Bruce Springsteen new albúm !

[linda_lakeside]

Oh, goody! More Springsteen dilemma! haha...I never made it past Tom Joad - it's such a soup. "Slow down, Bruce! I haven't made up my mind..."

[Diane]

Linda, how nice to see you:-) Are you only passing through, or will you stay and have a drink? I'm just back from the supermarket with some coffee for Kush. Milk?

Revisiting the new album I stick to my initial observations about Springsteens new albums - he still writes good, sometimes even great lyrics and then sticks a tune that carries it through. Where is the sense of the musical adventure as in The Wild the Innocent....or Darkness at the Edge of Town. The unexpected shifts and changes as the music moves forward. I think he still does it in the live concerts but not in the studio recordings.

We spend a lot of time in these threads "forgiving" Springsteen (plus E Street) for not still writing and playing and singing with the same drama and intense imagery of the early albums. Not to say he doesn't still write good and sometimes brilliant stuff, but Bruce has been getting old (in rock n roll terms) for the last 25 years. But yeah he, and the band, definitely still do "it", live.

Patti's Rumble Doll is really quite good. It's got a nice easy rockin feel, a bit reminiscent of Tom Petty. She does have a distinctive voice and a lot of her songs seem to be about Bruce, which is interesting in itself, to me anyhow. As I am a rain-obsessed person, Talk To Me Like The Rain is another fave, along with Spanish Dancer.

I didn't realise Soozie Tyrell didn't "belong" to the E St Band as she has been around for years. I notice that Jason Federici - Danny's son - is credited with playing the accordion in The Last Carnival. That's another nice touch with that song. The thing in you that made me ache has gone to stay. I am away with that line. Must get back to What Love Can Do and Outlaw Pete some time.

Not the clearest of vids, but here's a nice clip of Bruce and Soozie dueting on Magic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STmPY0Xz9ps

Will get back to your other thread later, Kush. It's spell-binding, what I've heard so far.

[Kush]

The song on that 2 CD set that is most adventurous, i.m.o.,
is "Can't Escape From You." For bluesy songs, he has some good ones on the CDs.
You are correct; I don't have the Hammersmith Odeon album. If it's the
audio to the DVD of the concert he did many years ago (where he wore a
reggae style cap, I've seen it about three times on PBS. While the music there is
spectacular, the filming wasn't quality and the stage wasn't adequately
lighted. But, if this is the same concert, your comments about the trapeze
and the ride and the mortal risk are spot on. )

Hi Steven,

Well thanks for turning me onto Tell Tale Signs - like I said I have had it for a while and I'd heard it once and put it back on the shelf for future reference. I did hear it again - and again and a couple of times more now. Both CDs. Terrific ! He sounds really rejuvenated here. I think production has a lot to do with it. The sparse instrumentation with heavy percussion emphasis sounds very contemporary and even his voice sounds gloriously ragged. A cross between Moses and an ancient bluesman. I think it is not just Can't Escape from You but the entire album that is adventurous - way out there and very contemporary. And I was really pleased to see some new scattered verses to 'Dignity' which would be among my top 3 Dylan songs. Almost all the songs I have either not heard before or they are dramatically reworked so they sound new anyway. I think my favorite new song is Marchin' to the City so far. Way to go! A tip to Bruce - ditch Brendan O' B. and get Bob's producer.
BTW I also downloaded LC's Beacon Theater concert from npr and it is awesome. His sense of musicianship in his vocals and his awareness of the band's music swirling around him is getting even better with age. He navigates rugged emotional terrain with the sure-footedness of a Himalayan mountain goat navigating the local terrain at high altitude. Look forward to the Live in London CD.

Lady of the Lake - nice to see you. I trust the Emperor on the Shelf is collecting dust and staying out of trouble. These medieval Emperors can be a temperamental lot sometimes.

I didn't realise Soozie Tyrell didn't "belong" to the E St Band as she has been around for years. I notice that Jason Federici - Danny's son - is credited with playing the accordion in The Last Carnival. That's another nice touch with that song. The thing in you that made me ache has gone to stay. I am away with that line. Must get back to What Love Can Do and Outlaw Pete some time.

Diane...I dont know what it takes to "belong" to the ESB. You probably have to kill someone in New Jersey. I have a soft spot for Soozie and her violin. I can certainly see the cold-faced Patti sticking a knife into somebody without a second thought or glance but Soozie probably balked when asked to do the same by the Boss man. Will get back to the Nusrat thread later this week...

p.s. Steven while technically not a new studio album, I think Tell Tale Signs is his best album since Oh Mercy and the best of the Bootleg Series (although admittedly I havent heard all of them)

[linda_lakeside]

Hello Kush!

Long time no see. "Lady of the Lake - nice to see you. I trust the Emperor on the Shelf is collecting dust and staying out of trouble. These medieval Emperors can be a temperamental lot sometimes."

Ah, yes, the Emperor is often dusted, the book moved about, and I sometimes check to see if the pages are in order.
It's alright if the temperament might ring forth, now and again, it's human, and keeps us all alive and wondering. It's nice, actually, to have a diverse collection of art, books, music and friends. This is what makes the world go 'round. Temperament, just raises the temperature a bit.

Hi Steven!

Diane, you are a Lady and an Empress, if I may say so. Recent communications with another Lady, have shown you to be a most divine companion while on the Leonard front. (b*tch!!!) (oops....that just slipped out.... ) Bruce would or should be proud to have you on his team.

Sorry guys, I've forgotten how to use the 'quote' feature, and I'm off to the races now. Nice to see you all. I shall take Bruce under advisement.

Linda.

[linda_lakeside]

I just looked at my post. OMG! It looks like everyone is having sunny-side up for breakfast.

