From: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org (LuckyTown Digest) To: luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Subject: LuckyTown Digest V9 #53 Reply-To: luckytown@luckytown.org Sender: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Errors-To: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Precedence: bulk LuckyTown Digest Thursday, August 1 2002 Volume 09 : Number 053 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: Chords are online [j.Schrefel@bene.com] Re: re-born in the usa: the marketing [Tom Garritano ] [none] [John Spaulding ] Best song from 'The rising' ["Cris Di Sclafani" ] Why Let's Be Friends Should Be the Next Single ["Al *" ] Review: 'Rising' To The Occasion---Bruce Springsteen On Sept. 11 (Juim Fusilli, The Wall Street Journal) [Barry Ka] Handsome Dan ["Al *" ] re UK tv schedule ["Oakland Raiders" ] Roadtrip with The Rising [Patrick Clark ] Re: Luckytown Digest #50 and July 30, 2002 [Demetra Christakos Subject: Re: re-born in the usa: the marketing Regarding what Jon Mendez wrote, this is just the kind of questioning any artist's fans should always do. Much more healthy than second-guessing setlists and whatnot. Whether the new album amounts to exploitation has to be considered. I was thinking a little about Letterman's first show after 9/11. What he did was based on years of credibility built up as a showbiz figure who does his best to be anti-showbiz. This isn't just shtick on Letterman's part; his distaste for phoniness pretty much defines him as a performer. Sounds familiar . . . Not many songwriters have the foundation to try what Bruce is doing now. Even as a longtime fan, I've sometimes been troubled by the saintly persona. You occasionally want to shout for him to quit being so earnest and loosen up a bit. But all that thoughtfulness is why he can have a clear conscience about releasing an album like this. The guy's powers of empathy tend to set him apart from many artists. That's also why the album, to me, sounds so natural and unforced. When Koppel talked to him about the stigma of psychoanalysis, I started talking back to the tv -- working class families can't afford it, Ted! But Springsteen beat me to it. I believe he does try to stay connected w/ "his people," against pretty steep odds. That's another thing making this album way more than a crass move. His people are suffering, and it would've been a mistake for him to avoid writing about it. Apart from that, I can only guess at his motivations. You never have too much money, I suppose, but the communication is what seems to turn him on. He admits ego gratification is a factor -- obviously! If it was troubling to see people wave flags on the 1984 tour, how's it going to feel when people cheer at inappropriate moments of songs that describe heroes being turned to pink mist? But I'm sure such a cautious man has thought hard about the ramifications, and he deserves the major benefit of doubt because of how he's conducted himself for 30 years of celebrating commonplace bravery. Bruce must really trust (or control) the Sony marketing department, because they're the main ones who could expose him to charges of insensitivity. So far, the campaign seems to be treading the line pretty well. If album sales explode, though, that's when it might get trickier. Personally, I'll be shocked if the album breaks out in anything remotely similar to BITUSA. What made that album huge wasn't the subject matter, it was his willingness to be marketed as an MTV icon. IOW, I don't expect to see casual fans come streaming back for Springsteen the social commentator. The _truly_ crass thing would have been to market this record without acknowledging the 9/11 content. Several songs would have easily supported such a strategy. If sales do take off, I'd look for a subtle shift in the marketing away from 9/11. As I said, it could get tricky. But if the country is like a family in denial, then this album's healing message should be heard by as many people as possible. Right now, I just want to keep absorbing a better record than I ever expected to hear from him again. If the ironies get troubling later, I'll try to remember the honest emotional impact it had on first listening. Those feelings are often hard to hang onto even in circumstances way less complicated than these. Who knows what the next year holds for any of us, or for all of us? Tom ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 21:05:34 -0700 From: "M. Conens" Subject: re: Rising marketing Like the post about the marketing of The Rising and whether it is exploitive. While I'm not certain I agree with trying to reach the folks