Save Some Time To Dream

Some weeks when I start to write my blog I find myself a bit deflated.  There are so many Springsteen blogs out there that there is nothing I can say that hasn't already been published more than once already.  This is particularly evident when nothing much is happening because we are all finding the same scraps of news!

Anyway I can recommend that you visit Blogness this week and listen to the audio of Drive All Night.  This is one of my favourite blogs and always worth a look.

We bought Eddie Vedder's album - Ukulele Songs this week.  One of our Bruce Buddies - Tony - recommended it. Mike isn't sure if he likes it. I have only listened to it once so far but I thought it was OK.  I need to listen a few more times to be sure if I really like it. I haven't had time this week because I've been playing a lot of John Mellencamp - more of this later.

Anyway Tony suggested we don't, as he put it, waste our money in future buying stuff that we may not like.  A copy could be slipped surreptitiously in our direction to test the waters first so to speak.  Now this might sound like a good idea but those of you who have followed this blog may remember that I have a love of sleeve notes.  This means that copies and downloads don't really do it for me.

I may be old fashioned but I still like browsing round HMV and buying a CD sometimes because I know only one of the tracks or because a friend or colleague has suggested it.  I like the anticipation of taking it home, putting it on the stereo and not knowing what I'm going to get.  Don't get me wrong we do have a lot of copies (should I be admitting that?) but they are always albums I would never have bought myself anyway.

So Eddie Vedder is to be played next week.

Last week I was preparing for our John Mellencamp gig which we went to on Friday.

I was a little dubious prior to the event as there were some strange reviews on Greasy Lake particularly about a film that was shown before the live gig.  The film was a little odd and if I had not been pre-warned I think I would have wondered what on earth was going on.

Before John came on we were treated to a Johnny Cash track. I can't remember what the track was which is probably ignorant of me as I am sure it had some significance.  John's appearance was announced over the PA system along with a list of his achievements - you know the sort of thing - nominated for x number of Grammy awards etc etc

So far I wasn't impressed but he bounced onto the stage full of eneregy. He was singing something I didn't know but all the audience stood and cheered and sang along. Everyone was really up for it throughout.  It reminded me a little of my first Bruce show. We had invited ourselves to the party but had only half of an idea what was going on!  The Manchester Apollo was almost full and I have to say I thouroughly enjoyed it.  In my after concert euphoria I told Mike it was the best show I had been to after Bruce... then I remembered Gaslight Anthem and Mike reminded me about Southside Johnny who I really like.   So the jury is out for the time being.  

The one thing that would stop me going again is the price of the ticket - £80 (including the extras they add on) for just under two hours was a bit steep I thought.  Of course Bruce spoils us.

He actually didn't play many tracks from the new album but he did play this which I love but then I'm a sucker for songs about having dreams and making the most of the time we have.



There were a few Springsteen T shirts around and this in the local Macdonalds.

Not quite The Hard Rock Cafe but it's the best I can do for now.

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We had a sad little moment this week.  June's picture on our 2011 calendar happened to be this:-

I couldn't bring myself to turn it over at first but.. look at July's photo - a reminder of the great times on tour - this picture can't fail to make you smile.

Hello Dolly

It's been a bit of a Brucey week for me this week considering the man himself seems to have gone to ground.  Lets hope he is working on a new album and sorting out the itinerary for a new tour.

On Monday we nipped to our local retail park and whilst we were there I thought I might as well visit HMV. A chap was hovering around the Springsteen DVDs but I knew just what I wanted so pushed in front of him, picked up The Promise and headed off back to the car. Knew I wouldn't have time to watch it.  In fact I forgot all about it for a couple of days. Trouble was I also forgot we now have a Blu Ray player and I had bought the bog standard DVD.

So Wednesday evening after work I'm at HMV in town doing the swap.
 'Is this the one that was on the telly' asks the chap serving me
'Yep it was in the box set too'
'Can't get that any more wanted to buy it at the time but couldn't afford it.  Awesome documentary'.
Assistant next to him buts in 'Is that the box set that cost about £90? I've never known anything so expensive sell so fast'

Me - well I'm feeling quite smug and proud of our man at this moment. Lets face it most people think Bruce is a has been. In our circle of friends we have a large proportion of Springsteen fans but in the wider world we are part of an increasingly small minority. I know there are new fans all the time and I don't have the stats, but I suspect the fan base decreases year on year. So I'm chuffed to know that Bruce can still draw the attention of young HMV staff.

