On opening cut The E Street Shuffle”, Springsteen recalls the jaunty and waggish scenes of his youth. He knows the fun cant last, and, more importantly, that unless he acts fast hell end up a shell working double shifts at the Shell off Route 72. Springsteen, though cherishing his last lazy days with these childhood chums, is confronted by sadness and bittersweet nostalgia. Theyre the colorful, carefree kids that Springsteen loves with all his heart, but ultimately sees as doomed by socioeconomic shackles and the fast approaching burdens of adulthood. The former comprises Bruces buddies and flames. Theres the passionate, hyperactive, low class delinquents living their Jersey Shore lives to the fullest and those seeking to avoid a claustrophobic hometown future through exodus and cunning. WIESS champions two distinct character types. Its this haphazard blend of Black and White freewheeling riffs and deft arrangements naïveté and weltschmerz that drives Springsteens poignant portrait of escapades beneath the Jersey boardwalk and escapes to parts unknown. WIESS, which turns 40 this week, is the E Street bands most visceral and eclectic offering, and its no coincidence that the LP coincides with the band’s high water marks of spontaneity and heterogeneity.
The impending departures of frenetic drummer Vini Mad Dog Lopez and piano man David Sancious rendered the ragamuffin sextet roughly two shades whiter, while the 14-month recording cycle of Born to Run traded youthful recklessness for seasoned precision. Not only does this snapshot capture the band at their most rowdy and jocular, its also their pinnacle of ethnic and racial diversity. Theres a pair of pasty caucasians, two beefy black guys, a lanky latino, and a scrawny, bronzed, struggling singer-songwriter that couldnt be called The Boss without a healthy dose of irony. Not a single E Street Band member is standing up straight, two sport provocatively unbuttoned blouses, and their footwear ranges from Cuban heeled boots to scruffy Hi Tops and dusty bare feet. The spine remains undamaged.The back cover of Bruce Springsteens The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle ( WIESS) reveals a motley crew. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Praise for Clinton Heylin: Arguably the world's greatest rock biographer. This is the essential book for any fan of the Boss. Heylin also has unparalleled access to the people around Springsteen: current and former members of the E Street Band CBS A&R personnel Springsteen's 'New Dylan' contemporaries, as well as fellow Asbury Park musicians and scenesters, and rock critics. As in Heylin's definitive Bob Dylan title Revolution in the Air, E Street Shuffle will focus on Bruce Springsteen and his work: the songs he's written, the way they were recorded, how they sounded live. Clinton Heylin has written the most factually accurate, informative book on Springsteen to date. Bruce Springsteen is one of the most important and controversial rock stars of our times: this is the story of the man - a complex, poetic loner whose albums went on to sell 18 million copies - and the band that gave his inner vision a punch and a swagger. "About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.īook Description Paperback. Rich in detail and generously referenced, this is vital stuff for pop-music or Springsteen-specific collections, and an entertaining read for all. So although this is a band bio, it’s mainly a bio of Springsteen and how the rest of them coalesced around him. Heylin goes into detail on this and other formative topics, quoting Springsteen at length. Not that it was all that easy: Springsteen had a classic bad dad-sullen, brooding, and given to drinking beer and smoking cigarettes all night in the dark-with whom he frequently clashed.
Arguably they were just a bunch of guys from Jersey out to conquer the rock ’n’ roll world and grooving on their oeuvre. And that’s what Heylin’s book does so well, recalling Bruce Springsteen’s “glory days” and, for that matter, his bandmates’ salad days.
In the present rock milieu of Dylan and Rod Stewart releasing albums of piano-bench songs (and scoring hits with same), it’s probably a good idea to revisit a time when one of today’s rock gods and his crew were hungry, energetic, and capable of singing and playing all night. *Starred Review* The cover illustration shows Springsteen and band in a group photo looking happy, feckless, and hip: black guys, white guys, scruffily hirsute, and engaging.
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