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Springsteen Born to Run (press for the book)

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    #51
    Yeah. That clip is part of the doc. The guy in yellow was busking on the other side of the street and asked him to sing a song.

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      #52
      It's certainly a good thing that Springsteen changed the title to Thunder Road. Though I rather like the ur-version of it, titled Wings For Wheels.

      Regarding the point about the studio recordings tending to sound flat, I reflected on that a while back when I was on a Springsteen bootleg trip. Only two of his albums from the 1970s/80s era don't sound flat in comparison: Darkness On The Edge Of Town and The River. Both albums have any tracks which I'd automatically replace with their live versions. Of course, it's a kick to hear the first verse of Hungry Heart sung by the audience, or the harmonica kick in after a long intro to The River. But Darkness has an almost intimate mood which stands uncomfortably alongside Rosalita and assorted Freeze-Outs. And the first two sides of The River have as much energy as a live show, and more texture.

      Whereas I never play the Born To Run album when there are superior live versions of almost all the tracks.

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        #53
        https://www.thecut.com/2018/08/ultim...&utm_medium=s1

        The Ultimate Sex Playlist

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          #54
          I had not heard that bootleg G-Man posted. The version of Thunder Road on there doesn't really work for me; the dynamic range of the song is lost. But it's interesting to hear what it was.

          From the list that MsD posted, I quite like the Bats for Lashes cover. I expected more from Johnny Cash's cover but I don't think his voice was where it needed to be when he recorded the song. Lorde's cover doesn't really work for me either, but Springsteen's cover of Lorde is pretty good:
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfJvrH7iQ3c

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            #55
            I watched the Netflix special last night from Springsteen's run on Broadway. I entered the lotto to buy tickets to see this show but the whole thing was a mess. There were maybe 2 or 3 texts that came to me that my lotto number came in but there was no way to see which shows still had seats so the process seemed to be one where people needed to scroll through each show date, select the number of tickets, and then be told there were none left. Maybe I missed something. Anyway, the Netflix broadcast is interesting. I liked the storytelling but the versions of the songs didn't really float my boat. Most sounded like Springsteen songs filtered through Bob Dylan's first two albums. While I appreciate that he wanted to do something different than the more depressing sounding versions performed during the Ghost of Tom Joad acoustic tour(s), most of the songs didn't work for me. Anyway, for Springsteen fans who didn't get to see the show when it ran on Broadway, it's nice to have this option.

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              #56
              We've still not watched it, but yeah, it was a nightmare of blind luck and tenacity to get tickets. That said, I'd sooner the Verified Fan thing than scalpers cleaning up. It was very good live.

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                #57
                Well, Western Stars came and went too fast at my local theater so I'll have to wait for streaming. In the meantime, I though I'd share this. I assume it's the kind of video that the Springsteen haters will see as stereotypical backpatting by Springsteen fans, but fans will say this is part of why they like him as a rock star. For me, this is great:

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVzi8tM2Qlw

                (even if the song's qualities are much more apparent in this version):

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b4nhdoY0TA

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                  #58
                  I'm sure this was discussed in the TV/Film thread but I'll post here since the film relates directly to Springsteen. I watched Blinded by the Light on a flight last week. The screenplay was written/film directed by the same woman who did Bend it Like Beckham. The plotline basically mirrored Bend it (child is interested in an activity that deviates from traditional ethnic family values and heads of household think child is trying to become too English). But in this one, the Springsteen fit was really nice. I could see how his lyrics would inspire a working class kid in England who is feeling alienated from his family, from mainstream society, and in the midst of economic policies that tore apart his family. The use of floating subtitles with Springsteen lyrics and various forms of public singing gave the film a musical feel that was also interesting for a comedic drama. I don't think this is one I'll need to see again but it was a good film for a flight.

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                    #59
                    I never noticed that Western Stars showed in the US on HBO and stumbled upon the on demand option last week. I've been watching a little at a time when I eat breakfast in the morning. It didn't really work for me. On the music front, I couldn't get into the "here's our old barn and we want to have a barnyard party for our friends" that then included an orchestral accompaniment. I needed a more stripped down sound for these songs.

                    Then the speaking parts continually featured these stupid scenes of him in slow motion wearing a cowboy hat, carrying a cowboy hat, and decked out in Southwestern US jewelry. Non of that is or was his style. The home movie footage showed nothing like this. He certainly is a guy that takes on a certain kind of character at times (most notably the saved by rock n roll preacher) but this move to become the cowboy was something pop artists would do for a TV special (become a pirate or a 60s bealtlesque characters, etc.). I appreciate that he's testing different media to help make up for what probably was about to become a slower touring schedule (even pre-COVID) but the Western Stars film was off the mark for me. The Netflix special was much better.