[Steven]

Hi Kush,

Glad you like Dylan's "Tell Tale Signs." There is something refreshing about
the two CDs and, yes, he does "sound really rejuvenated." Can't say I disagree
with most of your comments on "Tell Tale Signs." Tonight I heard about
45 or 50 minutes of the L.C. Beacon Theatre concert from NPR; you said it,
it is "awesome." A friend of mine was told that I'll be attending an upcoming
L.C. concert. He asked, "Isn't he ancient?" With the sound of the Beacon concert
now in my mind, I can honestly say that so far he's timeless (or still improving).

[Steven]

I just looked at my post. OMG! It looks like everyone is having sunny-side up for breakfast.

Hi Linda Lakeside,

Nice to see you here. "Sunny side up" sounds pretty good, but I've taken to "over
medium," which at diners/truckstops usually come out "over easy." But, they
usually get the whole wheat toast okay.

[Kush]

Ah yes sunny side up is usually my thing ....with sourdough toast please.

Well I keep the Emperor very visibly displayed in my office so that if someone asks I can tell them even if I never read it I like to have the memoirs of a 15th century Emperor on my shelf.
Actually occasionally I will take it out, open a page at random and read a few lines to myself - like so ..Pg 165 3rd paragraph

...Another is the district of Barmal, a wretched place though its apples are not bad....

and from the following paragraph

Another is the district of Bangash. Since it is completely surrounded by Afghan highway robbers [Taliban?*], like the Khugiani, Khirilji, Turi and Landar, they do not pay the desired amount of tribute.....

hmm...nothing changes it seems....

* my addition

A friend of mine was told that I'll be attending an upcoming
L.C. concert. He asked, "Isn't he ancient?"

Steven its interesting - one of my close friends from college who is kinda sorta Leonard Cohen fan (atleast LC's recent stuff) give off a similar reaction if I mention Bruce Springsteen. One time when I accused him of "borrowing" a Springsteen album he was offended that of all my CDs I'd accused him of stealing Springsteen. He is a reggae aficianado.

[Diane]

I have met many a fine lady on my LC travels, dear Lady of the Lake, but only Lady Linda calls me a bitch, on account of the fact that I changed my name to Wendy a few years ago. But things are much worse than I'd thought. Check this out, Linda Let me be (pah!) the One:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC8EWoY3xh4

Did you tell him "no", or what??

As you're doing breakfast, can I have some mushrooms and tomatoes too please? I have happy memories of the last time we had breakfast together - when we awoke on a beach to the sound of Van Morrison and whiskey.

I don't mean the sound of whiskey. I mean the sound of Van Morrison - comma - and whiskey.

Kush, I have sometimes wondered why Patti often looks a little uninspired. I mean this is the woman who climbs into bed with Bruce Springsteen every night. Perhaps she's exhausted:-) I like Soozie's violin, too. There is something about the sound of a violin.

What does everyone think of Outlaw Pete? I like the story in the lyrics very much, but somehow the music doesn't quite fit the words even though I can't explain what I mean by that. And then I read a complaint that it sounds just like I Was Made for Lovin You, by Kiss.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM30iNH8TqA

Oh dear:-) Oh dear. That doesn't help. Bruce, please can you re-do Outlaw Pete some time. No rush, as I'm away on a Led Zep trip for the time being. i think it was all that blues talk.

[margaret]

Kush and Linda,

Sorry to butt in here, but I noticed the Emperor mentioned, that some of us discussed many moons ago, in another Forum far, far away Has anyone managed to read it properly yet? I gave up after about page 65 It is still on my bookshelf to try again one day.
However I did recently enjoy reading another book connected to Emperor Babur. "The places in between"
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Places-Between- ... 155&sr=1-1

The writer followed Babur's route on foot travelling alone across Afghanistan in the winter of 2002, relying on very basic shelter and food from local people along the way. A well written and gripping tale, much easier to read than The Emperor's account!

OK, I'll leave you to carry on with your music discussion now,

Margaret

[Diane]

Hi Margaret:-) Please do butt in and talk about these books. I enjoy that kind of travel-writing, too; off the beaten track stuff. You might enjoy Bettina Selby, who began travelling on her bike, in middle age, to some fascinating places. Eastern Turkey, for example:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyond-Ararat-J ... 007&sr=1-3

[margaret]

Diane ,
thanks for that recommendation. I have bookmarked it and will try the library first, (when I finish reading "A thousand splendid suns" )
She sounds very like Dervla Murphy, an elderly Irish lady who travels alone in out of the way places on foot or with a bike. I love her books!

[Judy]

Dervla Murphy ... she wrote "Where the Indus is young" ... an amazing account of how she and her very young daughter travelled on foot along the Indus river, in winter. Amazing !!!

[Diane]

Thank you, Margaret and Judy! I had never heard of Dervla Murphy (well I think I just heard the name - it rings some sort of bell). She will likely go in my next Amazon order. I read very few novels, but I do enjoy a good popular science or travel book.

Good night all.

[Steven]

Hi Diane,

I like "Outlaw Pete." We both like the story. I think I may know what you mean,
though, by saying the music "doesn't quite fit the words." The song plays somewhat
like a theme song from a Western (cowboy shoot-em-up) movie or TV
show, the kind that was very popular when Springsteen was growing up
(in movies and on American TV). With that context in mind, it's easier to
play the story out visually, as thumbnail sketches of what that story
could, in greater development, have looked like on the screen or TV.
I don't know if you saw many of those kinds of Westerns or if they
were largely shown outside of the U.S., and if you didn't, the music
would be more insufficient, likely, in conveying the story. Just a
possible theory, which would completely fall apart if you saw lots of
Westerns.

The "Kiss" song you linked to has some very similar sound to "Outlaw Pete," at
times. Good musical memory/ear Diane.