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Springsteen - The River


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For the 1st time in years, maybe 20 years, I've gone back and listened to The River. Dunno why I haven't before. I often listen to a lot of Bruce bootlegs and don't always go back to original albums. But I wanted a little blast of "sherry darling" one day last week and let the whole thing play. I've not stopped since. What an incredible body of work it is, don't think I've ever really thought it was quite so good before - and maybe as a younger man I didn't think it was, but I've been blown away by it. It's almost like listening to a new album, even though I know all the songs.

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Of all the Bruce albums this took me the longest to 'get' I downloaded the Japanease release a few years back which is a far superior recording. The standard uk one sounds a bit hissy. Hopefully it'll get remastered soon as Darkness did a couple of years ago. Speaking of Darkness there's a quality version of 'sherry darling' on the remastered boxset of Darkness on the edge of town. Just Bruce and Miami Steve sat at a piano belting it out. I'm guessing it'll be on YouTube.

 

Fucking great album though, the ties that bind has been a favourite of mine in the last couple of months. Find myself fist pumping and getting a little to carried away.

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I've actually got it on vinyl, but never got round to playing it.... I know.

 

All my vinyl (-000s) is now in storage and I don't own a record player. I replaced my decks with children.

 

Saw Springsteen at Bramell Lane when I was about 17. Went with low expectations and came out converted. Incredible. Live with me forever that night.

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I've actually got it on vinyl' date=' but never got round to playing it.... I know.

 

All my vinyl (-000s) is now in storage and I don't own a record player. I replaced my decks with children.

 

Saw Springsteen at Bramell Lane when I was about 17. Went with low expectations and came out converted. Incredible. Live with me forever that night.[/quote']

 

I was at that show! You must be the same age as me.

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Gave me a good idea to revisit that album' date=' Barry. Good thread.

 

Went to a concert with Bruce a month ago. You'd never guess the man is 63 years old. He's so full of energy on stage it's a joy to watch. For 3+ hours too![/quote']

 

I saw him in Zurich last year, did 4 hours. Will deffo catch him this month. The feeling when you walk out of the shoes is at least equal to any drugs I've taken.

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Of all the Bruce albums this took me the longest to 'get' I downloaded the Japanease release a few years back which is a far superior recording. The standard uk one sounds a bit hissy. Hopefully it'll get remastered soon as Darkness did a couple of years ago. Speaking of Darkness there's a quality version of 'sherry darling' on the remastered boxset of Darkness on the edge of town. Just Bruce and Miami Steve sat at a piano belting it out. I'm guessing it'll be on YouTube.

 

Fucking great album though' date=' the ties that bind has been a favourite of mine in the last couple of months. Find myself fist pumping and getting a little to carried away.[/quote']

 

I got a bootleg a little while back from 2005. In it Bruce seems to be doing some type of requests night just him on a piano. Has a cracking version of sherry darling on that.

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A great album from Bruce's golden era.

 

"Point Blank" is one of my favourites with a live version which predates its studio release particularly awesome.

 

I've got point blank on right now. Brilliant track. Although you can say that about nearly every track on there - as I said in the OP, it's genuinely surprised me listening to the quality as a single body of work.

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Title track just blew me a way back in 1980 when I first listened to it. Still does.

He did the whole double album live at Madison Square Garden about 3 or 4 years ago towards the end of a tour. Me and my my mate were going to go but we couldnt get sensibly priced flights+tickets at the time. Regretted it when I heard the bootleg from the concert which I still play a lot. Fanatstic gig.

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The river is a great album but being a double I never really got into it as I tended to jump about a bit. Oh the days of records

 

Now Nebraska that is one mean dark album and def my favorite

 

Its amazing hearing the live versions which were much more upbeat that the stripped down bleak album versions.

 

But thanks for the thread, i sense a river session on a long drive this weekend

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Going to see him for the first time at Wembley next month and then at Hard Rock Calling a couple of weeks after. 'Excited' doesn't come close.

 

Gonna settle down with a beer and The River, that's my friday night sorted.

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Going to see him for the first time at Wembley next month and then at Hard Rock Calling a couple of weeks after. 'Excited' doesn't come close.

 

Gonna settle down with a beer and The River' date=' that's my friday night sorted.[/quote']

 

Is that the Sunday night? Thinking I might try that one myself if it is.

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Going to see him for the first time at Wembley next month and then at Hard Rock Calling a couple of weeks after. 'Excited' doesn't come close.

 

Gonna settle down with a beer and The River, that's my friday night sorted.

 

Wembley is going to be very special, hasn't played there since the Born in USA tour. 80,000 people that believe in the promise land. Rumours that he will play the whole of the born in USA album. Not wanting to belittle the hard rock/festival shows but you cannot beat a Springsteen only gig.

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Wembley is going to be very special' date=' hasn't played there since the Born in USA tour. 80,000 people that believe in the promise land. Rumours that he will play the whole of the born in USA album. Not wanting to belittle the hard rock/festival shows but you cannot beat a Springsteen only gig.[/quote']

 

I think the USA stuff fits in nicely with a lot of the material from wrecking ball, similar feeling and political call. I've not looked to see how much the core of the set has differed from last year, but I can imagine it will be much the same, with the normal 15 songs or so that can be anything he feels like.

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A strange change of direction for Springsteen. The two previous albums had been tight and focused but The River was rambling, with a strange mix of the intense, 'The River, 'Independence Day' and fun rockers, 'Ramrod' and Cadillac Ranch'. Still, it's great to listen to. Hopefully, he'll be playing lots of it this summer. I'll be seeing him at Wembley, the Olympic Stadium and Cardiff.

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A strange change of direction for Springsteen. The two previous albums had been tight and focused but The River was rambling, with a strange mix of the intense, 'The River, 'Independence Day' and fun rockers, 'Ramrod' and Cadillac Ranch'. Still, it's great to listen to. Hopefully, he'll be playing lots of it this summer. I'll be seeing him at Wembley, the Olympic Stadium and Cardiff.

 

It was collection of songs from the previous 4 years , He was basically out the studio for 3 years due to a contractual dispute after Born to Run in 75

He wrote an enormous amount of songs during the next few years( a lot of which didn't officially see the light of day until a couple of years ago on The Promise collection. When in 78 he did get in the studio he wanted to put out the hardest hitting ,edgiest collection of songs he could at the time. ( we were at the height of the punk era by then). Darkness on the Edge of Town was the result . My favourite album as it happens.

 

The following year he was about to bring out " The ties That Bind " but he decided to delay release at the last minute and came out with the double album The River a year on. The result was a rather eclectic mix of tracks , some of which were written years earlier , some of which missed getting on Darkness and some contemporary material. It all hangs together and works as a great work.

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