Walk like a Man
Page 19
13. All of the lyrics in this section are by The Hold Steady, and are written by, in the most democratic band fashion, The Hold Steady.
14. A year after the album’s release, almost to the day, I had the Stay Positive symbol—an infinity sign with a plus sign at the point where the circles touch—tattooed on the outside of my right wrist. I wanted it there not as a celebration of the band or the record, but as a reminder to myself to, well, stay positive. Has it worked? The jury, it seems, is still out.
15. I believe their second album, Separation Sunday, is one of the finest albums of the first decade of the new century. I could write a whole essay just on that.
16. You can see why lyrics like these, all credited just to The Hold Steady, would appeal to a word geek like myself.
17. Yes, you’re noticing a trend: there’s a close tie between Hold Steady shows and wilful public intoxication. (And for the record, it’s not just us. The message boards are like scare stories for potential alcohol poisoning.) There’s a line in “Constructive Summer,” the lead-off track from Stay Positive—“me and my friends are like double whisky coke no ice”—that Colin and I have taken to heart. Hard. It doesn’t matter what we’ve been drinking at, say, the Lennox, all afternoon on the day of a concert: sometime before the show a couple of Jack and Cokes will magically arrive at the table, and Colin and I will toast and grin like the tweaked middle-aged rock geeks/teenage fangirls we are.
18. Oh, hell—we’ve come too far together for me to be coy now. It’s on YouTube. You can find it by typing in “Rosalita Tribute.”
19. Though the songs are all credited to The Hold Steady as a group, it’s easy to slip into the assumption that the words are Craig’s; there’s an honesty and directness to them that is reminiscent of Springsteen at his best.
20. Ahem. Yes, there’s a collective name. Like Tramps, some Hold Steady fans identify themselves with a phrase taken from one of the band’s songs (well, two, actually): The Unified Scene. Yes, there are message boards. And yes, we all have nicknames (you kind of have to on a message board). And there are t-shirts. Not generic t-shirts, though. If you’re a t-shirt Scenester, your shirt will have your number on it. And your nickname. It’s like a team. Or a private club. Yes, I’m aware of how ridiculous that all sounds. It’s also pretty cool. I’m very fond of my red Canadian-tour 2009 Scene shirt.
Bootleggers, Roll Your Tapes!
I’VE PLAYED IT a little coy in these pages on the whole subject of bootlegs. I am, to be frank, a bit conflicted. I recognize the moral question implicit in buying recordings of live shows at which recording is verboten. That being said, I wouldn’t be the Springsteen fan I am today, and this book wouldn’t exist, without bootlegs.1
So I leave it up to you. Here’s a chronological list of ten of the finest recordings of Springsteen’s career, bootlegs that have the potential to change your life.2 In our wired age, you no longer need to frequent dodgy record stores or send money orders overseas: these recordings are all available for online download. (No, I won’t say where.3)
February 5, 1975 · The Main Point, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
I discussed this bootleg at length in the “Thundercrack” chapter, but it’s too good not to include on this list. It would be essential for the opening “Incident on 57th Street” alone, but the proto–“Thunder Road,” with different lyrics, under the title “Wings for Wheels,” is a revelation, and the cover of Bob Dylan’s “I Want You” is so beautiful and powerful that the mere thought of it makes me ache. If I could have only one bootleg, it would probably be this one. Released as The Saint, the Incident and the Main Point Shuffle, You Can Trust Your Car to the Man Who Wears the Star, and Main Point Night.4
August 15, 1975 (early show) · The Bottom Line, New York, New York
This FM broadcast from the ten-show Bottom Line stand at the height of the first burst of Bruce-mania (alongside the Time and Newsweek covers) revealed a band exploding with passion and drive, at once tightly controlled and risk-taking. The slow, almost sultry “The E Street Shuffle” includes the now-classic story of how the Big Man joined the band. The covers of “Then She Kissed Me,” “When You Walk in the Room,” and “Quarter to Three” are bar-band classics turned up to eleven, and “Born to Run” is fresh and intense in a way it has rarely been since. Released as The Great White Boss and Live at the Bottom Line.
