Bruce Springsteen And The E-Street Band And The Roots, "Because The Night"
Bruce Springsteen appeared on the Jimmy Fallon show last night, and played "Because the Night" with who-woulda-thunk-it backing from a supergroup combo of the E-Street Band the Roots. It was a little tepid in the beginning, but at the end, it got very rocking!
Meanwhile, Pitchfork's Mark Richardson makes a nice point in his review of the reissue of Bruce Springsteen's Darkness On the Edge of Town and the archival material released as The Promise.
"Still, there's something odd about these 'making of' documentaries about albums coming from the artist themselves. In part because they seem so intent on directing how the music is heard. Sets like this and Neil Young's Archives reflect a desire for artists to take control of their legacy and shape the narrative of their careers. It's easy to understand this impulse, and doubly so when you are talking about people as controlling as Springsteen or Neil Young. And yet it's also futile. As listeners, our stories are what will ultimately matter, and by having the music in our lives, we give it significance and form. Darkness is the kind of record you sink into, an album of power and dignity and loss and just a hint at the possibility of transcendence, which is something Springsteen's fans have known all along, even without hearing a single detail of how it is made."
Basically Richardson says, "You're not the boss of me, Boss!" A sentiment that I think Springsteen would probably himself approve.
UPDATE: Also on last night's show, Springsteen (in costume as younger, early-'70s Springsteen) joined Fallon (in costume as Neil Young) on a cover of Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair." Here is a clip of the surprisingly effective weirdness that ensued:
It took me forever to get used to Stevie Van Zandt being in the Sopranos and now I am never ever going to get used to him being in the E Street Band again.
Whatevs,I much prefer Girl Talk's Patti Smith/ Springsteen/ Roots mash-up song. Call me when these Dinosaurs can rearrange audio tracks on their MacBooks…..LIVE!!
"Because the Night" for guitars, drums, and Sousaphone.
Bruce is looking rather well-preserved these days. Yum.
Richardson's article is good but neglects one of the primary motives for pulling together such "a trove, a vast clearinghouse" of material. Since the internet has made all songs essentially free to anybody with the inclination to give or take them, record companies have been trying to find ways to add value in order to keep shifting those units. Hence the proliferation of the demos, outtakes, the-making-of and behind-the-scenes documentaries, etc. Really ramp up the graphic production, throw in hours and hours of extras and these little CD and paper products can still yield a very high profit margin, particularly with a blue-chip, international, intergenerational, stadium-filling artist like Springsteen. For record-buying audiences this excessive packaging is the new normal. But Richardson's observation that the original songs are in danger of being overshadowed is exactly right. If you produce more "something for everyone" there is less that is essential. But apparently Springsteen—a born competitor if ever there was one—feels he can't take that chance.
I enjoyed that way more than I should have. I don't even like Springsteen's music that much. There's just something about hearing a really tight live musical performance where everyone is having a good time playing, it gets me every time.
Sounds like you need to see Bruce and the ESB for a full show. It's really something else.
The Promise is the album that would have kept me interested in Bruce Springsteen post-Born To Run. And damn if The Roots aren't the best band on TV!