I was late to the party and stole this record from my older sister in 1985. I was all of 11 at the time and thought this was the coolest album (besides my beloved copy of Van Halen's 1984) and played it until the grooves were flat. Then bought another copy. It was one of those albums that cemented my desire to be a professional musician. I've had the pleasure of meeting just about every member of the E Street Band - except the Boss - throughout my playing career at various gigs. It was amazing each time to think of the impact those folks had on me at a young age through that album, and I was standing backstage with them getting ready to play on the same stages.
It's funny you brought up VH's 1984. That and BitUSA were everywhere that summer. And I truly believe both albums helped me more fully embrace synthesizers. I was able to accept the more atmospheric uses (like in "Downbound Train" or "I'll Wait") than the all-out synth assaults that more pop-oriented bands were doing by using them as a crutch other than a tool. Still, it opened the door for me to embrace electronic music like Tangerine Dream, which I jumped heavily into by the end of the '80s.
And what more of a rock'n'roll way to get into the album than stealing your copy - even if it was only from your sister!
Now that you point it out I never really thought about the way the synth was used in the arrangements on BitUSA. The album was mixed so well and the material so well written that it didn't pop out to me. It was more anthemic to me. On the other hand, I wasn't sure what to make of 1984's synth use when I heard it the first time. Until 1984 arrived all I listened to was Fair Warning and Diver Down, so 1984 was a huge departure of what I expected from VH. "I'll Wait" was the tune that changed my perspective on the album. I meet AVH several years ago and he told me that outside of Ed's experimentation with synths he was always experimenting with electronics as well. Evident on the 5150 tour's drum set he was playing which was a mix of electronic Simmons pads for toms with acoustic bass drums, snare and toms. Al kept that same eDrum /acoustic drum mix going for years. Both of those albums did a lot to change the musical landscape for sure.
I love the outtakes from this era of Bruce and have been obsessing over them for years. I might make a supplement mixtape just focused on them, come to think of it.
Had a Zoom chat a couple months ago with the guy who worked PA alongside director John Sayles when he shot the two videos for the LP: "Glory Days" and "I'm On Fire." Fascinating story and thrilling to be working with Bruce and the band!
I was late to the party and stole this record from my older sister in 1985. I was all of 11 at the time and thought this was the coolest album (besides my beloved copy of Van Halen's 1984) and played it until the grooves were flat. Then bought another copy. It was one of those albums that cemented my desire to be a professional musician. I've had the pleasure of meeting just about every member of the E Street Band - except the Boss - throughout my playing career at various gigs. It was amazing each time to think of the impact those folks had on me at a young age through that album, and I was standing backstage with them getting ready to play on the same stages.
It's funny you brought up VH's 1984. That and BitUSA were everywhere that summer. And I truly believe both albums helped me more fully embrace synthesizers. I was able to accept the more atmospheric uses (like in "Downbound Train" or "I'll Wait") than the all-out synth assaults that more pop-oriented bands were doing by using them as a crutch other than a tool. Still, it opened the door for me to embrace electronic music like Tangerine Dream, which I jumped heavily into by the end of the '80s.
And what more of a rock'n'roll way to get into the album than stealing your copy - even if it was only from your sister!
Now that you point it out I never really thought about the way the synth was used in the arrangements on BitUSA. The album was mixed so well and the material so well written that it didn't pop out to me. It was more anthemic to me. On the other hand, I wasn't sure what to make of 1984's synth use when I heard it the first time. Until 1984 arrived all I listened to was Fair Warning and Diver Down, so 1984 was a huge departure of what I expected from VH. "I'll Wait" was the tune that changed my perspective on the album. I meet AVH several years ago and he told me that outside of Ed's experimentation with synths he was always experimenting with electronics as well. Evident on the 5150 tour's drum set he was playing which was a mix of electronic Simmons pads for toms with acoustic bass drums, snare and toms. Al kept that same eDrum /acoustic drum mix going for years. Both of those albums did a lot to change the musical landscape for sure.
Nice!
I love the outtakes from this era of Bruce and have been obsessing over them for years. I might make a supplement mixtape just focused on them, come to think of it.
Had a Zoom chat a couple months ago with the guy who worked PA alongside director John Sayles when he shot the two videos for the LP: "Glory Days" and "I'm On Fire." Fascinating story and thrilling to be working with Bruce and the band!