December 15, 1978 · Winterland, San Francisco, California
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: there was a time when I wanted to collect every show from the 1978 tour. Choosing just one show for this list is a special kind of torture.5 The Roxy show, the Passaic stand, the Agora concert—any one of them could be here. But for beginners, Winterland has it all: that long, delirious intro to “Prove It All Night”; a transcendent “Sad Eyes–Drive All Night” monologue in “Backstreets” that will take you out of your body; the rocking “Mona/ The Preacher’s Daughter/I Get Mad/ She’s the One”. . . It will, I guarantee, blow your mind. There are many who believe this is perhaps the ultimate Springsteen bootleg: I’m one of them. Released as Live in the Promised Land and Winter-land Night.
December 31, 1980 · Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
One of the longest, and finest, Bruce Springsteen shows in the canon. The band rings in the new year, and the new decade, with thirty-eight songs, including the only performance of “Held Up Without a Gun.” The energy is over the top, and this one is absolutely essential. Some recordings include the pairing of “Incident on 57th Street” and “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” from the previous night, the only time the songs were performed as they appear on the album prior to the “whole album” shows of 2009. Wow. Just . . . wow. Released as In the Midnight Hour and Nassau Night.
July 13, 1984 · Alpine Valley Music Theater, East Troy, Wisconsin
A sentimental favourite, this show was one of the first bootlegs I owned, and it stands the test of time. With a roaring “Born in the U.S.A.,” a mini-set of Nebraska tracks, a goofy “Pink Cadillac,” and a fantastic cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Street Fighting Man,” this is a perfect representation of the early Born in the U.S.A. tour. Released as Alpine Valley and Alpine Valley Night.
May 3, 1988 · Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, California
This is the show that formed the background music to This is the show that formed the background music to that conversation in the “Brilliant Disguise” chapter, and it captures the early stages of the Tunnel of Love tour, complete with horn section. “Rosalita” was back in the setlist. The opening pairing of “Tunnel of Love” and B-side “Be True” set the emotional tone for the show. The sweet, wistful “All That Heaven Will Allow,” complete with Springsteen and Clemons’s park bench–set intro, is charming and affecting, while “Spare Parts” is a raging, cathartic burst. It’s a fantastic show, and a fantastic tour. Released as Roses and Broken Hearts.
November 16–17, 1990 · Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
I wrote about these two shows earlier, the benefits for the Christic Institute that saw Springsteen break his post–Tunnel of Love seclusion. But it bears repeating: these are absolutely essential recordings, and they justify the entire bootleg industry. The shows are stark, solo, and acoustic, with breathtaking moment after breathtaking moment. The first-ever performances of “Real World” are the sound of a man coming to terms with himself in public, while “Redheaded Woman” is a playful bit of exhibitionism. The recasting of older material, including “Thunder Road” and “Brilliant Disguise,” reveals heretofore unexplored depths, and even the usually triumphant “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” takes on a mournful tone.6 Released as Acoustic Tales and Christic Night.
November 8, 1996 · St. Rose of Lima School, Freehold, New Jersey
The two finest shows of The Ghost of Tom Joad tour are the tour are the most atypical. The November 26, 1996, show at the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park, N.J., was a homecoming of sorts, with a wildly varied setlist and guest appearances by
Danny Federici, Little Steven Van Zandt,7 and “Mad Dog” Vini Lopez. I, however, lean toward the November 8 show in Freehold as one of the most significant nights of Springsteen’s performing career. Highlights include one of the few performances of “In Freehold,” and a personal setlist that presents a vivid picture of Springsteen’s life to that point. Ah, hell, get ’em both. November 26 released as Asbury Park Night; November 8 released as Freehold Night.
