Cool story - never knew this was how “The Fever” first got out in the world.
A note on its official release a quarter century later, since it pissed me off quite a bit at the time. Bruce comes out with the Tracks box, 4 disc set, not cheap, and The Fever is nowhere to be found! Maybe the most famous unreleased cut in his song collection, c’mon Bruce, we’re paying for your 4-disc song dump and you didn’t include The Fever or The Promise. Then, of course, thank you Columbia and Landau, we get the 18 Tracks compilation of Tracks - with 15 of the songs already in the hands of anyone who shelled out for Tracks, and there are The Fever, The Promise (possibly the 2nd most coveted unpublished track for fans at the time) and one other. So we could all go buy a fifth disc to finally have The Fever (back when you had to buy the music to hear it at your leisure). Crass commercial move - purposely held back. <end rant>
Thanks Brad - great stuff. I’m with you, I had to have a few bootlegs, tapes and records, including a nice live version of The Fever from the ‘78 Winterland show. And probably a 10th generation tape of the studio version. <sigh> The travails of a true Bruce believer in those early days. But we really needed that crisp clean digital studio version too . . . didn’t we?
That's the beauty of our vinyl collecting, especially in the early days....regardless of how we might downplay and rightly grouse about how CBS (or whomever) did us dirt, in the rear-view mirror, those "old days" were the best....we know that because of the many Gen-Z-ers who loudly wish they had been there!!! I'm reminding MYself to count our blessings!!
Thanks for reading, subscribing, and commenting, Bob! Much appreciated! Feel free to dig around the Archives....4 1/2 years (over 500 articles) roaming around here....lots to like!!
More than happy to provide ranting space! I've always been fascinated by artists like Springsteen, who so readily made stuff either exclusive, or simply hard-to-find, as he may not have wanted things to be "official" releases, etc.....in that way, Elvis Costello was somewhat similar....often making songs as import-only B-sides, one sleeve here, another for this or that country, etc! (again, Columbia rears its head)!!
As for how CBS handled those reissues, I completely understand (and endorse) your outrage in their direction! At the time, Bob, gotta admit, I felt a little "naughty" being 20, and finding out that we've got a boot tape.....now, granted, Bruce was nowhere near Bruce, yet, but it was just cool knowing we apparently had something from his "team" that few others had (and, not knowing he was hating discovering what Appel had done)! Thanks again, Bob!
Loved this look back on your radio daze, Brad, especially making sure the naughty words didn't reach the airwaves. I smiled when I read about The Fever, because last week I was writing about that via The Pointer Sisters' cover of it on Priority, a high point of that album. I'm sure you know it, but worth a listen if you haven't heard it for a while.
And, that’s it….haven’t heard it in a while! Good heavens….what a rock-forward set-list that is…..thank you, Richard Perry! All of which I know you pointed out! I was at a Houston record store in ‘79, but I don’t recall much personal exposure to this one, so, I’ll wanna make sure I check out your piece on it….guess I’ll make it a…..uh, Priority!
I always enjoy your reminiscences, Brad. They open the door to a world I can only dream of. And it's wild that, in '79, the Pointers were doing Ian Hunter, Richard Thompson, and Graham Parker songs. Not many folks were, at least not on this side of the pond. And they were still doing the Hunter song in concert two years later!
I found your Pointers piece in an open window top my laptop....must be two dozen pieces to read up there! That's what I do....I open the article in a window, and eventually, get to it! I'm gettin' to it now! I love that Ruth interview and listening to "Fairtytale" now....amazing the reactions it got back then!
This is genuinely fascinating - crazy to think how the industry has changed drastically in the 50 year span since you began professionally, let alone knowing the inner workings before with your family. And, I think the notion of being instructed to “not overplay something“, but given absolutely no guidelines is pretty funny.
Thanks, David! I can’t tell you how babe-in-the-woods I felt at the time, being only 20! That “Fever” tape caution, though, is something (because of its inherent vagueness) I just KNEW I’d best steer relatively clear of!
My best plan of action, I reasoned, was, if I was filling in on a lengthy shift…like 4-6 hours, I’d be safe playing it toward the end of my shift, as I know it wouldn’t have been played “lately” (like, at the end of the previous jock’s shift at the “most recent”)!
Yes to your first sentence! I’d feel like I walked onto the flight deck of a rocket or something, walking into a radio station today!!!🤣
Cool story - never knew this was how “The Fever” first got out in the world.
