After listening to countless bootlegs during this tour, an official release is like a breath of fresh air. No frustration whatsoever about instrument separation or intrusive audiences, no muddiness nor a band that sounds like its playing three soccer fields away. The "Magic Tour Highlights" simply sounds, well, magical. Though I had heard the videos of most of these tracks through YouTube or Springsteen's site, I was struck by how good they sound. The tracks have clearly been remixed allowing every subtle note to come to the surface. If you thought Tom Morello's solo on "The Ghost of Tom Joad" sounded amazing before, you're in for a surprise. Taking into account that this is an mp3 based download, that's no mean achievement. The tracks sound as full and rich as what you would expect from a CD. You may think you have all of this in a bootlegged version, but you really haven't.
"Magic Tour Highlights" is a charity release, with the net proceeds going to the Danny Federici Melanoma Fund. With such a noble cause it is hard to have any gripes. A charity download like this makes donating fun and then some. But I can't help having a few reservations on how this whole release was handled. First of course there's the title. Though these are without a doubt fine moments from the Magic tour, it is questionable if they were indeed the highlights. Charming as Alejandro Escovedo's guest appearance may have been, his vocals were a bit off from time to time, nice but no tour highlight. Besides, shouldn't this judgment call be made at the end of the tour, the best may be yet to come. But that gripe is absolutely nitpicking from yours truly. What did make me frown however was the difference between the European release and the American one. I would have loved to tell you how good the videos were, but for us Euros there are no videos to be bought, no digital booklet to be gotten. I'm a bit mystified by this distinction as I would have gladly parted with just a bit more of my hard earned cash to get all those goodies.
Gripes soon forgotten however. Danny's performance on "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" is absolutely stunning. A very nice testimony of why he was such an important element of what made the E-Street Band. And lets be honest, after downloading so many bootlegs, you must have a pretty strong argument not to shell out a few bucks for the Melanoma Fund this way.
The Magic Tour Highlights are available through Amazon and iTunes.
Read what Tom Morello has to say about his collaboration with the Boss.
The Tampa recording found its way to the Internet lightening fast. Usually that is not a good sign. It means that the recording got a quick edit and was simply thrown out there. The quickies are not rarely mediocre recordings. Tampa is an exception to that rule. For a raw audience recording the sound is superb. A nice mix between the audience and the band, with the band coming out especially good. The recording performs consistently well on both the highs and lows, with excellent instrument separation. With a little tinkering this tape could be one of the best of the tour. The angels were looking favorably on the taper this momentous evening in E-Street history. Momentous for lack of better words, I'm struggling to describe this evening. How do you rate a show in which a band says adieu to one of its key and founding members. Should I even want to, what could I could I possibly add in words to the band's tasteful tribute.
You've got to hand it to the man, the Boss' got class, he's got style. After a video tribute with the band, sans Charlie on stage, they tore into an especially fine performance of "Backstreet". A lonely light shining on an empty organ stool, Charlie was asked to wait behind the curtain. This gesture emphasized the hole the Phantom's passing tore into the band. Springsteen's vocals are crystal clear on this recording, you can hear every broken note, every swallowed tear. This clearly is the most emotional night in his career. With Giordano on stage the band ripped into "Radio Nowhere" with resilience, making clear that this tragedy isn't going to stop them dead in their tracks. Quite a few moments in this show though get an extra emotional dimension. "No Surrender" especially seems all the more meaningful this night, this band isn't going to let itself beat down easily. "We better get this one right, there's somebody watching" Springsteen tells the crowd before he meet up with Sandy in Asbury Park once more, the place where it all began, Danny's signature song. If he was watching I'm sure he was smiling. In "Growing Up" the Boss and the Phantom meet for the last time in a one time revival of the mid song story, looking down from the hills of Flemington NJ, looking back at their journey together.
The looking back didn't dominate the evening however. Springsteen and the band seemed more determined to honor the Phantom by passing on. "Maybe everything that dies someday comes back" from "Atlantic City" sums it all up, the E-Street Band may have died, in Tampa they were back in full force, chronicled on this fine tape. Max's drums are full of thunderous force, Roy delivers one lush line after another, the guitars pierce the night and Clarence sax solos fill the arena with renewed life. This is one of those shows where everything seems a high light. Patti was present to bid her farewells as well this evening, so there was an especially nice performance of "Brilliant Disguise". For all the criticism Patti gets from fans, on songs like this their harmony sounds like a match made in heaven. The following "Racing In The Street" proves that Charlie is going to give it his all to be worthy of following in Danny's shoes, featuring an especially moving solo by Roy. One of the better versions ever performed of the song. The encores opened with a well chosen "I'll Fly Away". The arrangement is upbeat, mournful and celebrating at the same time. Exactly what this recording feels like, a celebration of a great man, a celebration of his life and achievements. A more than worthy goodbye.