AFTER THE turn of the millennium, two things happened that have substantially reduced the importance of commercial bootlegging over the last decade. The first was a certain looseness in Springsteen’s regard for his work. Tours since the reunion tour are largely well represented with official releases: the Live in Barcelona, Live in Dublin, and London Calling Live in Hyde Park dvds are solid shows from the Rising, Seeger Sessions, and Working on a Dream tours, respectively. The second was the rise in technology: the presence of the internet in every home and the ubiquity of recording devices— audio and video—pretty much put professional bootleggers out of business. Virtually every show is now recorded and distributed online within hours of the final bows. There are a couple of fan-created projects, however, that are well worth seeking out:
The Promise Delivered
The final stand of the 1999–2000 Reunion tour at New York City’s Madison Square Garden is captured officially on the Live in New York City CDs and DVDs, but this seven-disc fan project is worth tracking down. The first three discs capture the final night, July 1, 2000, in its entirety. If the crowd chanting “E Street Band, E Street Band” late in the show doesn’t bring a lump to your throat, you’re clearly doing something wrong. And the rewritten “Blood Brothers” that closed out the night, and the tour, will make any Springsteen fan cry. Discs four through six capture rarities and one-offs from the stand. The seventh disc, a data disc, is a bit of a relic now, but this collection is essential.
Love, Tears and Mystery
The solo acoustic 2005 Devils & Dust tour isn’t universally adored by fans, but, personally, I find it a revelation, night after night. The eleven-disc Love, Tears and Mystery compilation exhaustively captures that tour. The first two discs are a “typical” set8 compiled from a variety of sources, while the next nine discs (yes, nine) capture every song performed on the tour, along with variant versions (“Born in the U.S.A.” with regular mic and with distorting bullet mic, for example). Is there such a thing as too exhaustive? Maybe, but this isn’t it. Love, Tears and Mystery is a labour of love, and it’s probably the bootleg I’ve listened to most in the last five years. There is much, much here to love.
SPRINGSTEEN HAS been performing for over forty years; these recordings are, of course, just the tip of the iceberg. A taster, as it were. If you like these, there’s a lot more out there—some better shows, some better sound, buried treasures, and colossal performances. Download speeds are fast, and hard drives are cheap: roll your tapes!
1 I am even more conflicted about studio bootlegs; to my mind, those tracks have been stolen, plain and simple, and were never intended for public consumption. That being said, yes, I have partaken. Yes, I did inhale.
2 In compiling this list, I thought it best to get some outside input, and I put the question of essential bootlegs out to my online community. I’m indebted to the members of the Facebook rmas rebooted group for their input.
3 The shadiness of the bootleg world makes for a lot of confusion around releases, sound quality, sources, and so on. I’ve included a couple of variant titles, where applicable, for releases of some shows as guideposts. Your online sources will point you to the best available versions.
4 Among the foremost bootleg labels of the last decade or so is Crystal Cat: their recordings and releases are generally top-notch. Their releases all follow the (blank) Night format, so there’s a hint.
5 A Sophie’s Choice analogy would be excessive, but only just.
6 It was the Christic version of “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” with the sad refrain of “I’m on my own, and I can’t go home,” that I played over and over the night Clarence Clemons died. It broke my heart.
7 After leaving the E Street Band in 1984, Van Zandt underwent a nicknamectomy, replacing “Miami Steve” with “Little Steven.” His band in those years was called Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.
8 There’s no such thing as a “typical” Devils & Dust show, but the concerts followed a general format, which the first two discs document.
Playlists
The thing about music? There's never enough of it, at least for me. The fourteen tracks of the book’s “mix-tape” are the core of Walk Like a Man, the songs around which the stories orbit. I’ve created a playlist for them; you can find it here.
There are more songs, though. There are always more songs. Consider the following links as an extended playlist, a B-side to the core mix-tape, or a deluxe edition of the album... Whatever you call it, be sure to play them loud. And if you’re interested in lyrics, check out these, pulled from Springsteen’s official website.