who bought BUSA, there is certainly much collateral publicity as a result of him having done BUSA. Don't the stickers on the cd say something about 'first E st band recording since BUSA"? Not to mention there are so many more displays of patriotism and yes, even playing of BUSA at public events. I think mentioning BUSA in headlines, promotional material is trying to get the attention of the guy who went out 9/12 and put a flag on his pick up. Regardless of whether he bought (or even understood) BUSA. I am just glad Columbia hasn't said it will donate a % to some 9/11-related fund for each cd bought. A local car dealer did that and i find that very exploitive as all it does is encourage people to buy more of the product. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 08:26:08 -0700 (PDT) From: John Spaulding Subject: [none] I just wanted to throw in a comment about the album and some of the notes of criticism or disapointment. I think that, like GoTJ (but more so), this album simply does not immediately invite you in, but requires you to let certain things soak in and examine your own reaction as part of the work. For instance, at first I agreed with the criticism of "Empty Sky" as musically boring, found myself "waiting for that chord change that doesn't come." On the third listen or so, though, I realized the melody was perfectly conveying the way catastrophic grief is like a dull, throbbing, monotonous ache, and that in the very tension I felt from waiting for some kind of break or melodic payoff deepened my empathy for the protagonist's aching sadness. People who feel like this don't sing pretty, or laugh much, or maybe don't even get out of bed for days on end, and this song captures that gritty, haven't-slept-in-nights or showered-in-days fog that comes with crushing grief. Think of Celine Dion's Titanic theme as the ultimate counterpoit to this approach; so perfectly constructed and executed, bridge, hook and soaring key change all right where they belong, resulting in a song that is eminently hummable and totally impersonal. There are few songwriters who so competently use the full range of American musical traditions (blues, country, rock, folk, gospel, soul/R&B, etc) for his toolbox, so for the things that you find troubling or lacking on this album, I would urge you to ask, "why did he make this choice?" and see what comes to mind. When Bruce wants to seduce the listener with a catchy hook or a soaring chorus he certainly knows how, so when he declines to do I think that's an interesting choice in itself that should be respected and explored. Just my $.02 On a broader note, I cannot imagine a more appropriate popular artist in any medium to be the first to creatively address 9/11, or a more daunting challenge for an artist. Given the subject matter, I think this album should almost be exempt from the way other pop works are reviewed, etc. I think we all need to let this one just sit for a little while. Also, I think the outpouring of media interest in the album might reflect something much deeper, in the sense that a lot of people who haven't yet been able to make sense of 9/11 are turning to ask, "Let's see what Bruce has to say," because, basically, we trust him. Marketing efforts notwithstanding, who else gets this much media attention for a new album release? Sony's PR machine is good, but really! Ted Koppel is giving Bruce more airtime than he gives heads of state. The right album from the right artist, indeed. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 14:47:12 +0200 From: "Cris Di Sclafani" Subject: Best song from 'The rising' Hello, i write you to say that in my Bruce site, http://bruce.archesis.it i have put a poll where you can vote the best song from The Rising (at this moment 'Further on up the road' is the winner). You can also get concert setlists from 1978 to today, getting statistics on Bruce concerts and talk about Bruce in a new forum. See you under a stage !!!! Ciao from Cris http://bruce.archesis.it ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 17:16:12 -0400 From: "Al *" Subject: Why Let's Be Friends Should Be the Next Single I make my living as a radio programmer. Me and some of my colleagues have a pool where we bet on which new singles are going to be hits. I ALWAYS win the pool. I can tell you unequivocally that Let's Be Friends is Bruce's best shot at a hit single. While I can understand why some longtime fans don't like the poppy nature of it, remember that it's NEW fans he's after (don't forget that Hungry Heart and Dancing in the Dark weren't exactly embraced by his core audience at first, either). It's a "love" song, has