Hammersmith Odeon, London ‘75 cover

Hammersmith Odeon, London ‘75

Released

A titanic feat of live performance that stands tall with any of Springsteen studio recordings. There were behind-the-scenes factors behind its remarkable intensity and ferocious speed: it was the gang’s first-ever show in Europe, and the Born to Run album cycle on which it fell was a make-or-break scenario for their future. “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out,” “Born to Run,” and “Backstreets” give a sense of the show’s resulting mood: at once wildly frantic and totally locked in. The second-tier “Spirit in the Night” suddenly sounds like one of his greatest songs, propelled by pianist Roy Bittan high in the mix, who is apparently a total virtuoso. While the show is packed with controlled chaos, the ballad performances take it into the pantheon. Its emotional climax is a spellbinding piano-and-voice-only version of “For You,” where he works every corner of his grizzled baritone to deliver a seven-minute tour-de-force, full of range and feeling. Seems like they delivered under pressure: Europe remains the biggest stronghold of Springsteen fans in the world 50 years later.

Sean Wood

Recommended by

Suggestions
Kissin’ Time cover

Kissin’ Time

Marianne Faithfull
Behind the Magnolia Curtain cover

Behind the Magnolia Curtain

Tav Falco's Panther Burns
Lookaftering cover

Lookaftering

Vashti Bunyan
Purple Mountains cover

Purple Mountains

Purple Mountains
Golden Hour cover

Golden Hour

Kacey Musgraves
Chief cover

Chief

Eric Church
Separate Ways cover

Separate Ways

Teddy Thompson
Too Much Desire cover

Too Much Desire

Robyn Ludwick