From: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org (LuckyTown Digest) To: luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Subject: LuckyTown Digest V9 #32 Reply-To: luckytown@luckytown.org Sender: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Errors-To: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Precedence: bulk LuckyTown Digest Thursday, July 11 2002 Volume 09 : Number 032 NOTE: Sale/trade posts should be emailed to luckytown-ads, *NOT* to luckytown. That includes tix wanted/tix grovels, post them to luckytown-ads, please. Contents: song download site ["Sarah M. Schiller" ] info for 5 dates on TicketMaster [Maureen McGuire ] li,li,li ["amy winston" ] 2002 Tour: No Bay Area Dates? [jsavage@concentric.net (Johnny Saulovich)] A few Ramblings ["Jeff LeBlanc" ] Greetings from Atlanta, GA [bhawkins@dss.state.sc.us] Re: LuckyTown Digest V9 #30 [JSchle9336@cs.com] Woooo Hooooo - I'm still shaking! [Hanaweih@aol.com] Grushecky in NYC, free 7/16 [NJBOB113@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 9 Jul 2002 10:28:36 -0500 From: "Sarah M. Schiller" Subject: song download site You can get the song downloads from Netscape, both Lonesome Day and The Rising are there now: http://channels.netscape.com/ns/music/ch/songs_first.jsp You need the RealOne Player, which is not immediately obvious from this page. The download page is at http://www.real.com/realoneplayer.html?src0703realhome_1 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 16:59:43 -0400 From: Maureen McGuire Subject: info for 5 dates on TicketMaster From the TM website listed at 4:30 eastern: 8/10 show at MCI Center, Washington, DC on sale 7/13/02 at 11 am, no price or tix limit listed yet 8/12 show at Madison Square Garden, NYC on sale 7/13/02 at 12 noon, $75, 4 tix limit 8/14 show at Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH on sale 7/13/02 at 12 noon, $75, 4 tix limit 8/21 show at Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA on sale 7/20/02 at 9 am, no price or tix limit listed yet 8/27 show at Compaq Center, San Jose, CA on sale 7/13/02 at 10 am, $75, no tix limit listed yet You can also try the link http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/829120 Good luck everyone! Maureen Rt. 9, Sayreville, NJ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 09 Jul 2002 10:41:55 -0400 From: mendez@comcast.net Subject: music, message and meaning. I had the pleasure of attending the listening party at the Sony building in New York last night. My initial thoughts about the songs were positive, Especially the slow brooding numbers like Nothing Man, Into the Fire, The Fuse and You're Missing. These are haunting numbers made all the more so by O'Brien's production, the mix, and mostly by Bruce's amazing phrasing of the lyrics. There has been talk that the lyrics aren't up to Bruce's usual standards and I agree that they are for lack of a better word simpler than in the past. However, I think the richness and density of the music and production calls for this type of lyrical simplicity otherwise the message would get lost. Not to mention Bruce's voice(s) which are simply phenomenal. It is a misnomer to call this a "rock" record or an "E Street Band" record as Sony has tagged it. Danny and Garry are about as prominent as they have ever been on the mix vs. Roy, Clarence and Steven who appear to have had a very limited role. Overall I was excited about the risk Bruce took musically with this. He was right in saying it's like nothing 'they' have ever sounded like before... but I would add this definitely has the feel of a solo foray rather than an E Street Band record. Because of this I expect many fans will be disappointed. For those that have debated the meaning of the songs and the work as a whole I can say after hearing eight tracks that there is no question this work is about the events and aftermath of 9/11. In fact it's not even debatable with the references to fire, Allah, anthrax, death, etc. This brought me to a interesting place when afterward I heard the Sony rep start "selling" the disc to us as we sat there and thinking of the huge promotional push Sony intends to give the disc. Is it right for Sony to promote with such a blitz of media buys and Bruce appearances and in the end hope to profit from a work that is about the greatest human tragedy this country ever endured? Is Sony looking to "cash-in" on 9/11? Even if it is unintentional is it right and just to profit from an artistic interpretation of the events...or profit in anyway from what happened? Sony isn't even an American company. Have they contributed to any 9/11 funds? Are they planning to give a portion of the proceeds of this work to charity as Bruce will? Let me just say that I am as big a capitalist as you will ever meet and I still fell uneasy with having to think about these questions at all. I can only imagine that Bruce must have some measure of ambivalence about them as well. Sony could have taken a more measured marketing and low-key approach ala "Joad" but they are not. They are hoping and trying to have a "hit" on their hands with "The Rising" and make tens of millions of dollars off