A note on its official release a quarter century later, since it pissed me off quite a bit at the time. Bruce comes out with the Tracks box, 4 disc set, not cheap, and The Fever is nowhere to be found! Maybe the most famous unreleased cut in his song collection, c’mon Bruce, we’re paying for your 4-disc song dump and you didn’t include The Fever or The Promise. Then, of course, thank you Columbia and Landau, we get the 18 Tracks compilation of Tracks - with 15 of the songs already in the hands of anyone who shelled out for Tracks, and there are The Fever, The Promise (possibly the 2nd most coveted unpublished track for fans at the time) and one other. So we could all go buy a fifth disc to finally have The Fever (back when you had to buy the music to hear it at your leisure). Crass commercial move - purposely held back. <end rant>
Thanks Brad - great stuff. I’m with you, I had to have a few bootlegs, tapes and records, including a nice live version of The Fever from the ‘78 Winterland show. And probably a 10th generation tape of the studio version. <sigh> The travails of a true Bruce believer in those early days. But we really needed that crisp clean digital studio version too . . . didn’t we?
That's the beauty of our vinyl collecting, especially in the early days....regardless of how we might downplay and rightly grouse about how CBS (or whomever) did us dirt, in the rear-view mirror, those "old days" were the best....we know that because of the many Gen-Z-ers who loudly wish they had been there!!! I'm reminding MYself to count our blessings!!
Thanks for reading, subscribing, and commenting, Bob! Much appreciated! Feel free to dig around the Archives....4 1/2 years (over 500 articles) roaming around here....lots to like!!
More than happy to provide ranting space! I've always been fascinated by artists like Springsteen, who so readily made stuff either exclusive, or simply hard-to-find, as he may not have wanted things to be "official" releases, etc.....in that way, Elvis Costello was somewhat similar....often making songs as import-only B-sides, one sleeve here, another for this or that country, etc! (again, Columbia rears its head)!!
As for how CBS handled those reissues, I completely understand (and endorse) your outrage in their direction! At the time, Bob, gotta admit, I felt a little "naughty" being 20, and finding out that we've got a boot tape.....now, granted, Bruce was nowhere near Bruce, yet, but it was just cool knowing we apparently had something from his "team" that few others had (and, not knowing he was hating discovering what Appel had done)! Thanks again, Bob!
Loved this look back on your radio daze, Brad, especially making sure the naughty words didn't reach the airwaves. I smiled when I read about The Fever, because last week I was writing about that via The Pointer Sisters' cover of it on Priority, a high point of that album. I'm sure you know it, but worth a listen if you haven't heard it for a while.
And, that’s it….haven’t heard it in a while! Good heavens….what a rock-forward set-list that is…..thank you, Richard Perry! All of which I know you pointed out! I was at a Houston record store in ‘79, but I don’t recall much personal exposure to this one, so, I’ll wanna make sure I check out your piece on it….guess I’ll make it a…..uh, Priority!
Thanks, Emm….glad you enjoyed my radio jaunt!
I always enjoy your reminiscences, Brad. They open the door to a world I can only dream of. And it's wild that, in '79, the Pointers were doing Ian Hunter, Richard Thompson, and Graham Parker songs. Not many folks were, at least not on this side of the pond. And they were still doing the Hunter song in concert two years later!
I found your Pointers piece in an open window top my laptop....must be two dozen pieces to read up there! That's what I do....I open the article in a window, and eventually, get to it! I'm gettin' to it now! I love that Ruth interview and listening to "Fairtytale" now....amazing the reactions it got back then!
I have several open essays I need to read. I am embarrassed by that.
Bienvenidos a mi mundo!!!😁👍
This is genuinely fascinating - crazy to think how the industry has changed drastically in the 50 year span since you began professionally, let alone knowing the inner workings before with your family. And, I think the notion of being instructed to “not overplay something“, but given absolutely no guidelines is pretty funny.
Thanks, David! I can’t tell you how babe-in-the-woods I felt at the time, being only 20! That “Fever” tape caution, though, is something (because of its inherent vagueness) I just KNEW I’d best steer relatively clear of!
My best plan of action, I reasoned, was, if I was filling in on a lengthy shift…like 4-6 hours, I’d be safe playing it toward the end of my shift, as I know it wouldn’t have been played “lately” (like, at the end of the previous jock’s shift at the “most recent”)!
Yes to your first sentence! I’d feel like I walked onto the flight deck of a rocket or something, walking into a radio station today!!!🤣