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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
"Blood Brothers" Video and EP
(Columbia)
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to his most devoted fans, the trait that has always made Bruce Springsteen so appealing was
his genuineness. He was one of them, the real deal, a working-class kid who made it big singing
about their dreams and disappointments, their ongoing struggles and occasional sweet
victories. They loved him, because he understood them and imbued their lives with hope and
passion.
With so much invested in their increasingly mythical creation, there was considerable
disappointment among devoted fans when the Boss gave the heave-ho to his E Street bandmates in 1989. Many questioned the singer's loyalty and complained he was losing touch with his Jersey Shore roots.
So Springsteen's decision to reunite with the E-Streeters in 1995 for their first recording session as a group since "Born in the USA" was not just a gesture of thanks to his former bandmembers, it was also a big old bone tossed to faithful followers. With just a few days notice, the entire band (Roy Bittan, Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici, Garry Tallent, Max Weinberg, alum Steve Van Zandt, Springsteen's wife Patti Scialfa and honorary band member Nils Lofgren) met Springsteen in New York to record several new songs to be added as a bonus to his "Greatest Hits" release. Filmmaker Ernie Fritz captured the three days of recording at New York's Hit Factory studio; and "Blood Brothers," the resulting 90-minute documentary, has now been released for sale, accompanied by a five-song EP.
At the beginning of the film, longtime Springsteen producer Chuck Plotkin says of the
reunion, "This could be amazing or this could be a catastrophe." As it turns out, either conclusion
would be an overstatement; "Blood Brothers" is not so much a documentary as it is an extended Springsteen video. Thankfully, the music almost always delivers. "Murder Incorporated," is an overblown anthemic
attempt, but the gritty "This Hard Land" and the beautifully arranged "Blood Brothers" are
masterful. The film also features the jubilant romp "High Hopes," as well as a jaunty, acoustic run-through of "Blood Brothers" that is intriguingly different from other released versions. But the
real treasure of the movie is a raw version of "Back in Your Arms," which Springsteen offers up
with a visceral intensity.
The film's strength is that it captures the band's obvious conviviality and good humor:
Springsteen tosses out hugs like life preservers; the boys throw a birthday party for Clarence
Clemons; and at the film's end, they all gather in a circle to sing a rollicking chorus on "Without
You," a song the Boss just might have penned with his former bandmates in mind.
On the flip side, the film grinds to a halt with attention to tedious studio preparations, and even though we witness Springsteen saying he wants to reschedule a recording session so he can take his kids to see "Beauty and the Beast," the film offers no new insights into his transition from Born-to-Run rebel to modern-day family man. Hard-core Springsteen fans will probably want a copy of "Blood Brothers" for their library. But the film's light treatment of a heavyweight artist will leave most viewers wishing they had been given more.
— Joe Heim
Joe Heim is a freelance writer based in Berkeley.
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