Bruce Springsteen Taps 1975 London Show For New Official Boot

Bruce Springsteen has just issued the fourth live set from the E Street Band's 1975 tour in support of his Born To Run album. The new official bootleg, Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK – 11/24/75, follows previous releases from Los Angeles; Upper Darby, Pennsylvania; and the November 18th, 1975 show from the same London stand.

The concert features a clutch of classic covers including the band's killer versions of the Manfred Mann's “Pretty Flamingo” and “Sha-La-La,” Elvis Presley's “Wear My Ring Around Your Neck,” Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels' “Detroit Medley,” the Searchers' “When You Walk In The Room,” Gary “U.S.” Bonds' “Quarter To Three,” the Isley Brothers' “Twist And Shout,” and a double-shot of Chuck Berry with “Carol” and “Little Queenie.”

The Born To Run dates coincided with the period where Springsteen's legal issues with then-manager Mike Appel began and eventually prevented him from hitting the studio for his long-awaited followup album. Springsteen recalled how damaging it was not being able to record a followup to his breakthrough album until nearly two full years after it's release: “These days, two or three years goes by between records and people don't think about it much — but in those days, like I say, you forget I made two records in the first (laughs) year that I had a contract, and another record shortly after that. Two or three years between records then — you disappeared. And I read many, many articles; 'Whatever happened to. . .?' you're 'dead,' you're a 'flash in the pan' — and for all I knew — that might've been true!”

Although they had been playing on and off for nearly a decade, Steve Van Zandt officially became the guitarist for the E Street Band just prior to the launch of the Born To Run tour in July 1975. He told us that in all of his travels he's never encountered an artist or performer even close to Bruce Springsteen: “He's an exception to almost any rule. Y'know, anybody that follows the pattern of his sort of career choices is doomed (laughs) to failure — I promise you, okay? It's not like. . . He is completely unique in what he can pull off — and you get used to that.”

The tracklisting to Hammersmith Odeon – London, UK – 11/24/75 is:

“Thunder Road,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” “Spirit In The Night” “Lost In The Flood,” “She's The One,” “Born To Run,” “Pretty Flamingo” “Growin' Up,” “It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City,” “Backstreets,” “Sha-La-La,” “Jungleland,” “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy),” “Wear My Ring Around Your Neck,” “Detroit Medley,” “For You,” “When You Walk In The Room,” “Quarter To Three,” “Twist And Shout,” “Carol,” and “Little Queenie.”