Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lean, Young, Hungry and Untouchable, March 19, 2006
In 1975, the weight of the world was on young Bruce Springsteen's shoulders when he and the E Street Band headed for London for the very first time. Constant touring and rave reviews hadn't translated into record sales and his label, which had taken a gamble on him when they signed him in the first place, was about to dump him. Worse, every night he had to face skeptical crowds who wanted to see why critics kept calling this young ruffian from New Jersey "the future of rock and roll." Such was the case in 1975 when they walked out on the stage at the Hammersmith Odeon.
With everything on the line, Bruce and the boys played like they had nothing to lose. They were lean, young, and hungry. They played with heart. They played with passion. They played with urgency. And, on this night, they were untouchable. This CD captures that show in its entirety (a DVD of the show is included in the 30th Anniversary box set of Born To Run).
Few bands can match the versatility that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band display here. Witness the opening tender, wide-eyed rendition of "Thunder Road" followed by a feisty, swaggering version of "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out." Or "She's The One" which goes from a slow simmer to a full boil in a mere five minutes. Or "Born To Run," which Bruce plays with all of the blue-collar grit and youthful defiance that would later make the song a classic. Or how 'bout the "Detroit Medley," in which the band absolutely ROARS through Mitch Ryder's "Devil With A Blue Dress On," "Good Golly Miss Molly," and "Jenny Take a Ride"? He follows THAT with a heartbreaking reading of "For You" before revving things up again, ramrodding through a rollicking version of Gary U.S. Bonds' "Quarter To Three." Are you KIDDING me?
I didn't even mention the absolute insanity of the 17+ minute version of "Kitty's Back," in which Bruce and the guys go out of their freaking minds, did I? Heck, I didn't even mention "Jungleland," my favorite song in the entire Springsteen catalog. No, I didn't mention most of the songs here, because I want you to experience this show for yourself. PLEASE -- do yourself a favor and BUY THIS CD NOW! You won't regret it, I promise.
(By the way, some other reviewers were wondering about the absence of "Pretty Flamingo" from this CD. This show is from November 18, 1975 -- their first show in London. They played a second show at Hammersmith Odeon on November 24, 1975 and THAT was the show that contained "Pretty Flamingo." By most accounts, the second show was even better than the first, if you can imagine that, as Bruce performed 22 songs in nearly three hours.)
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57 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
On The Brink Of Fame, February 28, 2006
When Bruce Springsteen performed this concert in 1975, he wasn't a rock superstar, but he was on the cusp of becoming one. Long renowned as a live act and a critic's fave, he had yet to match that prowess on the charts and was in danger of being dropped by Columbia. Born To Run changed that and he became a phenomenon landing on the covers of Time & Newsweek simultaneously. This show at the Hammersmith Odeon has long been a favorite of bootleggers and this version superbly remastered for a fantastic sound. Unlike many live albums, this is not a compilation of performances from various shows, but a complete show as it was originally performed. The performance captures what it must have been like to see the E Street Band in its glory days. From the opening with a subtle "Thunder Road" that spills into a fiery "Tenth Avenue Freezeout" and continues into a free form jazzy "Spirit In The Night" you see three unique and distinct aspect of this versatile band. Lost In The Flood" has a burning intensity while "She's The One" has a slow build into a rollicking, rootsy rocker. "Born To Run" was not yet the anthem it was to become thus it was played early on in the set. "The E Street Shuffle" is virtually unrecognizable from the album version. It is slowed down to shuffling Jersey soul beat and throws in verses from Sam Cooke's "Havin' A Party". It is a great example of how Mr. Springsteen reinvents many of his songs for his concerts thus not just recreating album versions on stage. "It's So Hard To Be A Saint In The City" has a gritty, street-smart vibe and "Backstreets" has a mournful tone. "Kitty's Back" also has a jazzy feel and in this version the band pays homage to an influence of theirs, Van Morrison by including snippets of his "Moondance". "Jungleland" is played with laser sharp focus and practically burns up the disk while "Rosalita" balances off the intensity with a light-hearted, feel good mood. "4th Of July, Asbury Park" is played with a rustic charm that transports one to boardwalk on a summer night and the infamous "Detroit Medley" is a soul rave-up that the band gives a real workout on. They charge straight into a killer version "For You" before ending the show with a faithful take on "Quarter To Three". Hopefully this album will spur Mr. Springsteen to start releasing other concerts much like the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers. All Springsteen fans would rejoice.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
