From: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org (LuckyTown Digest) To: luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Subject: LuckyTown Digest V9 #57 Reply-To: luckytown@luckytown.org Sender: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Errors-To: owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org Precedence: bulk LuckyTown Digest Tuesday, August 6 2002 Volume 09 : Number 057 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: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN NEWS FROM WHY and 95.5 WPLJ ["sue leventhal" ] The Rising (song by song)!! ["Mike Walk" ] My Take on The Rising [ALateJuliet@aol.com] Re: Bob Handlin, "Let's be Friends" & race [Michael Whalen <75533.434@com] Re: LuckyTown Digest V9 #56 [Larcin292@aol.com] Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002 22:10:28 -1000 [Don Weisman ] LTD V9.56 Brian Hedden Question ["Gene Lazo" ] My two cents on The Rising [STUTAZ@aol.com] Remember it is just an albumn ["Aaron Hunter" ] Random Hits, misses and curve balls... [Jerry White Subject: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN NEWS FROM WHY and 95.5 WPLJ GREAT NEWS from WHY (World Hunger Year). Bruce Springsteen has donated one (1) pair of very good tickets to WHY his upcoming show at Madison Square Garden which is on Monday, August 12th in New York City. The tickets are in the first tier about 1/3 up from the stage. You can bid for those tickets starting RIGHT NOW on 95.5 FM WPLJ's website. <>. Just follow the easy instructions on WPLJ's home page. The opening bid: $1,000. Bidding will be in increments of $100.00. The cutoff is 4pm this coming Thursday, August 8th. WHY staff will notify the donor with the highest bid after the bids are tabulated - on Friday August 9th. Sue Leventhal Director, Artists Against Hunger & Poverty, Hungerthon, and Special Events WHY, Inc. 505 8th Avenue, room 2100 New York, NY 10018 212/629-8850 x 31 WHY email: Sue@WorldHungerYear.org home email: SueL107122@aol.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 04 Aug 2002 17:16:35 +0800 From: Gerry Alanguilan Subject: Subject: The Rising (and the promotion) -- a huge disappointment >I wouldn't be surprised if this was rushed >onto the market, against Bruce's better instincts and under pressure from >management, to capitalize on 9/11. Strange,I remember Bruce saying on Letterman that this is one of the best albums he's ever done. >I wish Bruce >had taken a few months and reconsidered this one, dropped a couple of the bad >songs, re-produced a couple others. If Bruce reconsidered it for a few months, you think he will get rid of some of the songs on the album? You think it would take that long for one to decide if certain songs are good or not? Then why don't you give it a few months yourself? Cause, you know, you just *might* reconsider it. For the record, I just love this album. Yes, it is one of the best albums he's ever made. If you think it isn't, then that's cool. To each his own.... Gerry ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 14:39:47 -0400 From: "David Kieltyka" Subject: Re: Countin' on a Miracle Bill McSteen wrote: > I love the opening classical interlude to "Countin' on > a Miracle." It reminds me of Jim Croce's "Time in a > Bottle." > Not only is it just a cool production choice, but I think > that it's there for another reason. My guess? To > connect that song to another one later in the CD. > I've listened to the opening seconds of the songs; > and to my ear and sensibility, this interlude seems > to foreshadow "You're Missing." Ah yes. Good observation. I think the acoustic intro serves another purpose too. It sounds like it could've been lifted straight from a demo recording. It's almost as though Bruce is saying "Yeah, I coulda done it like this. But..." BAM! The drums & electric guitars kick in and we're off on a rock & roll ride. Kinda sums up the musical spirit at the core of the album right there. Songs like "Countin' On A Miracle" deserve to be *propelled*. :-) - -Dave- (out of LT lurkdom) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002 02:00:07 -0500 From: "Mike Walk" Subject: The Rising (song by song)!! First of all, this album has so many hooks it should be illegal. Thanks to Brenden O'Brien, the band never sounded fresher. I have now listened to this CD probably 8 times straight through. Dare I say it? This may be Bruce's best ever!!! I love it. I guess I'll start with the first song and proceed. Lonesome Day # Great strings. Great lyrics. Nice rolling beat. Hooks aplenty. Sounds like a top ten hit to me. This is a rousing mid-tempo rocker. I was actually disappointed when it ended. I guarantee you will have this tune stuck in your head after you hear it. "It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, yeah!" Into The Fire # This one is