Sparks fly on E Street

[KooL]

I'd never buy the same album twice, no matter how big a fan of the artist I may be. I'll only do that if it's in a different format. I have a bunch of albums I already had on vinyl that I ended up buying on CD too, just for the sake of convenience. Mainly Prince ones.

As for remasters, lately, thanks to OiNK I've been downloading some flac files of albums I already have just so I can have the newly mastered versions. Just another reason why I love OiNK so much. After I'm done with Depeche Mode, I'll be going for Bowie's remasters.

[Kensterberg]

The best Bowie issues are the ones that Ryko did back in the early nineties. They (almost always) have bonus tracks, and the sound quality is as good or better than the Virgin issues. I had Scary Monsters in both formats, and the sound quality was demonstrably better on the older Ryko issue. Similarly, Ryko's Alladin Sane (which didn't have a single bonus track!) still sounds better than the thirtieth anniversary edition (which has an entire second disc of extras). Both of the latter are still sitting on my shelf, though I ditched the Virgin Scary Monsters almost immediately since it had absolutely nothing that the Ryko lacked.

[KooL]

Thanks for the tip Ken. I've seen several there mention that the Ryko re-issues were the best. I'll see how many of them I can find.

[upinkzeppelin2]

I've listened to Nebraska constantly for the last week and though I love a few tracks I would give it a mere 3 and a half stars. Maybe DOTEOT would be more up my alley. It's either gonna be that one or Born To Run that I purchase next. I know it might be hard for some of you to pick between those two but if the next Springsteen album I get doesn't blow me away, it might be a while before I purchase any more of the Boss. I would like to know which one would be better if I can get a li'l help here.

[Kensterberg]

I've always been fond of Steve Van Zandt ... and here's more reasons why ... from Salon.com's audiofile today:

Little Steven speaks
With Tony Soprano's fate about to be determined and rumors running rampant of an upcoming Springsteen album and tour, it seemed like the perfect time to check in with the man who plays Silvio Dante on "The Sopranos" and holds down the lead guitar slot in Springsteen's E Street Band -- Steven Van Zandt.

Van Zandt spoke with Salon on the phone from New York.

The question everyone wants to know: What are you going to do with the Silvio wig?

Well, the big mystery is how I get all that hair under my bandanna. The key is that it's not a wig. At least that's what we tell everybody.

Distinctive headgear isn't all you and Silvio have in common. You're both dedicated to something whose cultural moment has passed: Silvio with the mob, you with rock music as the host of your syndicated radio show, "Little Steven's Underground Garage."

Yeah, you could look at it that way. I'm trying to let people realize that rock is still alive and well; it just happens to have been driven underground. Rock 'n' roll is forever and when young kids get access to it, they're going to like it the same way we did. It's just not easy to find. I'm doing everything I can to change that; it's not something I'm doing for nostalgic purposes. Traditional rock 'n' roll -- garage rock -- is as inspiring as it's ever been.

Its position in the culture has certainly changed.

The rock era is over. I clock it pretty much from "Like a Rolling Stone" to Kurt Cobain's death. We're back in a sort of a pre-Beatles pop era, and that's probably where we're going to stay for a while. Rock is never going to be mainstream again, but at this point we're fighting to even find it a niche. When we started the radio show, there wasn't one rock band signed to a major label. Now there's about 15. Five or six have broken through nicely -- the White Stripes, the Hives -- but if the Rolling Stones came out today, there's no format that would play them except for my show.

Isn't that normal? Tastes change.

There are specialty shows for the blues. There are specialty shows for folk. But you can't find rock 'n' roll, it doesn't exist. How it disappeared after being the mainstream for 30 years is horrifying. It's not an Oliver Stone conspiracy, but it makes you wonder. Rock 'n' roll is how we communicate; it's how we learned everything we know. Nobody's learning very much from hip-hop or hard rock -- all due respect. But rock-'n'-rollers aren't the homogenized artists you find in other genres, so it's not so easy for the record companies to deal with them. Put the Ramones on today. Put Eddie Cochran on. Put the early Beatles on -- The Ronettes, the Clash, Bo Diddley -- it's fucking great, but kids don't have access to it.

But don't fans of rap feel the same way about that music that you do about rock? Is it just a matter of taste?

