "Frankie" - Tracks
176. "My Love Will Not Let You Down" - Tracks
133. "Brothers Under The Bridges" - Tracks
104. "Janey Don't You Lose Heart" - Tracks
101. "This Hard Land" - Tracks
If I were combing the two, of course I would keep a number of the BitUSA cuts even though I'm tired of heating most of them. But...
Every song on BitUSA is better than Frankie, Shut Out The Light, Rockaway The Days and My Love Will Not Let You Down? Eight of them are better than Brothers Under The Bridges and This Hard Land?
AAAAAARRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!
:) |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
jdw Site Admin
Joined: 01 Sep 2005 Posts: 17227
|
|
Back to top |
|
 |
guren
Joined: 31 Jul 2006 Posts: 1205
|
Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 8:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Gosh, that thread was almost 13 years ago. After re-reading what I wrote, I am struck that I feel almost exactly the same way about those songs after all these years. My tastes tend to change every so often, but they haven't in this case.
By the way, of the dozens of articles written about the Born To Run anniversary, my favorite is this post by Joe Posnanski.
glenn |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
guren
Joined: 31 Jul 2006 Posts: 1205
|
Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 1:54 am Post subject: |
|
|
jdw wrote: |
Born In The USA
158. "I'm Goin' Down" - Born in the U.S.A.
154. "Darlington County" - Born in the U.S.A.
141. "Downbound Train" - Born in the U.S.A.
138. "Working on the Highway" - Born in the U.S.A.
85. "Cover Me" - Born in the U.S.A.
75. "My Hometown" - Born in the U.S.A.
70.5. "Bobby Jean" - Born In the U.S.A.
56. "No Surrender" - Born in the U.S.A.
48. "Glory Days" - Born in the U.S.A.
25. "I'm On Fire" - Born in the U.S.A.
20. "Born in the U.S.A." - Born in the U.S.A.
7. "Dancing in the Dark" - Born in the U.S.A.
jdw's This Hard Land "album"
281. "Johnny Bye-Bye" - Tracks
264. "A Good Man Is Hard To Find" - Tracks
242. "Shut Out The Light" - Tracks
213. "Pink Cadillac" - Tracks
211. "Stand On It" - Tracks
206. "Wages Of Sin" - Tracks
204. "Rockaway The Days" - Tracks
187. "Frankie" - Tracks
176. "My Love Will Not Let You Down" - Tracks
133. "Brothers Under The Bridges" - Tracks
104. "Janey Don't You Lose Heart" - Tracks
101. "This Hard Land" - Tracks
|
For me, Working on the Highway and Darlington County are the weakest and least important songs on Born in the U.S.A. I am not a big fan of Glory Days and My Hometown, but they turned out to be popular, relevant songs that fit well thematically with the album. If Bruce wanted to release just one BITUSA album at 12 songs, I would have substituted This Hard Land and Brothers Under The Bridges for Working on the Highway and Darlington County. I would have liked that album more.
glenn |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
jdw Site Admin
Joined: 01 Sep 2005 Posts: 17227
|
Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:55 am Post subject: |
|
|
It's kind of hard for me to knock the album since it was a monster hit, 7 of the 12 songs hit the Top 10, and it all fits into a certain period in his career. How does one change something that's all that? :/
Not a lot of the album rates among my favorites... or even songs that I much like. I didn't really care for it a ton when it came out, though as a fan did enjoy that he hit monster mainstream popularity. I "rooted" for it rather than enjoyed it, and instead the earlier albums were the ones on my turntable and in my car's tape player in 1984-85.
So the question would be "better collection of songs" or "better thematic collection" vs "more marketable album". I can't touch the last one since BitUSA was such a big hit.
