From the Turntable: Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band, Live 1975-1985, 1986

Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band, Live 1975-1985, 1986

Label: Columbia

Producers: Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau and Chuck Plotkin

Released at the peak of Bruce Springsteen’s massive superstardom in the wake of Born In the USA’s chart dominance, this generous box set collected performances from across the preceding decade and represented Springsteen’s long-awaited first live record, providing long-time cult followers what they’d been clamoring for, and showing newly discovered fans what they had been missing all along. It’s a bewildering and magical showcase of one of the most dynamic and electrifying performers along with one of the greatest supporting bands in music history, in all their glory at both the onset and peak of their arduous journey to the top of the rock and pop worlds. A sterling time capsule, though it’s one that is subtle in the expansive duration it captures, given the consistency in the passion and expert musicianship demonstrated throughout. Without question, this is one of the greatest live acts of all time delivering one of the greatest live collections ever captured on record.

This concert opus fittingly begins with “Thunder Road”, the opening cut from Springstreen’s 1975 critical breakthrough set, Born to Run. Gloriously mixing classical and folk elements, the crowd hangs on every raspy, tender line that the Boss delivers on a more subdued version of the anthem, beautifully exposing all the ragged hope and jaded glory of the song’s soul, and Springsteen’s as well. Roy Bittan’s piano work is masterful, and emblematic of the essential contributions that each of the E-Street’s musicians make here. That key ingredient is front and center throughout the entire experience of the record, from the brooding combination of Springsteen’s growl and Steve Van Zandt’s viscous guitar licks on “Adam Raised A Cain”, to the iconic brassy solos from Clarence Clemons on show-stopping climaxes like “Born to Run” and the superlative “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out”, to the rapturous all-band exhibition on the ten-minute rendition of cult-favorite, “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”. Their intense showmanship earns every ounce of the adulation they’re given by the crowd. The latter is an unadulterated jam session that would serve as the fitting go-home finale to any other concert or live album. Here, it’s just another entry at the end of the first disc.

One of the rewarding aspects of this album at the time of its release was that it unveiled to a wide, commercial audience the outstanding music that Springsteen had crafted on the six classic albums released before Born In the USA made him the most in-demand rock singer of his era. There’s no doubt that many of these selections prove to be among the ultimate highlights of this collection. Heretofore hidden classics like “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)”, “Candy’s Room”, “Racing In the Street”, “It’s Hard To Be A Saint in the City”, “Darkness on the Edge of Town”, “Independence Day”, and “The River” (in a prolific 11-minute take) acquire a new, palpable energy in this live setting, with all of their stirring drama and romantic storytelling receiving the ultimate pedestal they deserve. Some tracks, like the intensely crackling “Promised Land” for example, even receive their definitive versions on this project. Culled from his underrated 1973 debut, “Spirit In the Night” is another transformative moment, with Springsteen walking a fine line between a soulful whisper and an outright rock belt, while the E-Street boys unleash their impressively jazzy chops in a tour de force of musicianship. The sole disappointment to found in this section is merely what isn’t here. While it’s logistically understandable that not everything could be included, the lack of earlier cult classics like “Kitty’s Back”, “New York Serenade”, “Jungleland”, and “Incident on 57th Street” (though later released as a B-side)”, make glaring omissions for the fact that they’d likewise make tantalizing showpieces to behold here. 

Clearly, this album’s key intention is to recognize the fact that Bruce Springsteen is one of the greatest entertainers and bandleaders of his time. It’s refreshing then that the album also remembers to showcase that he’s also one of the great rock poets of his generation by shining light on his more stripped material, particularly entries from the Nebraska era. It should come as no surprise that the Boss holds his massive audiences just as captive with intimate moments like “Nebraska”, “Johnny 99”, and “Reason to Believe”, as he does any of the big band showstoppers. Additional stripped outings like recent hit “I’m On Fire”, a reverent Woody Guthrie tribute with “This Land Is Your Land”, and the political opining of his passionate reinvention of Edwin Starr’s “War” likewise further underscore his vibrant folk roots. 

At the end of the day however, it cannot be denied that the heartbeat of a live rock & roll record is the energetic hits and anthems that pack the venues. And Live 1975-1985 spills over with an extensive and exhilarating parade of signature Springsteen rave-ups and radio staples. “Hungry Heart”, “Cadillac Ranch”, “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch”), “Darlington County”, “Born In the USA”, “Born to Run”, “Working On the Highway”, “Cover Me”, “Bobby Jean”, “My Hometown”, “No Surrender”, and “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” iconically boast the magical combination of Springsteen’s performance, the band’s playing, and the audience responses all at their most joyous peak. They’re all timeless tunes to be sure, but it’s extraordinarily electrifying to hear them in these renditions, captured in the midst of their stronghold on the entire music world.

This record is an exhaustive and thoroughly entertaining listening experience. Nostalgic. Timeless. Emotionally enthralling. Pure, unadulterated rock and roll joy. In other words, it encapsulates all of the elements that have made Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band such a monumental force in popular music. It’s as profound a documentation to be found of the dizzying domination Springsteen had achieved, as well as the impact he indelibly etched in both 80s pop culture, and American music history as a whole. Live 1975-1985 is unequivocally one of the greatest triumphs in the annals of live recordings. 

Track Listing

Disc One 

1. “Thunder Road” (Bruce Springsteen)
2. “Adam Raised A Cain” (Springsteen)
3. Spirit in the Night” (Springsteen)
4. “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” (Springsteen)
5. “Paradise by the “C”” (Springsteen)
6. “Fire” (Springsteen)
7. “Growin’ Up” (Springsteen)
8. “It’s Hard To Be A Saint In the City” (Springsteen)

Disc Two 

1. “Backstreets” (Springsteen)
2. “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” (Springsteen)
3. “Raise Your Hand” (Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd, Alvertis Isbell)
4. “Hungry Heart” (Springsteen)
5. “Two Hearts” (Springsteen)
6. “Cadillac Ranch” (Springsteen)
7. “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)” (Springsteen)
8. “Independence Day” (Springsteen)

Disc Three

1. “Badlands” (Springsteen)
2. “Because the Night” (Springsteen, Patti Smith)
3. “Candy’s Room” (Springsteen)
4. “Darkness on the Edge of Town” (Springsteen)
5. “Racing In the Street” (Springsteen)
6. “This Land Is Your Land” (Woody Guthrie)
7. “Nebraska” (Springsteen)
8. “Johnny 99” (Springsteen)
9. “Reason to Believe” (Springsteen)

Disc Four

1. “Born In the USA” (Springsteen)
2. “Seeds” (Springsteen)
3. “The River” (Springsteen)
4. “War” (Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield)
5. “Darlington County” (Springsteen)
6. “Working on the Highway” (Springsteen)
7. “The Promised Land” (Springsteen)

Disc Five

1. “Cover Me” (Springsteen)
2. “I’m On Fire” (Springsteen)
3. “Bobby Jean” (Springsteen)
4. “My Hometown” (Springsteen)
5. “Born to Run” (Springsteen)
6. “No Surrender” (Springsteen)
7. “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” (Springsteen)
8. “Jersey Girl” (Tom Waits)