overtly inspired by the events of 9/11. The lyrics are very powerful. It bears a resemblance to some of the material on Ghost of Tom Joad, at first. Then the band comes in and propels it with a solid beat and plenty of excellent slide guitar and some perfectly subtle keyboards and strings. One can even hear a glockenspiel. I admit when I first heard this song, I teared up. Very moving. "Love and duty called you someplace higher / somewhere up the stairs / Into the fire". Waitin' On A Sunny Day # The beginning of this song reminds me so much of the John Mellencamp CD "Lonesome Jubilee". The violin part does this. This is a very catchy pop song. It has slide guitar, accordian, glockenspiel, and Clarence Clemons' first sax solo on "The Rising". This is a pop tune, plain and simple. Nothing Man # The sound of this song is classic Bruce. It is moody and powerful. Reminds me of something off of "Tunnel Of Love". This one has those beautiful keyboard washes that Bruce uses so well. It also includes "Walk On The Wild Side" style backup singing. It is somber and elegant, and another classic Bruce ballad. " Darlin' give me your kiss / only understand / I am. the nothing man". Countin' On A Miracle # Tremendous mid-tempo rocker. Sounds like a cross between "Lucky Town" and "The River". It has an orchestral break, and a great guitar solo. Very awesome! "I'm countin' on a miracle, to come through". Empty Sky # Graceful and yet powerful, somber yet ecstatic. It deals with loss (9/11), but the subtlety makes it far more universal in meaning. Solid piano, drums, a fuzzed-out harmonica solo, and a chugging acoustic rhythm guitar bed. "I want a kiss from your lips / I want an eye for an eye / I woke up this mornin' / to an empty sky". Worlds Apart # This one sounds like a Sarah Brightman song at the beginning and then morphs into one of Bruce's most solid rockers. Awesome. Reminds me of the rockin' version of "Blood Brothers" from '95. This thing rocks. It is anthemic and powerful. With a great fuzzed-out lead guitar solo, great harmonica, great back up by Patti, and some arabic tinged singing and instrumentation mixed in. Listen for a small bit of accordian at the very end. Let's Be Friends (Skin To Skin) # This one sounds like it could be a top ten pop song if performed by Mariah Carey or someone. There is an organ part, some strings, and a choir singing background. It also features another Clarence sax solo. This is a hardcore pop song! Lauryn Hill call your office! Further On Up The Road # Straight ahead upbeat rock song. Great lyrics and solid drumming. Also there is a guitar/harmonica dual solo that sounds cool. This one made its debut in July 2000 at the New York stand of the reunion tour. Fans are familiar with it. Here it is polished up and ready for prime time. A solid performance, which really sounds great! The Fuse # I can't rave enough about this song. It is such a powerful song it is amazing! Has hip-hop style drum loops and great lyrics. The delay echo on his voice is a masterstroke. Everything works to dramatic effect. Great backup by Patti and Suzie. This song is literally infested with juicy hooks, and is one of my favorites on the CD! "The fuse is burnin' / shut out the lights". Mary's Place # This song mixes classic Asbury soul sounds with traditional Americana rock elements (violin). Great horns and solid backup singing. Clarence is featured here. Has an overall good-time feel. As much as anything it sounds like it could fit on "The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle". What a great song! "Meet me at Mary's Place / We're gonna have a party". You're Missing # Ballad about loss. Inspired by 9/11, but once again has a much more universal meaning. Has a great violin line, and at one point (3:28-3:53) has, to my ears, a real "oriental" feel. The song also features Nils' slide guitar work, and some wonderful strings. At the end is some classic keyboard work from Danny that reminds me of the classic E-Street Band sounds of long ago like on "Racing In The Street" for instance. "Everything is everything / but your missing". The Rising # Like "Into The Fire", this one is overtly about events on 9/11. Big, powerful, and hook laden. It praises a firefighter for his selfless actions. But this song is not morose or sad. Pent-up adrenaline and exhilaration is unleashed here. This is an anthem and a tribute to bravery and sacrifice. "Come on up for the rising." Paradise # This is a soft ballad about losing a loved one. Gentle acoustic guitar is augmented by subtle electric guitar, and Springsteen's usual powerful keyboard washes. Also, there's some very subtle back up singing by Patti. "Paradise" is vaguely reminiscent of "Sound Of Silence" by Paul Simon. This one packs a big emotional punch. My City Of Ruins # Familiar to fans from it's debut at