The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by daveman, Jul 11, 2004.

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  1. ralphb

    ralphb "First they came for..."

    Location:
    Brooklyn, New York
    I'm one of those people who felt that once he hit Born To Run, the sound and the feel of the band changed, perhaps not for the better. While I love his subsequent recordings because his passion never deserted him, there was something magical in those first two albums, and the show I saw in late 1974 at Alice Tully Hall in NYC was unforgettable. I wish he had continued with that jazzy, more experimental sound he seemed to be developing with the second album.
     
    dee, somnar, thematinggame and 3 others like this.
  2. Crossfire#3

    Crossfire#3 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Burlington Vermont
    This should be regarded as the record on which Springsteen's reputation is based...the songs, performances and recording is absolutely stellar
     
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  3. Mooserfan

    Mooserfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Eastern PA
    Well, Landau made headway with Bruce because he critiqued the album's production, especially the drums, which to me do sound poorly recorded, though I have no issue with Vinnie's actual drumming, which seems ok if not stellar. Then again, I haven't heard the remaster so perhaps I should withhold judgment.
     
  4. Peter M

    Peter M Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, Texas
    My favorite Springsteen album by far. Side 2 is one of the best sides of rock and roll, and I love the eclectic nature of side one. Sandy is a gem.

    BTR is a great album too, but it was a major change from TWTIESS.
     
  5. INSW

    INSW Senior Member

    Location:
    Georgia
    We'd probably still be wondering.
     
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  6. RichC

    RichC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Charlotte, NC
    I can't pick a favorite from the run of TWTI&TESS through Nebraska... Honestly, I love them all for different reasons. But there are plenty of days this one is my favorite.

    The newly reissued vinyl does sound fantastic. I encourage anyone who likes this album to drop $20 and hear how good it sounds.

    I've seen Bruce over a dozen times since the Reunion tour, and my last two "Holy Grail" songs are both from this album... Incident and Sandy. I get the feeling I'll never hear either one unless I travel a great distance to a show. (He tends not to play them in the South for some reason.) And especially in the wake of Danny's death, it seems like Sandy has stopped making appearances.

    I DID hear him play Wild Bill's Circus Story in 2010, first E Street performance since 1974... The first time Max ever played it on stage!
     
  7. alchemy

    alchemy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sterling, VA
    I recall takling to some record company guy, back in the early 70's and according to him it was a question of who was really gonna break big first: Bruce Springsteen on Columbia or Nils Lofgren on Epic.
     
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  8. cosmicdancer

    cosmicdancer Doin' it to you in 3D! So Groovy that I dig me.

    There are a lot of really nice and beautiful posts in this thread about this album and it's impact on people's lives and music listening. Bravo, folks! I don't have anything to add that differs much from what many others have said, but I'll give it a shot in my own not so eloquent way.

    This is my favorite Springsteen album. His body of work is so impressive that I tend to go back on forth on how I rank his albums, but the one unchainging aspect of my thoughts on his catalog is that TWTI&TESS is at the top of the heap. When I listen to music, the first thing that generally grabs me is the melody. For me, if the tune doesn't stick in my head and I can't hum along, the song doesn't grab me and make me want to listen multiple times. This isn't an exact science, but it rings true more often than not. Next, I'll disect the instrumental parts and sounds. The lyrics are generally the last thing I really pay attention to. That's not to say that I don't love a good lyric, but it's not the first thing I gravitate towards. That being said, there are occasions in which lyrics are so good and powerful that they grab me immediately. Such was the case with this album the first time I heard it. There is plenty to love melodically and musically speaking, but the lyrics, stories and vibrant characters found in the grooves of this album are nothing short of a masterful stroke of genius. Bruce has never lost the ability to paint a beautiful picture with his words, but I don't think he ever did it as well as he did on his first three albums, particularly this one. The lyrics on this album force you to pay attention and never let you ignore them.

    I've loved every version of the E Street Band. I love listening to Max, Roy Bittan, Little Steven and Nils Lofgren play and I think they are huge in helping Bruce convey his message. That being said, the early version of the E Street Band has always been incredibly special in my mind and I hate that it didn't last longer. I think Max is the better overall drummer, but there is just something about the reckless abandon style of Vini Lopez that I adore. The jazzy inflections of David Sancious is the MVP of this album outside of Bruce's lyrics. Sancious brings the songs to life and gives them their musical character. The difference in musicians really sets this album apart from Bruce's work after they were out of the picture. In the end, I think Bruce, being somewhat of a control freak from some accounts, and this version of the band couldn't exist forever. I think the improvisational feel of this album differs from the controlled sound of the work following. Bruce had a vision and while I think he'll take outside opinions from someone like Little Steven, he's the one that makes the final call and I think that is where the real shift in style can be found.

    In the end, Bruce still had a wealth of great albums and material still to come. I don't want my adoration of this album and this version of the band to cast a shadow over magnificent albums like Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, The River, Nebraska, etc. Bruce's classic period has very few, if any, rivals. I'm just saying that this album has a certain magic to me that isn't there on his other albums. They have their own magic, but it's a different kind of magic. Springsteen's wordy lyrical style, lush stories and landscapes and the jazzy improvisational style of the music make this my all time favorite Springsteen record.
     
    richarm, Gammondorf, maxnix and 7 others like this.
  9. posnera

    posnera Forum Resident

    This is from the 1974 Rolling Stone review of Wild Innocent...

    There is an occasional weak spot or an awkward transition, but for the most part it works spectacularly, and nowhere to more dramatic effect than on "Incident on 57th Street," the album's most stunning track, a virtual mini-opera about Johnny, a "romantic young boy" torn between Jane and the bright knives out on the street. Springsteen never resolves the conflict (if he ever does his music will probably become less interesting).
     
