THE WILD, THE INNOCENT & THE E STREET SHUFFLE
Produced by Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos
Recording Engineer: Louis Lahav
Commercially Released: Nov 5, 1973

PART 1 – WIESS SESSIONS OVERVIEW

Recording sessions for the Wild & Innocent LP spanned a 4-5 month period, from mid-May 1973 thru mid-Sept 1973. All sessions took place at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, N.Y. Studio time at 914 Sound was slotted in during various itinerary breaks in the Greetings LP Tour. However sessions dragged on much longer than originally anticipated and this eventually caused some gig rescheduling and cancellations during the July – Sept period. Contrary to myth, Columbia Records executives did not overrule any proposed track selections for the album.
The Wild & Innocent Sessions can be more easily understood if split into two distinct phases, one pre-David Sancious and the other with Sancious on board. These are as follows:

PHASE 1 SESSIONS - These took place May 15-22 and June 17-20 – and featured the then-touring lineup of Springsteen, Clemons, Federici, Tallent and Lopez. Neither David Sancious nor any other musicians were involved in these initial sessions.

PHASE 2 SESSIONS - These took place June 26-July 2, July 11-16, Aug 4-12 and Sep 10-25 – and included all of the above-mentioned musicians PLUS new E Street Band member David Sancious (who joined on June 22), as well as niche session contributions by Suki Lahav (vocals), Richard Blackwell (congas, percussion) and Albee Tellone (baritone sax).
Most of the basic ensemble recording of WIESS emanates from the PHASE 1 SESSIONS, prior to the arrival of David Sancious to the sessions on June 26. Sancious verified in a late 1970’s interview in Thunder Road magazine that most of the session songs had already been recorded (as basic tracks) by the time he joined. He then overdubbed his parts onto these recordings. The latter phase of the session involved embellishing additional “frills” instrumentation, vocals and experimenting with different mixes. No audio evidence has yet emerged that any of the basic recordings of were re-recorded from scratch with Sancious. Indeed, one of the most noteworthy aspects to the audio evidence that has emerged from the WIESS Sessions is that there is not one genuine alternate take to be found – all song recording variations are merely alternate mixes of the same basic recording.

PART 2 – WIESS SESSIONS DETAILS

COMMENTS: Written in mid 1972 as “Circus Town” and recorded for the Greetings LP - but not utilized. That version remains uncirculating. Performed live by Bruce very regularly (as an acoustic show opener) from late 1972 (by which time it was being called “Circus Song”) up until mid 1974. The song always had the same melody; the title changes reflect modest changes in the lyrics.

COMMENTS: Written during mid 1973. One of the final songs written and recorded for the LP. Albee Tellone guests on baritone sax. Tellone (the sound manager on Bruce’s road crew from Nov 72 – Dec 73) would be a special guest on this song during the first three months of the WIESS Tour (Oct – Dec 1973).

COMMENTS: Written during mid 1973 and recorded during the PHASE 2 SESSIONS. It was apparently the final song completed for the album.

COMMENTS: Written during mid 1973. In 1974 Bruce mentioned he got the idea for the title from a neon sign promoting the return of popular stripper’s show to a local Shore-area club. Recorded during the PHASE 2 SESSIONS. Sancious has mentioned in interview that the organ solo on this track is his. One of the final songs completed for the album. All are slightly different mixes of the same recording.

COMMENTS:. Written during June and early July 1973 and recorded during the early part of the PHASE 2 SESSIONS. The composition was created by taking another song from this period, “New York Song”, and then combining it with elements of a composition from 1972 called “Vibes Man”. This was first performed live in its “Serenade” incarnation in late July. V1a and V1b are the same basic recording. However V1b includes the addition of strings, group vocals and congas (courtesy Richard Blackwell).

COMMENTS: The full title is “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”. Written in late 1972 and performed live on rare occasions in early-mid 1973 but not performed regularly until late 1973. V1a is the instrumental backing track. Both stem from the PHASE 2 SESSIONS (July – Sept) and feature David Sancious.

COMMENTS: Written in mid-1973. Full title is “Fourth Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)”. All three of the above-mentioned versions are the same basic recording, which emanates from the PHASE 2 SESSIONS. V1a is the instrumental backing track. V1b features Bruce’s original vocal overdub with his “bandits in the sky” lyric line. V1c features a later vocal overdub by Bruce that changed the “bandits” line.

COMMENTS: Lyrics written during late June 1973. The melody is the exact same as the earlier recorded and completed “Phantoms”. All four of the above-mentioned versions are the same basic recording, which emanates from the PHASE 1 SESSIONS. V1a is the basic instrumental track. V1b is the basic recording (without the sax solo) and features the band’s vocals added in. V1c is the same as V1b except in includes the sax solo. V1c was the version pressed on acetate, used as the publishing demo and it is this version that had circulated on various boots for many years. V1d was completed early in the PHASE 2 SESSIONS and includes additional piano courtesy David Sancious, a layer of acoustic guitar (Bruce) and a haunting vocal overdub by Suki Lahav. V4 had never circulated prior to its emergence on TRACKS and it’s stunning. Suki is not credited in the TRACKS booklet.

COMMENTS: Written in late 1972 or early 1973. Performed live by Bruce during the Apr-June, 1973 period. V1a and V1b are the same recording but a slightly different mix.

COMMENTS: Written in mid 1972. This was performed live regularly, usually as the big show closer, from Oct 1972 right up until Vini Lopez’z departure from the band in Feb 1974. The basic recording of V1a emanates from the PHASE 1 SESSIONS but was added to in the PHASE 2 SESSION (June 28) – but never completed at that time. Springsteen completed the overdubbing and mixing in 1998 for TRACKS, going as far as enlisting the help of Vini Lopez to keep the vocals true to its original intention – the results are magnificent.

