Released on this day (2nd June) in 1978 and reached #5 on the US Chart and #16 on the UK Chart. It was Produced by Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau and Steven Van Zandt
Frank Stefanko did the photography for the album and the shoot had taken place at his house in New Jersey. Springsteen said, "When I saw the picture I said, 'That's the guy in the songs.' I wanted the part of me that's still that guy to be on the cover. Frank stripped away all your celebrity and left you with your essence. That's what that record was about."
Below are some Live versions of the songs that are on the album from across the years since the album was released, as I believe that they actually sound much better than the studio version. So let's begin with Side 1.
1. Badlands (Live in 1978 from Phoenix)
2. Adam Raised A Cain (Live in 2009 from Stockholm)
3. Something In The Night (Rare 1976 Live Version that's very different to the Album Recording. I must admit that I like this version and wish he had retained it. Live at The Palladium, New York. November 2, 1976.)
4. Candy's Room (Live in Houston 1978)
5. Racing In The Street (Live at Meadowlands Arena, E. Rutherford, NJ - July 1981. Released on the Live 1975-85 Boxset)
And now Side 2
1. The Promised Land (Live in Barcelona 2002 on The Rising Tour)
2. Factory (Live in Philadelphia 25th September 1999)
3. Streets of Fire (Live from Winterland 15th December 1978)
4. Prove It All Night (With the 1978 Intro. Live in Sydney 22nd March 2013)
5. Darkness On The Edge of Town (Live at Madison Square Gardens, NYC on the Reunion Tour)
"My own thoughts about the album at the time (I was 15 years old when it came out!) was that here was a bloke who knew a thing or two about life and was able to communicate something of the desolation of being stuck somewhere you didn't want to be. I always get a bit annoyed by people who assume that because Bruce is American and he's often writing from an American perspective that he has nothing in common with those outside of the USA. But the fact is alienation, struggle, relationship issues, despair and hope etc are actually very universal themes so it's quite easy I think to find yourself in his songs even if you were growing up in London in 1978." - I wrote those words for my previous blog, Soundtrack4Life, quite a few years ago.
Bob Dylan has been covered by so many artists down through the years. Chrissie Hynde has just released an album of Dylan covers called 'Standing In The Doorway'. When it comes to covering Dylan songs I actually think that some of them are better than the originals (yeah, I know, shoot me!) mainly because while Bob is a great songwriter he's not the best singer on the planet! So here's five of My Favourite Bob Dylan Covers (in no particular order of preference).
Chimes of Freedom - Bruce Springsteen and The E Street BandI Believe In You - Sinéad O'ConnorI Shall Be Released - The HeptonesIt's All Over Baby Blue - Echo and The BunnymenMy Back Pages - Ramones
The Woody Guthrie Prize, which annually honors an artist who speaks out for social justice through their works in a way that exemplifies the folk pioneer’s spirit. Past recipients include Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, John Mellencamp, Mavis Staples, Kris Kristofferson, Chuck D and Norman Lear. Springsteen becomes the eighth recipient of the prize which was awared last night.
After the presentation Springsteen performed a four song Acoustic set starting with Woody Guthrie's 'Tom Joad Part 2', followed by 'Deportees' and finishing up with two of his own songs, 'Across the Border' and 'The Ghost of Tom Joad'. You can watch the full permance here:
