Bruce Springsteen
West End, Long Branch, New Jersey
1970-04-24


01 Guilty
02 Goin' Back to Georgia
03 THe Wind and the Rain
04 Hail Hail Resurrection
05 I Got A Woman
06 Garden State Parkway Blues
07 Sunlight Soldiers


Band:
Bruce Guitars/Vocals
Steve van Zandt Bass/vocals
Danny Federici Keyboards
Vini Lopez Drums


"Sunlight Soldiers at the West End"
Source: SBD?
Sound Quality: A-



This is what brucebase has to say about the show:

ONE show, with STEEL MILL the sole act on the bill. This was a replacement concert for a cancellation of the musical �Hair�. The above-mentioned setlist is taken from a circulating soundboard of very good to excellent quality, although end-user quality tends to vary widely due to the fact the material has been in circulation for over 20 years and some circulating copies are many generations downstream. This 6-song, 78-minute segment of audio, long referred to in collector circles as �the West End gig�, would have to rank as the most misidentified, misdated and cannibalized of all Springsteen recordings. To make matters even messier though, the show�s epic 30-minute finale, �Garden State Parkway Blues�, is sometimes edited into separate segments and assigned fictitious titles such as �Mountain Child�, �I Got A Woman� or �Sunlight Soldiers�. Many LP and CD bootlegs (such as �TORN AND FRAYED�, �THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN STORY VOL 3� and �DEEP DOWN IN THE VAULTS�) contain one, two or several of these tracks � assigned to a wide variety of incorrect dates/venues. However �SUNLIGHT SOLDIERS AT THE WEST END� (Rattlesnake) includes the complete audio and merely messes up the correct date/venue.

This soundboard tape is very deceptive in that drummer Vinnie Lopez�s voice microphone is abnormally dominant in the mix, so much so that it sounds like a co-lead singer (i.e., Robbin Thompson) is interacting with Springsteen throughout the show. However under an extremely close comparison it can be determined that the �co-lead� vocalist is actually drummer and background vocalist Lopez, with his microphone turned way up in the audio mix. Robbin Thompson�s voice is definitely not present.

There are three critical clues during the performance that, when combined, powerfully point to the true location and date of this show. Firstly, Bruce�s dedication to the �West End Fire Department� - this signifies a Long Branch or close proximity location. Secondly, the distinct sound of wooden side bleachers being stomped during the final song � this signifies it�s indoors and it�s a gymnasium (not a theatre or concert hall). Thirdly, Bruce recites the opening line of James Taylor�s song �Sweet Baby James� during �Garden State Parkway Blues� � that places the show no sooner than late March, 1970. Consequently this audio can, to a high degree of probability, be identified as coming from this April 24, 1970 show.

Doctor Davros


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