Cupcake salt and pepper set

Went into Urban Outfitters after this to buy these. Saw them in a magazine and knew they were just the thing for our kitchen. Whilst I was there I saw album frames. I bought BITUSA for a couple of quid from Ebay a few years ago. It isn't my favourite album but it was the first Springsteen album we bought although we had the cassette. I talk about this in my earlier post.

I actually bought the album to frame and put on the kitchen wall - this is also just the thing for our kitchen. If you want to know more about our kitchen the Ideal Home Magazine article is here. Anyway it's in the frame but not yet on the wall.





Wednesday night in the absence of anything else we had The Sopranos on the TV in the background. This sort of passed us by when it was on originally but I started to buy the box sets.  I was hoping for another West Wing but it didn't grab me in the same way.  Now we know the characters, though, it's easy enough to watch the odd episode.  Of course the Bruce connection makes it watchable.  Well we haven't watched it for weeks but the very episode we happen upon there's a bit of Bruce dialogue.  Copied from Entertainment Weekly:-


Early on in the episode, the script calls for Tony to make a Boss wisecrack. A Fed whose unit has been taping Tony's associates tells him, ''There's something we want you to hear.'' Tony shoots back: ''The Springsteen box set? I already got it.'' But that's just nervous bravado — by this time, he's been shaken by the ultimate betrayal: He's pretty sure that his mother (Nancy Marchand), and his uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) have ordered his death. Why? Because the anxiety-attacked Tony's been seeing a therapist (Lorraine Bracco's Dr. Melfi), and they're afraid he's blabbed too much family business to an outsider.


They play State Trooper over the end credits too. Might mean nothing to some folk but it's the sort of coincidence I like.

As far Soprano quotes go though this has to be the best:-

Anthony 'Tony' Soprano Sr.: Where the fuck have you been? You're late! 
Christopher: Sorry, the highway was jammed with broken heroes on a last-chance power drive. 


Another chance happening yesterday - getting back to the car and turning the radio on in the middle of  Danny and the Champions' version of Tougher Than The Rest. It's the first time I have heard it but can't find it anywhere on You Tube to share it with you.  Think it's only available on vinyl on the Record Store Day EP and I don't have a record player any more.  Anyway if you want to listen Dermot O'Leary played it yesterday on his Radio 2 show.

This weekend I've spent most of my time trying to finish the Bruce doll.  It's taken me longer than I thought. I was having to make it up as I went along so there were a few false starts. I really enjoyed making it though. I see rag dolls sell for anything from £16.00 to £69.00 on some online shopping sites. Can't see me ever making enough to earn my fortune though.

Anyway here he is - not quite finished.  He needs a guitar strap and some boots.

Not the best likeness. I hope my next one (if I make one) will be better.  I think it's one up from this though!  Scary!

My Bruce Journey - Part 44

'I'll take the fate the daylight brings'


As a young teenager my music taste was never what you would call cutting edge.  I didn’t follow any of the cool bands.  I loved David Cassidy and The Partridge Family and I have just spent a nostalgic half hour or so watching videos on YouTube.  Of course their claim to fame from our point of view is that Mike Appel co-wrote a couple of songs for them.  Here is one of them - not my favourite track but David still looks cute.   I just loved the hair.





Bruce has mentioned many times during the build up to The Promise how skinny they were back in the day.  David was skinny too as you can see.  I think it must have been fashionable for guys to look emaciated in those days. 

This Rolling Stone cover was very controversial at the time. David was supposed to be Keith Partridge - a wholesome 17 year old but he was 22 at the time and didn't like the image.  By the way he has been arrested for drink driving this week so... still in the news for the wrong reasons.

I had a bit of a thing for The Osmonds, especially Donny, for a while and later The Bay City Rollers.  If I was a teenager today I would definitely be glued to The X Factor and rooting for One Direction rather than Matt Cardle.

