Tag Archives: 1978

Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen concert, Live, Music Calendar

Today: Bruce Springsteen played Roxy LA in 1978

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roxy 3

“…all them bootleggers out there in radio-land, roll your tapes!”
– Bruce Springsteen (Roxy, 1978)

One of the best concerts in the history of rock took place at the Roxy 7 July in 1978.

Some of you may already be familiar with one of the many bootlegs from this show, but for those of you who haven’t yet had the pleasure. I would strongly recommend you to seek it out, they are fairly easy to find on the web.

Roxy 2

When I first got a copy of “Roxy Night” I played it constantly for four days. In the house, on my discman (google it, young folks) and in the car, I couldn’t get enough. It was and still is the best bootleg I have ever heard.

Roxy 6

It’s a radio broadcast of a show Bruce Springsteen did at the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles in July of 1978, 8 songs from this concert were used on Bruce’s official Live 1975-85 album, albeit in an edited form (and too extensive editing in a song or two, a 5 and a half minute long “Sad Eyes” interlude was cut out of the version of this performance included on the Live 1975-85 release). Once a person hears the unedited version of “Backstreets,” they realize how much that is missing in the released/edited version. This show must be heard in its unedited entirety.

Full Concert at The Roxy 1978:

Roxy 5
I have more than 300 hundred Bruce Springsteen shows/bootlegs on CD/Vinyl or Hard-disk (and I’ve heard a lot more!) and this is one of my all time favorite shows.

roxy78 crowd

It’s from the so called Darkness Tour. The atmosphere is electric throughout due to the intimacy of the venue (The Roxy only held 500 people) and the fact that those who did get in are really big fans (he apologizes at the start of the concert to those poor unfortunates who had queued up all day in the heat and were still unable to get in).

Roxy 7 vinyl

The performance is incredible, and though it is true that there are bootlegs from later on in the tour that collectors often prefer because the songs from the Darkness on the edge of town album are more full, more fleshed out (such as the radio broadcast of the Winterlands show in San Francisco from 15-12-78 or the Passaic shows), but they don’t have the electric energy that runs through this set, it is a perfect Bruce Springsteen concert.

roxy 9 cc
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Bob Dylan, Great albums, Music Calendar, Rolling Stones

Today: The Rolling Stones released Some Girls in 1978 – 35 years ago

some girls cover

Ain’t I rough enough
Ain’t I tough enough
Ain’t I rich enough
In love enough
Oooo, ooh please.

Stones-1978 1

Some Girls was released in 8 June 1978 and it was their first full album with Ronnie Wood. It’s a great album, up there with the best albums in their catalogue. They mixed in some new wave sounds, added a bit of disco and kept their soul, blues and country tinged rock’n roll. Released on the height of the punk and disco era, The Stones made this masterpiece of an album. Some Girls is very much a product of it’s time, but when Rolling Stones made a record that gave a nod to these “fads,” they did so with such anger and speed that the young people in 1978 must have been struck with envy. They certainly made an album that has stood the test of time and it’s a definitive Stones album.

The Rolling Stones prove time and again that they still have what it takes.

rolling-stones 1978 2

Here are all the songs live:

1. Miss You (1978), the eight and a half minute version, a masterpiece! The guitar work on this song (this version) is simply spectacular. I read somewhere sometimes that this was one of the songs that Prince wished he had written, and we can hear on his music that he has been influenced by this tune in a big way.

2. When the whip comes down (1978) Sleezy and cool and it kind of reminds me of Star  Star.

Yeah, mama and papa told me I was crazy to stay
I was gay in New York, a fag in L.A.
So I saved my money , and I took a plane
Wherever I go they treat me the same
When the whip comes down

3. Just My Imagination (running away with me) a soul number that fits The Stones perfectly. Very different from The Temptation version but equally good.

4. Some Girls (2008) Only The Rolling Stone s could have gotten away with these lyrics, they’re as politically incorrect as they possibly could be:

rolling stone 1978 3

White girls they’re pretty funny, sometimes they drive me mad
Black girls just wanna get fucked all night
I just don’t have that much jam
Chinese girls are so gentle, they’re really such a tease
You never know quite what they’re cookin’
Inside those silky sleeves

On “Some Girls,” Mick Jagger sounds like he’s not only singing like Bob Dylan, but about Bob Dylan: “I’ll give ya a house back in Zuma Beach/And give you half of what I owe.” (Rolling Stone Magazine)
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Bruce Springsteen, Great albums, Music Calendar

Today: Bruce Springsteen released Darkness on the Edge of Town in 1978 – 35 years ago

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darkness shoot 2

It is 35 years since one of the best albums in rock history was released, Darkness On The Edge Of Town is  number 2, (some days it has the top spot) on my list of favorite albums.

Today I think it is the best rock album ever released!

It came out three years after the incredibly successful Born To Run, and three years was an awful long time between albums in the 70s.  Bruce Springsteen had been tied up in a legal battle with his former manager Mike Appel but reached a final settlement in this year-long litigation with Mike Appel on May 28, 1977.

Darkness on the Edge of Town (Houston, 1978):

This meant that for the first time in a long time Bruce Springsteen was allowed into a studio. And he did. The recording of what was to become Darkness On The Edge Of Town began in June 1977 in New York City. He had a lot of material in various state of completion. Many of the songs were written or finished over the course of the sessions. He was in the studio for a long time.

