Bruce Springsteen - The Promise (3 LP)
- LP
- 3 piece(s)
- 2010
- 21 tracks
- 1 uur, 28 min
The PromiseCheapest atimusic.uk
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Back then, I was still captivated by the monumental pop records that had defined my younger days. Overall, that's perfectly fine, but like Mr. Dylan, Bruce seems to be putting out a massive amount of material that certainly deserves a listen. However, if these songs were left on the cutting room floor back then, do they really deserve a prominent place now, or are they merely a glimpse into the journey that brought the music of this Jersey Boy, via New York City, or vice versa, to global attention, marking him like a '57 Chevy as one of the most powerful and innovative artists of the last century. Certainly, Bruce is finding his voice, his music, and his muse here, all evident by his generous borrowing from the music that inspired him so much, and in that sense, this is a very significant body of work. Rather than just reviewing this collection, I think it's more important to examine several of the songs, trace their origins, and watch their evolution. "Racing In The Street" is far more than just a tribute to Martha & The Vandellas; Bruce absorbs their energy and vision, building layer upon layer until it's almost a wall-of-sound, as the music struts along. The song has a more human, somber feel than what we're used to, relying more on pronounced harmonica and piano. "Gotta Get The Feeling" is an unavoidable slap in the face of rock 'n' roll, creating a Phil Spector-inspired blend of Badfinger meets The Four Seasons, perfect for cruising with the top down after a cool rain, letting Clarence unleash perhaps his most sustained and melodic sax riffs of his career. "Outside Looking In" doesn't just rock, it charges in like a herd of horses, heavy on heartbeat reverb, and lyrics that stand unchallenged. "Someday We'll Be Together" is a rather weak but beautiful track, nearly classically done, laced with atmospheric effects and restrained euphoria. "One Way Street" evokes Smokey Robinson, filled with youthful yearning yet opportunistic in nature, with hints of "Thunder Road." What [?], you don't know the Flamin' Groovies, then get yourself to the record store and hear what they taught Bruce here, as he stumbles through a love-gone-wrong rockin' ballad, complete with a sensational guitar solo that's double-tracked to perfection and a sax solo so good you'll be rewinding just to hear it again and again. "Rendezvous" was recorded in one take, and it shows, sounding powerful, full of pop guitar jangle, a brief burst of fuzz, a couple of stolen lines, and drumming that has Keith Moon written all over it. "Ain't Good Enough For You" harkens back to "Palisades Park," full of finger-popping, girl-twirling melodies that will have you strolling down the boardwalk like you own it, sending out infectious eye spark that's sure to turn heads in jeans that are just too tight for even the night. "Fire" breaks all the rules, slowed down in tempo, lustful, sweaty, full of passion, and "Spanish Stroll," built for the 4th of July, and cherry bombs in the night. This is a minimalist version of what we've become accustomed to hearing, punctuated by Steven's brilliant guitar work and a sax rhythm stolen directly from Booker T. & The MG's, but that's not a bad thing, that's a dancin' fine smile. "Come On Let's Go Tonight" is totally reworked, the melody is very somber, almost tearful, though the Celtic feel from the accordion and violin almost do and don't work at the same time, it takes a man like Springsteen to pull this off without looking shameful. "Talk To Me" has a ska feel to it that can't be denied, with lyrics that tumble like dice from his lips, yet at the same time is full of an unobvious blue-eyed soul. "Breakaway" is probably the only epic on this release, and one of Bruce's early strong points, raising the ghost of Roy Orbison [how come Bruce was never part of The Traveling Wilbury's?], back to a rhythmic military drum, filled with visions of troubled youth and a wasteland just over the horizon that seems to offer the only hope. Some parts are a bit cheesy, and Bruce certainly pushes these aspects in his later work, making a lot of it seem trite and unnecessary. "City Of The Night" comes at you like a slow-burning fuse that strolls, and is more than worthy of anything Mink DeVille ever laid down. The song simmers much like Lou Reed's "Walk On The Wild Side," full of summertime imagery, and is just too short for my liking. And that, my friends, brings us right back to the initial question and my favorite bench on the boardwalk, regarding the importance of this body of work. The Promise is what it is; it's up to you to take from it any and all of what moves you, and after all, that's the real thrill of music in the first place. But hearing Bruce lay out these numbers, some familiar, some new, certainly gives one pause to sit back and consider what might have been, and perhaps spark you to listen to those early recordings with a new set of ears and a deeper appreciation for the work and emotion of Bruce Springsteen. There are a couple of killer numbers here that I'll slide into my iPod and program into my disc player, but for the most part, there's nothing earth-shattering to be found. It all feels really comfortable, as if these tracks have been forever playing in my head, or perhaps like I've recently discovered a Springsteen album I overlooked for some reason. Though having heard this release, I wouldn't want to be without it. *** The Fun Facts: If you've never visited Eric Meola's studio, you certainly should, he's responsible for the album art here, along with a huge number of other blinded by the light photos of Bruce. Of course, my first question to him was, "Is that really Bruce driving?" To which he responded, "Yes." Then I asked, "What colour was the Galaxie 500?" With the answer being, "Red." He went on to say, "It's a grand sweeping photograph with drama in the mountains and skies, with the car seeming to flash white light from its position dead centre of the vanishing point. It was taken one afternoon on a long dirt road off Highway 80, I asked Bruce to drive straight at the camera as ominous clouds from a late summer storm began to form overhead.”
It's no secret that Bruce Springsteen has, with every album he's put out, tucked away a treasure trove of unreleased tracks (whether fully recorded, demoed, or just penned) deep within his vaults. Interestingly, many of these unreleased tracks are top-notch, far from being mere "b-sides" or cast-offs, that were left behind from the albums they were intended for mainly because they didn't fit the album's overall vibe, not due to a lack of quality. 1998's "Tracks" proved all of this when it allowed a portion of this hidden legacy to finally see the light of day. Since then, further anniversary or special editions of Springsteen's classic albums have been released with extra songs that delved even deeper into these vaults. Originally part of the 30th anniversary boxset edition of "Darkness At The Edge Of Town", "The Promise" is a double disc set that contains 22 songs that were recorded during the sessions of "DATEOT" and not released, or released in slightly different forms. And the outcome is just breathtaking. Tracks like "Gotta Get That Feeling", the well-known "Because The Night", "The Brokenhearted", "Candy's Boy" (a twisted, slowed down reflection of "Candy's Room"), "Ain't Good Enough For You", "Spanish Eyes", "Come On (Let's Go Tonight)" (twin sibling to "Factory"), "The Little Things (My Baby Does)"... but mostly the title track and the opener "Racing In The Street '78" (a slightly different version of one of my favourite songs by Springsteen), are absolutely deserving of this proper, stand-alone release, and makes you wonder how these could have been hidden away for so long. Bruce himself admits in the liner notes that several of these songs were discarded for the sake of cohesion, as he felt they didn't share the same "raw" nature of "DATEOT". In any case, "The Promise" serves as a well-deserved showcase for many great songs, and stands as a fantastic album in its own right, highlighting the songwriting prowess of a unique musician at the height of his career.
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