Springsteen VIII - 2014, tour, album, etc.

[phanan]

I love the set. Most of the outtakes were previously available on Tracks, but they are just superb, and then to have the original Ties That Bind album is a fantastic touch. Imagine that, including the actual unreleased album even though a few of the tracks are already on the regular album in similar form.

 

[lazarus]

I already own Tracks, but haven't listened to it in a while so haven't made the comparison.

But I also got that box for super cheap so it's all good.

 

[Hewson]

Are you not a fan of the set? I'm not expecting the outtakes to be on the level of The Promise but there's a LOT.

Not what I meant, meant that regardless of what may be missing, it was free so a definite score.

 

[phanan]

Listened to The River Outtakes for the first time in a while, spurred on by its mention here. He could have released an album based on these as a follow-up to The River and it would have been an incredible release. It's as good as the album itself, although perhaps not as varied.

As with The Promise, he does incorporate some modern vocals, but it's limited to only a handful of songs here: Meet Me In The City (although oddly enough it starts with a vintage count-in), Night Fire, Whitetown, and Chain Lightning. The rest is pure 1979-1980 Bruce, and they are just a treasure trove of peak E Street.

About half of the songs were previously released on Tracks, so the value may not be the same as The Promise, but those songs are so good it doesn't matter. Loose Ends, for example, is one of my all-time favorite songs of his, just tremendous. The version on The Ties That Bind is superior to the standard outtake, using more of a nice jangly guitar than keyboards. Take "Em As They Come is another favorite, with a great thumping bass. Stray Bullet is similar to Point Blank but just as powerful. And The Man That Got Away shows Bruce in fine vocal form.

Not sure why they didn't submit this as its own release like The Promise, as it's just as good of a release as that one, and I personally prefer it - I've always loved The River era, even if the album itself is generally considered a tad below its predecessor. I'm guessing it's because of the aforementioned Tracks songs having already been out there for a while.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

The River is one of my favorite Bruce songs, I've seen him 10 times, one of which was a tour named The River Tour, and I've never heard him play it live.

 

[phanan]

I can’t imagine it missed too many shows on its namesake tour. That sucks.

 

[lazarus]

Not sure why they didn't submit this as its own release like The Promise, as it's just as good of a release as that one, and I personally prefer it - I've always loved The River era, even if the album itself is generally considered a tad below its predecessor. I'm guessing it's because of the aforementioned Tracks songs having already been out there for a while.

Yeah, I would have blind-bought a River outtakes set like The Promise.

For some reason, Darkness on the Edge of Town has never quite clicked with me. Not that I dislike it, and I understand the desire for a hard left turn after Born to Run. But I just don't get the pleasure out of it that I do with a fair number of Bruce's other albums. Personally I feel you could make an alternate album from those sessions that would blow it out of the water, using a few of what made the cut and the best tracks from The Promise. And especially switching out the versions of Racing In The Street.

I much prefer The River to Darkness, as it seems to strike a balance between classic E-Street and the rougher elements he wanted to explore. And I just love the nods to "that old time rock & roll". It's a double album that doesn't overstay its welcome in the slightest, and is completely free of pretension that often accompanies them. It doesn't quite have the variety of The White Album but it doesn't have its low points either.

 

[Popmartijn]

The River is one of my favorite Bruce songs, I've seen him 10 times, one of which was a tour named The River Tour, and I've never heard him play it live.

I understand your disappointment in that. I went to his show on The River Tour here hoping to hear gems from that album like Point Blank, Independence Day, Stolen Car, Drive All Night, etc. None of those were played. I believe he even played more songs from Born In The U.S.A. (the warhorses) than from The River.
I know I should not be disappointed as I got to hear Jungleland and Jersey Girl, but still.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I understand your disappointment in that. I went to his show on The River Tour here hoping to hear gems from that album like Point Blank, Independence Day, Stolen Car, Drive All Night, etc. None of those were played. I believe he even played more songs from Born In The U.S.A. (the warhorses) than from The River.

I know I should not be disappointed as I got to hear Jungleland and Jersey Girl, but still.

Oh don't get me wrong, the show I went to might be the greatest concert I've ever seen. He went for 4 hours. I just really want to see him play the damn River.

MetLife Stadium, August 25, 2016
The River Tour 2016

Setlist
New York City Serenade (with string section)
Prove It All Night
Night
No Surrender
Wrecking Ball
Sherry Darling
Spirit in the Night
My City of Ruins (sign request)
Waitin' on a Sunny Day (sign request f/ 3 year old girl)
Darkness on the Edge of Town (sign request)
Lost in the Flood (sign request)
Hungry Heart
Out in the Street
Death to My Hometown (with Tom Morello)
Youngstown
Jack of All Trades (with string section)
American Skin (41 Shots) (with Tom Morello)
The Promised Land
Cadillac Ranch
I'm a Rocker
Tougher Than the Rest
Because the Night
The Rising
The Ghost of Tom Joad (with Tom Morello)
Badlands (with Tom Morello)

Encore:
Backstreets
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Shout (The Isley Brothers cover)
Thunder Road
Jersey Girl (Tom Waits cover) (with on-stage fan proposal)

 

[lazarus]

He went for 4 hours.