it. And what is Bruce's place in all this? There is no question about Bruce's charitable efforts. His efforts and donations stand without question. But one thing that has bothered me for the past ten months is his choice of how to represent himself artistically during the aftermath of 9/11, specifically choosing to sing/record "My City of Ruins" as his tribute. After all, wasn't this song about Asbury Park? I remember hearing it for the first time at the 2000 holiday shows, complete with the heartfelt spoken introduction about what Asbury meant to him. I remember thinking what a landmark song this was, Bruce and Asbury both coming full circle and intersecting again and Bruce writing a song about AP, a place that means and meant so much to him and a place he has had such a profound impact on. Well, were does MCOR stand now? You can no longer maintain the song is only about AP as originally put forth by Bruce. Is it now about 9/11? Is it now intended to be universal to all poor cities or places where tragedy has occurred? Has this diminished the song's artistic value (as I feel).... or has it enhanced it? Certainly, Bruce has adjusted the focus of MCOR by tying it to 9/11. In fact, most people who aren't ardent Bruce fans do not know the song was originally about and inspired by Asbury, not 9/11. Further, when the song and the tribute record are looked back on from a historical perspective Asbury's place in the song will most likely be forgotten, providing a strange irony. And now we have a full disc of songs about 9/11. Is it time for this? Is America ready and willing to listen to stories of the longing, sorrow and death that surrounded the tragic events? And, what do the families of the victims feel about the release of this record, the themes and the promotion of it for profit? From past media events like the documentary films that aired on HBO and CBS I would say the families would be conflicted by the release and promo of "The Rising." I would think many of us would have mixed feelings about this. I know I do. My wife, a big Bruce fan who lost a friend on 9/11 doesn't even want to listen to the album. Sony and ultimately Bruce are walking a fine line here both artistically and commercially. Let's hope they don't loose their balance. Stay Hard, Stay Hungry, Stay Alive, Jon Mendez Secaucus, NJ [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 9 Jul 2002 21:08:24 EDT From: LeonPMC@aol.com Subject: A Most Inspiring Lonesome Day How could anyone call this song "uninspired crap?" It deals with loss, with pain, and is one of the saddest songs I've heard from Bruce. Yet it makes wonderful, uplifting use of the band, and Clarence sounds as sweet as ever. Thank goodness (and Mr. O'Brien) its engineered so that it will appeal to a broad audience. There's even a "wall of sound" influence here that is remarkable. If the rest of the CD sounds like Lonesome Day, this could prove to be one of Bruce's finest works. His fourth decade as an accomplished artist could be striking and profoundly influential in American music. If this CD were released back in the days when people bought CD's, it would be a bestseller indeed. Leon Mayeri Berkeley, CA ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 09 Jul 2002 13:45:35 -0400 From: LMerr66503@aol.com Subject: Meaning of 'Rising' On the question of 'Rising' - outside of the obvious interpretations related to the afterlife in this great song, another available interpretation can be the call to service. Those who rise to occasion - to full service of their calling and do what must be done without question fit what the song appears to be about and also is very consistent in the dignity of work philosophy prevalent in Bruce's work. Larry Merrill Cinnaminson, NJ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 9 Jul 2002 13:21:42 -0500 From: "Leopold, John" Subject: 7/30 Competition (Deja Vu all over again) Without a doubt, the arrival of a new Bruce album is my personal high point of listening to Bruce's music. I'll even take a new album over a tour. Needless to say, the seconds are ticking off slowly until 7/30. For the heck of it, I scanned CDNow.com to see what other releases will be coming out on 7/30. I wanted to size up the competition for what it's worth. Record sales don't mean much to me, but I have to do something to kill some time. Some of the new releases are interesting . . . Def Leppard (The same group that kept Human Touch and Lucky Town out of the top spot over a decade ago!) Manfred Mann (Funny considering the Blinded by the Light connection) No Doubt, Cranberries, Filter, Linkin Park, Natalie Imbruglia (Fairly popular groups/singers that may give Bruce a run for #1.) And finally the dreaded bubble gum, teenie bopper threat . . . Britney Spears All set to release records on 7/30. There, I just killed another 45 seconds . . . Back to the wait . . . ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 9 Jul 2002 04:13:36 -0500 From: pfischer Subject: Bandwagons '84/'02 Hi all. Might as well get this said in advance: If the new CD is as good as some say, really resonates with post 9/11 America, and becomes a mainstream sales success, we're gonna have a whole new "bandwagon" of fans to cope with. A very good point was made that BITUSA was nearly twenty years ago, and many of those fans are still "with it" and "get it." However, as people new(er) to Bruce's music popped up in this "community" they haven't always been welcomed warmly. Think of them as just waking up and needing some time to reach the full potential of their awareness. Be accepting of them-- they're clearly seeking something more than they've already got if they get HERE. When you catch on to an artist well after their career has begun, it takes time to work one's way backward through the catalog to see how she/he got to be where they are. Let's try to be tolerant of new arrivals and assist in their discovery of and education about the nearly thirty year experience of Bruce and his music. There's going to be a healing message for America on The Rising, that "The People" could surely benefit from in these times, but it remains to be seen how widely it spreads. It takes pretty predictable, simple musical forms to spread songs widely via radio these days. If the music fits the slot of a format or two, the message gets out more broadly. What "The People" make of the message, should they get to hear it that way, is largely up to them. When people arrive here with a less than fully formed sense of "the message," they should not be ridiculed or flamed for a lack of depth. They should be encouraged to find more than they already have by following the discussions here and joining in when they have a question or something to say. That we way become part of the healing process too. That's one of the true functions of community. Peace. - -PDF Paul D. ("Docrock") Fischer- Assoc. Prof.- Dept. of Recording Industry- Middle Tennessee State U. President IASPM-US, United States branch, Int'l Ass'n for the Study of Popular Music "There are only two things in life, but I forget what they are." -John Hiatt ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 9 Jul 2002 10:43:33 -0400 From: "amy winston" Subject: li,li,li Hi everyone - It seems like LTers are talking about this - I missed the beginning of this thread and why it is even raised for discussion (I don't doubt there were interesting comments, but why aren't people saying stuff about Aol/Time Warner's "special" links to hear the new songs...) Anyway, li,li,li reminds me of Simon and Garfunkel, The Boxer (another NYC song, - "But the fighter still remains") Thought I would share that. Peace, Amy in Maine ou ou rendezvous:) Your Name amy winston ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 13:07:16 -0700 From: jsavage@concentric.net (Johnny Saulovich) Subject: 2002 Tour: No Bay Area Dates? Wow. It's a little surprising and disappointing that 'The Rising' Tour will bypass the San Francisco/Oakland area in August, as it's been the site of well-attended, enthusiastic shows in 1980, 1984-85, 1995 and three gigs in 1999. Johnny Albany, CA ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 9 Jul 2002 08:05:29 -0400 From: "Jeff LeBlanc" Subject: A few Ramblings Greetings from Detroit, the official rock and roll capitol of the world. I have enjoyed the recent postings on the "rising". I havent checked out LTD since the last tour but I have really enjoyed my BACKSTREETS MAG subscription! ok...a few necessary items... first of all- Detroit radio 96.3 (ughhhh-they never play Bruce-what a joke) is raffling off tickets to the Detroit listening party and a chance to go to the show in Asbury in late July. No luck so far but I am trying! lets talk about tickets....can anyone comment on their experience the last tour- did you get tickets on the phone line, at a ticket locale, or internet and which seemed to yield the better seats? Last tour I called the ticket master line and got 7th row seats. A few weeks ago I did that for Jewel show in Detroit and got many more rows back than that- is there any science to the ticket thing or am I just fantasizing?? I am just very pleased that a new LP (age) is coming out. Its going to be interesting to see how successful this LP is. The rising is a bit poppy, don't get me wrong- poppy Bruce is better than no Bruce and after all he is a commercial recording artist. At first I was rather disappointed that I was able to jot down the chords to the rising after a first hearing, but then I realized that some of the best songs ever written have the simplest chord structure. This song is getting A LOT of airplay in Detroit, which is cool. Bruce deserves commercial success- he has paid his dues. My 15 year old daughter has become addicted to Bruce and I couldn't be more tickled. She listened to him all the way from Detroit to Wyoming on our summer vacation a few weeks ago and came back a Bruce fan! Suddenly my cd's have gone missing... Jeff LeBlanc, Realtor Century 21 Riverpointe www.c21jeff.