Sound: 4,5 out of 5 Show: Off the chart Artwork: none
A review from Tampa Calling. The review from Tampa Bay Online. The review from TampaBay.com.
Note:
The already excellent Tampa recording I reviewed here was recently upgraded by Ev2. This version is the one you want to go for. Thanks again for the team at BTX for the links.
The band is in transition right now, Charlie Giordano suddenly found himself being the permanent replacement for Danny Federici after the latter's tragic passing. Guest writer Ally tries to put a few things into perspective for us.
I was doing a little reading on Charlie Giordano the other day, who is sitting in for Danny Federici. Charlie is now introduced as "filling in for Danny Federici, Charlie Giordano" by Bruce in their first concert at Tampa, Florida since the passing of Danny. I initially was hesitant to write my thoughts but then again why not? It cannot be easy to replace a founding member of any institution let alone a founding member of the E Street Band. What Steven Van Zandt said about Charlie, "Charlie has got the impossible job of trying to come in and replace the irreplaceable", is what I would fully expect any longtime member of a group like the E Street Band to say about any other longtime founding member who is no longer there. I wrestled with how to say that and then I thought - just say it Ally, just say it darn it! I am trying to look at this objectively without being offensive, insensitive or otherwise about the passing of Danny.
It is very true that Danny is irreplaceable from the perspective that his keyboard playing was uniquely and identifiably his signature sound and his alone. His sound was one of the foundations of the E Street sound. No one can ever replace that. When Danny and Roy were playing they had a chemistry and bond that only comes from years and years of playing together. That is irreplaceable chemistry. Musicians that have been playing that long together instinctively 'know' where each other is going to go in their playing and they blend in or create some color over the other's passage within the framework of the song. It's what I would call telepathic in a sense (no pun intended). But then again it is like a sixth sense. It's powerful. Any fan who goes to a concert can feel if the band is clicking and again you can feel when it's at another level entirely or something very special. Magical. As one person wrote the other day, "Danny was essential to the E Street sound, he brought layers of color with his organ" and "I truly think him and Roy are what defines the E Street sound." I think that describes it very nicely. Layers of color with his organ. I've heard that "color" thing applied to many keyboardists, and other musicians, over the years and it is perfect.
With that in mind Charlie is the replacement for the irreplaceable. Charlie has been 'himself' interpreting the music, within the framework of each song, as relating to the keyboard parts, since leg two of the tour. He's done a great job and I think we can all agree he will continue to do so. He doesn't have the keyboard Danny-ism's, or color, that were unique to Danny. He has his own Charlie-ism's that we all now need to identify with and hear his unique color. My husband and I travelled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to see the Magic show and I saw a very BIG binder on Charlie's organ. I suspect that that is The Bruce Springsteen Song Book with all the music notation, chords and lyrics for all of Bruce Springsteen's songs. Charlie was flipping through it as the night went on. You can see the Big Book on Charlie's organ on the Bruce Springsteen web site picture where Bruce is leaning on Clarence (Montreal 2008-03-02, top of the page). For you musicians out there that Big Book looks like all the various Fake Books available at music stores. They have them for all types of music. In a nutshell Fake Books have all the music notation, chords, lyrics and any notes written in them for each song in the book.
I know that what I'm about to say are two COMPLETELY different situations. One having a tragic ending and the other just retired after a brilliant career - I know and fully understand - it is a huge difference. So with that in mind, I love American football and I look at what Steve said as kind of similar to what they all (in the NFL, fans, sports writers and analysts) are saying about the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre and how irreplaceable he will be. No one is going to come in and do what Brett Favre did for so many years and likewise no one is going to come in and "fill Danny's shoes" either. So in "that sense" it is a true statement for both Danny and Brett. They are irreplaceable. People talk about how in the business world that everyone is replaceable. That's true about an accountant, an IT analyst, a shoe salesman and many other jobs but this isn't the business world in that sense. It is the music industry where creativity rules the roost and creative types are not replaceable the way they are in the traditional business world. No one replaced Jimi Hendrix. Stevie Ray Vaughan was a great, great guitarist and songwriter who died way too soon as well. After his death the band ended. I know, he was the leader of the band, as was Jimi, and that is different than this situation.
