Álbum: In Concert/MTV Plugged
Artista: Bruce Springsteen
- Fecha de lanzamiento: 12 de Abril de 1993
- Compositores: Bruce Springsteen
- Productores: Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin
Antecedentes: El "Unplugged" que se Enchufó
A principios de los 90, la serie "MTV Unplugged" era un fenómeno cultural, donde los grandes artistas del rock mostraban su faceta más íntima con actuaciones acústicas. En 1992, le llegó el turno a Bruce Springsteen. Sin embargo, fiel a su espíritu rebelde, decidió romper las reglas. Tras tocar una sola canción en formato acústico ("Red Headed Woman"), Springsteen se detuvo y le dijo al público: "Ya he hecho eso". Acto seguido, su nueva banda de gira (la "Other Band") subió al escenario y el resto del concierto fue un espectáculo de rock completamente eléctrico.
Este movimiento fue controvertido en su momento, pero totalmente coherente con la etapa que vivía Springsteen, quien promocionaba los álbumes "Human Touch" y "Lucky Town" y quería mostrar la potencia de su nueva formación. El álbum y el especial de televisión "In Concert/MTV Plugged" capturan esta actuación única, una instantánea de un período de transición en su carrera, sin la E Street Band.
El Concierto y la Interpretación
El concierto se grabó en los Warner Hollywood Studios en septiembre de 1992. La "Other Band" incluía a músicos de sesión de primer nivel y a la corista (y esposa de Springsteen) Patti Scialfa, la única miembro de la E Street Band presente, además de Roy Bittan que también participó en la gira. El sonido es más pulido y tiene un toque de R&B de los 90, diferente al sonido crudo de la E Street Band.
El repertorio se centra casi exclusivamente en las canciones de sus dos álbumes de 1992, ofreciendo versiones en vivo enérgicas de temas como "Better Days", "Human Touch" y "Living Proof". También incluye una emotiva versión de "Thunder Road" que cierra el álbum. La actuación es profesional y potente, aunque carece de la química casi mítica de sus conciertos con la E Street Band.
Análisis Musical y Sonoro
El sonido de "In Concert/MTV Plugged" refleja el rock de principios de los 90. Es una producción limpia y de alta calidad. La banda es técnicamente impecable, pero el sonido es menos orgánico y más contenido que el de los legendarios conciertos con la E Street Band. Es un documento fascinante de un período en el que Springsteen exploraba deliberadamente nuevos territorios sonoros y trabajaba con una nueva paleta de músicos.
Recepción y Legado
El álbum recibió críticas mixtas en su lanzamiento. Algunos elogiaron la calidad de las interpretaciones y la valentía de Springsteen al desafiar el formato "Unplugged". Otros, sin embargo, lo vieron como una oportunidad perdida y extrañaron la energía y la camaradería de la E Street Band. Comercialmente, el álbum tuvo un rendimiento modesto para los estándares de Springsteen, alcanzando el número 189 en el Billboard 200, aunque el vídeo tuvo más éxito.
Hoy en día, el álbum es visto como una curiosidad interesante en su discografía, un documento de una época de transición y un recordatorio de que Springsteen nunca ha tenido miedo de seguir su propio camino, incluso a riesgo de alienar a una parte de su audiencia. Es esencial para entender su evolución artística durante la década de los 90.
