Live/1975–85

Live/1975–85
Live album by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Released	November 10, 1986
Recorded	October 18, 1975 – September 30, 1985
Genre	Rock
Length	216:13
Label	Columbia
Producer	Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, Bruce Springsteen
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Robert Christgau (A-) link Rolling Stone (Excellent) link
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band chronology
Born in the U.S.A. (1984) Live/1975–85 (1986) Tunnel of Love (1987)

Live/1975–85 is a live album by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. It consists of 40 tracks recorded at various concerts between 1975 and 1985. It was released as a box set with either five vinyl records, three cassettes, or three CDs. There was also a record club only release which came on three 8-track cartridges, which is extremely hard to find.

History

Springsteen's long-awaited and highly-anticipated live album generated advance orders of more than 1.5 million copies, making it the largest dollar-volume pre-order in the history of the record business at the time.^[1] Record stores around the country found fans waiting in line on Monday morning before opening and one New York store reportedly sold the album right off the back of the delivery truck. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart, a rare occurrence that hadn't happened in ten years since Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life in 1976. It also became the first five-record set to reach the top 10 and the first to sell over a million copies.

Two singles were released from the box set: "War" (a cover of the 1970 Edwin Starr hit), which was a #8 success on the U.S. pop singles chart, and "Fire" (a Springsteen song that was a top 10 hit for the Pointer Sisters in 1979), which only reached #46 on the Billboard charts, breaking Springsteen's string of eight consecutive Top 10 singles. The music video for "War" was taken from the concert where it was recorded, while the video for "Fire" was from a completely unrelated 1986 acoustic performance at a Bridge School Benefit concert. A third video, for "Born to Run", was also released, which showed a melange of clips from the band's 1984–85 Born in the U.S.A. Tour.

Not surprising, given Springsteen's reputation as a live performer and the sheer scope of the 40-song set, most reviews were overwhelmingly positive. There were, however, a few critics that felt the album could have been better, citing the omission of several concert highlights such as Springsteen's live rendition of "Prove It All Night" and his rousing cover of John Fogerty's "Who'll Stop the Rain", among others. Another complaint was that some of his many unreleased songs such as "The Fever" were ignored in favor of recent album tracks like "Darlington County".^[2][3]

Live/1975–85 is the second-best-selling live album in U.S. history based on RIAA certification. It has been certified by the RIAA for 13 times platinum, trailing only Garth Brooks' Double Live. This figure reflects the RIAA practice of counting each disc in a multi-disc set as a separate unit sold; the actual number of copies sold is instead slightly over 4 million. Based on albums sold, Live/1975–85 also trails Peter Frampton's Frampton Comes Alive! (6 million) and Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band's Live Bullet (5 million) among best-selling live albums. The box set's sales performance attracted considerable media attention at the time, first for setting records during the 1986 holiday shopping period, then later for fizzling out in sales in early 1987, leaving many retailers overstocked.^[4]

Track listing

Vinyl

Side 1

1. "Thunder Road" – 5:46
   • Recorded October 18, 1975 at The Roxy Theatre.
2. "Adam Raised a Cain" – 5:26
   • Recorded July 7, 1978 at The Roxy Theatre.
3. "Spirit in the Night" – 6:25
   • Recorded July 7, 1978 at The Roxy Theatre.
4. "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" – 6:34
   • Recorded December 31, 1980 at Nassau Coliseum.
   • Mistitled as "4th of July, Ashbury Park" on the CD boxset

Side 2

1. "Paradise by the "C"" – 3:54
   • Recorded July 7, 1978 at The Roxy Theatre.
   • Song never released by Springsteen before. The version on this release omits Bruce saying "All you bootleggers out there in radioland, roll your tapes" right before the song.
2. "Fire" – 2:51
   • Recorded December 16, 1978 at the Winterland. The short spoken intro is from July 7, 1978 at The Roxy.
   • Song never released by Springsteen before, although recorded by others most notably by The Pointer Sisters and Robert Gordon.
3. "Growin' Up" – 7:58
   • Recorded July 7, 1978 at The Roxy Theatre. This version doesn't mention the name of Bruce's lawyer, who later became the mayor in his hometown.
4. "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City" – 4:39
   • Recorded July 7, 1978 at The Roxy Theatre.