undeniable hooks and with the right video, it'll move albums. Trust me on this one, Al I make my living as a radio programmer. Me and some of my colleagues have a pool where we bet on which new singles are going to be hits. I ALWAYS win the pool. I can tell you unequivocally that Let's Be Friends is Bruce's best shot at a hit single. While I can understand that some longtime fans won't like the poppy nature of it, remember that it's NEW fans he's after (don't forget that Hungry Heart and Dancing in the Dark weren't exactly embraced by his core audience, either). It's a "love" song, has undeniable hooks and with the right video, it'll move albums. You're Missing could be a strong single, too (again, with the right video), but I'd go with that as Single #3. (Waiting on a Sunny Day, Mary's Place). Trust me on this one, Al _________________________________________________________________ Join the world's largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 09:57:36 +0200 From: "Dennis Vroegop" Subject: Worlds Apart Hi there! After a long time lurking it's about time I join the bandwagon and give my opinion the new album. Well.... Just my opinion on Worlds Apart; I leave the "indept-analysis" to the people who know more about that sort of stuff than I do. I prefer to sit back and enjoy everything Bruce lets us listen to and not judge the man too hard. So no comments about Mr. O'Brien, the lack of sax in the songs, or things about the GA on the tour (which I think is great: for me the only way to really enjoy Bruce is standing in a large crowd, all dancing to his music, but that's just my opinion). Worlds Apart is by my opinion the best song on the album. It's different from what we know from Bruce, but that's what I find so good about his music: he isn't afraid to do things he hasn't done before. The mixture of styles on this song works great! I just can't wait to hear this song live on stage! I am so glad that of the seven european countries the band is visiting Holland is one of them. I hope my wife and I will be able to see more shows in 2003, although by that time we will have our first baby so I don't know if we can manage to do that. I jokingly suggested that if it will be a boy we would name him Bruce but my wife didn't think that would be a good idea :-) Let's all enjoy the album, let's give it time to grow on us, and let's have a great time during the upcoming tour! Keep rocking! Dennis Vroegop http://www.xs4all.nl/~dvroegop/springsteenstories ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2002 02:20:29 -0500 From: Barry Kaplovitz Subject: Review: 'Rising' To The Occasion---Bruce Springsteen On Sept. 11 (Juim Fusilli, The Wall Street Journal) The Wall Street Journal July 30, 2002 LEISURE & ARTS 'Rising' to the Occasion Bruce Springsteen on Sept. 11. BY JIM FUSILLI Rare is the work of art that can articulate for us the human experience born of tragedy writ large, and rarer still is the rock album that does so. On his new, flawed disc, "The Rising" (Sony), Bruce Springsteen sets out to explore the impact and consequences of the Sept. 11 attacks on the victims, their families and friends. At times, he does so with startling clarity. On "The Rising," which goes on sale today, Mr. Springsteen uses sound and words in new, imaginative ways. Working with an independent producer, Brendan O'Brien, for an entire album for the first time in his career, Mr. Springsteen sought a sound that's a marked departure from the clean, unfettered approach of his previous albums. To bring us back to that unimaginable event, Mr. Springsteen and Mr. O'Brien time and again surround us with a thick, tumultuous torrent of guitars and synthesizers, kick drums, cymbals, fiddles, cellos, basses and a wash of voices merging to create a single unrelenting force, as if to recall the roar of worlds colliding, the howl of destruction and sudden death. And then, unexpectedly, they leave us with an eerie silence broken only by the ringing of a folk guitar, the wail of a harmonica, celestial voices of a choir or a single line sung by Mr. Springsteen without accompaniment. The next striking element of the new disc is Mr. Springsteen's lyrics, which are stark, solemn and spiritual, as his narrators grope desperately for meaning, for a glint of optimism, in light of the savagery. On "The Rising," Mr. Springsteen's songs aren't only about the dead. He also gives voice to the dead: The victims scream to each other as death approaches and then whisper to each other in tender tones as its aftermath begins. In Mr. Springsteen's view, the dead are with us, observing us, as we struggle to regain our footing. They describe