Adam Raised a Cain (Paramount Theatre, 2009):

The material that didn’t make the album seeped out on a lot bootlegs through the years, it is of an incredibly high quality both sound wise and artistic. in 2010 we finally got a Darkness box that in many ways ended the need for Darkness bootlegs . There must still be a few unreleased gems in the vault, as of 2011, only 33 of more than 70 songs have been officially released.

darkness box

It consisted of 6 discs with the following content:

1: Darkness On The Edge Of Town (remastered )
2. Darkness on the Edge of Town (Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ, 2009)
3:Thrill Hill Vault (1976-1978) + Houston ’78 Bootleg: House Cut
4 and 5: The Promise (double album with outtakes and alternative takes)
6: The Promise: The Making of “Darkness on the Edge of Town”

In effect the most impressive and best box-set ever compiled.
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Bruce Springsteen, Classic Concert, Music Calendar

Today: Bruce Springsteen played Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco in 1978 – 34 years ago

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bruce winterland

Bruce’s Winterland-78 concert is by many fans & “concert tape collectors” regarded as one of his best shows ever… It is indeed a cornerstone in any collection of concert bootlegs (regardless of artist). Number 2 on my list of the best Springsteen’s concerts I’ve collected (and.. yes, I’ve got a decent collection).

Here is a BRILLIANT – Prove It All Night:

Racing In The Street:

BS winterland

FM Broadcast (KSAN radio) and soundboard tapes – this is a master reel recording and includes three tracks not broadcast. What can you say! The versions of “The Promised Land” and “Prove It All Night” are exceptional and “Backstreets” is better than that. Probably the most famous show Bruce will ever do. It should be noted that the source tape appears to run slightly slow. Released on CD ‘Live At Winterland’ (Golden Stars), ‘Live In The Promised Land’ (Great Dane Records), ‘Winterland Night’ (Crystal Cat) and most recently (and in best quality) on CDR ‘Prodigal Son at Winterland – 25th Anniversary Remaster’ (Prodigal Son). This is a remaster of ‘Winterland Night’.
-From Brucebase

Darkness On The Edge Of Town:

Winterland-Poster

Setlist:

  1. Badlands
  2. Streets of Fire
  3. Spirit in the Night
  4. Darkness on the Edge of Town
  5. Factory
  6. The Promised Land
  7. Prove It All Night
  8. Racing in the Street
  9. Thunder Road
  10. Jungleland
  11. The Ties That Bind
  12. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (J. Fred Coots & Haven Gillespie cover)
  13. The Fever
  14. Fire
  15. Candy’s Room
  16. Because the Night
  17. Point Blank
  18. Mona / Preacher’s Daughter / She’s The One / I Get Mad
  19. Backstreets
  20. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)Encore:
  21. Born to Run
  22. Detroit Medley
  23. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
  24. Raise Your Hand  (Eddie Floyd cover)
  25. Quarter to Three

The Promised Land:

Backstreets:

Santa Claus is Coming To Town:

Other December 15:

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Bruce Springsteen, Concert Review, Music Calendar

Today: Bruce Springsteen played Agora Theatre and Ballroom (Cleveland, OH) in 1978 – 34 years ago –

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OLD post … You’re being redirected to a newer version……

I consider Bruce’s Darkness Tour of 78 to be second greatest tour ever… only surpassed by Dylan’s 66 tour.

This concert is one of the best from the tour I’ve heard.. and Yes, it helps that it was broadcasted on the famous rock station: WMMS-FM.

One of the reasons the 1978 Tour is so well-remembered, and often viewed as the peak of Springsteen and the E Street Band in concert, is that several complete shows were broadcast live on radio stations.

Setlist:

01 Summertime Blues
02 Badlands
03 Spirit in the night
04 Darkness on the edge of town
05 Factory
06 The promised land
07 Prove it all night [With long guitar intro]
08 Racing in the street
09 Thunder road
10 Jungleland
11 Paradise by the C
12 Fire
13 Sherry darling
14 Not fade away
15 Gloria
16 She’s the one
17 Growin’ up
18 Backstreets
19 Rosalita (Come out tonight)
20 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
21 Born to run
22 Because the night
23 Raise your hand
24 Twist and shout

From Brucebase:

Soundboard and radio broadcast tapes (WMMS) available – great show. It’s interesting to note that this show was remastered by Bruce’s management and given to KSAN in San Francisco who broadcast it as a replacement for a scheduled Winterland rebroadcast sometime in 1979. The remastered show 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. Clarence’s intro during “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” contains a snippet of The Village People’s hit “Macho Man”. Released on LP and CD. The most recent (and best quality) CD releases of this show are ‘Agora Night’ by Crystal Cat and ‘Just In Time For Summer’. ‘Agora Night’ is from the Pre-FM reels. Also available on CD ‘Agora 1978’ from Supersonic.

From brucespringsteen.it:

Max Weinberg, many years ago said this was the best show the E Street Band ever did. Broadcast on WMMS and about 9 other FM stations It was a free concert for WMMS’ 10th Anniversary as a radio station. The introduction by Kid Leo and the final chords of Twist and Shout.

From Wikipedia:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band‘s Darkness Tour was a concert tour of North America that ran from May 1978 through the rest of the year, in conjunction with the release of Springsteen’s album Darkness on the Edge of Town. (Like most Springsteen tours it had no official name, but this is the most commonly used; it is also sometimes referred to as the Darkness on the Edge of Town Tour or most simply the 1978 Tour.)

The tour has since become viewed as perhaps Springsteen’s best in a storied career of concert performances. Biographer Dave Marsh wrote in 1987, “The screaming intensity of those ’78 shows are part of rock and roll legend in the same way as Dylan’s 1966 shows with the Band, the Rolling Stones’ tours of 1969 and 1972, and the Who’s Tommy tour of 1969: benchmarks of an era.”

Some songs:

Prove it all night:

Backstreets:

Check out our new blog for more Bruce Springsteen news: Cool Before Dawn

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