the Christmas shows in 2000, and it's appearance (stripped down) on the post 9/11 telethon, here it is polished up into a soulful ballad. On the telethon it was about New York. But it was originally written about Bruce's adopted hometown Asbury Park. Plenty of horns, hammond B-3 and guitar. There is also enthusiastic choir styled backup singing. Ends with a lonely piano playing. "With these hands, with these hands. Come on, rise up!" This is a great year for being a Bruce fan! - -Mike ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 21:05:22 EDT From: ALateJuliet@aol.com Subject: My Take on The Rising Greetings Luckytowners, I've listened to the CD enough now to make an intelligent (or not!) review. As a whole, the CD didn't grab me at first, but now I'm hooked. 'Course when you're driving thru Asbury Park on a hot summer Sunday (like I did today), with Bruce on and the windows down, and walking on the beach just KNOWING what went on there this past week, that kinda has an effect ; ) I HAD to go to Asbury today, on my way home from a friend's in south Jersey, since I didn't partake in the past week's festivities. I LOVED the "Greetings" sign hung over the traffic lights on Main St. & Asbury Ave. - (by the fire house) and the "Asbury Park is Rising" sign at the Stone Pony. Incidentally, it's kinda neat to get a perspective of Asbury Park (boardwalk, Convention Hall, Casino, HoJo's, etc.), from the beach vs. just on the boardwalk or driving along Ocean Ave. like I usually do. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best: Lonesome Day - Didn't do nuthin' for me at first, but I'm liking it a whole lot more now. Even tho the lyrics are a bit of a downer, the song manages to sound upbeat and positive. This song sounds as if it would have fit on Human Touch or Lucky Town. 5 Into the Fire - This song is a prayer. Blessed be the writer who puts poetry in motion and makes it into a prayer. 10 Waitin' On a Sunny Day - How could you NOT like the upbeat, bouncy, fun song? Love the glockenspiel! 9 Nothing Man - Pearl Jam has a tune by this name too, if I'm not mistaken. I loved this the first time I heard it. Kinda has a "Walk Like a Man" (my fave Tunnel tune) flavor to it. 10 Countin' on a Miracle - Not one of my faves, but I like the message so I'll take it. 5 Empty Sky - My least fave song on the DISC. Not ALBUM, not RECORD, not CD, but DISC. (for those who saw Letterman LOL). 3 Worlds Apart - Might be my fave. It jumped right out at me upon first listen. I was like HOLY FRICAN COW! Very different for Bruce. Kudos to him for being experimental, and pulling it off. I said this before, and I'll say it again. This is gonna be the showstopper of the tour. 10 Let's Be Friends - Not only the title, but the opening chords remind me of the '70's War hit, "Why Can't We Be Friends" and I found myself singing the chorus to the (Bruce's) opening chords. I think both songs have the same "can't we all just get along" message. This is such a fun, flirty song. Any cute guys who I happen to sit next to at a show, this is your warning! 8 Further - WOW! Great! LOVE Bruce's vocal, even though to me it sounds like he's got a cold. Love how his voice cracks on the word "...my gun is COCKED". This song has a Mike Ness/Social Distortion feel to it. I could easily see Mike doing this song. One of my faves on the disc. 10 The Fuse - This song seems to be driving every female fan horny, but it doesn't do anything for me. It kinda snakes along, which could be interpreted as sexy, but I could live without this song. 4 Mary's Place - Easily the best party song on the disc. The more I hear it, the more I like it, and the better the mood Bruce puts me in. I can't wait to hear it live on Wednesday. 10 You're Missing - What a tearjerker. "Everything is everything" is sheer perfection; so ambiguous but yet so direct. I try to put myself into the shoes of someone who lost a loved one, and this song says it all. 10 The Rising - Loved it the first time I heard it. Not complaining but I think the guitar solo is too early in the song. I love the "dream of life" lines in the last verse. 10 Paradise - Beautiful and haunting. Only thing is, I don't see how this song is from the perspective of a suicide bomber's parent, as some have mentioned. 