Side 3

1. "Backstreets" – 7:35
   • Recorded July 7, 1978 at The Roxy Theatre.
   • This version edits out a long section in the middle which includes early versions of "Drive All Night" and "Sad Eyes"
2. "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" – 10:00
   • Recorded July 7, 1978 at The Roxy Theatre.
3. "Raise Your Hand" (Steve Cropper/Eddie Floyd/Alvertis Isbell) – 5:01
   • Recorded July 7, 1978 at The Roxy Theatre.
   • Cover song never released by Springsteen. Eddie Floyd 's version of the song is the most well known.

Side 4

1. "Hungry Heart" – 4:30
   • Recorded December 28, 1980 at Nassau Coliseum.
2. "Two Hearts" – 3:06
   • Recorded July 8, 1981 at Meadowlands Arena.
3. "Cadillac Ranch" – 4:52
   • Recorded July 6, 1981 at Meadowlands Arena.
   • Mistitled as "Caddillac Ranch" on the CD boxset
4. "You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)" – 3:58
   • Recorded December 29, 1980 at Nassau Coliseum.
5. "Independence Day" – 5:08
   • Recorded July 6, 1981 at Meadowlands Arena.

Side 5

1. "Badlands" – 5:17
   • Recorded November 5, 1980 at Arizona State University, the night after the election of Ronald Reagan to the United States presidency.
2. "Because the Night" (Springsteen/Patti Smith) – 5:19
   • Recorded December 28, 1980 at Nassau Coliseum.
   • Song never released by Springsteen before, although recorded by others most notably by Patti Smith and, later, 10,000 Maniacs.
3. "Candy's Room" – 3:19
   • Recorded July 8, 1981 at Meadowlands Arena.
4. "Darkness on the Edge of Town" – 4:19
   • Recorded December 29, 1980 at Nassau Coliseum.
5. "Racing in the Street" – 8:12
   • Recorded July 6, 1981 at Meadowlands Arena.

Side 6

1. "This Land Is Your Land" (Woody Guthrie) – 4:21
   • Recorded December 28, 1980 at Nassau Coliseum.
   • Cover song never released by Springsteen before.
2. "Nebraska" – 4:18
   • Recorded August 6, 1984 at Meadowlands Arena.
3. "Johnny 99" – 4:24
   • Recorded August 18, 1985 at Giants Stadium.
4. "Reason to Believe" – 5:19
   • Recorded August 18, 1984 at Meadowlands Arena.

Side 7

1. "Born in the U.S.A." – 6:10
   • Recorded September 30, 1985 at the LA Coliseum.
2. "Seeds" – 5:14
   • Recorded September 30, 1985 at the LA Coliseum.
   • Song never released by Springsteen before.
3. "The River" – 11:42
   • Recorded September 30, 1985 at the LA Coliseum.

Side 8

1. "War" (Barrett Strong/Norman Whitfield) – 4:53
   • Recorded September 30, 1985 at the LA Coliseum.
   • Cover song never released by Springsteen before. This was a hit for Edwin Starr in the 1970s. At the time Springsteen played it live, War had recently been issued as the B-side of the Frankie Goes to Hollywood 12-inch hit single "Two Tribes" and Welcome to the Pleasuredome album.
2. "Darlington County" – 5:12
   • Recorded September 30, 1985 at the LA Coliseum.
3. "Working on the Highway" – 4:04
   • Recorded August 19, 1985 at Giants Stadium.
4. "The Promised Land" – 5:36
   • Recorded September 30, 1985 at the LA Coliseum.

