Drop The Needle And Pray (13/7/13)

It's important to know where things come from.

As ever, I'll explain. As ever, there will be a degree of preamble before we get to that explanation.

On Thursday night Springsteen played Rome. As is his wont at the moment he pulled off a bit of a surprise. Obviously I'd suggested that J and myself should head to Rome or Paris to see him as a follow up to the trip that Tom and I made to Coventry. God knows it would have been quicker to get to Rome than it was to Cov. My powers of persuasion raised themselves to their usual levels and I spent Thursday night in work, came home, had my tea, went to bed.

While I was living this thrilling lifestyle Bruce was revisiting a 40 year old album in a way that nobody in the crowd had expected; halfway through the set he threw in 'Kitty's Back' from 1973's 'The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle' - a nice one off. Except that he followed it up by playing side 2 of the album in sequence, in it's entirety, with Ennio Morricone's orchestra of choice providing string accompaniment.

Now, I'd had a conversation with one of the lads in work a couple of weeks ago about this album; I'd told him that it wasn't an album that I revisited often, he told me that I should, that side 2 is one of the greatest sides of music ever recorded, ending with his favourite ever song 'New York City Serenade', a song that he described as a masterpiece. So, inspired by the live set, I went back to the album and have played nothing else for the last two days. He's right.

And the point is?

My Nan gave me Ten pounds for my birthday. It was around the turn of the century, I was already a fully grown adult and she didn't need to give me money for my birthday. But she did because that's what Nans do.

And with that £10 I bought a box sets of three Springsteen albums; 'Greetings From Asbury Park, New Jersey' 'Darkness On The Edge Of Town' and 'The Wild, the Innocent....'

It was the last birthday that I had while she was still here. It was the last money that she ever gave me after a lifetime of gifts and I will always know what I bought with it.

And that's why it's important to know where things come from.