Posición en listas:
- Estados Unidos (USA): 189
- Reino Unido (UK): 4
- Alemania: 29
- España: 10
Listado de Canciones
- Red Headed Woman2:51
Letra
Well brunettes are fine man And blondes are fun But when it comes to getting a dirty job done I'll take a red headed woman A red headed woman It takes a red headed woman To get a dirty job done Well listen up stud Your life's been wasted Til you've got down on your knees and tasted A red headed woman A red headed woman It takes a red headed woman To get a dirty job done Tight skirt, strawberry hair Tell me what you've got, baby, waiting under there Big green eyes that look like, son They can see every cheap thing that you ever done Well I don't know how many girls you've dated, man But you ain't lived til you've had your tires rotated By a red headed woman A red headed woman It takes a red headed woman To get a dirty job done - Better Days4:27
Letra
Well my soul checked out missing as I sat listening To the hours and minutes tickin' away Yeah just sittin' around waitin' for my life to begin While it was all just slippin' away I'm tired of waitin' for tomorrow to come Or that train to come roarin' 'round the bend I got a new suit of clothes a pretty red rose And a woman I can call my friend These are better days baby Yeah there's better days shining through These are better days baby Better days with a girl like you Well I took a piss at fortune's sweet kiss It's like eatin' caviar and dirt It's sad funny ending to find yourself pretending A rich man in a poor man's shirt Now my ass was draggin' when from a passin' gypsy wagon Your heart like a diamond shone Tonight I'm layin' in your arms carvin' lucky charms Out of these hard luck bones These are better days baby These are better days it's true These are better days There's better days shining through Now a life of leisure and a pirate's treasure Don't make much for tragedy But it's a sad man my friend who's livin' in his own skin And can't stand the company Every fool's got a reason for feelin' sorry for himself And turning his heart to stone Tonight this fool's halfway to heaven and just a mile outta hell And I feel like I'm comin' home These are better days baby There's better days shining through These are better days Better days with a girl like you These are better days baby These are better days it's true These are better days Better days are shining through - Atlantic City5:38
Letra
Well, they blew up the chicken man in philly last night Now, they blew up his house, too Down on the boardwalk they're gettin ready for a fight Gonna see what them racket boys can do Now, there's trouble bustin in from outta state And the D. A. Can't get no relief Gonna be a rumble out on the promenade And the gamblin commissions hangin on by the skin of his teeth Well now, evrything dies, baby, that's a fact But maybe evrything that dies someday comes back Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty And meet me tonight in atlantic city Well, I got a job and tried to put my money away But I got debts that no honest man can pay So I drew what I had from the central trust And I bought us two tickets on that coast city bus Now, baby, evrything dies, honey, that's a fact... Now our luck may have died and our love may be cold But with you forever I'll stay Were goin out where the sands turnin to gold Put on your stockins baby, 'cause the nights getting cold And maybe evrything dies, baby, that's a fact But maybe evrything that dies someday comes back Now, I been lookin for a job, but it's hard to find Down here it's just winners and losers and don't Get caught on the wrong side of that line Well, I'm tired of comin out on the losin end So, honey, last night I met this guy and I'm gonna Do a little favor for him Well, I guess everything dies, baby, that's a fact... - Darkness On The Edge Of Town4:40
Letra
Well, they're still racing out at the trestles But, that blood it never burned in her veins Now, I hear she's got a house up in Fairview In a style she's trying to maintain Well, if she wants to see me You can tell her that I'm easily found Tell her, there's a spot out 'neath Abram's Bridge And tell her there's a darkness on the edge of town There’s a darkness on the edge of town Well, everybody's got a secret, Sonny Somethin’ that they just can't face Some folks spend their whole lives trying to keep it They carry it with them every step that they take Till someday, they just cut it loose Cut it loose or let it drag 'em down Where no one asks any questions Or looks too long at your face In the darkness on the edge of town In the darkness on the edge of town (Guitar Solo) Now some folks are born into a good life And other folks get it anyway, anyhow And I lost my money and I lost my wife Them things don't seem to matter much to me now Tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop I'll be on that hill with everything I got Well, lives on the line where dreams are found and lost I'll be there on time and I'll pay the cost For wantin’ things that can only be found In the darkness on the edge of town In the darkness on the edge of town - Man's Job5:43
Letra