I don't think people respond the same way to hip-hop that they did to rock 'n' roll. I think it's background music to most people. How deep is the emotional connection? I don't see people having their lives changed by hip-hop records very often. Everybody I know, my entire generation, had their life changed by rock 'n' roll. They depended on it. They couldn't get through the day without it. Techno and whatever else is going on -- that hip-hop thing -- has its own value and its own legitimacy, but can anybody say it's not homogenized? How do you differentiate between the hip-hoppers?

Was Silvio's life was changed by rock 'n' roll?

The last rock-'n'-roller Silvio liked was Dion -- because they had the same hair. He's a Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra guy.

Did you know guys like him growing up?

All the clubs in Jersey had someone similar to him. You didn't know whether they were the real thing or wannabes, but it didn't matter -- they were equally scary. But they didn't influence my performance that much. I went back and watched all the old movies again. I took some of the basic persona from gangsters like Bugsy Siegel and Frank Costello plus a bit of Robert Montgomery. But my main concern was making him as different as possible from me. I didn't want people to see the show and think, "Didn't I just see him play in Montreal last week?"

What are you going to miss the most about the show?

I'm going to miss the guys. I'm going to miss being a part of such high-quality work. I'm going to miss David Chase -- hopefully we'll still see each other. I'm going to miss Silvio. I'm going to miss being him two, three days a week. It's really a wonderful escape for me. I'm fighting 18 hours a day, fighting sponsors and trying to convince people that rock radio has value. It's a constant war.

I've read that Springsteen's down in Atlanta recording.

What people fail to mention is that he's always recording. He's had a relationship now with [producer] Brendan O'Brien for, oh my god, five, six, seven years, and Atlanta is where Brendan lives and where his studio is. Bruce goes down there just for the hell of it and cranks out a couple demos. He's always recording, always got something going, always got an album in his pocket. We're just starting to talk about what we're going to do this year. I'm pretty optimistic, but nothing's been decided yet.

Is Paulie Walnuts going to kill Tony?

[Laughs] That's what you're bettin', huh?

Either that or the Russian's coming back to do it.

Tune in, my friend!

[JACkory]

I keep trying to tell people that Springsteen was inspired by New York synth duo Suicide. Thought it was high time to post some semblance of "proof"...

VH1
A relationship with Cars mastermind Ric Ocasek proved successful, bringing their music to a wider audience and developing unlikely fans (Bruce Springsteen went on record as loving Suicide's Vietnam-vet saga "Frankie Teardrop"), but after numerous breakups and reconciliations, Rev and Vega settled for being more influential than commercially successful.

ink19
Not all ears were deaf though, patrons like Bruce Springsteen, Ric Ocasek and Henry Rollins offered moral and financial support, while artful dodgers like Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker of Pulp, Marc Almond, Siouxsie Sioux, Andrew Eldritch, the Reid Brothers of the Jesus and Mary Chain, and even Depeche Mode's Martin Gore began paying homage to Suicide in both their music and interviews, turning on new generations of fans.

Wikipedia
Among others, The Sisters of Mercy, Henry Rollins, Joy Division, New Order, Soft Cell, The Fleshtones, Ric Ocasek of The Cars, and R.E.M. have listed Suicide as one of their influences. Bruce Springsteen is also a Suicide fan: he has performed their songs in concert, and Springsteen's "State Trooper" from his Nebraska album is clearly influenced by Suicide -- sounding almost like Suicide "unplugged".[/i]

www.bookrags.com/wiki/Suicide_(band)]Bookrags
Among others, Henry Rollins, Soft Cell, The Fleshtones, and R.E.M. have listed Suicide as one of their influences, and decades later Bruce Springsteen would unexpectedly cover them in concert (it has also been pointed out that Springsteen's "Mr State Trooper" from the "Nebraska" album is clearly influenced by Suicide).

The Smile Shop
An eleven minute pandering about the exploits of a Vietnam veteran driven to murder his family, it is one of the most extreme and harrowing songs ever recorded (and one that led Bruce Springsteen to declare his love for Suicide in an interview).