COMMENTS: Written in late 1972 or early 1973. Performed live by Bruce at a few shows during the Apr-June 1973 period. Both V1a and V1b are the same basic recording. V1a was recorded during the PHASE 1 SESSIONS. However V1b is an embellished mix and was completed early in the PHASE 2 SESSIONS. V1b includes piano (courtesy David Sancious), a layer of acoustic guitar (Bruce), calypso percussion (Richard Blackwell) and the addition of Suki Lahav’s voice in the group vocal mix. However the flute playing heard in V1a (courtesy of Clarence) has been entirely removed from the V1b mix. V1b had never circulated prior to its emergence on TRACKS and it’s stunning.

COMMENTS: Allegedly written in late 1971. The earliest known live performance was during the March 1973 residency at Oliver’s in Boston. It was then played live several more times into May. The studio version was recorded (in one take) on May 16, 1973 at 914 Sound Studios during the early PHASE 1 SESSIONS. The recording features the Springsteen-Federici-Tallent-Clemons-Lopez lineup (pre-Sancious) and doesn’t include any overdubs. Mike Appel requested the studio take for publishing purposes. It does not appear that Springsteen had the song seriously in mind for the WEISS LP. In late 1973 Mike Appel sent the demo to UK Publisher Intersong Music and in early 1974 to several USA radio stations - the song gradually became an “undergound” hit in places like Houston, Phoenix and Boston. Springsteen’s original completed lyric sheet titles the song “(I Got The) Fever For The Girl”. Originally published by Laurel Canyon under the title “Fever For The Girl” and first released under that title by singer Alan Rich in 1975. The song was recorded and released by Southside Johnny (several months after Alan Rich) under the amended title “The Fever”.

COMMENTS: Written during late 1972 or early 1973. Originally titled ‘There Are No Kings In Texas” but Bruce has copyrighted the song under the title “Evacuation Of the West”. Recorded during the PHASE 1 SESSIONS, probably one of the first songs completed. This band recording does not feature David Sancious and does not include any instrumental or vocal overdubs. It may have been played live in early 1973 but, as yet, there is no verified live performance.

COMMENTS: Written during early 1973. Also known by the title “Over The Hills Of St George”. Apparently performed live several times during May-June 1973 (most famously on June 12th in Binghamton). The studio take (which is similar to the live version) comes from the PHASE 1 SESSIONS (probably May) and does not feature David Sancious. Bruce kept the melody, wrote entirely new lyrics and the song emerged as “Zero & Blind Terry” at live shows in July.

COMMENTS: Written during late 1972 or early 1973. Performed live (as a solo acoustic piece) several times during the Mar-May 1973 period. A studio version was recorded during the PHASE 1 SESSIONS and its arrangement is apparently similar to the known live renditions. The studio take is piano based with sparse band backing. Later, during PHASE 2 SESSIONS, Springsteen took most of the lyrics to “New York Song”, combined it with the lyrics and part of the melody of a 1972 song called “Vibes Man”, and created the epic “New York City Serenade”.

COMMENTS: Lyrics written by Bruce in early 1973. The melody is culled from a 1971 Bruce Springsteen Band-era song called “The Band’s Just Boppin’ The Blues”. There are two verified live performances of “Secret To The Blues” in May-June 1973, although it may have been played live earlier than this.

COMMENTS: Written mid to late 1973. There is only one known live performance, during the Wild & Innocent Tour, at Houston’s Liberty Hall on March 10, 1974. More commonly known by fans under that live performance’s bootlegged titles of either “She So Fine” or “Ride On Sweet William”.

PART 3 – ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

There are three other known (but not WIESS LP-related) studio sessions that took place during this general time frame that need to be mentioned. The first two of these were at 914 Sound Studios on Jan 29-30 and Feb 19-20, 1973. These were both Publishing demo sessions for Laurel Canyon Music. As these more correctly belong with other 1972 publishing demo recording these sessions can be found in the ON THE TRACKS section under Publisher Demos. The third session that needs to be mentioned was at Alpha Sound Studios in Richmond on May 31, 1973. This was undertaken specifically for a live simulcast on Richmond’s WGOE-FM (a small station that lacked the facilities to record the band inside the station’s premises). All the songs recorded during this session were recorded in front of a small live audience and, according to the studio engineer who produced this session, all the material that was recorded was broadcast that day (and is circulating on boots). All this session’s material can be found in the live concert BRUCEBASE section under the date 31/05/73.

PART 4 – RUMOURED SONGS FROM WIESS ERA

The following titles emanate from the fall 1972 to fall 1973 period. All the titles below are based on information garnered either from completed lyric sheets, partially completed lyric sheets or documents in containing song titles (but no lyrics). Springsteen often creates song titles first and then attempts to write words and music around it. So the existence of a song title is no assurance that a song was ever created. There is as yet no solid evidence these were completed songs (words and music) and no evidence they were recorded during any of the WIESS sessions. If they do exist as recordings the may likely be either as work-in-progress home cassette recordings or solo publishing demos from 914 Sound Studios. Only time will tell what emerges from the vaults. Please also refer to “Rumoured Songs” in the BTR Sessions section, as some of those titles may turn out to be from the WIESS era.

SHOOTOUT IN CHINATOWN
SMALL TOWN
THE LATE SHOW
HELEN BLUE
DAYTONA MISSION

Page Updated May 20, 2006

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