My only nod towards musical respectability was The Faces and Rod Stewart. Pre ‘Do You Think I’m Sexy’ Rod was loved by the music critics but after the release of this disco classic he was accused of selling out and has never really regained his good reputation.

I also tried David Bowie for a couple of albums and I bought ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ but, despite my best efforts, I couldn’t love either Bowie or Elton.

I loved Tamla and Soul and had a phase when I listened to a lot of Northern Soul much of which is early and obscure Motown.

As I mentioned way back in my first or second post my music taste changed when I met Mike.  He had no particular love of soul music his background was towards the rock genre.  Had we been around during the mid sixties he would have been a rocker and I would’ve been a mod.  Nowadays I aspire to being a rock chick - even at my age!

I popped into HMV the other day.  They don’t sell CDs any more.  Well I exaggerate - they do - but the proportion of the shop given over to music is slowly being squeezed out by DVDs.  The specialist sections, including country music, are now very limited which means I couldn’t find a copy of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s latest album.

‘Thunder Road’ was playing when I walked in so, although they didn’t have what I wanted, I hung around waiting for the track to finish - well I couldn’t walk out on Bruce could I?  ‘Badlands’ came next followed by ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’ - they were obviously playing Greatest Hits.  I couldn’t hang around all day - It was my lunch hour - so I left during ‘Hungry Heart’.

I must say I was surprised to hear Bruce.  I might not be very popular for saying this but here in the UK I'm not sure that Bruce is considered cool.  I don’t think it’s because of his age.  A large part of HMV now sells clothes.  They have T shirts featuring among other aging (and indeed dead) rockers The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Guns N Roses, The Beatles, Johnny Cash and Elvis.   

No Bruce although I have checked on line and they do have one design.

Mike’s boss lives with someone who works for HMV.  At his last seminar the goody bag he was given included a 'Born in the USA'  T shirt.  I assume they didn’t think they could sell these any more.

Mike now has the T shirt - presumably his boss’s partner couldn’t bring himself to wear it!

Incidentally HMV is overflowing with checked shirts - they are cool at the moment - and our man has favoured these for many years.


I pass a shop on my way to the bus stop - On the Wall - which as the name suggests sells stuff you put on the wall.  A quick look in the window the other night revealed The Rolling Stones, Elvis, The Beatles, The Who, The Ramones but no Bruce.

I thought he might become cool during Glastonbury.  Even then there was no influx of T shirts or posters on the Leeds’ streets.  I’m not sure why - even Rolf Harris was cool for heavens sake when he appeared!  I think in the UK people see Bruce as an all American guy who only sings about the USA - a sort of musical Rambo.  They dislike him for it - but then rather oddly complained because he didn’t sing 'Born in the USA' at Glastonbury.

So 35 or so years on I still don't follow a cool band but I have wondered whether the tide is turning this last week.  The UK premier of The Promise saw Bruce on TV and in the press almost constantly over last weekend.  The celebrity fans came out in support as well as the public although compared to Rome I think our Red Carpet Event was rather low key.

Perhaps all this publicity will make Bruce cool again.  Now he just need to get out on the road to keep the momentum going.

In the mean time check out Neil McCormick's article about NME's cool list.   If you are wondering about Neil's credentials as a music critic, he had this to say about Bruce in another article :-

I’m not sure Bruce Springsteen would have the same effect if you couldn’t understand the lyrics or the musical context. Tune into him as the leader of an afrobeat band on some third world radio station, you’d put him down as a gruff shouter, always in tune but missing a lot of notes in the scale. If he even tried a falsetto, all you would get is silence. Yet when I watched him play last weekend, I was amongst tens of thousands of people held spellbound by his performance. He sings with an emotional truth that resonates through his very being, and is squeezed out in the potent, careful lyrics of his songs, so that his melancholic, introspective version of Racing In The Street reduced a massive Hyde Park crowd to a state of hushed awe. Rock has a very different tradition to soul music, where the expression of inner truth is more important than the purity of the notes, and Springsteen, for all his vocal limitations, is one of the greatest rock singers of all time.


He's not right about the falsetto though