I hope you get the point I might be struggling to make. They weren't replaceable. It's in that same musical, creative and colorful sense Danny is not replaceable. No one can sit-in and play Danny. It is like The Who minus Keith Moon or Led Zeppelin minus John Bonham. Those drummers were not replaceable as there personalities and their 'sound' were key ingredients to their respective bands. Those two were HUGE foundations. The Who recorded a couple of albums with other drummers. Both bands toured with other drummers, but the original drummers were never really replaced, and the replacements could not fill the huge voids that were left by the original members. I mean no disrespect, insensitivity or in any way to take away from the drummers that filled in because they are, in their own right, really, really good drummers and songwriter/singers (Phil Collins).
Charlie has done just fine. He has thus far hasn't he since leg two of the tour? The guy is a terrific player. I loved his playing during the WSO-SSB tour. He's been involved with many projects over the years from rock'n'roll, jazz, blues, R&B, zydeco, cajun. Charlie has pretty much played it all. Danny's place is being chaired by a perfectly capable and highly talented keyboard player who is in the same relative age group as Danny and the rest of the group. Charlie being born in 1954 in Brooklyn, NYC. Will it be the same? No and we should never expect it to be. It can't be the same because we are talking two different keyboard players with different playing tendencies, stylings, sound and different musical upbringings. I really wouldn't want to see Charlie try to be Danny cause that isn't going to work. In the same sense that the next QB cannot try to be Brett Favre because he will fail. I hope my bringing up Brett Favre in comparison doesn't rattle feathers out there - it's not meant to. I wouldn't want it to be the same. Charlie will add his "Charlie-isms" to every song he plays within the framework and context of any given song. With Charlie they all have to develop a new chemistry together. Looking forward into the bands future I wonder how Bruce will have the band do the next recording sessions for whatever E Street Band project comes next. Did the band perform some songs while Danny was still with us for a future release? Clarence Clemons says he has "heard" that there is another E Street Band album ready for release (see URL below). Beyond that possible release will Bruce just go with the remaining band members? Or will Bruce add Charlie in the same way he added Soozie? Playing a couple of songs as she did on the Rising, WSO-SSB and Magic. I hope that I have not offended anyone or was insensitive or disrespectful. I welcome your thoughts.
Below are somelinks that I would like to share with you. One is an interview with Charlie. Another has some examples of Charlie's playing accordion solo.
Here is a link to Charlie's web site, not much there, oh but wait a second, there is a lot of accordion playing there, there is one page with Charlie playing 22 different accordion songs: Here is a very good article, and interview with Charlie, from Keyboard magazine: Another Keyboard magazine article with samples of Charlie's playing:
As a tribute to the Phantom Springsteen played “I’ll Fly Away” last night in Tampa. There are few songs in the great American song book that could have been a better tribute to the man. Albert Edward’s Brumley’s hymn dates back from 1929 and is one of the most sung and well known spirituals of all time. The simple lyrics and melody are easy to connect to, giving the song a universal appeal that reaches far beyond the sacred. “I’ll Fly Away” seems to be a song that speaks to people regardless of their believes. The song is filled with promise, with a firm believe that there’s a better life beyond this one. A very comforting thought to anyone who has ever dealt with the loss of a loved one. Something we all have dealt with or have to deal with at some point in our lives. Not surprisingly the hymn has known countless commercial releases over the years, and countless more live performances, often in very different arrangements.
“Some bright morning when this life is over, I'll fly away” the song opens. That line not only implies that the reward awaits us in the here after, but also that our passing comes as a release of suffering. A theme that’s repeated through out the song. Such a song could only have been written by someone with Brumley’s background. Born in 1905 to a family of sharecroppers in Oklahome, Albert was no stranger to hardship. As an agricultural system sharecropping stood somewhere between slavery and medieval feudal practices. Sharecroppers needed something to cling on to in order to face a life that was often filled with poverty. Some found faith at the bottom of a bottle, some in church. Albert’s parents were of the second category, highly religious people. Story goes that, for a sharecropper, Brumley was exceptionally frail and tender. He never buffed up like most farmer boys did from working in the fields and is characterized as shy in the biographies I found.