We Need More Releases Like This, Bruce, April 26, 2006
My first serious exposure to Bruce Springsteen was with Live 1975-85. While that set still remains my favorite Springsteen album (and favorite album of all time), I now understand the frustrations among longtime fans about its limitations and flaws. While many of the indivdiual tracks might be definitive versions of that particular song, it doesn't really succeed in capturing one of Bruce's shows, and there's precious little material from the 1975 that appears in the title. It seems like a huge waste that it took nearly 30 years into his career for Springsteen to release a full, unedited concert on CD (there's the fine Barcelona DVD, but the audio for that has never been released as of this writing). And so the inclusion of the video of this concert on the remastered Born to Run set was huge news for Springsteen fans, most of whom will take live material in any form we can get. And now we have it on CD in pristine sound. I know a lot of people see this release as unnecessary, but I am glad to have it in this format since I don't have the knowledge or the desire to rip the audio from the DVD.
As I said, I started listening to Springsteen immediately after the height of the Born in the USA days. I hadn't heard many live recordings from before the Darkness tour, so I wasn't really familiar with Bruce's sound prior to 1978. And honestly, I didn't really care for his vocals from anything recorded- live or stuido- in the 1970s. Too much Jersey street punk schtick, and it sounded like he was trying to deepen his voice by singing from the back of his throat. I generally considered Bruce to be at his vocal peak during the 80s, between "The River" and "Tunnel of Love". However, this concert overcomes any vocal limitations that Bruce may have had back then. This is Bruce and the E Street Band at their absolute finest. It's certainly different than the polished stadium rock sound or the twangy acoustic tone that he's taken on in the past twenty years. The band is leaner- no "wall of sound" from the past two E St Band tours where you have to wonder if a little fat could be trimmed- and the tempos are much faster. This is almost garage rock, with an emphasis on guitar and piano. Bruce also has a jazzier, bluesier sound, such as the harmonica opening for "She's the One", the Van Morrisonish "E Street Shuffle" and the extended jam of "Kitty's Back". Some songs like "Backstreets" and "Jungleland" haven't changed much over the years, but others like "Tenth Ave. Freezeout" and "Born to Run" sound considerably different. You get to hear these classics when they sounded fresh and before they had become the cherished but sometimes bloated anthems that we're used to. And we finally get to hear classic covers like the Detroit Medley (also available on the "No Nukes" soundtrack) and on "Quarter to Three").
So while I still prefer the era of Springsteen from the 80s on, this is an essential addition to his catalog. The only problem is that it adds to your frustration that there aren't more releases like it. We need similar sets for every tour he's ever done. Live 75-85 is still a classic, but it can't substitute for complete, unedited versions of his concerts. And given Bruce's frustrating tendency to focus his recent tours mostly in the Northeast part of the US, live releases like this are a nice concession for those of us who don't have access to 50 shows within a hundred miles of one another.
And regarding criticisms that this is an unnecessary release- I can't argue with that, but the easy answer is to just not buy it if you don't feel you need the audio from a DVD that you already own. There's nothing on here that isn't on the DVD- it's not like 18 Tracks where Bruce tacked on some extra songs to entice those of us who had already bought the full boxset. I'm glad that Bruce is finally loosening up and releasing a good combination of vault and new material- between April of 2005 with the release of Devils and Dust, and April 2006 with the Seeger Sessions, we will have had 5 releases from Springsteen in one year. We're all (hopefully) capable adults who can pick and choose what we want to buy and what we can skip. But if you're a Springsteen fan or someone who appreciates great music in general, DO NOT skip this concert in at least one of its forms.
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~ Bruce Springsteen
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~ Bruce Springsteen
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~ Bruce Springsteen
by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band 
