Bruce Springsteen released his second album on September 11, 1973. The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle was another critical success but again was a commercial failure. Rolling Stone Magazine would name it the 132nd best album of all time.
The Wild, The Innocent & The E. Street Shuffle featured lengthy songs that allowed Springsteen to paint pictures and create stories at his leisure. Freed from any time constraints he would experiment and be more adventurous than on some of his best selling releases. Keyboardist David Sancious would also provide stellar work on the album. His jazz and classical training would shine on such tracks as “Kitty’s Back” and “New York City Serenade.” He would leave the band in 1974 and release a number of solo albums and become a noted session player for such artists as Peter Gabriel, Sting, Eric Clapton and many more.
“The E Street Shuffle” is a jazz and percussion fueled adventure complete with a cast of characters from the inner city. This song is different in that Springsteen is feeling out the musical landscape and alerting his listeners that he has moved on from his first release.
“4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” is not just a sensitive love song but emerges as a powerful performance that would resonate with anyone who has had a Sandy in their lives. It was Springsteen striking a chord with the common person. It would be a part of his live act for years, and is remembered today as one of the late Danny Federici's signature songs with the E Street Band because of it's trademark accordian. “Kitty’s Back” is a wonderful counterpoint to the preceding song. Springsteen’s superb guitar work propels another diffuse set of characters that are from a different part of town. This is a darker, more depressing track that would allow for improvisation when performed live, sometimes stretching out to 15 minutes or so.
Article comments
1 - Natasha
I love The Wild & Innocent! It's my favorite Springsteen album.