  10. aforchione

    aforchione Forum Resident

    Location:
    Englewood, Florida
    For those of you out there who grew up near Philadelphia in the 70's, you may remember WMMR disc jockey Ed Sciaky playing side 2 of the Wild and Innocent album on a regular basis. Those were the days.

    Sciaky's constant airplay of the first 2 albums was a major factor in Columbia not dropping Bruce during the long recording process of Born to Run. I think I heard once that half of the sales of Wild and Innocent came from the tri-state area (PA/DE/South Jersey)....which is why to this day Bruce often plays Kitty's Back in Philly.
     
    Norbert Becker and numer9 like this.
  11. Redrobby

    Redrobby New Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I bought a 180g copy of 'Wild and Innocent' this April on RSD & while the music sounds good, the vocals are marred. The S's hiss badly on all the tracks. It's distracting to say the least. And not what I expected on a $30 (w/tax) lp. Has anyone else noticed this problem on their 'audiophile' copy?
     
  12. Joey_Corleone

    Joey_Corleone Forum Resident

    Location:
    Rockford, MI
    I have the copy that came in the vinyl box set and it sounds fantastic. No issues at all on my system.
     
    Redrobby likes this.
  13. neilevans64

    neilevans64 New Member

    Location:
    Connecticut, USA
    This is the problem with reissuing records, particularly sourced from digital files. Magnetic tape, if not stored properly, degrades over time and it seems that this is what happened here. When they digitized it, they probably tried to EQ it to correct the deficencies, but we're left with a sibilant and harsh sounding result. Do yourself a favor and return the reissue, and pick up an original LP from 1974. Try to find an early "1A" or similar stamp in the runout groove. You won't be disappointed.
     
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  14. Frawls

    Frawls Forum Resident

    My favorite Bruce album. I don't like anything that came after his first two albums even half as much. It's like listening to a different singer and a different band to me. They're so loose and funky on the early stuff.
     
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  15. RichC

    RichC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Charlotte, NC
    My copy exhibits none of these characteristics. It also sounds better than my original TWTIATESS.
     
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  16. jconsolmagno

    jconsolmagno Forum Resident

    Wouldn't say it puts Born To Run to shame.... just Greetings up until that point. Solid album 4/5. BTR/Darkness/BITUSA/TOL his 5 star albums.
     
  17. jconsolmagno

    jconsolmagno Forum Resident

    I have the copy from the box set and I think it is much improved over the original 1973 release that I have. I have 4 copies of WIESS and the new one is the best. I'd say you have a defective copy.
     
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  18. Joey_Corleone

    Joey_Corleone Forum Resident

    Location:
    Rockford, MI
    You had me paranoid, so I just put on my copy from the new vinyl box. I have to say, I cannot imagine how this record could sound better. Warm, dynamic, no obvious sibilance issues to me, at least nothing that is not there on the original, and that low end oh that sweet low end! It beats my clean original for sure. Whatever you are hearing I am afraid is a defect or something in your system.

    Have you checked your tracking weight and cart alignment?
     
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2015
    Redrobby likes this.
  19. stem

    stem Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hertfordshire, UK
    I also agree.
    My new vinyl copy (from the new box set) is perfect. It never sounded as good as this before.
     
  20. thematinggame

    thematinggame Forum Resident

    Location:
    Germany
    You mark my words, exactly how I feel about this album - his masterpiece in my opinion. And I' m proud of buying it when it was released (and nobody had heard of Bruce Springsteen in Germany at that time )
     
  21. Tony Sclafani

    Tony Sclafani Forum Resident

    Location:
    East Coast, USA
    Ariel is a terrific writer. She was was Rolling Stone's first female critic. She also wrote a bunch of entries in the first Rolling Stone Record Guide, including the one on the Berkeley folk rock group Joy of Cooking. When I wrote an article on that band around ten years ago, I looked her up and was very happy to get to interview her (link here).
     
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  22. Gardo

    Gardo Audio Epistemologist

    Location:
    Virginia
    Love that essay. Used it in freshman composition classes when I taught those back in the day.
     
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  23. Comet01

    Comet01 Forum Resident

    I came onto this thread just to say this exact sentiment!

    David Sancious was responsible for the jazzy and classical elements found on this album. Although he was only in the band for a very brief period, his imprint on this album is undeniable.

    David left for a solo career immediately after recording the title track for Born To Run. That solo career produced a lot of great fusion music that sounded not-even-remotely like Springsteen. I was blown away when I discovered his solo work.

    After the solo career ended, he played with a mind-boggling array of stellar musicians. The following is a partial list:

    Jeff Beck
    Sting
    Clapton
    McLaughlin
    Gabriel
    Santana
    Stanley Clarke

    For what it's worth: Springsteen has been quoted as saying that, besides being a fantastic keyboardist, Sancious was the best guitarist(!!) ever to play in the E Street Band. David's Hendrix-inspired guitar talents are quite impressive.
     
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2015
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  24. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    The new vinyl box set was the first time I have heard this album. It's one of Springsteen's best and better sound than his best known recordings. 'Born To Run' seems like a dip after this.
     
    IbMePdErRoIoAmL likes this.
  25. kingofdmv

    kingofdmv Forum Resident

    Location:
    Gloversville, NY
    My favorite Bruce album, maybe my favorite album of all time. Side 2 is a masterpiece. I don't care if it was recorded poorly it's still a cinematic, romantic love note to NYC. It can bring me to tears and make me want to dance all at the same time. If you don't like this album, you don't like Bruce Springsteen.
     
    Jimmy B. likes this.
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