The biggest and shiniest Bruce Springsteen’s career album, 1984 Born in the USA.has a shadowy, equally classic twin, lo-fi, solo acoustic NebraskaReleased two years ago, this album has been Born in the USA The title track, “Downbound Train”, “Working on the Highway” (via the earlier song “Child Bride”) and B-side “Pink Cadillac” were eventually NebraskaFirst session Born in the USAIt began as an effort to record the songs from Nebraska with a full band in early 1982. Springsteen and the E Street Band recorded eight of the album’s ten tracks with a full band, except for “My Father’s House” and “State Trooper”.
In our new interview Rolling Stone Music Now 40th Anniversary Podcast Born in the USAIn ., E Street Band legends drummer Max Weinberg and keyboardist Roy Bittan look back on the recording of that album and the efforts that went into recording the Nebraska material. Here are some highlights: If you’d like to hear more, check out the full podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or press play above.
The E Street Band’s first rehearsal Nebraska The material was in Roy’s living room. What do you remember about that and the studio sessions that followed?
Roy Bittan: I lived in a very contemporary house, and the living room was literally made of wood and brick with big glass windows, so that’s where we set up and the acoustics were amazing. NebraskaOngs was getting ready to go into the recording studio, and my recollection is that version was really great, although of course I haven’t heard it since 1981, so I could be completely wrong on that point.
Then we went into the studio and tried to record. [that material]But Bruce was doing something very unusual with his Tascam in his room. Intimacy and solitude. And as always, when you make demos, the recording process is always about “better than the demos”. Even if those recordings are great and could be albums. I think the atmosphere he captured on those little cassettes was something to be admired. After all, he chose what he did in his room. But I’m dying to hear what he recorded in the studio…we don’t know yet. Maybe Bruce will touch on that one day.
Max Weinberg: He had all the songs he played for people on demos. NebraskaAnd “Working on the Highway.” I like “Working on the Highway.” Born in the USAWe recorded it. I remember it was Steve’s idea for me to do the drum parts. I recorded all the rehearsals on a professional Walkman. I have all the tapes. [the eventually released outtake] “Murder Incorporated” was on that tape… I remember recording the whole thing. [Nebraska] The material was very close to the E Street Band style, very similar to the way we play those songs now, and it was great. And it was a rock record… [Springsteen’s manager/producer] Jon Landau is [Nebraska]encouraged me to ask John Wesley HardingIt’s a Bob Dylan record. He said, “The blues seems to be going more in this direction.” There’s a take with brushes, a minimalist rhythmic approach. There’s a rock version. [some of] of Nebraska material.
At one point, the 1982 sessions transitioned into the recording of eight of the twelve songs that would appear on the album. Born in the USA How clear was that change?
Weinberg: I remember a discussion I had with Steve and John one night. [producer] Chuck [Plotkin] In a little lounge at the Power Station. Bruce came out and said, “Hey guys, let’s try something different.” He sat in the corner and worked on a few other songs. We went in the studio and those became eight of the twelve songs that ended up on the finished record. And then, of course, over the next 14 months or so, we recorded probably 60 or 70 songs in different configurations in the studio.
Bitan: From my own limited recollection, we decided to bring in a synthesizer. I went into the studio with a Yamaha CS-80, but the rest of the band didn’t seem to warm to me. [laughs]
You said that when you brought in the synthesizers, it was like you’d killed someone.
Bitan: It’s funny, because at the time there was a lot of synthesizers in pop music, so to see that instrument in person had a reactionary effect. But to me, I think the synthesizer was the instrument in the band that most interpreted his songs. I realized that the synthesizer had a lot of potential to broaden his horizons in creating a context for his lyrics. When you talk about Bruce, you have to remember that he was a poet. But for me, it was Born in the USA I think I played more synthesizer on that album than piano.
What are some of your favorite memories from recording the video for “Dancing in the Dark,” which was filmed during a concert in St. Paul, Minnesota?
Bitan: Oh yeah. Big theaters. And Courtney. [Cox]It was an interesting approach and something out of the ordinary for us, and the presentation was probably not our forte, but it certainly made a great impression on MTV. And of course, the song was so great that we could have probably made any number of different videos and still got the same result.
Weinberg: We recorded most of it before the concert. We recorded it the night before, and it was like a Hollywood movie production. There was like 500 people in the audience, and we played it over and over again. I had headphones on because I was playing along with the songs. Then we played it again in the middle of the show, in front of a full house. Courteney Cox was there. We probably played it 15 or 20 times in a row. We basically finished the concert, and that’s when Bruce announced to the audience, “We’re going to do a video.”
The next video we did was “Born in the USA,” which I think we shot at the LA Sports Arena. Bruce was really adamant that we all “don’t shave. Don’t play along to the record. Don’t take a shower! We want it to sound like a garage band.”
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