Clarence Clemons Is My Sax God
I've just been listening to some of The Big Man's finest work - largely as a result of this objectionable piece of inanity. (It's not just that I object to the phenomenon of 'list of 100 greatest all time designer sandwich wrappers' on the grounds that such enterprises are a sad excuse for a lack of critical intelligence so much as it's self-evidently the case that Born To Run isn't even Bruce Springsteen's best album of the 1980s - that accolade goes to The River - let alone The Best Album Of All Time). So I've spent the early part of the evening re-acquainting myself with The Boss's finest work - and was overawed by the god-like genius of Side One Track Two Sherry Darling, a sort of Frat Rock / Jersey Shore re-working of And Her Mother Came Too, and blessed with a couple of delicious examples of Clarence at his best. If you don't already know it go out and buy it right now.
Update: Whoops! - Erratum: for Born To Run read Born In The USA above throughout. And vice versa. I mean, obviously.
Update: Whoops! - Erratum: for Born To Run read Born In The USA above throughout. And vice versa. I mean, obviously.
posted by Nick at 8:36 pm
4 Comments:
Born to Run came out in '75. Just sayin'.
"Sherry Darlin'" was supposed to be the opening song on Side 2 of Born in the USA -- where it would get a bit more prominence -- but they finished up "No Surrender," decided it was too good to leave off the album and stuck it on Side 2 ahead of Sherry.
My favorite of his is Darkness on the Edge of town ('78), although The River hangs together exceptionally well for a double album. I suspect Darkness is one of HIS favorites as well -- songs from it have been overrepresented in his subsequent concerts.
this sax thing has taken over your every waking thought... presumably no time for football anymore
If you really want to listen to Clarence wail, you gotta listen to the LIVE set, Nick. Seriously.
Lex - you are of course quite correct (see Update). I share your enthusiasm for Darkness - some very fine stuff. But The River holds its place for me - an album that is forever associated (in my mind) with the sheer joy of arriving at Davidson for the first time in September 1980. Soundtrack of a period & all that.
RenMan - you've obviously noticed that I've taken up something for which I have no discernible talent or experience, at the suggestion of the woman I love who is a professional musician with two teenage daughters - one of them with 4 good Grade 8s; the other, at age 11, is principal trumpet with the National Children's Orchestra, drummer for one of the better local brass bands and & has just got into the Royal Northern College Of Music. So I've got no obvious motivation or pressure to achieve adequacy . . .
Eleanor - absolutely: last saw him at the old Wembley Stadium in London in 1985 (see photo on the back of the live boxed set) & in spite of Miami Steve being replaced by Nils Lofgren they absolutely stormed . . .
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