New Time but same Old Stuff

For the benefit of my regular readers - thank you one and all- I will start this blog 

with a short

  announcement

My routine has changed in the last few weeks and this has had an unexpected knock on effect on my blog.  This means that my Weekly blog is going to become my Sunday Evening blog.

Hopefully my musings will round off your weekend nicely and set you up for the week ahead.

So as promised during the week I listened to the Born to Run outtakes.  Arcade Fire was put on the back burner.  Well it goes without saying that Bruce must take precedence.

We downloaded this collection of songs a long time ago and I realise now why I haven't checked this out more thoroughly before.  At the time I wouldn't have been interested in alternative versions.  I was only just getting to know some of the officially released stuff.

I assume the whole thing suffers a little from not being finished - the two versions of 'Backstreets' sound really tinny.  I haven't got a very musical ear but there are definitely strings in version 1 which seems to lick along at an unnaturally speedy pace.  I prefer version 2.  This is more similar to the official version musically but has different lyrics.

Born To Run has strings too and weirdly backing singers pop up from time to time - very unerving and a bit Partridge Family - ish.  Could this be Mike Appel's influence? Anyway yuck!

There are three versions of Thunder Road and I must admit I really like this one.





Takes a bit of getting used to after hearing the familiar track so many times but if you have never heard it before give it a chance.  You will be singing along to the new tune in no time.

The two songs that are new to me are 'Walking In The Street' and 'Lonely Night In The Park' which (as I mentioned last week) was the track that prompted me to dig out the CD again - both great songs.  I'd never heard of 'The Heist' before either but this turns out to be 'Meeting Across The River' by another name.  It's not one of my favourite tracks but this version has more trumpet on it and it's OK.

Anyway on to other things.

Our man has been fairly busy this week here he is visiting The Upstage Club
I must say I'm not sure about the outfit here - perhaps it's because I'm not used to seeing him in beige. Showed it to Mike who has always kind of liked Bruce's fashion sense.  He won't be going out to buy anything similar any time soon.

Bruce also popped in to Little Steven's Underground Garage to chat about this and that.  The interview will be aired in three parts this weekend and 8th and 15th April.  Don't know if we can hear this in the UK.

And in a spare moment he has found time to put pen to paper.  As I write this I wonder if he actually sent a letter or just emailed.  A letter might be worth a few $$$ on Ebay!

A good few years ago now Mike did a stint as a city councillor.  He had to hold regular surgeries where the same complainers turned up time after time.  These folk often wrote to the local paper and I couldn't help but think about this when Bruce wrote his letter to the local rag.  Not that Bruce is complaining about his dustbins not being emptied

And finally he also turned up at The Wonder Bar in Asbury Park last night



Interesting to compare this to another You Tube clip on the same page from way way back



My sign off for this week is another blog.  Wouldn't mind swapping locations with this woman, and if I knew how, I would put the clip of Bruce on my own blog.  A project for some other time maybe.

Even if you don't want to read the blog just click on the link - it will make you smile and you all know how I feel about smiles.

See you next Sunday.  Have a good week.