Bruuuce again....
Tomorrow is the release date of "The Promise," a collection of unreleased songs Bruce Springsteen wrote around the same time as the "Darkness on the Edge of Town" album. It comes in two flavors. In addition to the 2 CD version, there is a box set called "The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story," consisting of 3 CDs and 3 DVDs. To me the highlight is DVD recordings of 38 songs from concerts between 1976 and 1978. I saw him several times on the '78 tour and consider it to be his live peak. I know Bruce is not everyone's cup of tea, especially now that he is getting older, but it's hard for me to imagine anyone who likes rock and roll watching one of those shows and not becoming a fan. It's not just the music, it's the power of the bond between musician and fans. He and the E Street Band gave them four hours of passion every night and they gave it right back.
One of my favorite Bruce quotes was from an interview years ago when he was asked if he put a little extra into "big" concerts in places like New York and L.A. "No," he said, seemingly horrified by the question. "The fans in every place we go worked just as hard for their money and we owe them just as good a show."
Blurbs from Amazon about the two new releases --
http://www.amazon.com/Promise-Darkness-Edge-Town-Story/dp/B0040JHXTI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289852781&sr=8-1http://www.amazon.com/Promise-Bruce-Springsteen/dp/B0040JHWKS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1289852781&sr=8-3And a nice piece from NPR setting the backdrop --
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130858856Last, one from the '78 tour to whet your appetite. (Fans of "The Sopranos" may recognize Silvio in the band -- when he still had hair!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5wUCjQJOBQ