Side 9

1. "Cover Me" – 6:57
   • Recorded September 30, 1985 at the LA Coliseum.
2. "I'm on Fire" – 4:26
   • Recorded August 19, 1985 at Giants Stadium.
3. "Bobby Jean" – 4:30
   • Recorded August 21, 1985 at Giants Stadium.
4. "My Hometown" – 5:13
   • Recorded September 30, 1985 at the LA Coliseum.
   • This performance previously released as the music video for "My Hometown" single

Side 10

1. "Born to Run" – 5:03
   • Recorded August 19, 1985 at Giants Stadium.
2. "No Surrender" – 4:41
   • Recorded August 6, 1984 at Meadowlands Arena.
3. "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" – 4:21
   • Recorded August 20, 1984 at Meadowlands Arena.
4. "Jersey Girl" (Tom Waits) – 6:30
   • Recorded July 9, 1981 at Meadowlands Arena.
   • This performance was released in 1984 as the B-side of the "Cover Me" single. The song was written by Tom Waits and originally released on his Heartattack and Vine album.

CD

Disc 1

1. "Thunder Road" – 5:46
2. "Adam Raised a Cain" – 5:26
3. "Spirit in the Night" – 6:25
4. "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" – 6:34
5. "Paradise by the "C"" – 3:54
6. "Fire" – 2:51
7. "Growin' Up" – 7:58
8. "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City" – 4:39
9. "Backstreets" – 7:35
10. "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" – 10:00
11. "Raise Your Hand" (Steve Cropper/Eddie Floyd/Alvertis Isbell) – 5:01
12. "Hungry Heart" – 4:30
13. "Two Hearts" – 3:06

Disc 2

1. "Cadillac Ranch" – 4:52
2. "You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)" – 3:58
3. "Independence Day" – 5:08
4. "Badlands" – 5:17
5. "Because the Night" (Springsteen/Patti Smith) – 5:19
6. "Candy's Room" – 3:19
7. "Darkness on the Edge of Town" – 4:19
8. "Racing in the Street" – 8:12
9. "This Land Is Your Land" (Woody Guthrie) – 4:21
10. "Nebraska" – 4:18
11. "Johnny 99" – 4:24
12. "Reason to Believe" – 5:19
13. "Born in the U.S.A." – 6:10
14. "Seeds" – 5:14

Disc 3

1. "The River" – 11:42
2. "War" (Barrett Strong/Norman Whitfield) – 4:53
3. "Darlington County" – 5:12
4. "Working on the Highway" – 4:04
5. "The Promised Land" – 5:36
6. "Cover Me" – 6:57
7. "I'm on Fire" – 4:26
8. "Bobby Jean" – 4:30
9. "My Hometown" – 5:13
10. "Born to Run" – 5:03
11. "No Surrender" – 4:41
12. "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" – 4:21
13. "Jersey Girl" (Tom Waits) – 6:30

Personnel

The E Street Band

• Roy Bittan – piano, synthesizer, background vocals
• Clarence Clemons – saxophone, percussion, background vocals
• Danny Federici – organ, accordion, glockenspiel, keyboards, background vocals
• Nils Lofgren (beginning in 1984) – guitars, background vocals
• Patti Scialfa (beginning in 1984) – synthesizer, background vocals
• Bruce Springsteen – vocals, guitars, harmonica
• Garry Tallent - bass
• Steve Van Zandt (until 1984) – guitars, background vocals
• Max Weinberg – drums

Additional musicians

• Flo and Eddie (Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman) - backing vocals on "Hungry Heart"
• The Miami Horns – horns on "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"
  • Stan Harrison – tenor sax
  • Eddie Manion – baritone sax
  • Mark Pender – trumpet
  • Mike Spengler - trumpet
  • Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg – trombone
• Soozie Tyrell

Production

• Toby Scott – engineer

Chart positions

References