Well you can go out with him Play with all of his toys But takin' care of you darlin' Ain't for one of the boys Oh there's somethin' in your soul That he's gonna rob And lovin' you baby lovin' you darlin' Lovin' you woman is a man's man's job Lovin' you's a man's job baby Lovin' you's a man's job Lovin' you's a man's job baby Lovin' you's a man's job Well now his kisses may thrill Those other girls that he likes But when it comes to treatin' A real woman right Well all of his tricks No they won't be enough 'Cause lovin' you baby lovin' you woman Lovin' you darlin' is a man's man's job Lovin' you's a man's job baby Lovin' you's a man's job Lovin' you's a man's job baby Lovin' you's a man's job You're dancin' with him he's holding you tight I'm standing here waitin' to catch your eye Your hand's on his neck as the music sways All my illusions slip away Now if you're lookin' for a hero Someone to save the day Well darlin' my feet They're made of clay But I've got somethin' in my soul And I wanna give it up But gettin' up the nerve Gettin' up the nerve Gettin' up the nerve is a man's man's job Lovin' you's a man's job baby Lovin' you's a man's job Lovin' you's a man's job woman Lovin' you's a man's job - Human Touch7:30
Letra
You and me we were the pretenders We let it all slip away In the end what you don't surrender Well the world just strips away Girl, aint no kindness in the face of strangers Aint gonna find no miracles here Well you can wait on your blesses my darling I got a deal for you right here I aint looking for praise or pity I aint coming round searching for a crutch I just want someone to talk to And a little of that human touch Just a little of that human touch Aint no mercy on the streets of this town Aint no bread from heavenly skies Aint nobody drawing wine from this blood Its just you and me tonight Tell me, in a world without pity Do you think what I'm askins too much I just want something to hold on to And a little of that human touch Just a little of that human touch Oh girl that feeling of safety that you prize Well it comes at a hard hard price You can't shut off the risk and the pain Without losing the love that remains Were all riders on this train So youve been broken and youve been hurt Show me somebody who aint Yeah, I know I aint nobodys bargain But, hell, a little touch up and a little paint... You might need something to hold on to When all the answers, they don't amount to much Somebody that you could just to talk to And a little of that human touch Baby, in a world without pity Do you think what I'm askins too much I just want to feel you in my arms Share a little of that human touch Feel a little of that human touch Give me a little of that human touch - Lucky Town5:08
Letra
House got too crowded clothes got too tight And I don't know just where I'm going tonight Out where the sky's been cleared by a good hard rain There's somebody callin' my secret name I'm going down to Lucky Town Going down to Lucky Town I wanna lose these blues I've found Down in Lucky Town Down in Lucky Town Had a coat of fine leather and snakeskin boots But that coat always had a thread hangin' to loose Well I pulled it one night and to my surprise It led me right past your house and on over the rise I'm going down to Lucky Town Down to Lucky Town I'm gonna lose these blues I've found Down in Lucky Town Down in Lucky Town I had some victory that was just failure in deceit Now the joke's comin' up through the soles of my feet I been a long time walking on fortune's cane Tonight I'm sleepin' lightly and feelin' no pain Well here's to your good looks baby now here's to my health Here's to the loaded places that we take ourselves When it comes to luck you make your own Tonight I got to dirt on my hands but I'm building me a new home Down in Lucky Town Down in Lucky Town I'm gonna lose these blues I've found Down in Lucky Town - I Wish I Were Blind5:14
Letra
I love to see the cottonwood blossom In the early spring I love to see the message of love That the bluebird brings But when I see you walkin' with him Down along the strand I wish I were blind When I see you with your man I love to see your hair shining In the long summer's light I love to watch the stars fill the sky On a summer night The music plays you take his hand I watch how you touch him as you start to dance And I wish I were blind When I see you with your man We struggle here but all our love's in vain Oh these eyes that once filled me with your beauty Now fill me with pain And the light that once entered here Is banished from me And this darkness is all baby that my heart sees And though this world is filled With the grace and beauty of God's hand Oh I wish I were blind When I see you with your man - Thunder Road5:28
Letra
The screen door slams Mary's dress waves Like a vision she dances across the porch As the radio plays Roy Orbison singing for the lonely Hey that's me and I want you only Don't turn me home again I just can't face myself alone again Don't run back inside darling you know just what I'm here for So you're scared and you're thinking That maybe we ain't that young anymore Show a little faith, there's magic in the night You ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright Oh and that's alright with me You can hide `neath your covers And study your pain Make crosses from your lovers Throw roses in the rain Waste your summer praying in vain For a savior to rise from these streets Well now I'm no hero That's understood All the redemption I can offer, girl Is beneath this dirty hood With a chance to make