Posts Tagged ‘Bruce Springsteen’

Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman confirmed to play UK on July 14th with
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman has joined the bill to play Hard Rock Calling in London’s Hyde Park on Saturday 14 July with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band.
Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman has released 3 studio albums and one EP, and this summer marks his debut performance at Hard Rock Calling.  Tom Morello joined Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band in 2008 in Anaheim, US collaborating on the ‘Ghost of Tom Joad’, which Rage Against the Machine have also covered.  They reunited again last month on the first of Bruce Springsteen’s comeback dates in the US, joining up for a mind-blowing four-song set.

‘Save The Hammer For The Man‘ is from his latest album World Wide Rebel Songs on New West Records and the track was co-written with Ben Harper and features Harper on vocals and guitar. Check out the video below.

While Morello’s previous solo albums as The Nightwatchman have primarily been acoustic affairs, World Wide Rebel Songs, features a full electric band, “The Freedom Fighter Orchestra” (comprised of Dave Gibbs on bass, Carl Restivo on guitar and piano, Chris Joyner on keyboard, and Eric Gardner on drums) and they will be playing with Tom on 14 July in Hyde Park.

When describing World Wide Rebel Songs, Morello stated, “Troubled times call out for troubled songs. World Wide Rebel Songs is an album of rousing hopelessness and this time The Nightwatchman has brought along his electric guitar to tip the scales. I wanted to capture a vibe midway between Johnny Cash and Che Guevara, murder ballads and Molotov anthems.”

Visit the official website HERE.

Tom Morello feat Ben Harper & the Roots – Save the Hammer for the Man from Rapha.El on Vimeo.

Rocky Ground – Bruce Springsteen

Taken from the fantastic Wrecking Ball album, here is the new video for Rocky Ground, another fine track from The Boss!

Bruce Springsteen returns with a new album in March.

Wrecking Ball will be released on the 6th March and you can now hear a brand new track ‘We Take Care Of Our Own’ …… here!

By the time I was growing up and listening to music, Bruce Springsteen was already a legend, it would be a while before I felt that way about him but I was aware of his statue among music fans.  Whilst others have come and gone, Springsteen’s status as bone fide rock superstar has barely waivered in nearly four decades.  It is this that makes ‘Live At Main Point 1975’ such a fascinating prospect, this is just on the cusp of his ‘big break’, a good six months before the career making ‘Born To Run’ album would be released and recorded during the rocky period where his very future looked in jeopardy.  A time when the hype surrounding him far outweighed the commercial success he was experiencing.  None of this uncertainty however is evident on the album; in fact listening to it now you wonder how there could ever have been any doubt that Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band would become anything other than legends.

For me one song sums up this album and its place in the annals of history.  ‘Wings For Wheels’ or ‘Thunder Road’ as it would eventually become known is a metaphor for the entire album and Springsteen himself, for want of a better phrase, a spit and polish away from a classic. It is an exhilarating listen, a work in progress as this predates the now iconic ‘Thunder Road’ moniker and chorus and indeed our protagonist at this stage is not Mary but Angelina.  This is one of the earliest known performances of the song but the ripple of approval from the audience for the opening bars indicates there are a few true believers already sensing its potential.

Faithful renditions of Springsteen staples like ‘Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)’ and ‘Spirit In The Night’ sit alongside some choice cover versions including a beautiful rendition of ‘I Want You’ (Bob Dylan)  and a full blooded  version of ‘Back In The USA’ (Chuck Berry) that rounds off the night.  It is however the introduction of the ‘Born To Run’ tracks that really thrill, appearing in varying degrees of completion, they all point towards the Globe conquering heights that were mere months away.  ‘Born To Run’ itself was already fairly well known at this point, although not officially released it had been featured on radio and in the live set for a few months and appears here in pretty much the finished form.  ‘Jungleland’ too is here in all its glory, complete with Suki Lahav violin opening and sounding as vital as the finished studio set would sound some 6 months later.

The aforementioned ‘Wings For Wheels’ and ‘She’s The One’ offer the deepest insight into the mind of Springsteen, both are recognisable and yet the slight tweaks he would make in the intervening time between this show and formal release transform the good to timeless.

Right from the laid back opening of ‘Incident on 57^th Street’ Springsteen has the audience under his spell and whether it is the extended walk through of ‘The E Street Shuffle’ or the rip roaring exuberance of the rock tracks, the Boss’ ability to captivate a crowd is already in place.

This album has been available as a bootleg in several guises for a few years now so for the hardcore Springsteen fan this is not necessarily something new, but the official release does now allow the masses to hear something truly special.

It is worth noting this is a 36 year old recording, originally recorded and broadcast by WMMR the sound is not perfect but this is one of those occasions where the rough round the edges  approach really adds to the authentic ‘I was there’ feel.  Taking place at Main Point near Philadelphia, this was a benefit concert for the venue to raise funds to keep it going.  With a capacity of only 300 the intimate nature of the show is captured perfectly within the album and there are few live CDs around that can match the atmosphere of this show.   I have run out of superlatives for this album, it captures the frenetic abandon of an artist on the brink of world domination with songs that sound as mesmerising today as they must have done for the lucky few back in ‘75.  An essential purchase.

Jules says….

For more Bruce Springsteen news and info visit his website HERE.