An original Springsteen composition from 1971 that survived into the E Street Band Era?
Yup. (Sort of.)
With lead vocals by Garry and Clarence?
Yup. (Sort of.)
Bruce wrote “Funk Song” in 1971. The earliest known recording of it is from a 1972 band rehearsal. It’s essentially an instrumental jam with a few “Right on!” contributions from Garry (plus some banter that’s fun to listen to):
Other than that rehearsal take, there’s no record of Bruce and the band actually performing the song. But then it suddenly showed up as a mid-set showpiece for three shows in the summer of 1975, this time with Clarence on “vocals.”
So why the “sort of” qualification? Because even though the 1972 and 1975 versions share the same title, the same instrumental-ness, and the same “right on!” vocals, they are clearly different songs. But since they both share the attributes above, and since they are both essential historical curiosities at this point, I present them here together. Enjoy the 1975 E Street Band version (which IMHO is the superior version) of “Funk Song.”
Funk Song
Recorded: N/A
Released: N/A
First performed: July 23, 1975 (Lenox, MA)
Last performed: August 8, 1975 (Akron, OH)