A text book case of shallow waters being deep, Brumley was drawn to music and wanted to be taught in the craft. Age 26 he left home penniless and headed for Hartford, Arkansas where, so he heard, the Hartford Music Company, provided the training he so desperately wanted. HMG owner E.M. Barlett gave Brumley his boarding and education for free, moved as he was by this skinny and shy fellow that appeared on his doorstep telling him "Mr. Bartlett, I hear that you'll teach a fella how to sing and how to write music. I've come to learn and I understand I don't have to have any money." Without Barlett’s charity “I’ll Fly Away” would probably never have seen the light of day. Ironically, Albert himself, called the song most associated with his career “a funny little ditty”. He never really thought it anything special, but it is probably because of its simplicity and directness that the song became to have such a lasting appeal. Only a few years back it became a centre piece in the Coen brother’s “O Brother Where Art Thou” in an especially moving rendition by Allison Krauss.
Thematically the song sits well in Springsteen’s canon. Taking from it’s religious context the lyrics speak of hope of resilience. “I’ll Fly Away” is the perfect metaphor for change, of struggling to improve your life. The song can easily be interpreted as leaving behind your old life, breaking the cold iron shackles of your old existence, crawling out of the shadows into the light of a new life. Metaphorically it is a song about transition, about reaching for something better. In Tampa last night however, we should take the song in its literal context. The Phantom passed on, where ever he went, we’ll comfort ourselves with the thought that it’s a better place.
"I'll Fly Away"- Bruce Springsteen, Tampa 2008 Courtesy of Gina Giambone
This morning when I read that Danny passed on, I was suddenly at loss for words. Something that doesn't happen to me quite often. Sad and numb I just flipped through the message boards as the condolences pored in. Hundreds of them, all beautiful personal messages. A poster who calls himself Blue Guitar wrote a beautiful eulogy, Gina put up a lovely shrine up on her site and Dave Metcalf shared a heart warming personal memory. Those were just a few samples of what I let pass before my eyes in those first few hours of the morning, trying to make sense of my own feelings, with the help of some coffee and way to many cigarettes. When I stepped out the door to get some fresh air, the Stones popped into my head. You'd think I'd be playing Sandy over and over, but in the back of my head there was Mick blaring "I know, it's only R&R but I like it". I've always felt that was a weird song and today the why of it fell into place.
No matter what that line implies, for the average R&R fan this music isn't trite, isn't "just" Rock & Roll. Especially not for those who frequent E-Street. For that type of fan R&R is like going to church, a live show their congregation. Fans of this band see their hopes and fears reflected in the music, they relate to it on a highly personal level. The E-Street Band offers songs that are dreams to cling to when the chips our down, prayers in time of need and of course hard rocking, pants dropping, booty shaking, earth quaking Rock & Roll exorcisms. The band celebrates life with you through good times and bad. Hell, their front man was even heralded as a savior, though only of R&R. So when an apostle of this church passes on, it's personal.
Danny's romantic phrasing on "Sandy" took me to a better place when I needed one, made those pier lights and fireworks come to life, transported me to a mythical version of Asbury park. His funky organ solos on "Kitty's Back" found me slipping and sliding through my own living room more than once, to much amusement to anybody who might have been looking through the windows I'm sure. His solo to "You're Missing" tore into my heart when I needed tearing. Live in Chicago last year he really put the spirit in the night. I've never met the man, but still he was a big part to my life, or at least the soundtrack there off.
R&R tends to do that, it tends to crawl under your skin in a way no other art form can. Paintings are too much frozen scenes of life, books take too long to unravel and neither of those can be played in the background as your sound track. Jazz has too much of a distant cool, Opera I simply don't get, with R&R records three minutes is all it takes.
My heart and thoughts go out to your friends and family Dan, but first and foremost I want to thank you. Thank you for being such a big part of my sound track, thank you for some of the music that helped me bear and celebrate my life. And celebrate we will!
Rest in peace Phantom, but be sure to haunt our stereos from time to time.
I just read the news on Backstreets that we lost one of Rock and Roll's finest today. I'm at at loss for words. So I'll just let an old article speak for me I wrote a while back on the Soul Shack when news first got out Danny was ill. Though I never knew Danny personally, he symbolized something important to me and a lot of fans out there. My heart and thoughts go out to his family and friends. Goodbye Phantom Dan, you're on E-Street always.