the moment of their passing: "There's spirits above and behind me / Faces gone black, eyes burnin' bright / May their precious blood bind me, Lord / As I stand before your fiery light," he writes in the title track. In "The Fuse," they narrate their funerals: "Down at the courthouse they're ringin' the flag down / Long black line of cars snakin' slow through town." And, in "Paradise," they speak to us from their new surroundings: "I sink 'neath the water cool and clear / Drifting down, I disappear / I see you on the other side/ I search for peace in your eyes." No less powerful are the sentiments of the survivors. In "You're Missing," Mr. Springsteen captures the details of an ordinary life torn asunder: "Coffee cup's on the counter / Jacket's on the chair / Paper's on the doorstep / But you're not there." Or, in "Empty Sky": "Just an empty impression / In the bed where you used to be." "The sky was falling and streaked with blood / I heard you calling me / Then you disappeared into the dust," he writes in "Into the Fire," which builds to a prayer of hope in its chorus: "May your strength give us strength / May your faith give us faith." The music on "The Rising" is the most varied of Mr. Springsteen's storied career, and his E Street Band, at times a bloodless unit, plays with unmitigated fervor under the prodding of Mr. O'Brien, who produced Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine and others. Bassist Gary Tallent once again is the group's forceful anchor, while the multilayered keyboards serve to set the tone and carry the motifs. Mr. Springsteen's guitar solos have their characteristic bite; played with appropriate restraint, they sear much more than they soar. Sitting in on violin, Soozie Tyrell makes a valuable contribution to "Into the Fire," which sounds as if it sprang out of the Louisiana bayou, and the lilting "Lonesome Day," driven by Max Weinberg's four-square pounding. "Countin' on a Miracle," in which Mr. Springsteen's voice builds to a raw scream, is a powerful rocker, as is "Further on Up the Road." And yet "The Rising" becomes especially poignant when the band is most discreet, as on "Paradise," which echoes Paul Simon's "Sounds of Silence." For that song and others, Mr. Springsteen tells his tales in a conversational style over acoustic guitars accented at times only by oscillating synthesizers. In those quiet moments, he creates a chilling reflection of the aftermath of the event. Long and oddly paced, "The Rising" isn't a perfect album. "Mary's Place" is a bright tune that promises to be a barn-burner on Mr. Springsteen's tour, which kicks off Aug. 7 in New Jersey. But it feels out of step here, as does "Let's Be Friends." The cross-culture exercise "Worlds Apart," with guest Asif Ali Khan and his group, gives us too little of the Pakistani qawwali singer in a setting that becomes transcendent only in the instrumental coda. And there's not much for Clarence Clemons, the band's sax player, to do throughout the disc. When he's summoned, he fails to make a memorable statement. And yet this is a major work by Mr. Springsteen, for its perspective and powerful visceral impact. On "The Rising," Mr. Springsteen has captured, with stirring acuity, some of the emotions of a watershed moment in American history. For that, the disc takes an honored place in the Springsteen canon. Mr. Fusilli writes about popular music for The Wall Street Journal. Copyright 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 17:35:08 -0400 From: "Al *" Subject: Handsome Dan By the way, Bruce is looking great! What a contrast between the Nightline interview and the Live in NYC clips they showed therein! Looks like he's dropped some weight, toned-up (I guess those twice-a-day workouts are paying off) and gotten a better haircut. It's taken ten years off his appearance. It's sad-but-true, folks: when the artist is attractive, it helps move albums and concert tickets. Straight-as-an-arrow-but-still-knows-a-good-looking-man-when-he-sees-one, Al _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 19:34:15 +0100 From: "Oakland Raiders" Subject: re UK tv schedule Yo The relevant Letterman shows will be firday and monday night here in UK. Its on anytime after 2300, changes all the time. Its repeated the following evening about 1900 Theres also a repeat bes tof the week on sat night late. John [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 16:16:01 -0500 From: Patrick Clark Subject: Roadtrip with The Rising I picked up a copy of The Rising yesterday morning right as I set out on a short drive from Nashville to Knoxville, stay overnight and then drive back home. I am not