In 1988, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band toured the world with a travelling troupe of musicians on behalf of Amnesty International.
Accompanied by Peter Gabriel, Sting, Tracey Chapman, and others, the tour brought Bruce and the band to countries they’d never visited before. At each stop, the tour was joined by local artists, introducing Bruce to new musicians and providing deeper exposure to new genres and local scenes.
One such far-flung location was New Delhi, where Bruce met up with The Epidemics, a duo comprised of Indian violinist L. Shankar and British keyboardist Caroline. Together, The Epidemics released a self-titled album in 1986 and followed it up with their Eye Catcher LP in 1989.
Eye Catcher is a curious and unique collectable for Springsteen fans: it contains a studio track called “Up to You,” which features an extended harmonica intro and outro by Bruce.
Although “Eye Catcher” is a studio track, Bruce’s contribution was captured live–he joined the duo on stage during their set at the New Delhi Amnesty Rights Now! show, and his solos were seamlessly integrated with the studio track. (Nils and David Sancious are there on the grafted live track as well.)
“Up to You” probably won’t make any Springsteen fan’s best-of list, but it’s fascinating to hear how Bruce’s Americana harmonica melodies (you can almost hear hints of “The Promised Land” and “This Hard Land” if you listen) blend with Indian melodies and instrumentation.
Up to You
Recorded: Unknown (live excerpt from 9/30/88)
Released: Eye Catcher (1989)
First performed: September 30, 1988 (New Delhi, India)
Last performed: September 30, 1988 (New Delhi, India)
