My Bruce Journey - Part 42

'The way you sooth me when I'm in pain.  The way you make the blood rush in my veins'


So all the time I have been writing this blog I have assumed it would come to an end.  I expected this to be when I got up-to-date but of course it isn’t really the end.  My Bruce Journey continues every day as I browse Greasy Lake or a song comes on the radio: as I listen to my iPod or buy the latest music magazine.

Hopefully there will be more tickets to buy, more trips to organise, more concerts to review.  In the mean time I will try to find photos, snippets of news and for what it’s worth, regale you with my opinions.  No - my Bruce Journey is definitely not over yet!!

It’s here that I should thank all my friends and family for your encouragement.  If it hadn’t been for your enthusiasm, your kind comments and sometimes your reminders when I was late posting I wouldn’t have kept it up.  So thank you everyone.  I hope you will continue the journey with me.

As a prelude to this week I have quickly checked over my previous posts.  Reading your own writing is, I imagine, a little like watching yourself on TV.  Not a pleasant experience.  I could possibly have shortened some posts but then Mike will tell you I procrastinate.  I mentioned some things a couple of times but only repeated myself almost word for word once.

In the future I may cover old subjects and I hope you will forgive me if I repeat myself again.  It happens when you get to my age!

We are all looking forward to The Promise.  Well I am looking forward to it but if you follow Greasy Lake or BTX you would wonder about some others out there.  Considering everyone has been clamouring for this for years all the negativity seems a bit strange.  Over the last few weeks we’ve had: - are the songs really Darkness outtakes?  Has Bruce meddled with them too much?  Are the vocals recent?  Should they have used a different live show?  Why does it cost so much?  Bla bla bla bla bla.

In the last couple of days, though, especially since this month’s music mags have been on the shelves featuring glowing reviews, excitement might just be taking over from the criticism.

We bought our first Uncut Magazine in April 2003.  Well actually we bought two. Mike and I were standing in the queue at W H Smiths when I spotted a magazine with Bruce on the cover.

Looking more closely I saw there were two magazines featuring a different photo and different CDs. 


We bought both and although we haven’t continued to buy the magazine every month we always have a look to see what’s in it.  Rather sneakily they sometimes write Springsteen on the cover - strange how we can all spot the name even if we only get a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of our eye - but you would be hard pressed to find anything but a couple of paragraphs inside.  They know the name sells copy.

Anyway I bought this month‘s mag because Springsteen was written on the cover - still can’t resist!  To be fair I knew they would be doing a review of 'The Promise' and I wasn’t disappointed.  I love the piece they have written.  They’ve given a bit of background and covered in more detail the outtakes that haven’t appeared (officially) previously.

Coincidently I have heard some of the outtakes this week.  They seem to have popped up on my iPod more than usual.  I toyed with the idea of skipping them because I had said I wouldn’t listen before the official release date.  In the end I played them anyway.  After all, as I have an illegal CD in ‘The Definitive Darkness Outtakes’ I have listened to 'The Promise' (in some fashion) before the release date.

Actually I only have four of the tracks on my play list - presumably the four I liked the best.  I have to say, they seem to be in a similar vein as ‘Save My Love’.  They don’t remind me of the other tracks on Darkness itself.  Uncut seem to agree as they say that although the outtakes were recorded at the same time as Darkness they are ‘the polar opposite’.  Presumably one of the reasons these tracks didn’t make the album at the time.

I bought Mojo today (it said Springsteen on the cover) to read their review and they say ‘Darkness an ascetic, dour, philosophical treatise (no I don’t know what that means either)…could have gone the other way.  Many of The Promise’s 21 tracks are R&B stompers and soul croons‘

And… for what it’s worth I don’t care if Bruce sang the vocal last year or thirty years ago.  I don’t mind where the live show was filmed and although it’s one of my favourite tracks I’m not bothered if ’The Way’ is featured or not.  I am just looking forward to a new Bruce release.
 A new release  folks - lighten up and just enjoy it for what it is.

In the mean time some lucky people will be in London tonight to see The Making of… documentary.  I didn't want to see the film in advance so I am cool about not being there.  Who am I trying to kid?  I am gutted just gutted.  For those of you who are going - enjoy!

 
PS - last information on Greasy Lake suggests The Way is included. 

Now ... will I ever get to hear this live?