On November 21 an official press release was issued from the E-Street camp that Danny Federici has to take a leave of absence from the now rolling Magic tour. Danny has been diagnosed with Melanoma, a form of skin cancer. Sessions Band accordionist and organ player Charles Giordano will replace Danny Federici for the time being. Even though Charles will undoubtedly be up to the task at this stage in the history of the E-Street Band replacing members is tricky business. Ever since the band Reunited in '99 fans have been able to experience what I like to call the mythical incarnation of the E-Street Band. Even though the boys never played in that particular combination before, each one of the members on stage in '99 was an essential part of the history of the band. Danny's leave of absence now is different from earlier personal changes in many ways. It is true that Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez was replaced by Ernest "Boom" Carter in '73. Vini was fired on account of his erratic behavior. It is true both Boom and David Sancious left in '75, right before Bruce Springsteen would bust wide open. The band at the time wasn't making any money and both gentle men had the opportunity to build a career else where. Little Steven left the fold, in a temporarily lapse of judgment, right before the "Born in the USA" tour started. Steven wanted to pursue his solo career and there were some rumors he wasn't all to happy with his role in the band. Steven was replaced by the over qualified Nils Lofgren.
Both band members and fans were shocked when Springsteen disbanded the E-Street band in the late eighties. Springsteen needed a break from the band, needed to see if he had viability beyond the E-Street band. He was arguably going through a personal as well as creative crisis at the time. Touring with another rock band in '92, during the Luck Touch tour proved however what an essential ingredient the E-Street Band was to his Rock sound. As early as '95 Springsteen began researching a reunion with the sessions for the Greatest Hits album. At the time things didn't sit well. But after gaining critical acclaim with a solo tour promoting the "Ghost of Tom Joad Album", Springsteen was ready to get the boys back together. The band that reunited in '99 consisted of all the members that played an essential part in building Bruce's career and had become a legendary entity of it's own in the intermittent years. This was the Band that played on Springsteen's break through album, this was the band that rocketed Springsteen to unimaginable heights in '84.
The E-Street band became more than a band in '99. They became a symbol. The E-street Band signified the promise of R&R. A genre that has been band based since the British Invasion. R&R holds that romantic notion where you can get your friends together in your garage or basement and make your way up to the top. R&R success has to do with more than simply scoring hits, it has to do with the ties that bind, it is that idea of lasting friendship. The E-Street Band is one of those rare examples that such a bond is possible, one of the few bands that managed to stick together with everybody alive and well. Springsteen may have proved his merit as a solo artist but when touring with the boys he is as much a member of the band as he is the main attraction.
Danny Federici is at the heart and soul of that band. With bass player Gary Tallent, Danny always played a background role. So its easy to understate his significance to E-Street. He isn't up front wailing his sax and doing silly dances with Bruce like Clarence Clemons, he isn't up blaring in the microphone with his arm around the Boss like Little Steve, nor is he dueling in solos like Bruce likes to do with Nils. Yet in more than a few songs Danny is an essential part of the foundation the Band needs for its theatrics. Listen to the band rip into "Glory Days" or "Ramrod" and hear Danny's raucous organ laying down the ground works. Listen to "The Fever" with the Band going into wailing blue eyed soul mode, Danny's there providing the essential texture. Listen to "Lost in the Flood" or the quintessential Danny song "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" and he's there to provide the the very heart of those songs.
Danny Federici is a rarity in R&R. He is one of the few examples of an accordionist working in a R&R bar band. Starting out on classical accordion from the age of seven, Danny was converted to the Gospel of R&R when he heard the Beatles. Like many boys from his generation Danny was pulled into R&R hearing "Twist & Shout" coming through the radio. For that generation R&R was a revelation. Even though initially he made the transition into Jazz and Blues from there, as admitted in a 2002 interview, he soon found himself playing in a New Jersey Garage band, the Storytellers. Through the Jersey shore scene he met Bruce Springsteen in '67, who was playing in the Castilles at the time. As early as '69 he found himself playing with the Boss in the short lived band Child. That band eventually evolved through Steel Mill and Doctor Zoom and the Sonic Boom into the E-Street band. It was in these early, pre-E-Street days that Danny would earn his nickname Phantom Dan. When a riot broke out during one of the Steel Mill shows sound equipment fell on the local chief of police. Danny fled the scene like a ghost.
