Product Description

There's one song from a 1975 show, which makes the title ofthis box set true in the literal sense, and eight from a 1978 appearance at the Roxy in Los Angeles, but in essence this is Bruce Springsteen in the '80s--physically huge, politically charged and desperate to connect. You get the sense this is no accident. LIVE/1975-85 easily could have been a celebration of Springsteen's rise to rock & roll fame, instead, it's a concerted effort to make something of it. Almost all of LIVE/1975-85 was recorded in arenas and stadiums and almost all of it is intent on spreading a message.
The cover song that resonates most isn't the party encore "Raise Your Hand"(from 1978) but the anti-war chant "War" (from 1985). The most astonishing sequence of songs is all acoustic and almost all angry: Woody Guthrie's protest song "This Land Is Your Land" and Springsteen's own "Nebraska", "Johnny 99" and "Reason To Believe". With its reverberant keyboards and a haunting intro that quotes the soul classic "Nowhere to Run", even the love song "Cover Me" sounds like some sort of protest. There's lots of celebrating and rocking here, too, but mostly there's lots to think about.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Thunder Road
2. Adam Raised A Cain
3. Spirit In The Night
4. 4th Of July Asbury Park (Sandy)
5. Paradise by the "C"
6. Fire
7. Growin' up
8. It's hard to be a saint in the city
9. Backstreets
10. Rosalita
11. Raise your hand
12. Hungry heart
13. Two hearts
14. Cadillac Ranch
15. You Can Look (But You'd Better Not Touch)
16. Independence Day
17. Badlands
18. Because The Night
19. Candy's Room
20. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
21. Racing In The Street
22. This Land Is Your Land
23. Nebraska
24. Johnny 99
25. Reason To Believe
26. Born In The USA
27. Seeds
28. River
29. War
30. Darlington County
31. Working On The Highway
32. Promised Land
33. Cover Me
34. I'm On Fire
35. Bobby Jean
36. My Hometown
37. Born To Run
38. No Surrender
39. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out
40. Jersey Girl

Disc 2:

1. Cadillac ranch
2. You can look (but you better not touch)
3. Independence day
4. Badlands
5. Because the night
6. Candy's room
7. Darkness on the edge of town
8. Racing in the street
9. This is your land
10. Nebraska
11. Johnny 99
12. Reason to believe
13. Born in the USA
14. Seeds

Disc 3:

1. The River
2. War
3. Darlington County
4. Working on the highway
5. The Promised land
6. Cover me
7. I'm on fire
8. Bobby jean
9. My hometown
10. Born to run
11. No surrender
12. Tenth avenue freezeout
13. Jersey girl

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3079 in Music
• Released on: 2006-04-24
• Number of discs: 3
• Formats: Live, Box set

Amazon.co.uk Review
To say that Springsteen's live shows with the E Street Band were legendary is the height of understatement. On a good night, the set might extend to three and four hours of exhilarating, pulse-pounding rock & roll. How best to capture that on CD? Or was it possible at all? As it turns out, Live 1975-1985 comes as close to the experience as possible. Culling material from various tours, with settings ranging from small rooms to stadiums, the three-CD set emphatically displays Springsteen's charisma as a bandleader and storyteller and makes plain the sheer power of the E Street Band. Some of the many highlights here include covers of Edwin Starr's "War", Tom Waits's "Jersey Girl" and Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" and rare versions of originals such as "Because the Night", "Fire" and "Seeds". And relax--all the hits are here as well. If you never saw Springsteen and the E Streeters back then, you might still get your chance. But this set chronicles a special time in the life of a special performer. --Daniel Durchholz

Customer Reviews

If only all his albums could be recorded live
After listening to the River off this album in my mates car I decided to buy my first springsteen record.
Im now a avid fan of the great man . Most of his classics are on the these 3 CD's . From the haunting tracks like Thunder road and Racing in the streets to rocking classics like Born to run and Rosalita.
If theres only one album you get then it sould be this one

Magnificent catalogue of the first half of Bruce's career
If you're interested in Springsteen, or even just in good rock music, this three-disc collection belongs on your shelves ... you will not find a more diverse, better sounding or more astutely performed catalogue of live music. For lovers of Bruce, it's all here - from a poignant piano-only version of Thunder Road, thumping accounts of War, Cadillac Ranch and Seeds, the anthemic Born to Run, and the softer but profound tracks from the Nebraska album which comprise a mellow hiatus during the second CD. Like one of Springsteen's concerts, the energy and poignancy of the numbers jump and fade, both in terms of his vocal delivery and the superb musicianship of the band. Bruce also does his share of talking between tracks, notably personal anecdotes about his parents in the middle of Growin' Up and just before The River - these give the set character (not that it needed any.) An interesting way to listen to this collection is the follow the dates of the recordings and to hear how both Bruce and the E Street band developed over time; their performances seem more earthy and unrefined, though no less entrancing, back in the 1970s. However you choose to listen to this triple-set is up to you - just get it, and listen to it, because you won't be sorry.

AWESOME ROCK POWER
This is an absolutely brilliant live set that captures all of the raw power and the beauty of Springsteen at his best. The performances are awesome and the atmosphere is electric. What makes the album special is hearing songs like Because The Night (a hit for Patti Smith) performed by Bruce himself and songs like Nebraska in full rock mode. The rock instrumentation lends Nebraska new depth and poignancy although I love the acoustic version too. Another favourite is Fire, tender, anguished and passionate with amazing vocals. Born To Run is a real tour de force, gaining lots of energy by the live ambience and the enthusiastic applause. Jersey Girl, made famous by Tom Waits, provides another highlight in its wistful delivery with the achingly beautiful organ and Bruce’s voice taking a tender turn. This song is pure poetry with its gripping images and wailing sax. Promised Land and Born In The USA also deserve special mention and of course Bruce’s wonderful version of Woody Guthrie’s This Land Is Your Land, but there are no bad moments and the whole Live album is one captivating listening experience.