The Bruce Springsteen Retrospective, Part II: The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle (1973)

"We're gonna play some pool, skip some school, act real cool
Stay out all night, it's gonna feel alright
So Rosie come out tonight
Baby come out tonight
Windows are for cheaters, chimneys for the poor
Closets are for hangers, winners use the door
So use it Rosie, that's what it's there for!"

Someone once told me that The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle is pretty much the perfect inaugaral summer record. We all know the type: the album you blast in your car on the first gorgeous spring day to herald the arrival of Earth's most glorious season. This year, after I finally escaped from my RA job and from my sophomore year of college, I played The Wild, The Innocent on the drive home, and despite the fact that the weather pretty much sucked and that it didn't really look a bit like summer, this record made me feel like it was. It's a record about escape, about freedom and liberation, and it stands as one of Springsteen's very best: a classic album full of massive, cinematic suite-like songs, a writing style he'd master here (and to a certain extent on Born to Run) and never revisit in his career after that, shifting towards more mainstream rock and pop music. The result is that The Wild, The Innocent is probably the most singularly unique album in Springsteen's entire catalog.


It's amazing how different this album is from Greetings, as it dropped just over 8 months after that album did. It's clear from the first jazzy notes of "The E-Street Shuffle" that this is going to be one hell of a summer party record. The E-Street band is nearly at full force here: they've officially taken the name, and use it in the opening track to create a theme song for themselves, a mission statement of sorts. The brassy opening gives way to a jangly guitar riff and what sounds like a synthesizer, before finally exploding into one of the most spontaneous songs Springsteen has ever written. The lines flow one after the other, introducing us to the kind of characters who will occupy the songs that follow, until finally, the song dissolves into one big jam session, a showcase for the myriad of talented musicians at work here. This song is the album's shortest, clocking in at just over four-and-a-half minutes. That the shortest track here would sit among the longer songs on Greetings or Born to Run is indicative of what kind of a record this will be: this isn't Springsteen writing typical pop or rock and roll songs. This is the Boss writing huge, overblown and cinematic songs, often operatic in scope; this is the Boss writing like he'd never write again.

"The E-Street Shuffle" flows perfectly into the atmospheric "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)", which still stands as one of the most gorgeous love songs Springsteen has ever written, and one of my favorites on the record. It sounds like a perfect summer night, spinning a tale of falling in love underneath the fireworks on the boardwalks of New Jersey. Organ and accordion player Danny Federici, a longtime E-Street band member who passed away in April of 2008, gives what is probably his signature performance on the song, adding greatly to it's nighttime atmosphere. The jazzy "Kitty's Back" is as close as Bruce and co. get to sounding like Greetings. It's a towering track that acts almost like this record's "Spirit in the Night". The song thrives on record, but this version still pales in comparison to the one from the famous Hammersmith Odeon London show from 1975 (which was released as a live album and DVD for the 30th anniversary of Born to Run), where the song runs for 17 minutes and gives each band member an extensive feature.


"Wild Billy's Circus Story" is probably the album's most forgotten cut, underrated simply by it's lack of importance in Springsteen's catalog and it's absence in most live sets. Springsteen's lyrics, about the magnificent but strange people you might find at a circus, float over a gorgeous acoustic guitar accompaniment, occasionally augmented by flourishes from Federici's accordion, Springsteen's own harmonica, or by bassist Garry Tallent with a marching tuba line. The song, along with "Sandy" is a welcome subdued moment amongst a record of big rockers and bombastic arrangements, and functions strikingly well as the side one closer. And although it's a song I almost never think of apart from this record, it's probably one of my favorite moments here.

Side one is nothing in comparison to side two however, which might be the most perfect side of any Springsteen record (though both sides of Born to Run could make a compelling case). Side two is comprised of three songs that amount to 25 minutes of music. All three are among Springsteen's longest, but also among his best. "Incident on 57th Street", particularly, is notable among Springsteen's discography. I've heard from several people who've said it sits among their favorite Springsteen songs: one blogger, who ranked every single Springsteen song in his own personal order a few years back, went as far as to place "Incident" at number three, trailing behind only a pair of legendary Born to Run cuts: the title track and "Jungleland." It's also a song many die hard fans would include in their ultimate set lists, and yet the song very rarely makes an appearance on Springsteen tours, even with his habit of constantly rotating his setlist selections. In my opinion, the song is terrific, but probably my least favorite of the side two masterworks. It's a true epic: a West Side Story-esque storytelling piece that hints at the perfection Springsteen would reach on his next record with "Jungleland." It's marked by swirling piano lines, a stellar bass solo by Tallent and another of Federici's most notable appearances in the Springsteen oeuvre.

