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Rating: The promotion of the previous "Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J." led Springsteen to perform in arenas he wasn't used to yet. Moreover, opening for the Chicago did not yield the hoped-for results, and the disappointment of the 24-year-old musician from New Jersey is quite understandable. The disastrous night of June 15, 1973, at Madison Square Garden was the last straw, forcing the earnest Bruce to vow not to set foot in an arena for a good while.
The return to the studio happened without any pressure from the record company, due to their diminished interest in what might have been the second album of the New Jersey artist. The writing of the tracks for "The Wild..." confirms a strong desire for redemption, resulting in seven tracks where there is a joyful combination of music and lyrics, serving as an unequivocal demonstration of artistic growth compared to the unfortunate debut.
The introduction to the album with "The E-Street Shuffle" and its Latin-tinged escapades presents an imagery perfectly connecting to "Greetings....", while the escape desire in "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)", a ballad with a bitter flavor, immediately clarifies the aspiration for radical change that the more ambitious Bruce embodies. If "Wild Billy's Circus Story" seems unusual, the incisiveness of "Incident On 57th Street" demonstrates how a brilliantly interpreted narrative in a delicate and successful melodic context can contribute to creating those imaginary realms so dear to a certain auteur cinema. The apparent festivity of "Kitty's Back" reflects the driving rhythmic momentum that perfectly aligns with the multiple instrumental interventions, giving the jazz nuances much more than just a decorative consideration. Confirming that as you go on listening you can only enjoy the best are: "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" and "New York City Serenade". The first is one of those songs that embodies even more than others the autobiographical spirit of a passionate Bruce, who, on a fast-paced and compelling rhythm, narrates his forbidden love with the protagonist... leaving you breathless! The second is a declaration of love for a city that is not his own and for the stories that flourish there. Through the flow of notes on David Sancious' piano, spontaneity and warmth reflect, able to portray a seductive spectacle even more emphasized by the spontaneous amalgam that arises between the instruments.
A work with a sincere emotional impact yet equally personal, allowing space for the versatility and value of the tracks through which Springsteen tries to break out from comfortable clichés, giving the entire album an endearing artistic depth, preventing it from remaining trapped in the obligatory genre classifications made in every era.
This album too, recorded at the 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt (NY) in the presence of the usual Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos, reveals itself as reflective enough but still lacking that explosiveness, nonetheless balanced by an unparalleled feeling, typical of those who manage to translate into music the common sentiments of those whose main goal in life is to look ahead and always be the protagonist and never a background extra.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
02 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) (05:36)
Sandy the fireworks are hailin' over Little Eden tonight
Forcin' a light into all those stoned-out faces left stranded on this Fourth of July
Down in town the circuit's full with switchblade lovers so fast so shiny so sharp
And the wizards play down on Pinball Way on the boardwalk way past dark
And the boys from the casino dance with their shirts open like Latin lovers along the shore
Chasin' all them silly New York girls
Sandy the aurora is risin' behind us
The pier lights our carnival life forever
Love me tonight for I may never see you again
Hey Sandy girl
Now the greasers they tramp the streets or get busted for trying to sleep on the beach all night
Them boys in their spiked high heels ah Sandy their skins are so white
And me I just got tired of hangin' in them dusty arcades bangin' them pleasure machines
Chasin' the factory girls underneath the boardwalk where they promise to unsnap their jeans
And you know that tilt-a-whirl down on the south beach drag
I got on it last night and my shirt got caught
And that Joey kept me spinnin' I didn't think I'd ever get off
Oh Sandy the aurora is risin' behind us
The pier lights our carnival life on the water
Runnin' down the beach at night with my boss's daughter
Well he ain't my boss no more Sandy
Sandy, the angels have lost our desire for us
I spoke to 'em just last night and they said they won't set themselves on fire for us anymore
Every summer when the weather gets hot they ride that road down from heaven on their Harleys they come and they go
And you can see 'em dressed like stars in all the cheap little seashore bars parked making love with their babies out on the Kokomo
Well the cops finally busted Madame Marie for tellin' fortunes better than they do
This boardwalk life for me is through
You know you ought to quit this scene too
Sandy the aurora's rising behind us, the pier lights our carnival life forever
Oh love me tonight and I promise I'll love you forever
04 Wild Billy's Circus Story (04:47)
The machinist climbs his ferris wheel like a brave
And the fire eater's lyin' in a pool of sweat, victim of the heatwave
Behind the tent the hired hand tightens his legs on the sword swallower's blade
And circus town's on the shortwave
The runway lies ahead like a great false dawn
Fat lady, big mama, Missy Bimbo sits in her chair and yawns
And the man-beast lies in his cage sniffin' popcorn
As the midget licks his fingers and suffers Missy Bimbo's scorn
Circus town's been born
Whoa, and a press roll drummer go, ballerina to and fro
Cartwheelin' up on that tightrope with a cannon blast lightin' flash
Movin' fast through the tent Mars bent, he's gonna miss his fall
Oh God save the human cannonball.