Here's the original:
Side 1
1."Born in the U.S.A." (4:40)
2. "Cover Me" (3:27)
3. "Darlington County" (4:48)
4. "Working on the Highway" (3:13)
5. "Downbound Train" (3:35)
6. "I'm on Fire" (2:40)
Side two
7. "No Surrender" (4:00)
8. "Bobby Jean" (3:48)
9. "I'm Goin' Down" (3:29)
10. "Glory Days" (4:15)
11. "Dancing in the Dark" (4:04)
12. "My Hometown" (4:34)
7. "No Surrender" (4:00)
8. "Bobby Jean" (3:48)
The ones that I don't care for:
Gotta Go: Cover Me, Darlington County, Working on the Highway, Dancing in the Dark
Like you, I don't care much for Darlington County and Working on the Highway.
If I don't care about hits, I'd toss Dancing in the Dark and Cover Me. I get that Dancing was the big hit, but it's weak compared to what was left off both musically and lryically. Cover Me feels like it fits more with the Human Tough/Lucky Town period.
Not Really A Fan Of:No Surrender, Glory Days, I'm Goin' Down
No Surrender is an anthem, and just strikes me as a weak one. If I wanted an anthem out of the sessions, I'd go in the other direction of My Love Will Not Let You Down.
Like I wrote on fb, Glory Days is a hit, it's beloved, Bruce seems to like it a lot since he rolls it out still. It also tends to connect with what a lot of us do from time to time. But... it's kinda trite and flawed. I'm not against it being on there... it's okay.
I'm not as much of a fan of the I'm Goin' Down / Ramrod / Etc type of rockers of this era as you are. For a long time I really didn't like I'm Goin' Down at all. It's grown on me in the past decade. Not a massive favorite, but it's also okay.
Oddly Mixed:I'm on Fire, My Hometown, Bobby Jean
I think there are better songs left off than I'm on Fire, but it is the one moderny/non-E Street Bandy songs that I think has aged well and fits the sessions well. Better than Dancing and Cover Me. It's not great, but it hits the note of desire in an interesting way in contrast to much of Bruce's work. Also, it's short so if there's a "cheat" to go to 13 songs, it doesn't take up space. :) So I have no problem keeping it since it could be snuck in.
Thematically, My Hometown fits well as a closer for this period of what Bruce was often singing about across The River / Nebraska / BitUSA. It doesn't hit the level of his better songs in those themes. But... as Yohe would point out, I have become a mark for Father-Son themes. This song bookends with that. So... mixed on booting it.
Bobby Jean... well... it kind of needs to be here. Never a big favorite of mine. Maybe hit came out at a time when I was parting from my Elementary/JHS/HS friends heading to college, and for the most part was oddly okay with that. :) And repeated listens into freshman year with new (equally melancholy) friends never had it hit a cord with me. It's odd as this is a song that at some point in life should have clicked with me, but never has. Still, it needs to be there.
Overall, I'd keep those three.
So it would be down to figuring out how many of these seven that I'd toss:
Gotta Go: Cover Me, Darlington County, Working on the Highway, Dancing in the Dark
Not Really A Fan Of:No Surrender, Glory Days, I'm Goin' Down
All of the first four I'd pitch as there's easily four songs on the cutting room floor that I'd rather have.
It's pitch No Surrender. The question also becomes one of time. These are the first six that I would add to the album:
Shut Out The Light (3:51)
Frankie (7:26)
Brothers Under The Bridges (5:10)
This Hard Land (4:52)
My Love Will Not Let You Down (4:28)
Rockaway The Days (4:43)
And these are the seven I would have on the line:
Cover Me (3:27)
Dancing in the Dark (4:04)
Darlington County (4:48)
Working on the Highway (3:13)
No Surrender (4:00)
--------------------------------
I'm Goin' Down (3:29)
Glory Days (4:15)
The ones being added are longer than the ones being pitched. At 46:57, it was right at the edge of "normal" LP times:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LP_record#Playing_time
After The River, I suspect there was no desire to do a double album again.
As noted in the Wiki, Dylan at times went "long" on one disk albums. The second side of Desire was close to 30, and Blood On The Tracks overall went 51:42 (25:20 + 26:26 + whatever the was between songs). Of course Bob wasn't as nutty about "sound" as Bruce was.
