So I am still listening to The Promise.
I copied the CDs from the box onto blanks so we didn’t have to keep taking the originals out. These have been on in the kitchen pretty much on a loop for two weeks - even the cat looks a bit fed up when I switch on now!
My resolve over the stand alone CDs crumbled when a friend of ours asked if we wanted to buy their spare copy. Only £5.99 - a bargain. It’s a great little package on it’s own. This is now the kitchen copy complete with lyric booklet - ahhh bliss - and the other copy is in the car. The Promise wherever we go.
I understand from Badlands that you can’t buy the box anywhere on the High Street in the UK. They don’t anticipate more stocks until February. Someone on GL said they thought it was a limited edition but I haven’t heard anything. Mike’s boss’s partner (who you might remember is a manager at HMV) said they didn’t get any promotional material which is a shame as I was hoping for a poster. Of course this time around Bruce did the promoting himself but I won’t mention The Promise Premier in London (sob!)
‘Aint Good Enough For You’ is the new single off the albums - if you still refer to them as singles these days. It’s straight onto Radio Two’s A play list which roughly translates to around three plays a day. Good old BBC - they seem to really love Bruce.
The first independent radio station in the UK didn’t go on air until 1973. Until then if you wanted to listen to the radio it had to be The BBC, unless you were prepared to go offshore to the likes of Radio Caroline or overseas to Radio Luxemburg. I listened to Radio North Sea International. particularly Tony Allen but the reception after 7.00pm for any station was really bad. I lived out in the wilds of rural Lincolnshire and I don’t think there was a radio mast nearby!
Anyway those of us who were around in the sixties were brought up on the easy listening of The Light Programme (later to become Radio 2) until The Beeb decided that us youngsters should have a station of our own. Radio 1 was born and I vowed never again to listen to Radio 2.
But there comes a time in everyone’s life when you have to give in and admit that a lot of the new music just doesn’t do it for you any more. As an experiment I am listening to Radio 1 now - Tinie Tempah/Kelly Rowland ‘Invincible’ has just been on - I know this only because my digital radio had this information scrolling across the display! Now it’s Coldplay ‘Christmas Lights’ which Radio 2 is also playing lately. Being a bit of a sucker for a Christmas song I like this.
At the moment as well as Bruce the A Play list consists of
Caro Emerald- Riviera Life
Cee-Lo Green- It’s OK
Ellie Goulding- Your Song
Katherine Jenkins- Tell Me I’m Not Dreaming
KT Tunstall- Fade Like A Shadow
Kylie- Better Than Today
Manic Street Preachers- Some Kind Of Nothingness
Michael Jackson- Hold My Hand (featuring Akon)
The Plain White T’s… Rhythm Of Love
Can’t say I recognise all of these but there seems to be quite a wide range of styles here. It might not be cutting edge but middle aged music lovers still have a big influence on the pop charts in the UK. We still buy music and, yes, we know how to download.
I talk about this because, recently, I have been surprised to find that Aled Jones - one of the Radio 2 DJs is a Bruce fan. Aled first came to our attention when he was a choirboy and is probably best known for ‘Walking in the Air‘ although he wasn't the choirboy who sang the on the original soundtrack..
He now presents Songs of Praise - a Sunday night TV programme featuring hymns and Good Morning Sunday a faith based radio show.
He played a few tracks from The Seeger Sessions on his radio show but, of course, these songs had religious overtones so no surprise there. I fell into the trap of thinking this chap sat at home listening to classical music, went to church on Sunday and frowned upon rock and roll but a few weeks ago he mentioned that he can‘t get enough of Bruce Springsteen. I gave myself a talking to for pigeon holing him and needless to say I give him a lot more credibility now.
Not so sure about Richard Allinson’s allegiance though. Whilst he has never said he doesn’t like Bruce he doesn’t rave about him either - unlike Chris Evans, Simon Mayo, Dermot O’Leary and to a lesser extent Stuart Maconie and Mark Radcliffe
Richard played ‘Aint Good Enough…’ the other morning and made a remark (which I think he intended as a slur) about it sounding like Gary US Bonds ‘This Little Girl’ I am assuming he didn’t realise that this song was also written by our man.
This week saw Bruce play a gig in front of an invited audience at The Carousel in Asbury Park.
Oh! - where was this building then? Having spent at least a couple of hours in AP we are, of course, experts on the place! A bit of research reveals this bulidnig is attached to the Casino. We scoured our photos and, yes, we have a picture depicting the top of the roof… and... yet another excuse to go again to get a photo of the full thing.
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| It's on the right! |
Anyway there's going to be a webcast. of this show. 'Blue Christmas' was on the set list. Possibly a Christmas present for us then?
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