And the flying Zambinis watch Margarita do her neck twist,
And the ringmaster gets the crowd to count along: "Ninety-five, ninety-six, ninety-seven"
A ragged suitcase in his hand, he steals silently away from the circus grounds
And the highway's haunted by the carnival sounds
They dance like a great greasepaint ghost on the wind
A man in baggy pants, a lonely face, a crazy grin
Runnin' home to some small Ohio town
Jesus send some good women to save all your clowns
And circus boy dances like a monkey on barbed wire
And the barker romances with a junkie, she's got a flat tire,
And now the elephants dance real funky and the band plays like a jungle fire
Circus town's on the live wire
And the strong man Sampson lifts the midget little Tiny Tim way up on his shoulders, way up
And carries him on down the midway past the kids, past the sailors
To his dimly lit trailer
And the ferris wheel turns and turns like it ain't ever gonna stop
And the circus boss leans over, whispers into the little boy's ear "Hey son, you want to try the big top?"
All aboard, Nebraska's our next stop.
06 Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (07:04)
Spread out now Rosie; Doctor come cut loose her mama's reins
You know playin' blind man's bluff is a little baby's game
You pick up Little Dynamite I'm gonna pick up Little Gun
And together we're gonna go out tonight and make that highway run
You don't have to call me lieutenant Rosie and I don't want to be your son
The only lover I'm ever gonna need's your soft sweet little girl's tongue and Rosie you're the one
Dynamite's in the belfry playin' with the bats
Little Gun's downtown in front of Woolworth's tryin' out his attitude on all the cats
Papa's on the corner waitin' for the bus
Mama she's home in the window waitin' up for us
She'll be there in that chair when they wrestle her upstairs `cause you know we ain't gonna come
I ain't here for business baby,
I'm only here for fun
And Rosie you're the one
Rosalita jump a little lighter,
Senorita come sit by my fire
I just want to be your lover ain't no liar,
Rosalita you're my stone desire
Jack the Rabbit and Weak Knees Willie you know they're gonna be there
Ah Sloppy Sue and Big Bones Billie they'll be comin' up for air
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, Oh 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
Rosalita jump a little...
Now I know your mama she don't like me 'cause I play in a rock and roll band
And I know your daddy he don't dig me but he never did understand
Your papa lowered the boom he locked you in your room
I'm comin' to lend a hand
I'm comin' to liberate you, confiscate you, I want to be your man
Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny
But now you're sad, your mama's mad
And your papa says he knows that I don't have any money
(Oh your papa says he knows that I don't have any money)
(Oh so your daddy says he knows I don't have any money)
Well tell him this is last chance to get his daughter in a fine romance
Because a record company Rosie just gave me a big advance
And my tires were slashed and I almost crashed but the Lord had mercy
And my machine she's a dud out stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey
Well, hold on tight, stay up all night `cause Rosie I'm comin' on strong
By the time we meet the morning light I will hold you in my arms
I know a pretty little place in Southern California down San Diego way
There's a little cafe where they play guitars all night and all day
You can hear them in the back room strummin'
So hold tight baby `cause don't you know daddy's comin'
Rosalita jump a little...
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Other reviews
By Torre Ste
"Bruce Springsteen saves the best for last on this CD with 'New York City Serenade,' a piece that shines with its own light."
"'The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle,' an underrated yet very important album, is a fundamental step in his artistic formation."