it good somehow Hey what else can we do now Except roll down the window And let the wind blow back your hair Well the night's busting open These two lanes will take us anywhere We got one last chance to make it real To trade in these wings on some wheels Climb in back Heaven's waiting on down the tracks Oh oh come take my hand Riding out tonight to case the promised land Oh oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road oh Thunder Road Lying out there like a killer in the sun Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run Oh Thunder Road, sit tight take hold Thunder Road Well I got this guitar And I learned how to make it talk And my car's out back If you're ready to take that long walk >From your front porch to my front seat The door's open but the ride it ain't free And I know you're lonely For words that I ain't spoken But tonight we'll be free All the promises'll be broken There were ghosts in the eyes Of all the boys you sent away They haunt this dusty beach road In the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets They scream your name at night in the street Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet And in the lonely cool before dawn You hear their engines roaring on But when you get to the porch they're gone On the wind, so Mary climb in It's a town full of losers And I'm pulling out of here to win. - Light Of Day8:17
Letra
Well I've been out of the woods for six days and nights now I'm a little hot wired and I'm feeling alright now I got some money in my pocket and I won't need a ride now I got a big cherry car and my baby by my side now (alt. I gtta make it down to Galveston by Saturday night) Well I'm a little hot-wired but I'm feeling ok And I got a little lost along the way And I'm just around the corner From the light of day Just around the corner From the light of day Well driving 500 miles got 100 to go, yeah I've got rock and roll music on the radio I've got a brother on the rig who's from the Gulf Coast He said the girls down there are really the most Well I got thrown out of work on the Kokomo Don't ask me what I'm doing cause I don't know I hope he wasn't joking when he wrote me that letter Things can't get worse so they got to get better - If I Should Fall Behind4:45
Letra
We said wed walk together baby come what may That come the twilight should we lose our way If as were walkin a hand should slip free Ill wait for you And should I fall behind Wait for me We swore wed travel darlin side by side Wed help each other stay in stride But each lovers steps fall so differently But I'll wait for you And if I should fall behind Wait for me Now everyone dreams of a love lasting and true But you and I know what this world can do So lets make our steps clear that the other may see And I'll wait for you If I should fall behind Wait for me Now there's a beautiful river in the valley ahead There neath the oaks bough soon we will be wed Should we lose each other in the shadow of the evening trees Ill wait for you And should I fall behind Wait for me Darlin I'll wait for you Should I fall behind Wait for me - Living Proof6:05
Letra
Well now on a summer night in a dusky room Come a little piece of the Lord's undying light Crying like he swallowed the fiery moon In his mother's arms it was all the beauty I could take Like the missing words to some prayer that I could never make In a world so hard and dirty so fouled and confused Searching for a little bit of God's mercy I found living proof I put my heart and soul I put 'em high upon a shelf Right next to the faith the faith that I'd lost in myself I went down into the desert city Just tryin' so hard to shed my skin I crawled deep into some kind of darkness Lookin' to burn out every trace of who I'd been You do some sad sad things baby When it's you you're tryin' to lose You do some sad and hurtful things I've seen living proof You shot through my anger and rage To show me my prison was just an open cage There were no keys no guards Just one frightened man and some old shadows for bars Well now all that's sure on the boulevard Is that life is just a house of cards As fragile as each and every breath Of this boy sleepin' in our bed Tonight let's lie beneath the eaves Just a close band of happy thieves And when that train comes we'll get on board And steal what we can from the treasures treasures of the Lord It's been a long long drought baby Tonight the rain's pourin' down on our roof Looking for a little bit of God's mercy I found living proof - My Beautiful Reward5:58
Letra
Well I sought gold and diamond rings My own drug to ease the pain that living brings Walked from the mountain to the valley floor Searching for my beautiful reward Searching for my beautiful reward From a house on a hill a sacred light shines I walk through these rooms but none of them are mine Down empty hallways I went from door to door Searching for my beautiful reward Searching for my beautiful reward Well your hair shone in the sun I was so high I was the lucky one Then I came crashing down like a drunk on a barroom floor Searching for my beautiful reward Searching for my beautiful reward Tonight I can feel the cold wind at my back I'm flyin' high over gray fields my feathers long and black Down along the river's silent edge I soar Searching for my beautiful reward Searching for my beautiful reward