"Incident" flows right into the massive, anthemic rock song that is "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)," a song about forbidden love that stands as one of the most furiously energetic and uninhibited I've ever heard: it's loud, it's bold, and it's endearingly powerful. It's no wonder that "Rosalita" was, for a long time, the go-to Springsteen set closer: there aren't many songs that could close a show out better than this one. Springsteen spits off classic lyric after classic lyric, sounding more like a rockstar than he ever had before, and perhaps more that he has since. And the band never misses a beat, building a wall of sound behind him that stands up next to their best performances on record. "I'm coming to liberate you, to confiscate you, I want to be your man!" Springsteen sings to the title character, telling her to forget about her disapproving parents and just escape with him, for the night, maybe even forever. And the thing is, it's impossible to imagine her saying no. "New York City Serenade" feels almost like an encore following that scorching rocker, but it's certainly not an afterthought. The song stretches on for just shy of ten minutes, and not a second of that is wasted. It begins with pianist David Sancious strumming the insides of his instrument before launching into a piano intro that begins as baroque and fades into jazz. He's joined by an evocative acoustic guitar line and then, at last, nearly two and a half minutes in, Bruce's voice. Despite the fact that Bruce's lyrics don't make a lick of sense as a linear story (the song was composed from different pieces of earlier songs ), "New York City Serenade" is a masterpiece: equal parts "Jungleland" and "Rhapsody in Blue." Springsteen paints broad portraits of New York City and of several different characters, using such stunning lyrical imagery that it doesn't matter that a story never emerges. The song is constantly shifting, joined at points by yearning strings and the Big Man's sax, only to replaced moments later by handclaps. The acoustic guitar and the gorgeous piano remain constant throughout, and David Sancious is definitely the MVP here, which is rather appropriate, since he'd leave the band after this record (he'd soon be replaced by longtime member, Roy "the Professor" Bittan). When "New York City Serenade" finally fades away, I often have no greater desire than to just hit repeat.

The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle is Springsteen's most unique record. It's incredibly unpolished and spontaneous sounding, full the kind of songs that nobody, let alone Springsteen, are still writing nowadays. Today, it stands as one of my favorites in the Springsteen discography, but back when I was first getting into his stuff, The Wild, The Innocent... took the better part of a year to truly sink in. And yet, despite it's lack of immediate accessibility (or perhaps because of it), many Springsteen die-hards would call it their favorite record of his without a moment's hesitation. Indeed, fans grapple for these songs in concert like almost nothing else he's ever written, and despite the fact that only "Rosalita" has been a common live staple in recent years, an appearance of "Incident" or of "New York City Serenade" almost immediately grants a show legendary status, sending fans all over the world to the Springsteen bootleg exchange to get their hands on a copy of it. In that way, I'd imagine the Madison Square Garden show from 2009, where he played the entire record in full, was quite the event: not only did they get both "Incident" and "Serenade" in the same concert, they got the whole record, and they heard those songs in the context they were meant to be heard. I would have done quite a lot to be at that show.


This record comes strikingly close to perfection, and yet, despite the great songs and all the terrific talent on display, the record, like Greetings, didn't do very well. These two records are often lumped together in the eyes of lesser Springsteen fans: they were released less than a year apart and made with pretty much the same set of musicians, with the same producers behind the boards. And yet, I've never thought that The Wild, The Innocent... suffered the same pitfalls of it's predecessor: there are no songs that don't belong here, the flow is perfect, and the production, which so hampered many of the songs on Greetings, just seems to suit the songs here. And all of that ignored, the band had already gone through a massive evolution of sound in the 8 months between the two records. Gone is the Dylan-worship that covered many songs on Greetings, gone is any sign of hesitation: Springsteen and company sound completely confident here, like they're making the music they want to make and like they're doing it better than anyone else ever could. And I'm pretty sure they were right, even if the general public wouldn't realize it for a couple more years.

The Bruce Springsteen Retrospective, Part I: Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)

"I stood stone-like at midnight
Suspended in my masquerade
I combed my hair till it was just right
And commanded the night brigade
I was open to pain and crossed by the rain
And I walked on a crooked crutch
I strolled all alone through the fall out zone
And came out with my soul untouched..."

I said we'd get to Bruce eventually, and here we are. Next to Butch Walker, there's been no figure more important to my musical evolution or obsession than Bruce. It took me a lot longer for his music to click, but when it finally did, in late 2008, there was no going back. Over the past two and a half years, his music has defined experiences and times of my life like few other artists ever have. My story starts with Born to Run, his third LP, and, in my opinion, the greatest album in the history of rock and roll. I considered trying to write one all inclusive piece about Bruce and his music, like I did with Butch, but I concluded that he just has too many albums, too many eras, and FAR too many songs to cover in a single blog post. And while starting with Born to Run would have worked well into my own story, I figured it would only be fair to the legacy of Bruce if I started from the beginning, and that beginning is Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.

Greetings is my step dad's favorite Bruce album, so even though Born to Run was the first album of his to click with me, Greetings might be the one I remember hearing first. Like I said in my Butch Walker tribute, I have very vivid memories of my step dad listening to this album on Saturday evenings while he got ready to go on dates with my mom: I most specifically remember the jazzy rush of the penultimate track, "Spirit in the Night", a Van Morrison-esque rocker that just tears the house down, and when I hear it, it still transports me back to when I was just a kid. Even though I don't share my step dad's opinion that this was Bruce's finest record, there's still a lot to love here.