                    I didn't buy the CD. But the songs themselves were ok, not great. "Hello Sunshine" was the exception; that one is really good.

                    Meanwhile, he continues to put out a monthly release through Nugs.net of live music. And those have mostly been very good. My cutoff tends to be 1990 except for the acoustic shows.

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                      #60
                      You'll be shocked to hear we saw it in the theatre, and I thought it was quite enjoyable. I agree that the cowboy staging was hokey. As was the 'barn in the wastelands' conceit if you already knew it was filmed in NJ. But I don't know that it was meant to be a documentary. I think he regarded it as a bit of a film, and it works on those terms. I found the film's fully orchestrated versions much superior to the album's, and I didn't find the album terribly strong. Solid....and even....but no real, real standouts. However, Rhinestone Cowboy right at the end was worth the price of admission in my books.

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                        #61
                        Originally posted by WOM View Post
                        You'll be shocked to hear we saw it in the theatre, and I thought it was quite enjoyable. I agree that the cowboy staging was hokey. As was the 'barn in the wastelands' conceit if you already knew it was filmed in NJ. But I don't know that it was meant to be a documentary. I think he regarded it as a bit of a film, and it works on those terms. I found the film's fully orchestrated versions much superior to the album's, and I didn't find the album terribly strong. Solid....and even....but no real, real standouts. However, Rhinestone Cowboy right at the end was worth the price of admission in my books.
                        I assume you started another thread, WOM, because I remember you writing about going to see it in the theater. I couldn't find that thread so just came back to this one (as I seem to do for anything Springsteen related). I think I might have liked this better in the theater because the orchestral stuff would have felt bigger and maybe I would have just ignored that this was supposed to be an intimate party. Intimate country parties don't usually have orchestras. Haha. But the screenings at my local theater included one pre-release date screening and then one week at that same cinema. I have no idea what I was doing, but I usually miss films that come on short runs.

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                          #62
                          Springsteen has been very busy these past few years. He already has another new record out. Here is the single and title track. Sounds a bit like a mix between Western Stars and whatever record had Radio Nowhere on it.

                          Last edited by danielmak; 11-09-2020, 02:50.

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                            #63
                            God, that is an uninspired lumpen dirge.

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                              #64
                              Yeah. It's kinda sad and unnecessary. It's really hard to make the same kind of music at seventy that you did in your twenties. There are other kinds of songs to sing for that age and it's not your time for them anymore. It doesn't mean you have to quit, but you do need to take a clear-eyed look at yourself and what you're doing.

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                                #65
                                I saw rock and roll past, and its name is Bruce Springsteen.

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                                  #66
                                  Well here's some Jersey-style fruits with newfangled tunes if you ain't with Saint Bruce....

                                  ​​​​​​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPf2...ature=youtu.be

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                                    #67
                                    Although this could go in new music 2021 or today's earworm, I'll go with the defacto Springsteen thread. I only listened once but I like how this song takes shape:

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                                      #68
                                      Every weekend Pitcfork reviews records that came out before the publication started. This week they reviewed Born in the USA, which is interesting. Perhaps more interesting for fans who have not read everything there is to read.

                                      https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums...rn-in-the-usa/

                                      The article links to two club remixes that I had not heard before. Not great. Not horrible.

                                      Dancing in the Dark




                                      And "Cover Me"

                                      Last edited by danielmak; 09-08-2021, 01:27.

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                                        #69
                                        Originally posted by danielmak View Post
                                        Every weekend Pitcfork reviews records that came out before the publication started. This week they reviewed Born To Run.....]
                                        Nope...t'other 'Born' album.

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                                          #70
                                          Yep. Just a typo, which is fixed.

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                                            #71
                                            I saw his daughter got a silver medal. 29 years old and not even a twinkle when we saw Mum and Dad at Wembley in 88.

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                                              #72
                                              No doubt especially pleasing to the the family given that the best that Georgina Bloomberg could achieve with truly unlimited resources was a Bronze at the Pan American Games

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                                                #73
                                                This one isn't working for me. I think this is a case where the song, if recorded by by musicians who are not famous, would get 100 views max on Youtube. But it's good to see that Springsteen is keeping busy.



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                                                  #74
                                                  Springsteen did an acoustic version of "The River" on Colbert (a US talk show). I think I have posted this before, but I am hard-pressed to find a song that is basically a novella that is as good as this one. There are better songs, for sure, but I don't know if there are fully formed stories in a song that is as good as "The River."

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                                                    #75
                                                    I'm with you on the Mellensteen track. L played it a couple of weeks ago and I think I said "That was a whole lot of nothing."

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