And, for me, some of the most compelling evidence:

Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream" on YouTube (poor quality dub from late '70's edition of The Midnight Special

Bruce Springsteen's cover of Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream" on YouTube (from an encore performance on the Devils & Dust tour)

I was delighted to find this cool video of Springsteen's cover...I knew he'd expressed admoration for Suicide in interviews, but I never knew he'd performed any of their material in concert. This was sweet, even though, as a long-time Suicide fan, I didn't think it quite lived up to the original. For one thing it's much too long. It's almost twice as long and soon becomes tedious, without all the melodramatic theatrics that Alan Vega used to pour into the song (which kinda resembled the bastard offspring of Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison pumped up with Thorazine, riding on his last wave of manic energy).
I was struck by the similarity in the chord structure of "Dream Baby Dream" compared to the one used in Springsteen's best love ballad, "Drive All Night". I doubt there's much, if anything, to speculate about the coincidence (and coincidence it most likely is), but I felt obliged to point it out.
Bruce, apparently, was into that late 70's New York new wave/punk scene, moreso than many of his fans realize. But then again, who would have thouggt that the guy who sang "Glory Days" was the same one who did a spoken word bit in Lou Reed's Street Hassle?
As interesting as Springsteen's interpretation is, it is but an homage to Alan Vega & Martin Rev. It's not a "poor" one, as it is obviously sincere. But there's just no way that Bruce could ever conjure the twisted spirit of Suicide. He doesn't try, as he surely knows that to do so would make him look like a fool. The only reason Suicide didn't look like fools was because of their deranged intensity and rebellious attempts to challenge what was then the staid status quo of the music scene (a great deal of people DID think they looked like fools...the guys dodged many a thrown beer bottle and whiskey glass...they heard more than their fair share of "boos").

At any rate, this all just confirms something I thought I knew (from a Springsteen interview) but wasn't sure of as a result of age and approaching senility.
Check 'em out yerselves.

[JACkory]

Sorry I've been a little slow in getting to the live box...I've always had a difficult time wading through it because...well, because it's so damned long.
When I burn myself out on all the Sigur Ros I'm hooked on right now and decide to give the XM a break I'll get to it.
Feel free to move ahead without me. I doubt my "piece" on this particular one will not be lengthy.

Only 3 & 1/2 stars for Nebraska?...
I'm speechless.

[dolly]

Finally picked up Born To Run 30th Anniversary box set edition. Going to having some fun with it at the weekend for sure.

[dolly]

Only 3 & 1/2 stars for Nebraska?...

That's a bonafide 4 star album - and I might be being a bit harsh. Madness.

[Galactus]

I hear rumors of an Oct. E Street release...

[Paul]

jackory said:

Sorry I've been a little slow in getting to the live box...I've always had a difficult time wading through it because...well, because it's so damned long.
When I burn myself out on all the Sigur Ros I'm hooked on right now and decide to give the XM a break I'll get to it.
Feel free to move ahead without me. I doubt my "piece" on this particular one will not be lengthy.

Only 3 & 1/2 stars for Nebraska?...
I'm speechless.

Nebraska will be my next Bruce album. I still only have the 3 I mentioned earlier on, and I've been off of Bruce lately. Haven't listened to him since my cross country road trip - brought BTR w/ me.

After my last listen of 'Darkness' I'm still having trouble getting into it. I really, really like the first two songs, but after that it's hit and miss for me. I have a feeling with a few more spins the album will really grow on me.

[upinkzeppelin2]

After my last listen of 'Darkness' I'm still having trouble getting into it.

I feel the same way, Paul. I posted this on "Other Than Death Metal....."



Just purchased this, listened to it twice and I just don't get it. I just do not get it. What is so great about "the Boss"?? I'm sorry. I don't think it's over my head. I think it's just a bit overrated. The 2nd track is the only one I remember liking that much. thorny recorded "The Ghost Of Tom Joad", the song, for me a couple years ago and it sparked my interest in Springsteen, but I haven't heard anything else that comes close to that song. "I'm On Fire" is probably the next best thing I've heard from him and a couple tunes off of Nebraska.

[Fuzznuts]

You just have shitty taste.

[KooL]

I'm not much of a Springsteen fan, but I think Darkness is the best thing he's ever done.

[upinkzeppelin2]

fuzznuts said:

You just have shitty taste.

Seeing what you said on the other boards, I guess we're in the same boat, eh?