Are you sure it wasn't Sting?



That is one damned good show. Although only getting one song from Wild/Innocent wouldn't cut it for me, even if it was the opener.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Two... Rosie

 

[lazarus]

I'll allow it.

 

[dazzledbylight]

Sounds like a fantastic show, headache!

I saw multiple shows from each album tour from B2R (Palladium/Acad of Music) through Nebraska.
Then single shows from tours - LT/HT, The Rising, Working on A Dream, Wrecking Ball.

Between being so rocking, so serious, and so fun... wow! Great times w my sis, and friends!

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Picking the worst song on the album as the next single is such a U2 move

 

[lazarus]

Well we're in agreement on that one.

 

[phanan]

Or second worst.

 

[DaveC]

Picking the worst song on the album as the next single is such a U2 move

You're the Boss Thing About Me

 

[lazarus]

Or second worst.

What’s the worst for you? House of 1000 Guitars?

 

[phanan]

Yep.

 

[lazarus]

So Bruce is playing SNL next month.

If he plays the title track and Power of Prayer and not Janie Needs a Shooter, I’m going to seriously lose faith.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Yep.

It's a pick'em

 

[bono_212]

I like the song

 

[namkcuR]

So, in order to participate in the 2020 Albums Of The Year thread, I've made a list of albums I still needed to listen to, and started. I hadn't yet gotten around to Letters To You, outside of the title track(which I didn't love), yet, so I started with that.

Mixed bag for me. Some really good stuff, some pretty meh stuff.

My favorites on first listen...

Janey Needs A Shooter - feels like classic Bruce/E-Street.

House Of A Thousand Guitars - I see that this song isn't very popular here, but I don't know why. It's easily the catchiest, most ear-worm-y melody on the album, even if it does repeat over and over. I like it a lot. To each his own.

If I Was The Priest - Struck by how fresh this one sounds, since it's one of the old tunes. Could maybe stand to be a little shorter - it's the longest song on the record - but it's a standout for sure.

Song For Orphans - Others have mentioned the Dylan influence, but I heard something even more specific than that, and upon googling, it appears I'm not the only one; it's Dylan's "My Back Pages" in parts. Like, strikingly so. Which is a good thing for me, as I love that song.

I'll See You In My Dreams - Solid, soulful closer, one of the E-Street Band's best moments on the record.

Honorable mention: Burnin' Train. I wouldn't put it in the same tier as the others on the whole, but I love its guitar solos.

On the whole, it's a pretty decent album, though I think I prefer Western Stars.

 

[lazarus]

So Bruce confounds us once again. He doesn't play either of the two worst on the album, but plays none of the "old" songs.

Ghosts and I'll See You In My Dreams are both great, so can't really fault him too much.

 

[phanan]

Yeah, no complaints here. Figured that with the old songs being quite lengthy that none would be featured, but he picked arguably the best two new songs anyway.

 

[bono_212]

I'm listening to Wrecking Ball because of the inauguration performance tonight, and man, I'm starting to think this one may be edging Magic out as my favorite recent album. Well, recent besides The Rising.

There's maybe two songs on it that don't do anything for me at this point, and honestly this last year has just made the album more and more important to me. Sometimes it makes me really angry for it's naive optimism. Sometimes it makes me feel empowered to continue to do my best to take care of others around me, even if they won't take care of themselves. Hell, I can't listen to "This Depression" without crying anymore. It came on shuffle sometime last summer while I was out for a run, and I almost lost it out in public, just because I was feeling so helpless and angry at how divided everyone was on the simple act of wearing a damn mask.

Baby, I've been down, but never this down
I've been lost, but never this lost

Baby, I've been low, but never this low
I’ve had my faith shaken but never hopeless

I haven't always been strong, but never felt so weak
All of my prayers, gone for nothing
I've been without love, but never forsaken
Now the morning sun, the morning sun is breaking

This is my confession
I need your heart
In this depression
I need your heart

Anyways, random 1:30 AM thoughts for you all.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Wrecking Ball is phenomenal.

It would have been perfect if they would have only left that dopey rap off or Rocky Ground.

 

[Aardvark747]

Wrecking Ball is phenomenal.

It would have been perfect if they would have only left that dopey rap off or Rocky Ground.

Agree with this completely. Re the latest album, I absolutely love House of 1000 Guitars! I think the album as a whole is better for me than Western Stars, but they're so different it's probably wrong to compare anyway.

 

[bono_212]

Yeah, I try not to compare Bruce's solo albums with E Street ones. I did enjoy Western Stars, though, but got way more out of this one.

 

[lazarus]

More like BOOZE Springsteen, amirite??