Danny's affiliation with the Boss dates back for a rough 40 years. Few friendships survive that long a stretch, certainly not when friends form bands with all the tension the road brings. Listen to those early Springsteen albums today and it is apparent that Danny played an important part in Bruce finding his initial voice. "Wild Billy's Circus Story", "Sandy" and "Kitty's Back" are a few examples that stand out. Danny provided some of the jazzy and romantic touches that made those songs into the early Springsteen classics they are today. Danny would find himself playing an equally essential role throughout the history of the Band. Without him E-Street would have been a very different place in R&R indeed.
The Boston show of November 19th will be the last show Danny plays for a while as he goes into treatment. The set very featured a prominent "Sandy" with Danny shining on the accordion. I'm sure it wont be the last time around for Danny on E-Street. Dates for 2008 have already been announced. As I cannot imagine Springsteen and the boys continuing as the E-Street Band without Phantom Dan, I take it as a sign that Danny's recovery will be swift and to good health. My thoughts are with him and his family and I want to use this place to thank him for all he's contributed to the E-Street Band over the years. Take care and we'll see you on the road Danny.
I'm revamping the Boot Tracker by combining them with your stories. One of the things I enjoy about the message boards are the touching, crazy and exiting stories that pop up from time to time. Great yarns on what impact the very first show had, wicked exploits, grand adventures, heart breaking tales, they've all passed by. I would like to give some of those stories a home here on Boss Tracks by combining them with the recording of your personal show of legends!
So if you were at one of those legendary shows, if you had a lucky encounter with the man himself, if you recall the very moment you were converted to the E-Street nation, let me know. Pictures to go with them are appreciated, but not necessary and it always helps if you own a recording of the show, but the story is what matters!
You can send your contributions to soulboogiealex@gmail.com. I look forward to them. And who knows, with Boss Tracks currently linked up to the official site, some one else might take a sneak at them as well. After all, the tour's over, what else is he going to do with his time!
Welcome saints and sinners, A while back as a big Soul music fan I started a blog called the Soul Shack. Almost immediately other things leaked into the blog besides Soul. Music and movies that weren't necessarily Soul music but did get to the soul. One of those interests was the music of Bruce Springsteen. I'm a big fan of the man and every month there were one or two items that just kind of sneaked in there. One of the main attractions to me about Springsteen is how you can trace the history of R&R through his music. Not only are his own songs littered with references to the past of R&R but the man also covered hundreds of songs from R&R's rich past. In all there are over a thousand.
A while back I decided to start chasing these sides, begin a collection of original 45 rpm records that Springsteen covered or overtly referred to in his music.Reason enough to start a new blog dedicated to the works of Springsteen and those who inspired them. There are a multitude of websites and blogs already dedicated to the man, but I feel this approach does have something to add to those corners on the world wide web.
So what to expect? In the coming years I will review songs that were either covered by Springsteen or referred to in his songs as soon as I find the original version on a 7" record. Real vinyl, no CD and certainly no mp3 or other digital format. Expect only the real deal here. I'll try to post about all those treasure troves I hope to find here. Besides that I will be reviewing Springsteen related material found on vinyl, records written or produced by him or members of his band.Every find will be available in mp3 format for a short period of time if possible backed with a live version of Springsteen if available. MP3 files are posted here strictly for the purpose of music criticism and comparison and therefore fall under the "fair use" guidelines of U.S. copyright law. If you find any material here on Boss Tracks that you feel violates your intellectual property be free to contact me at soulboogiealex@gmail.com.This will be a labor of love and it is not my intention of stepping on any body's toes here.
To flesh the site out a little, Boss Tracks will also feature a monthly Bosscast. A pod cast dedicated to the music of Bruce Springsteen, the roots of his music and related artists. There will be occasional concert reviews, articles found on the net and in depth reviews of his own work. If there is anything you'd wish to contribute, Boss Tracks will be open to other users. Just drop me an e-mail if you've got a nice find yourself you wish to review!Hope to find you here chasing with me!
After listening to countless bootlegs during this tour, an official release is like a breath of fresh air. No frustration whatsoever about instrument separation or intrusive audiences, no muddiness nor a band that sounds like its playing three soccer fields away. The "Magic Tour Highlights" simply sounds, well, magical. Though I had heard the videos of most of these tracks through YouTube or Springsteen's site, I was struck by how good they sound. The tracks have clearly been remixed allowing every subtle note to come to the surface. If you thought Tom Morello's solo on "The Ghost of Tom Joad" sounded amazing before, you're in for a surprise. Taking into account that this is an mp3 based download, that's no mean achievement. The tracks sound as full and rich as what you would expect from a CD. You may think you have all of this in a bootlegged version, but you really haven't.
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