After the three-year gap between his previous releases, the delay between ‘Born to Run‘ (1975) and ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town‘ for the most part caused due to litigation involving former manager Mike Appel, there was strong desire on the part of Bruce Springsteen to be prompt with his next album.
Undeterred at having to follow a brace of albums that judged collectively or on their individual merits were arguably the most enthralling rock music the decade had so far produced, after an extensive US tour through 1978-79 Springsteen initiated recording sessions with his E-Street Band – which by September 1979 yielded a 10-track LP ready for release.
Provisionally titled ‘The Ties That Bind‘ it was received rapturously by Columbia Records, keen to deliver more Springsteen into a marketplace that had taken his unique brand of exhilarating rock and lyrical dynamism to their hearts.
But on the point of sanctioning release ‘The Boss‘, as he was now known to a messianic following, had second thoughts, doubts arising from what Springsteen felt was a story only half-told – and while not a ‘concept’ album in the recognised sense, it lacked the unifying themes which carried ‘Born to Run‘ and ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town.’
So, much to the chagrin of the record company, he went back, if not to the drawing, then the story board, coming up with a new batch of songs that did not necessarily replace what had been recorded, but built on his intended narrative – Springsteen turning the project into a double album, thus increasing his scope and ambition.
Working to a new agenda, recording continued through the early summer of 1980, Springsteen eventually spread 20 songs over the four sides. When the album finally appeared in October 1980 over two years had elapsed since ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town‘ but like its predecessor ‘THE RIVER‘ proved well worth the wait – the new decade presented with its first definitive rock statement.
For those of us already in thrall to Springsteen the backstory was almost as captivating as the everyday dramas, triumphs and tribulations populating the songs. From the sleeve notes it was possible to gauge which tracks had been earmarked for his original intentions – registered in 1979 were weighty, somewhat foreboding pieces such as ‘Point Blank,’ ‘The River,’ ‘Independence Day,’ ‘Stolen Car‘ and ‘The Price You Pay‘ that offered a glimpse into the record Springsteen had at first conceived.
But on rethinking his plans, he came up with a clutch of fast-paced, engaging rockers – ‘Sherry Darling,’ ‘Out In The Street,’ ‘Cadillac Ranch,’ ‘Ramrod,’ ‘I’m A Rocker,’ ‘Two Hearts‘ – broadening the canvas and adding light to the shadows, smiles to the seriousness.
Indeed, if in essence ‘Born to Run‘ is a paean to escaping ‘a town full of losers‘ and ‘Darkness‘ a statement on existing in ‘the badlands‘ then on ‘The River‘ Springsteen continues to draw on the vagaries of daily life, but with a sense that when rolling with the punches, there are still moments of humour and hope.
Superbly sequenced, ‘The River‘ begins with the gloriously strident ‘The Ties That Bind.’ Designated the title track of the withdrawn album, it tears along on a road linking The Byrds to The Clash – the meshing guitars of Springsteen and Steve Van Zandt, prominent keyboards of Roy Bittan and Danny Federici, dexterous bass provided by Garry Tallent, Max Weinberg’s rat-a-tat drumming and unmistakably wailing sax of Clarence Clemons, give immediate notice of the E-Street Band being the finest rock ensemble on the planet.
After an opening song reflecting on how troubles shared are troubles halved, the background party hubbub of ‘Sherry Darling‘ provides a nice contrast. The sense of humour largely absent from his writing since ‘Rosalita‘ seven years before makes a welcome return, lines such as ‘Well let there be sunlight, let there be rain, let the brokenhearted love again/Sherry we can run with our arms open wide before the tide,’ would fit into a number of ‘Darkness’ songs, but sung now not in defiance, but with a huge grin.
‘Jackson Cage‘ and ‘Two Hearts‘ maintain the message of not bowing to the frustrations and dead-ends life can present, the playing impressively passionate on both – but in closing side one Springsteen slows the pace with ‘Independence Day‘ a moving evocation of conflict between a father and son who find themselves divided by generational differences.
With all hope of resolution in tatters the young man is leaving home (”Cause the darkness of this house has got the best of us/There’s a darkness in this town that’s got us too,’), the song crossing a ocean to find resonance in a small town in England where a friend of mine reflected on how close Springsteen was in describing the strife between him and his dad.
(Shrewsbury pun intended)
Chosen to lead off side two, ‘Hungry Heart‘ lightens the mood considerably, this infectious slice of piano-driven power pop sounding the most obvious hit single Springsteen had yet written – borne out by its high placing in the US and UK charts.
The trio of ‘Out in the Street,’ ‘Crush on You‘ and ‘You Can Look (But Better Not Touch‘) even without some witty lyrical couplets would get by on exuberance alone and although ‘I Wanna Marry You‘ shows more restraint, there is an underlying hope the struggling single-mum and her admirer from afar can together find their place in the world.
