Hammersmith, Odeon, London '75 - Springsteen, Bruce (CD 2006)

In the 1970's a then little-known rock and roll legend was born. His name was Bruce Springsteen, he jammed with the E Street Band, he played the guitar, and his album was "Born to Run." Despite being dubbed the "Future of Rock and Roll" by both Jon Landau and Rolling Stone Magazine, it is hard to believe how far Springsteen has come since his heyday in the '70s. The E Street Band concert in 1975 in London captured on this CD "Hammersmith Odeon, London '75" was the first ever for the band in Europe and still is considered to be one of the most memorable and inspirational even to this day.

We now have four live CD's of Springsteen: Live 1975-85, MTV unPLUGGED, Live in New York City, and finally Hammersmith Odeon. From owning copies of all four events and listening to the all extensively, the Hammersmith Odeon is simply the best live album of the best live rock and roll band. Live 1975-85 simply placed way too much emphasis on the "Born in the USA" album and not enough on songs from his earlier days. MTV unPLUGGED is probably the weakest of the group simply because it does not have the full E Street Band and Live in New York City does a good job capturing the spirit of an older and more mellow Bruce. Hammersmith Odeon has the E Street Band, a younger Bruce Springsteen, and a full concert. In this "Two CD" set people will undoubtedly relive the magic that is the E Street Band.

The track list for the CD is as follows:

Disc One
1. Thunder Road (5:50)
2. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (3:50)
3. Spirit in the Night (7:35)
4. Lost in the Flood (6:15)
5. She's the One (5:23)
6. Born to Run (4:16)
7. The E Street Shuffle (12:51)
8. It's Hard to Be a Saint in this City (5:27)
9. Backstreets (7:22)

Disc Two
1. Kitty's Back (17:14)
2. Jungleland (9:35)
3. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (9:51)
4. 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) (7:03)
5. Detroit Medley (7:02)
6. For You (8:26)
7. Quarter to Three (6:44)

"Thunder Road" is the first track on the CD and it starts off a bit more "delicate" than all of his other songs. The crowd is also not as enthused as they should have been about this song, but the magical thing is that Bruce is able to convince a group of Brits to declare their allegiance to a American rock and roll star. Nevertheless it is an extremely powerful song and an instant classic. Next is the fiery "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" and this is probably the best version of the song I have ever heard. The meaning of the song is pretty well known--it loosely describes the formation of the E Street Band. "Spirit in the Night" follows and has a jazzy taste to it. The best part of this song is the slow and quiet third stanza when Springsteen whispers the story of "Hazy Day" going "into the lake in just his socks and a shirt" and him and "Crazy Janie makin' love in the dirt." The crowd seems to get a great kick out of this song. "Lost in the Flood" is pretty intense but always a classic. In my opinion "She's the One" is the turning point of the concert. The E Street Band grows more sure of itself and the crowd also gains confidence in the band. Starting off slowly, the song eventually explodes into a frenzy that is so unique yet so typical of a Springsteen rock song. "Born to Run" needs absolutely no introduction but it is obvious that the concert version is much faster than the studio recording. "The E Street Shuffle" has never been one of my favorite Springsteen songs but it does make a nice impression. The song sounds very different from the studio version and Springsteen even throws in some lines from Sam Cooke's "Havin' A Party." "It's Hard to Be a Saint in this City" has a catchy beat and should be embraced by almost any Springsteen fan. The first disc is finished off with "Backstreets" and Springsteen's (in)famous rants about "Hiding on the Backstreets."

The second CD starts with "Kitty's Back" which has a jazzy sound to it just like "Sprit in the Night." Springsteen also adds lines from Van Morrison's "Moondance" in this song. It is a long song though coming in at over seventeen minutes. The last song on the "Born to Run" album is "Jungleland" and it also appears towards the end of the concert. This is a very typical version with an incredible Clarence Clemmons saxaphone solo right before the closing lines of the song. "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" is sharp, the band remains focused, and lives up to its reputation as being Springsteen's classic and best love song. "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" is a classic Springsteen song and with its pomp and opening horns section remains one of the best songs in the concert. A fan favorite, "Detroit Medley" is a really good, upbeat song that the band plays really nicely. Clarence Clemmons' distinctive saxaphone playing is also quite common in this version. This song then explodes into a relatively subtle version of "For You", which first appeared on the "Greetings" album. The concert is topped off with "Quarter to Three" which has a nice beat from the drums of Max Weinberg and is a very good song to end on. And that pretty much sums up the album that they know as "Hammersmith Odeon, London '75".

Yes, this CD was released late last year in the form of a DVD for the Born to Run 30th Anniversary Box Set, but it is still a quality CD and should be owned by both the die hard Springsteen fan and the recreational listener.

Hopefully the release of this album may lead to more live CD's released by Springsteen. In the accompanying album art, he does say that as he grows older he enjoys viewing footage of him in concert. We can only hope for good things in the future.