8 My City of Ruins - At first I didn't like the drums or the production compared to the gorgeous Telethon version, but now I'm loving this song. By ending the disc with this song, it leaves us with a positive message to rise up, above whatever your life's circumstances are. I love the fact that Bruce wrote it for Asbury Park, well BEFORE September 11, and how uncannily it relates to 9-11. Same thing going on with U2's "All That You Can't Leave Behind" disc. 10. I think the sequencing of songs is perfect. Bruce said on Letterman he thinks it's his best work. I wouldn't say it's his best, but I love the diversity of sad/happy/reflective songs, and the production. Linda [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002 22:20:53 -0400 From: Michael Whalen <75533.434@compuserve.com> Subject: Re: Bob Handlin, "Let's be Friends" & race "Let's Be Friends (skin to skin)" is a race thing. The sense of community & oneness that Americans felt after the attacks (at least here in NYC) present a unique opportunity to bridge the emotional gap between black & white people. "Don't know when this chance might come again..." "The time has come to let the past be history, if we could just start talking." "There's a lot of walls need tearing down. We could take them down one by one." The sequencing of "Worlds Apart" & "Skin to Skin" is one of the best one/two punches on the record. Bruce then throws up his hands at the enormity of the gulf between us, but vows to meet again "further up the road." At least that's one interpretation. michael ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002 17:04:40 EDT From: Larcin292@aol.com Subject: Re: LuckyTown Digest V9 #56 In a message dated 8/5/02 3:54:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time, owner-luckytown-digest@luckytown.org writes: > > Can someone tell me where I've heard the intro to "My City of Ruins" before? > There's a song at the tip of my tongue and I can't place it. To me the intro sounds a lot like The Band's song "The Weight",which is one of my favorite songs. I keep getting to that track and thinking my "Music From Big Pink" CD got mixed in there! [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002 22:10:28 -1000 From: Don Weisman Subject: Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002 22:10:28 -1000 Bob Hanlin wrote: "That said, I'm still trying to figure out how "Let's Be Friends" fits." I interpret that song as a message/challenge/threat to us all that if we can't learn to live with one another, we face a lifetime of 9/11s. KailuaDon ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002 17:00:20 -0400 From: "Gene Lazo" Subject: LTD V9.56 Brian Hedden Question >> Can someone tell me where I've heard the intro to "My City of Ruins" before? There's a song at the tip of my tongue and I can't place it. No Woman No Cry -- Bob Marley -- Legend: The Best of Bob Marley ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002 08:13:49 EDT From: STUTAZ@aol.com Subject: My two cents on The Rising Personally I think that Bruce's new album is a masterpiece. I also was lucky enough to have gotten an advance copy. This is all my wife and I have listened to since we put it into our cd players. Each time we listen I feel like I am hearing it again for the first time. Yesterday, I visited with a woman who lost her husband at the World Trade Center. I inquired if she had been aware of all that has been going on with Springsteen and his new album. She informed me that she had purchased The Rising several days earlier and that she has been listening over and over again. She said that Bruce had hit it right on the nail head. The emotions that she has had running through her body, her mind, her soul have been so eloquently dipicted by Bruce on The Rising that it is difficult for her to put into words how lucky she feels to have a copy of his newest album. She said that she is finding a great deal of solace from having it in her possession. This is what I know Bruce had hoped would be the result of his newest release. Creating this new music, putting it out into the world and hoping that his songs find those people who get the most from it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion concerning The Rising, that is what makes the world go round and I am certain that Bruce never expects to please every single person who listens to his new music. However, his new album is not about 9/11 but rather about 9/12. I personally feel blessed to have his new music. For it has helped me personally to make some sense out of a very tragic time and event in the history of our great country. All I can say is long live rock n' roll, love live Bruce Springsteen! As far as I am concerned faith has once again been rewarded by Bruce's release of The Rising. Stu in Englishtown New Jersey ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002 16:41:41 -0500 From: "Aaron Hunter" Subject: Remember it is just an albumn For all of you that review the Rising and get overly critical of it or don't like it, remember that it is just a music albumn. A good example of this is Waitin On A Sunny Day. Why do the lyrics have to be some masterpiece on every song to some of you? The song is fun and sounds good and that makes it enjoyable. The first time I heard it I didn't know the lyrics and was not exactly listening to them but I enjoyed it. Now if the whole albumn