My Bruce Journey - Part 46

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


So Plan B was put into operation because our Darkness box set didn’t arrive Saturday.

To say I was disappointed is understating the situation a tad.  I am, at heart, a planner and I’m not quick at adjusting when things don’t work out.  I was still fed up when we started watching the Take That documentary on Saturday night.  Now normally I would have quite enjoyed this.  I have nothing against the lads but a Take That documentary is still a very poor substitute for a Bruce Springsteen documentary.

By Monday I started to become quite irrational and began to think our box had got lost in the post.  What to do then?  I didn’t have a plan C!

You might be surprised to find that Mike and I do have a life which doesn’t involve Bruce.  We had things to do Monday but we couldn’t both be out of the house at the same time in case the package didn’t go through the letter box.  Mike went out first and did his stuff then I nipped to the shops.

We were both in when the letterbox rattled - no big thud meant no parcel - oh no!!  I’m beside myself practically shouting at Mike that I knew it was lost.  He is much calmer but looks disappointed.  Then I look through the window and the postman is hesitating - yes he’s stopped.  He’s turning round and in his hand is the best looking, most fabulous brown packet I have ever seen in my life.   I opened the door and snatched it out of his hands babbling incoherently.  He definitely thought I was mad - nuff said.



So we stuck to the original viewing plan and watched the documentary first.  Then we listened to the CDs. - well we put them on the stereo.  I’m not sure if I really listened but I’ve had them constantly on my iPod ever since and the more I hear them the more I love them.  I’m beginning to recognise the songs from the intros already - not sure if that’s a good sign.

Now I don’t have a musical ear so I can’t tell the new recording from the old and to be fair I don’t much care.  I either like something or not.

… So first impressions - there’s nothing I don’t like - nothing - and I can’t say that about any other Bruce album.

Love ‘Outside Looking In’ but then I’ve always been a Buddy Holly fan.  My brother played him a lot when I was a baby.  ’One Way Street’ is lovely - nice sax solo.  ‘The Brokenhearted’ and Candy’s Boy are fab.

I loved ‘Save My Love’ as soon as I heard it and ‘Spanish Eyes’ was already on my iPod from the boot.  Great version of ‘Fire’.  ’Talk To Me’ is already a Southside Johnny classic.  My favourite at this moment must be ’It’s a Shame’ I just love the intro - what does it remind me of? 



 Or is my favourite ’The Little Things My Baby Does’? 



We both know and love ‘The Promise’ from a cover version by Graziano Romani on an album we have - Light of Day - A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen. Great intro to ‘City of Night’ too - Taxi cab taxi cab…

And you all know how I feel about ‘The Way’.

Oh it’s just all so exciting and wouldn’t it make the basis of a great tour ? - I could sing along to all of these at the top of my voice.

So back to the rest of the box.  We watched the ’78 show from beginning to end in one sitting and Mike managed to stay awake.  He fell asleep during Hammersmith!  Actually he enjoyed it and he isn’t really a fan of early Bruce.  A bit controversial this but I don’t see that Bruce was so much better then than now.  He was into his forties by the time we first saw him so, that thrill of a live show, that recognition of what it was like to be there is only brought back to us in the later recordings like Live in NYC and Live in Barcelona.

Watching the early stuff is almost like watching someone else.  Don’t get me wrong It was amazing but the 2009 recording was our Bruce and I could relate to that better.  Here was the man that we go to see time and again.

For me the band sounded just as good now so despite all the discussions on Greasy Lake and BTX beforehand I don’t think the comparison was conclusive.

Well shorter post today as busy busy busy this weekend - non Bruce stuff - well Bruce related in a way I suppose. More of this next week.

The Outtakes

Some years ago, after much pulling out of hair and gnashing of teeth, we got our heads around downloading music and copying it to disc. We found the MP3 index on  BTX  and were so pleased with our new found skill that we downloaded hours and hours of stuff. 

I have to admit, I haven't listened to much of it, but I have dipped in to The Definitive Darkness Outtakes Collection.  I particularly like 'The Way' so immediately you will see that - for me - there is something missing from the following:-

The Promise Disc 1

Racing in the Street ('78 rock version): Gotta Get That Feeling: Outside Looking In: Someday (We'll Be Together): One Way Street: Because the Night (original studio recording): Wrong Side of the Street: The Brokenhearted: Rendezvous (original studio recording): Candy's Boy:

The Promise Disc 2

Save My Love: Ain't Good Enough For You: Fire (original studio recording): Spanish Eyes: It's a Shame Come On (Let's Go Tonight): Talk to Me (given to Southside Johnny): The Little Things (My Baby Does): Breakaway: The Promise City of Night:
 
There are tracks here that aren't on my disc, so I have to assume that my Definitive (dictionary definition:- settle finally, most reliable, complete, authoritative) Collection isn't definitive at all.
 
I considered tracking down the songs I am not familiar with on You Tube - I'm sure they are all there - but on balance I have decided not to.  I'm now looking forward to listening to the two CDs knowing that there will be, at least a few tracks, that I haven't heard before.

The Documentary

As my other blog has been deleted I am going over old ground a bit here but, for completeness, I need to start again at the beginning.


Since the 30th Anniversary edition of Born to Run was released, Springsteen fans around the globe have been speculating about the 30th Anniversary edition of Darkness on the Edge of Town.  Well 30 years since the original Darkness release came, and went, without the anniversary being marked in any way.


Speculation about whether or not it would ever happen was almost constant on the discussion forums and this all came to a climax on August 4th 2010 when Shore Fire Media and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) announced the showing of a documentary film - The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town.  

No word on a remastered CD or other goodies at the time but the consensus was that this would be announced shortly.  

I don't know if I was really excited about the film.  I didn't know when I would see it so there was no point in getting worked up if ,here in the UK, we wouldn't see the film until next year.