impressed with this album. Weak songs, familiar structure, very uninspired. Could it be that Bruce no longer has anything to say? I hope not but I'm worried. Flame away if you must but if everyone on this list loved everything the man did, then it would truly be a shame. Sometimes people misfire, even our heroes. Regards, Patrick Clark [text/enriched attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2002 23:56:56 -0400 From: Demetra Christakos Subject: Re: Luckytown Digest #50 and July 30, 2002 Jon Mendez (mendez@comcast.net) wrote: Subject: re-born in the usa: the marketing [Snip]...So, while I love many of the songs on the new album and I'll even be at the Today show, I also have a pit in my stomach knowing that Bruce, the same guy that tore down those all those "Finally..." posters in 1975 signed off on this crass mass media blitz to promote a work and subject matter as sensitive as The Rising. Much about the marketing campaign for The Rising does draw on the experience of Born in the USA. But there have already been several major shifts in this campaign which have convinced me that this outreach is about a lot more than sales. About July 30, for example, one of the single most astounding days in my life in Bruceville: 1) As he does in the States, Bruce appears on the cover of the Canadian edition of Time Magazine. The real point of the Time interview is to ground Bruce's motivation, the opening up of the creative gates, for The Rising in his genuine love for his fans. This is a major change so far in our relationship with Bruce Springsteen, to have him insist on it in so many words. He talks specifically about how the obituaries of workers lost in the World Trade Centre touched him deeply, that they were identified in their obituaries as Springsteen fans. A grief-stricken fan sees him, knows him, and calls out to him on the street--he hears the call, and he is making sure we all know that he heard, and he responded. Not with a hand shake, but with a kiss. He was motivated by the passing of his friends...and fans. He is coming forward to meet us not only as a rock star but also as a man with the gift he can give: his songs. I have been standing among other fans clustered at the back door watching this guy for twenty-one years: this is new. It's honest. He's giving us himself. Whew. 2) The Today broadcast from Asbury Park, New Jersey. What Bruce effected through that broadcast (brilliantly) was a three-hour insistence on the beaches of Asbury Park as a welcoming place of play, fun, beauty for middle-class American families (aka Bennies) who forty years ago crowded that boardwalk 250,000 deep. During the broadcast, Asbury Park looked beautiful. At the same time, the documentary features were an honest portrayal of the community's trials. Congratulations all around to the Save Tillie Committee and Kate Mellina. And to Bruce. He has been unflagging in his personal support for the rebirth of Asbury Park over the last three years, and the broadcast evidenced his complete understanding of all pertinent initiatives. Very, very generous, and a masterful deployment of first-level media for a very worthy cause which never would have received that level of support for even five minutes without him. Secondly, Bruce gave the hype this time out an immediate course correction--by allowing us very extended opportunities to see him physically in all kinds of largely-unmediated circumstances. Rehearsing, talking one-on-one, goofing up with Katie Couric in the company of his band, performing through five different songs. I actually think this generosity of visual access defuses hype. It normalizes things. 3) The Nightline and Upclose interview(s). Extraordinary. By far, these are the most honest, generous, brave and real interviews Bruce Springsteen has ever directly given to us subsequent to the River tour. There were so many small seconds where he showed us himself. During the phenomena of Born in the USA, it may have been easy at that time for all kinds of different people to project themselves onto Bruce's new physical persona, onto his music. Yesterday, from the get-go, he took control of the hype by being completely open and honest about who he really is, what his life is like, what his life has been like, and setting himself honestly in the the setting of his real home. Thank you, Bruce. I can't really imagine what's left for tonight. But I'll be watching. Demetra Christakos ------------------------------ End of LuckyTown Digest V9 #53 ****************************** ********************************************************************* ** 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.