Greetings generally steers closer to folk than to the nearly symphonic rock and roll that Springsteen would create on his next two albums, and that's immediately clear from the first cut, the rapid fire lyrical flurry that is "Blinded By the Light". Bob Dylan's influence is clearly on display as Springsteen tries to get out as many lines as he can, building to a killer chorus that makes quite the statement for a new artist. The song, made more famous via a lyric-botching cover version by the band Manfred Mann, is far better in it's original form, a rough hewn piece of folk-rock that opens the album with an atomic force. "Growing Up", with it's gorgeous piano intro and memorable lyrics, is even better, and remains a fan favorite even after all these years. Personally, it's probably my favorite song on Greetings. Another fan favorite is the scorching album centerpiece, "Lost in the Flood", a storytelling song with the kind of characters that Springsteen would be writing about in even greater depth on The Wild, The Innocent... and Born to Run. "For You" is almost equally terrific, another fan favorite that would remain a live staple for years. Springsteen gives one of the album's best vocal performances on that track, full of emotion and conviction that takes the songwriting to another level.


The criticism most often levied against this album is that it doesn't quite know what it wants to be: Springsteen wanted to make a full band record, whereas the label wanted to play up his Dylan influence with more solo/acoustic type songs. The result is that the record is pretty much a amalgamation of the two extremes. The strongest stuff, naturally, is the full band material, where the E-Street band (an early form, at least) make their first appearances. Most impressive among these is, of course, the side 2 cut, "Spirit in the Night", which features Clarence "Big Man" Clemons in a big way for the first time (he appears on "Blinded By the Light" as well, but here he's much higher in the mix), only hinting at the partnership between the two musicians that would become the heart, soul and core of much of Springsteen's music and especially of his live shows. The song, perhaps more so than any other track on the album, sounds as great today as it ever has, not hindered by the album's dated production or by the fact that Springsteen still hadn't quite found his voice. Clemons' saxophone playing is as electric as ever, even if it's only the tip of the iceberg as far as his E-street features go. The solo material doesn't fare as well: "The Angel" and "Mary Queen of Arkansas" are more forgettable than much of the material here and they disrupt the flow a bit, but even those I think are a bit underrated. "Mary", in particular, is quite hypnotic and hints at where Springsteen would go with Nebraska a decade later , and perhaps more so with Devils & Dust in 2005. And "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City" is the first in a long list of great Springsteen album closers. Indeed, I don't think there's a weak song here.


The biggest flaw with the record is not the solo songs or the occasional hiccup in flow, but the production. It's clear that Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos, the producers who worked the boards for this record and it's follow-up, didn't quite know how to translate the electricity of a Springsteen live show onto a studio record. Even in those days, Springsteen and his band were destroying venues with terrific performances, and it's clear, from the few bootlegs I've heard from that time period, that these songs soared in their live setting in ways that they don't on the record. Yet even despite it's imperfections, this album is great: a nostalgic folk-rock record that only hints at the perfection that Springsteen would achieve. And the band sounds terrific, even if most of these guys wouldn't stick around as members of the E-Street band for long (only the Big Man and bassist Garry Tallent would stay on as long-term members).


During the Working on a Dream tour in 2009, Springsteen and the E-Street band shifted the focus of their shows towards playing their classic albums front to back rather than focusing on newer material. Born to Run, Darkness and Born in the U.S.A. were the albums featured at most shows, though they also did single nights of both The Wild, The Innocent... and The River at Madison Square Garden. Perhaps it's appropriate that they saved this one for last, only playing it in full a single time: on November 22nd in Buffalo, N.Y., on the last night of a tour that had essentially stretched on since the release of Magic in 2007. As they closed that show (which they seemed unwilling to do, since it went on for three and a half hours), many wondered if this would be the farewell tour for the E-Street band. Listening to the bootleg of that show, I couldn't fathom it being the end of the road for the greatest rock band ever assembled: they sound absolutely terrific, as electric and hungry as ever. And hearing Greetings in full, 36 years after the fact, with a frontman who's far more experienced than he was then and with a band full of veterans and blood brothers, is simply fascinating. These songs sound celebratory, gleeful even: I don't think I've ever heard "Blinded By the Light" sound as big as it does on this recording, and during "Growing Up", where Springsteen tells the almost mythical story of how Clemons came to join the band (an honor that was usually reserved for "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"), it's just about as perfect as can be. Clarence really does sound like a force of nature, and when Bruce finally comes back in after the tale with the third and final verse, it's chilling. When I listen to the bootleg now, as I write this, I can't help but feel that it's taken on a heartbreaking layer in light of Clarence Clemons' death earlier this year. I do think the E-Street band will tour again, but without Clemons, things will never be the same. Someone brought a sign to that last show that said "It's only rock and roll, but it feels like love," and I can't imagine a better slogan for the E-Street band, who have become more of a family on the stage than perhaps any other band ever to grace one, a family that just suffered a huge and terrible loss. I count myself lucky that I had a chance to see them play one show with the Big Man. And if that Buffalo show on November 22nd, 2009 was the last time the E-Street band ever played together, I really can't think of a better ending than Greetings From Asbury Park. The end is the beginning, so to speak...


And what a glorious beginning it was...