The E Street Band – the greatest rock & roll band ever assembled?

(No. 33 in a continuing series on artists who should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but are not)

By Phill Marder

The records, for the most part, read Bruce Springsteen.

But most concert banners screamed “Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band.” And most record buyers understood the record cover may say “Bruce Springsteen,” but the music said “Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band.”

Springsteen was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, his first year of eligibility. He has been one of the Hall’s most active supporters, before and since his induction, becoming a fixture at the yearly banquets. A true Rock historian, he has played a major role in calling attention to some early Rock & Roll stars who otherwise may have slipped through the cracks – Darlene Love, for example. I call Springsteen a “true” Rock historian because he has studied the music’s foundations not from a critic’s viewpoint, but from the viewpoint of one who truly loves the music and understands the talent necessary to produce it.

All things considered, it is now time for Springsteen to help get his band mates inducted. For while Springsteen is recognized as one of Rock’s greatest songwriters, often a great singer and almost always a great live performer, it also should be remembered that he has assembled and maintained perhaps the greatest band in the history of Rock & Roll.

“The Boss” probably would have achieved superstar status without his employees. But his recordings may have lacked some elements of brilliance and it’s hard to imagine his stage marathons being the ultimate live experience without his colleagues.

For me, it started with “The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle.” I bought “Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ,” but, honestly, I was very disappointed, my reaction being “this is what all the hype is about?” But the second album…that was the one. And Goldmine nailed it in the recent 5-star album issue, naming this masterpiece as Springsteen’s true (but unsung) classic.

But what made it so?

First and foremost, the songwriting. There are just seven songs, but each one is a beauty. However, listening then and now, I find myself drawn in by the keyboard touches of David Sancious and Danny Federici and the bass playing of Gary Tallent, not to mention his tuba work on “Wild Bill’s Circus Story.” And while the album is credited only to Bruce Springsteen, the back cover clearly pictures and names six individuals, Clarence “Nick” Clemons, Springsteen, David L. Sancious, Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez, the late Danny Federici, who passed away in 2008, and Gary W. Tallent. The inside jacket not only lists each member equally with Springsteen, but lists the instruments played by each. And it is clearly noted, each contributes vocals as well.

Springsteen was the leader and the star, but this, apparently, was a true team effort.

“Born To Run,“ the next album and the work that lifted Springsteen into Rock’s superstar stratosphere, was another on which the talents of the E Street Band, now taking the form we’re most familiar with, made brilliant songs into brilliant mini-symphonies. The opening “Thunder Road” would not have been the same without the contributions of new keyboardist Roy Bittan, and wouldn’t have had nearly the impact it does without the single-stroke roll of new drummer Max Weinberg leading right into the haunting sax refrain of Clemons.

Bittan’s keyboards again shine on “Backstreets” and “Jungleland,” the latter being enhanced by a super string arrangement by the Four Seasons’ Charles Calello. Of course, Clemons’ sax once again raises the song to another level midstream before Bittan’s keyboards bring it, and the album, to its grand conclusion.

While the E Street Band has not participated on some of Springsteen’s albums, and the group was even disbanded by Springsteen at times, “The Boss” and the band are joined at the musical hip, a fact readily acknowledged in Springsteen’s legendary live appearances for which E Street members reportedly are paid equal shares with “The Boss.”

Even more so than in the studio, it is hard to imagine Springsteen having the impact he has live without his cohorts, lovingly referred to by Bruce, who gives each a stirring introduction during their on-stage marathons. The keyboardists Bittan and Federici, whose touches remain the heart of the group, became “The Professor” and “The Phantom.” “Little Steven“ or “Miami Steve“ Van Zandt and Lofgren provide the E Street Band with two guitar virtuosos in addition to Springsteen, who isn‘t exactly chopped liver on lead. And, of course, Bruce’s wife, Patti Scialfa, adds rhythm guitar and harmony vocals in addition to contributing some excellent solo albums to the family‘s portfolio.

“Mighty” Max Weinberg certainly lives up to his nickname. For three hours a night, he sits on the drum platform providing power only the greatest talent and stamina could produce. If he’s made a mistake, I haven’t heard it. And the anchor he provides is complimented to the fullest by bassist Gary “W.” Tallent.

Then, of course, there is “The Big Man” Clemons, probably the best known and most talented sax player in Rock & Roll since King Curtis. If Bruce refers to him as “The Master of the Universe,” it’s no exaggeration – at least as far as the Rock & Roll Universe is concerned.

Springsteen knows what he‘s had working with him for most of the past 40 years. Each member has had a pretty good career without Bruce, but together they make the E Street Band a true band and one without equal. Springsteen gave it the leadership and the material, molding the individual superstar talents into a Rock & Roll juggernaut. And what they gave back made the difference between great music and music for the ages.

One year soon, Springsteen should take the podium at the Hall of Fame inductions and bellow, “in conclusion, it is my great honor and privilege to welcome into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame these marvelous musicians who have had my back from the beginning of my career. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, house-rocking, earth-shaking, booty-quaking, Viagra-taking, love-making

… legendary

…E

…Street

…Band.”