That's the big problem of getting Frankie onto a single disc album: it's 7:26. If I do just this:
Shut Out The Light (3:51)
Frankie (7:26)
Brothers Under The Bridges (5:10)
This Hard Land (4:52)
My Love Will Not Let You Down (4:28)
For:
Cover Me (3:27)
Dancing in the Dark (4:04)
Darlington County (4:48)
Working on the Highway (3:13)
No Surrender (4:00)
That's a 19:32 --> 25:47 change. The seven songs retain add up to 27:01. Which takes one past 52:00 for Columbia's "extended" LP. So a song would have to go to make it an 11 song LP. :/
All of these issues aren't relevant in the CD era, which was hitting later in the year of release but it was a while before CD's dominated the business. Even Tunnel of Love stuck to 46:25, while Human Touch took advantage of CD's being dominant by 1992.
It's a hard thing to figure out. :) |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
guren
Joined: 31 Jul 2006 Posts: 1205
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 10:05 pm Post subject: |
|
|
If I were to make an album of just my favorite songs from that time, here's what it would look like (basically in order).
Side 1 (23:45)
1. Born in the U.S.A. 4:40
2. Frankie 7:26
3. Downbound Train 3:35
4. No Surrender 4:00
5. Dancing in the Dark 4:04
Side 2 (23:50)
6. Brothers Under the Bridges 5:10
7. This Hard Land 4:52
8. I'm Goin' Down 3:29
9. I'm on Fire 2:40
10. Shut Out the Light 3:51
11. Bobby Jean 3:48 |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
jdw Site Admin
Joined: 01 Sep 2005 Posts: 17227
|
Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2015 4:48 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Just in time for Christmas to compete with the Dylan Box set:
The Ties That Bind: The River Collection - Box Set Trailer
From Amazon:
52 tracks on 4 CDs
The released 'The River' (2CD)
'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 fourth CD on the box set is 'The River: Outtakes,' which spans the entire 'The River' sessions in 1979 and 1980. 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.
4 hours of never-before-seen video on 3 DVDs
"The Ties That Bind," on one DVD, is a brand new 60-minute documentary 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.
Coffee table book
200 rare or previously unseen photos & memorabilia with a new essay by Mikal Gilmore.
$129.98... not cheap. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
guren
Joined: 31 Jul 2006 Posts: 1205
|
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 8:17 pm Post subject: |
|
|
It sounds like there will be a new Bruce tour starting next month.
I seem to recall that at least one notable poster here is a fan of the hot, minky Mary-Louise Parker. Apparently Ms. Parker is a fan of a certain New Jersey rocker.
Review: In ‘Dear Mr. You,’ Mary-Louise Parker Writes to Men, With Lust and Rue
Quote: | She passed an ash-covered firefighter on Sept. 11 and rushed to embrace him. She adores the guy who threw her across a bed (“Dear Popeye”), who gave her a burn scar (“Dear Former Boyfriend”) or who answers to the gender-bending nickname (“Dear Miss Girl”). And when she thinks of the seemingly easy-to-identify rock star she worshiped as a teenager — she mentions small-town loneliness, harmonica wailing, slamming doors, running through alleys, abandoned amusement parks, white T-shirt and leather jacket — she was no mere fan with a crush. Hearing his music, she envisioned “someone as lonely as me who needed to be kissed and infuriated in just the right way,” Ms. Parker writes, her erotic charge at full voltage. “I know how to do all that is what I thought.” |
I imagine she does.
glenn |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
jdw Site Admin
Joined: 01 Sep 2005 Posts: 17227
|
Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2015 10:48 am Post subject: |
|
|
Great line. :) |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
jdw Site Admin
Joined: 01 Sep 2005 Posts: 17227
|
|
Back to top |
|
 |
guren
Joined: 31 Jul 2006 Posts: 1205
|
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 6:46 pm Post subject: |
|
|
As an old fogey, I loved the Imelda Marcos reference.
glenn |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
jdw Site Admin
Joined: 01 Sep 2005 Posts: 17227
|
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 7:23 pm Post subject: |
|
|
As did I. :) |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
|