For the married couple of the title-track, however, hopes for the future erode with every line. Entering wedlock with a child on the way, their story is played out over the plaintive rasp of a harmonica, acoustic guitars and Bittan contributing some tasteful, understated piano. At no age at all there is more solace to be found in the past (‘memories come back to haunt me, they haunt me like a curse,’) than the present or future, the life squeezed out of their lives by fate and failing economy.
‘Born to Run‘ gave us a songwriter supreme, Springsteen adding expressive guitar work to his armory on ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town.’ But right through ‘The River‘ he asserts himself as a first-rate rock vocalist – the title track, ‘Independence Day‘ and side three opening cut ‘Point Blank‘ in particular leaving no doubt of his affecting style, confidence in the material he is presenting by no means misplaced.
While some have alluded to a Dylan influence in ‘Point Blank‘ it is less abstract than how he would present the same scenario, the comparison, if any, found in the cinematic nature of the song. From scene-to-scene Springsteen reflects on a past love affair doomed to failure through dark circumstances, the mournful piano creating a backdrop for several intense episodes.
The musical equivalent of film noir, lines in the final verse (‘Well I saw you last night down on the avenue, your face was in the shadows, but I knew that it was you/You were standin’ in the doorway out of the rain, you didn’t answer when I called out your name,’) take the form of song noir, the imagery both vivid and atmospheric.
But there is little time to linger in the darkness as ‘Cadillac Ranch‘ – propelled by a typically resounding whack on the drums – soon comes hurtling in, the E-Streeters to a man making their mark as guitars, keyboards and sax create an uproarious noise.
This track, along with side four opening song ‘Ramrod‘ (based on an organ riff reminiscent of ‘Let’s Dance‘ by Chris Montez) were criticised for their bombast, but hell if you’re going over the top you might as well rev up to your heart’s content, an appropriate analogy as both are ‘car’ songs – of which ‘Stolen Car‘ is another, but far different in tone, the protagonist accompanied by a stripped back E-Street line-up as he contemplates loneliness within a relationship, an alienation that has left him:
‘(I’m) driving a stolen car down on Eldridge Avenue, each night I wait to get caught/But I never do.’
The fast-paced ‘I’m A Rocker‘ and more reflective ‘Fade Away‘ are two songs from the second batch Springsteen wrote for consideration, neither of which outstay their welcome, the same alas cannot be said for ‘Drive All Night‘ the only example of double-album indulgence across the four sides.
After a couple of heartfelt verses, Springsteen performing the track at the piano, the song begins to meander, eventually giving the impression had this been a single album it would have been more succinct – or omitted altogether.
Much more effective are the side four songs before and after, ‘The Price You Pay‘ finds the E-Street Band at their most cohesive on a ballad mixing contemporary and biblical imagery and the closing ‘Wreck on the Highway,’ Springsteen articulating the despair he felt on seeing a traffic accident and consequences for loved ones of the victim – a powerful, if somewhat sombre end to a largely upbeat collection.
The decision extending ‘The River‘ to a double was quickly vindicated, his 85-minute opus racing to the top of album charts around the world. For the most part reviews were ecstatic, although one dissenting scribe writing for UK music publication Melody Maker dismissed it haughtily as ‘more songs about spark plugs‘ an allusion to the amount of ‘car’ references in the songs.
As a criticism it had the wit of a flat tyre and completely missed the point – not that those of us whose bedroom walls reverberated to the sound of ‘Cadillac Ranch‘ or ‘Ramrod‘ gave a toss (although as you can tell, the comment has been in my grudge bank for forty years).
For some (myself included), ‘The River‘ brought reminder, that vital, engrossing rock music was not just restricted to The Clash – after ten months of being played virtually non-stop, it replaced ‘London Calling‘ on my turntable – the final step in complete Springsteen immersion coming in June 1981 by attending an astounding show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.
Playing UK concerts for the first time since 1975, his live performances in the intervening years had become the stuff of legend on this side of the Atlantic. By combining Elvis, The Who and James Brown with a flair and sense of occasion of his own, nobody who witnessed this gripping, uplifting spectacle was ever likely to forget such a night.
Forty years on, it is a wistful passage from ‘The River‘ that carries the most lasting poignancy. At the end of ‘Wreck on the Highway‘ Springsteen watches his girlfriend sleeping while thinking about the tragedy he has witnessed – the notion of wanting the ones we love to stay free from harm never more resonant than it is today.
THE RIVER (Produced by Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau and Steve Van Zandt), released October 17 1980:
The Ties That Bind/Sherry Darling/Jackson Cage/Two Hearts/Independence Day/Hungry Heart/Out In The Street/Crush On You/You Can Look (But Better Not Touch)/I Wanna Marry You/The River/Point Blank/Cadillac Ranch/I’m A Rocker/Fade Away/Stolen Car/Ramrod/The Price You Pay/Drive All Night/Wreck On The Highway;
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NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of ‘MONTY’S DOUBLE‘ – an acclaimed thriller now available in paperback and as an Amazon Kindle book.