Jackson Browne (photo by Chris M. Junior)

Jackson Browne and Alice Cooper have put together a star-studded lineup for a March 10 concert in Tucson, Ariz., to assist individuals and families affected by the Jan. 8 shooting that included Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords among its victims.

In addition to Browne and Cooper, performers at the Tucson Convention Center will include Sam Moore, Nils Lofgren, Calexico, Dar Williams as well as David Crosby and Graham Nash.

Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 19 through Ticketmaster and at the Tucson Convention Center box office.

The event is a fundraiser for the nonprofit Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, benefiting the newly established Fund for Civility, Respect, and Understanding.

NIls Lofgren. Photo by Jan Lundahl

By Chris M. Junior

Playing live is Nils Lofgren’s forte, and as 2010 winds down, he’ll be gracing plenty of concert stages.

No, he’s not scheduled to hit the road again with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. And, no, he’s not joining forces once more with Neil Young, another longtime associate.

Lofgren’s itinerary consists of solo dates: Following a stretch of U.S. gigs in September, he will launch a U.K. tour in mid-October that runs through the end of the month, then return to America for shows in November.

This flurry of solo activity follows the recent release of “Cry Tough.” The two-disc DVD set (Eagle Rock Entertainment) features Lofgren concerts from Germany that were filmed in 1976, 1979 and 1991 for the TV series “Rockpalast.”

Prior to his tour, Lofgren discussed “Cry Tough,” his guitar technique, his role in the E Street Band and what the future holds.

There are times when an American rock act develops an exceptionally strong, long-lasting connection with a particular foreign market: Cheap Trick and Japan, for example. Are the three “Rockpalast” concerts on the “Cry Tough” DVD an indication that you’ve received a high level of support in Germany through the years?
Nils Lofgren: That is accurate, but that also includes all of Europe and, in the last decade, there’s been a focus on the U.K. I had the opportunity to go over in 1973 on [Young’s] “Tonight’s the Night” tour, and I’ve been going ever since. … I started establishing relationships with friends and promoters and started coming over regularly on my own.

Way back in the 1970s, there was tour support, so we would go over every year for two months. In Germany, we would do about eight cities. The “Rockpalast” people approached me early on, and they had a very different concept. … It was unusual to have somebody say they wanted to record the entire concert with no changes and try to facilitate capturing what you do night after night — without altering it at all. But that was the theme, which was very unusual. … I remember producer Peter Ruechel and director Christian Wagner following me around and meeting with me, and it sounded too good to be true, but it turned out to be true. I’ve done many shows for them, and I’m glad they put these three together.

Concerts can be complicated events, and televised concerts have even more components that could go wrong. Were there any difficulties or worries associated with these “Rockpalast” shows that were stressful at the time but are humorous in retrospect?
NL: Not really. I’m a very user-friendly musician in the sense that I like to communicate. I’m a detail person, and my goal is to be an analytical, homework guy up until showtime, and then just shut the mind off and be a reckless rock musician and trust my musical instincts.

The theme [for “Rockpalast”] was for me to do what I do with my band and have it captured. To that end, my door was open and I kept almost hounding people to communicate regularly, and it paid off. … I spent all day communicating with anyone and everyone, and the goal was to, once we hit the stage, just do our show. Nothing else changed; they just knew how to capture it, and that was all in place ready to go.

During your solo in “Valentine,” from the 1991 “Rockpalast” show, the camera stays pretty tight on your hands, providing a good glimpse at your technique. Talk about how you developed the way you use a thumb pick, your open fingers and volume knob with your non-fretting hand — and was Jeff Beck among your influences?
NL: To me, Jeff is by far the greatest living guitarist. I always thought Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and Roy Buchanan were off in their own little stratosphere. And then everybody else — Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, all three Kings [Freddie, Albert and B.B.], and you got Pete Townshend and Keith Richards doing the two-note, three-note themes without soloing necessarily, but writing songs as they play. And Dave Davies did a lot of that, too, in The Kinks. He kind of created that whole block chord style, which changed how music was written.

I was a friend of Roy’s and a big fan; I followed him around the country bars in the funkier parts of Maryland. And that’s where I heard harmonics sound like bells. Roy would show me how to do it, in these dingy little dressing rooms in these funky bars. He showed me how to do the harmonics with a flat pick, and I couldn’t do it. I didn’t even use a flat pick, but I loved the sound. So I tried to find a way, and I did find a way to get those harmonics sounding kind of bell-like with a thumb pick and with my finger over the string. … The finger on my right hand was replacing the left hand when I would hit the harmonic on the 12th fret.

[Through Buchanan] I picked up the volume swells. And anything and everything [else came] by watching [others]. I followed Jimi Hendrix around in the 1960s. I followed the Jeff Beck Group around; I was kind of a groupie who sneaked backstage on the “Truth” tour. I befriended Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood. I was raving about Jeff Beck, and they sent me down the hallway to walk in on Jeff in a little room by himself practicing. I think he just didn’t have the heart to throw me out. I was maybe 16 at the time, and he let me sit there and watch him play. To this day, he’s an old friend who knows I’m his No. 1 fan.