Category Archives: Bruce Springsteen

September 19: Bruce Springsteen @ Capitol Theatre, Passaic NJ 1978 (videos)

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September 19: Bruce Springsteen @ Capitol Theatre, Passaic NJ 1978 (videos)

The September 19th 1978 concert at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, in Bruce’s home state of New Jersey, is arguably Bruce Springsteen’s single greatest live performance. I’ve listened to quite a lot classic Springsteen bootleg concerts over the years.. this remains my favorite.

This show has been widely bootlegged under the title “Piece de Resistance”. It is a stunning concert not least with Roy Bittan’s brilliant piano playing and Max Weinberg’s clockwork drumming providing a backdrop as hard as diamonds. It also has that characteristic feature of the tour that the slow songs are played with a burning intensity while songs like “”Badlands” and “Born to Run” sometimes display a New York Punk intensity. ~Red on Black (amazon.com review)

190978 springsteen From brucebase: Radio broadcast, soundboard tapes (all three nights in Passaic were recorded by the Record Plant’s mobile unit, both on multi-track and live-to-two track) and professionally shot in-house black and white video. Probably one of the best all-time concert recordings. Broadcast on WNEW-FM New York and nine other stations in the north-east, including WBCN-FM and WCOZ-FM Boston, WIOQ-FM Philadelphia and WIYY-FM Baltimore. Set includes great versions of “Because The Night” and “Fire,” and also includes what many consider to be the finest examples of “Racing In The Street” and “Thunder Road” ever. Essential. Also, video footage is available. A short live excerpt from this show (Bruce’s band introduction during “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”) was officially – and exclusively – released on a promotion-only 7″ flexidisc issued to subscribers of Austrian pop magazine “Rennbahn Express” in June 1981. Thanks to Lost in the Flood for that info. Following the show, WBCN-TV news reporter Felipe Luciano interviews Bruce. Released on CDs:

  • ‘Piece De Resistance’ (Great Dane)
  • ‘Southside Bruce And The E Street Jukes’ (Seagull)
  • ‘USA 1978’ (Arriba)
  • ‘Passaic Night’ (Crystal Cat)
  • ‘Passaic Night’ (Scorpio)

Also available on CDR ‘The Way It Was – September 19th’; a direct transfer of the radio broadcast and includes all the station breaks, chat and interviews as they were heard on WNEW. Continue reading September 19: Bruce Springsteen @ Capitol Theatre, Passaic NJ 1978 (videos)

September 11: Bruce Springsteen released The Wild the Innocent and the E-street Shuffle in 1973

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September 11: Bruce Springsteen released The Wild the Innocent and the E-street Shuffle in 1973

“…Springsteen is obviously a considerable new talent.”
– Ken Emerson (January 1974, Rolling Stone Magazine)

Great Bruce Springsteen album!

Continue reading September 11: Bruce Springsteen released The Wild the Innocent and the E-street Shuffle in 1973

Bruce Springsteen Racing In The Street – 5 decades 5 Versions

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Bruce Springsteen Racing In The Street – 5 decades 5 Versions

Racing in the Street is a ballad written by Bruce Springsteen, it was originally released on his album Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978). The song has been referred to as Springsteen’s best song by a number of commentators. I think it’s at least in the top 3 of my favourite Springsteen songs.

“…And “Racing in the Streets” is still perhaps the best Springsteen song ever.”

– Rolling Stone magazine

Like so many times, before and since, the car is a symbol of freedom in Springsteen’s universe. Driving a car gives you the ultimate feeling of freedom in this world.

The song begins with two friends fixing up an old car. The story is made believable through Bruce’s attention to detail, he seems to know what he is talking about, “I got a ’69 Chevy with a 396, Fuelie heads and a Hurst on the floor”.  The two friends needs the car to go racing, to earn money from street racing. As the story is told, they go from town to town and win easy money. They’re like cowboys in the old west, riding where the work is, no strings attached.

The protagonist/the racer and his friend Sonny hasn’t stopped living, even if they have ordinary day jobs. They come home from work, get cleaned up and starts living, they go racing in the streets.

Continue reading Bruce Springsteen Racing In The Street – 5 decades 5 Versions

August 25: Bruce Springsteen: Born To Run

bruce springsteen born to run

Don’t run back inside
Darling you know just what I’m here for
So you’re scared and you’re thinking
That maybe we ain’t that young anymore
Show a little faith there’s magic in the night
You ain’t a beauty but hey you’re alright
Oh and that’s alright with me
~From “Thunder Road”

To hear Springsteen sing the line “Hiding on the backstreets” is to be captured by an image; the details can come later. Who needed to figure out all the words to “Like a Rolling Stone” to understand it?
~Greil Marcus (rollingstone.com)

Born to Run is a powerhouse release that takes you on an open-ended cinematic rock and roll journey.
~Bill Pulice (puluche.com)

Happy Birthday to my fav Springsteen album!

Thunder Road – best version – Live @ Hammersmith 1975-11-18:

Wings For Wheels – The Making of Born to Run (GREAT documentary – ~90min)
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Continue reading August 25: Bruce Springsteen: Born To Run

August 15: Bruce Springsteen played a classic Largo concert in 1978 (Full concert Video)

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August 15: Bruce Springsteen played a classic Largo concert in 1978 (Full concert Video)

A concert perhaps best known for the outstanding video footage available. “Backstreets” has some lines from “Pretty Flamingo” in the ‘Sad Eyes’ section. Tremendous versions of “Quarter To Three” (particularly the video) and “Prove It All Night” with the cab driver intro and an outstanding guitar solo. “Jungleland” cuts after Steve’s guitar solo, and the start of “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” is also missing – presumably due to tape changes. The show features a particularly loose and active Bruce, maybe because the next day he was going home to New Jersey for the first time in a year. The video now circulates in good quality on DVD ‘I F*cked Everything Up’.
(from Brucebase)

“I’m watching the video of this concert. I cannot help writing some lines on it. I don’t want to encourage the buying of unauthorized material, but if you already have all the official video items, you really got to have this. Performance like ‘Sandy’ and ‘Prove it all night’ as captured in this film make you understand how great he is, just in case there was any doubt left.

All the show was great, but Sandy is above all… and this show was not better than all the other ’78 shows…. I’m just speaking of this because I just have this one…. This reminds me of an old phrase I saw written on some horrible shirt : “People can be divided in two halves; the ones who love him, and the ones who never saw him playing live…”

Back here… the video is goin’ on…. I cannot write nothing on Growin’up and Backstreets. The ‘sad eyes-drive all night-pretty flamingo’ interlude in backstreets is simply one of the best things you may ever watch and listen to…. Also Because the Night is terrific”

– www.brucespringsteen.it

 

Continue reading August 15: Bruce Springsteen played a classic Largo concert in 1978 (Full concert Video)