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 10:27:46 -0400 From: bhawkins@dss.state.sc.us Subject: Greetings from Atlanta, GA Hello Tramps - Our day started out in hot and humid Columbia, SC (229 miles from the Hard Rock Cafe - Atlanta) with our sights on Atlanta for the listening party (I felt like I was going to a show). The drive had some delays with construction near Augusta. My directions to the Hard Rock Cafe were somewhat misleading. The parking garage was pretty tight. The "Pig Sandwich" at Hard Rock was decent, definitely not Carolina Barbecue. The beer was overpriced. Springsteen's memorabilia had a mistake (i.e., guitar used in the One Step Up video was listed as from 1992). The wooden seats were not comfortable for my ass after a three hour drive. Nonetheless, the experience of hearing 8 songs from The Rising was well worth the above misery and I would do it again in a second!!! The following songs were played: Lonesome Day, Into The Fire, Nothing Man, Countin' On A Miracle, Empty Sky, The Fuse, Mary's Place, and The Rising. After one listening, I can relate with what other tramps have reported in prior LT posts about the difficulty in remembering lyrics, etc. In short, however, I thought the music and lyrics were very powerful and moving. On a number of occasions, the sound and the arrangements literally blew me back. To me, it was very new and creative. I can't wait to hear the complete release on the 30th and see my fellow tramps at the shows, especially the "incognito fan" and her husband sitting in front of my wife and I at the party. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 9 Jul 2002 12:07:02 EDT From: JSchle9336@cs.com Subject: Re: LuckyTown Digest V9 #30 Nothing wrong with musical "simplicity"! I would posit that the "simple" melodies of folks like the Beatles, etc. long outlast the "complexities" of pompous asses like Emerson Lake and Palmer, Rush, etc. If one's goal is to communicate with the public through music, especially communication which trancends cultural, temporal, or even language borders, simplicity is of paramount value. See, I can be a pompous ass, too! Case closed! [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 16:54:01 EDT From: Hanaweih@aol.com Subject: Woooo Hooooo - I'm still shaking! Driving home in Boston traffic this afternoon and the DJ introduced "The Rising" by saying that this artist had not recorded with his band since 1984 and his CD would be released at the end of the month, etc. etc. and he played the song - terrific surprise. Traffic didn't seem so bad anymore. But the best was yet to come unbeknownst to me - at the completion of the song the DJ said "whew" as if to say he was in awe of the song he'd just played - and stated that "the Boss is coming to town" and identified October 4 at the Fleet Center. No official ticket sales date. I don't remember the rest of the drive home. My mind was spinning - who should I call first?! I have to line up a baby sitter for our little boys for that night! (when I saw Bruce in August, 1999 in Boston, I was very pregnant with my 2nd son - no surprise my little guy loves music and loves to dance - no doubt Bruce was the very positive influence!) I've seen Bruce 6 times since the early 80's, but my husband has never seen him. He wants to go with me this time - I think out of sheer curiosity and to experience what I've tried to explain to him all these years. Let the ticket madness begin! See you in the land of hope and dreams, Lynn [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 11:08:57 EDT From: NJBOB113@aol.com Subject: Grushecky in NYC, free 7/16 Joe Grushecky will perform a free solo acoustic lunchtime concert in downtown Manhattan on Tuesday, July 16 at 12:30 PM at J&R Music World, 23 Park Row across from City Hall. Grushecky will perform songs from his new album, Fingerprints, as well as songs from throughout his career which dates back to the early 1980's with the Iron City Houserockers. After his performance Grushecky will be signing CDs. For more info check out: Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers J&R - Your source for Audio, Video, Electronics, Movies, DVD and Digital Cameras Read about Joe Grushecky in the July 9 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer: Philadelphia Inquirer | 07/09/2002 | A rock vet finds new inspiration in a solo turn [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ End of LuckyTown Digest V9 #32 ****************************** ********************************************************************* ** LuckyTown WWW URL ** The LuckyTown FAQ, back issues, web-based subscription/unsubscription, and many other things can be found on the LuckyTown WWW Page: http://www.luckytown.org ** LuckyTown mailing list addresses ** You can send email to go into the next LuckyTown Digest to: luckytown@luckytown.org You can send email to go into the next LuckyTown-Ads Digest to: luckytown-ads@luckytown.org Any questions for the list admin should be emailed to: owner-luckytown@luckytown.org To unsubscribe, send email to majordomo@luckytown.org with message body: unsubscribe luckytown-digest To get further information on how to subscribe/unsubscribe/change your subscription address, as well as the other available commands, send email to majordomo@luckytown.org with message body: help ********************************************************************* The contents of this digest are not necessarily approved by the list admin.