was like this it would be horrible, but a song or two is okay. There are 15 songs on this albumn so give a break to a few of these lighter ones and try to enjoy them. If you take all the junk that is out there today that gets played over and over and over on the radio and compare it to this albumn, it is a masterpiece. For all of you that have seen Bruce live and I suspect that most of you have, you know he can turn these songs into something. I realize everyone has a right to their opinion and being critical of some aspects of the albumn is normal. I don't like everything the man writes. Remember the song High Hopes. I didn't like it. I also don't understand why some of you want to compare it to albumns from 20 plus years ago and say it doesn't measure up to this or that. Of course it doesn't, but that doesn't mean its worse or better, just different. Time and people change. But as far as the Rising goes and if you are a Springsteen and Estreet Band fan then you owe it to yourselves to keep listening because this is an incredible albumn. Remember don't get to serious with each and every song and you may end up loving this albumn and actually enjoy all of his albumns more then before. Aaron. [text/html attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002 14:12:33 -0700 (PDT) From: Jerry White Subject: Random Hits, misses and curve balls... So Brian, tell us how you really feel about Let's Be Friends? :-) That song reminds me of a Sly and the Family Stone rave-up. Kind of like Hot Fun in the Summertime, Bruce-i-fied. No, it's not Bruce's typical connect-with-your-soul imagery, but it's a fun little ditty. I give this song a windows rolled down, hands drumming on the wheel, thumbs up. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 05 Aug 2002 22:51:01 -0400 From: Kevin McClintock Subject: Empty Sky, Into The Fire and Sunny Day First, on a lighter note. I will be happy to hear NBC playing "Waiting on a Sunny Day" during the rain delay of the NASCAR broadcast. They really love Bruce and use his songs on a lot of the NASCAR broadcasts. Second, Empty Sky is obviously inspired by the events of last fall, but the song could also work metaphorically for the loss of any loved one. The third and fourth lines talk about "Just an empty impression in the bed where you used to be", the lines about having nothing but an Empty Sky could be interpreted as invoking a feeling that someone who lost a loved one (either to death or to a break up) could have. Third, when I saw U2 in 85 at the Erwin Center, they left the stage during "New Year's Day" and the crowd continued to chant "How long" for what seemed like 5 minutes. I keep thinking that would seem natural for "Into the Fire". If Bruce left the stage after this song and 20,000 people chanted the chorus for 5 minutes it would be very emotional: "May your strength give us strength May your faith give us faith May your hope give us hope May your love give us love" Think about this chorus, now think about 20,000 people chanting it over and over after the band has left the stage. I remember thinking that the U2 concert in 85 had the feel of a religious revival, I could see the same feeling at the Bruce concert if the people were to chant these lines over and over. [text/x-vcard attachment deleted] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2002 04:58:01 EDT From: Johnedwin17@aol.com Subject: You're missing - a tragedy Just had to air/share my grief. Married just over a year ago July 29th 2001 to Emma, 22 years my junior at 27. Celebrated our wedding anniversary last Monday and bought 2 copies of The Rising, went out celebrating in Birmingham (England) and ended up in Hard Rock Cafe on Broad Street where they bizarrely had a karaoke night and Dancing in the Dark was on offer. I was eventually persuaded not to ruin it so didn't sing. One of our best ever nights out was at the Manchester Evening News Arena on Bruces last tour. We cried when they played "If I should fall behind" and had the words printed on our wedding invites and also had it played as the first song at our wedding. Played the album to death ...... and then on Thursday night Emma left me. Said she wanted to do things that women of 28 do and felt old with me. She's been unhappy she said for some time having a ready made house and all the material things I've worked so hard for in the last 30 years. Spent the last 3 days in a trance. Saw Bruce on Letterman which was fantastic and so sad for me. Trying so hard to find solace in music but the first verse of Empty Sky and the whole of You're Missing absolutely tear me apart John ------------------------------ End of LuckyTown Digest V9 #57 ****************************** ********************************************************************* ** 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.