Certain Songs The Hold Steady
Voodoo Child Rogue Traders
Growin’ Up (live)
The River (live)
Thunder Road
The Promise
War (live)
Redheaded Woman (live)
The Wish
Human Touch
Streets of Philadelphia
The Ghost of Tom Joad
The Ghost of Tom Joad (live with Tom Morello)
We Shall Overcome
Radio Nowhere
Working on a Dream
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Born in the U.S.A.
My Hometown
Incident on 57th Street
It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City
It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City (live)
Badlands
Badlands (live)
Seeds
This Hard Land
Born to Run
Born to Run (studio)
Born to Run (live 1975)
Born to Run (live 1985)
Light of Day
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) (live)
Moondance Van Morrison
Thundercrack
New York City Serenade
Santa Ana
Welcome to the Jungle Guns N’ Roses
Tougher than the Rest
Desire U2
Tunnel of Love
Aint Got You
When You're Alone
Tupelo Honey Van Morrison
Living Proof
Living Proof (live)
Brilliant Disguise
All That Heaven Will Allow
The Rising
Worlds Apart
Into The Fire
Land of Hope and Dreams
Dancing in the Dark
Bobby Jean (live)
I'm on Fire (live)
Jesus Was An Only Son
Long Time Comin
Leah
The Hitter
Atlantic City The Hold Steady
Atlantic City
Round Here Counting Crows
Meet Me By the River’s Edge Gaslight Anthem
No Cars Go Arcade Fire
Stuck Between Stations The Hold Steady
Lord I'm Discouraged (live) The Hold Steady
Constructive Summer The Hold Steady
Your Little Hoodrat Friend (live) The Hold Steady
Citrus (live) The Hold Steady
The Smidge The Hold Steady
Stay Positive The Hold Steady
Sources
Bruce Springsteen: Official Site. Located at brucespringsteen.net.
Calvi, Paolo, et al. Killing Floor: Bruce Springsteen Database. Located at brucespringsteen.it.
Cavicchi, Daniel. Tramps Like Us: Music and Meaning among Springsteen Fans. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Coles, Robert. Bruce Springsteen’s America: The People Listeni
ng, a Poet Singing. New York: Random House, 2003.
Cross, Charles, et al. Backstreets: Springsteen, the Man and His Music. New York: Harmony Books, 1991.
Diomedi, David, director. VH1 Storytellers: Bruce Springsteen. 2005.
Editors of Rolling Stone, ed. Springsteen: The Rolling Stone Files. New York: Hyperion, 1996.
Eliot, Marc. Down Thunder Road: The Making of Bruce Springsteen. London, UK: Plexus, 1992.
Guterman, Jimmy. Runaway American Dream: Listening to Bruce Springsteen. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2005.
Henke, James. “Bruce Springsteen: The Rolling Stone Interview.” Rolling Stone, August 6, 1992.
Kirkpatrick, Rob. Magic in the Night: The Words and Music of Bruce Springsteen. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2009.
Landau, Jon. “Growing Young with Rock and Roll.” The Real Paper, May 22, 1974.
Masur, Louis P. Runaway Dream: Born to Run and Bruce Springsteen’s American Vision. New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2009.
Polizzotti, Mark. Highway 61 Revisited. New York: Continuum, 2006.
Sandford, Christopher. Springsteen: Point Blank. London, UK: Warner, 2000.
Sawyers, June Skinner, ed. Racing in the Streets: The Bruce Springsteen Reader. New York: Penguin, 2004.
Springsteen, Bruce. Bruce Springsteen: Songs. New York: Avon, 1998.
Wieder, Judy. “Bruce Springsteen: The Advocate Interview.” The Advocate, April 22, 1996.
Zimny, Thom, director. Wings For Wheels: The Making of Born to Run. 2005.
Zimny, Thom, director. The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town. 2010.
Acknowledgements
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ARE A tricky thing: on the one hand, they’re vaguely self-indulgent, and most people don’t read them. On the other hand, to a lot of the people who do read them, they’re important, and not an indulgence on my part at all.