BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN : SUNLIGHT SOLDIERS AT THE WEST END

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & STEEL MILL : SUNLIGHT SOLDIERS AT THE WEST END

Soul freak-out / he's guilty (send that boy to jail)
goin' back to georgia
the wind and the rain
hail, hail, resurrection
i got a woman
garden state parkway blues
sunlight soldiers

Label : Rattle Snake

Time : 79:06

Venue : Monmouth College, Long Branch, New Jersey, USA

Date : April 24, 1970

Quality : Soundboard Recording (A-)

Review : Soundboard tape, unevenly mixed and with somewhat muddy sound throughout. Still enjoyable however. This 6-track, 78-minute tape (it first surfaced in the early 1980's) would have to rank as the most misidentified, misdated and cannibalized of all early Springsteen recordings. Many LP and CD bootlegs contain one, two or several of these tracks - assigned to a wide variety of incorrect dates, from late 1969 to mid 1970. There are several very subtle clues during the performance that give away the true location and venue of this show, most notably a dedication by Bruce to the West End (Long Branch) Fire Department and the foot stomping of gymnasium wooden side bleachers before the final track. Vocalist Robbin Thompson is heard on all 6 recordings, which narrows the timeframe to about a 12-week period in the autumn of 1970. Thompson's low-key presence on these songs most likely indicates this gig took place in late September or early October, during Thompson's initial weeks in the band when he was still finding his feet. However the exact day is, as yet, not verified. The songs above can be found on CD boot titles such as "Torn And Frayed", "The Bruce Springsteen Story Vol 3", "Deep Down In The Vaults" and "Sunlight Soldiers At The West End".

Review (BruceBase) : ONE show, with STEEL MILL the sole act on the bill. This was a replacement concert for a cancellation of the musical "Hair". The above-mentioned setlist is taken from a circulating soundboard of very good to excellent quality, although end-user quality tends to vary widely due to the fact the material has been in circulation for over 20 years and some circulating copies are many generations downstream. This 6-song, 78-minute segment of audio, long referred to in collector circles as "the West End gig", would have to rank as the most misidentified, misdated and cannibalized of all Springsteen recordings. To make matters even messier though, the show's epic 30-minute finale, "Garden State Parkway Blues", is sometimes edited into separate segments and assigned fictitious titles such as "Mountain Child", "I Got A Woman" or "Sunlight Soldiers". Many LP and CD bootlegs (such as "TORN AND FRAYED", "THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN STORY VOL 3" and "DEEP DOWN IN THE VAULTS") contain one, two or several of these tracks - assigned to a wide variety of incorrect dates/venues. However "SUNLIGHT SOLDIERS AT THE WEST END" (Rattlesnake) includes the complete audio and merely messes up the correct date/venue. This soundboard tape is very deceptive in that drummer Vinnie Lopez's voice microphone is abnormally dominant in the mix, so much so that it sounds like a co-lead singer (i.e., Robbin Thompson) is interacting with Springsteen throughout the show. However under an extremely close comparison it can be determined that the "co-lead" vocalist is actually drummer and background vocalist Lopez, with his microphone turned way up in the audio mix. Robbin Thompson's voice is definitely not present. There are three critical clues during the performance that, when combined, powerfully point to the true location and date of this show. Firstly, Bruce's dedication to the "West End Fire Department" - this signifies a Long Branch or close proximity location. Secondly, the distinct sound of wooden side bleachers being stomped during the final song - this signifies it's indoors and it's a gymnasium (not a theatre or concert hall). Thirdly, Bruce recites the opening line of James Taylor's song "Sweet Baby James" during "Garden State Parkway Blues" - that places the show no sooner than late March, 1970. Consequently this audio can, to a high degree of probability, be identified as coming from this April 24, 1970 show.

Excerpt (Peter Ames Carlin - Bruce Springsteen Biografie) : Na het debacle van Clearwater speelden Bruce en Steel Mill bijna een maand niet. Dat had te maken met feit dat Lopez nog altijd in de gevangenis in Richmond zat. Bovendien was veel apparatuur kapot en kampten bandleden met alllerlei lichamelijke en psychische kwalen. In oktober speelde de band een lauwe set in het voorprogramma van The Ike en Tina Turner Revue. Het goede nieuws was dat de pas vrijgelaten Lopez er weer bij kon zijn. Een paar dagen later speelde Steel Mill opnieuw een uitverkochte show in de sportzaal van Monmouth College. Tegen het einde van de set werd Danny Federici bijna door de politie van Middletown in de kraag gevat. Gelukkig onderschatten de agenten hoe schrander de band was in het omzeilen van de wet. Lopez herinnert het zich zo : "Bruce liet alle fans die vooraan stonden op het podium komen. Toen nam Davey Sancious de keyboards over en Danny verdween." Het fantoom slaat weer toe ! In november verzorgde de band het voorprogramma van Black Sabbath.