“Eleanor Rigby” ranks among The Beatles’ best-known and most-loved songs, even though none of The Beatles actually play on the track. Employing an unusual (for a rock song) string octet, “Eleanor Rigby” is essentially a Paul McCartney vocal track with backgrounds from John and George.
Released in August 1966, “Eleanor Rigby” topped the UK singles chart and peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was barely a year later when Bruce Springsteen’s high school band, The Castiles, decided to have a go at it.
By the late summer of 1967, The Castiles were getting increasingly daring with their cover-filled sets as their confidence and competence grew. On the night of September 16, the lads played The Left Foot in Bruce’s home town of Freehold, and while Bruce had not yet evolved into the band’s permanent frontman, he demonstrated his guitar prowess that night by fearlessly tackling “Jeff’s Boogie” and “Purple Haze,” among others.
But those songs were already guitar hero showcases. As the end of the show drew near, The Castiles launched into a cover of “Eleanor Rigby.” With no strings in sight, how would last summer’s big hit translate to the Left Foot stage?
Pretty impressively, as it turns out. Take a listen to that night’s performance, captured and preserved on tape more than a half-century ago. You’ll hear Bruce’s band-mate George Theiss on lead vocals, but that’s Bruce on a very prominent lead guitar and backing vocals.
What’s most impressive to me about that performance is the Indian-influenced arrangement–I’d love to know who came up with it and where the inspiration came from. I suspect it may have been the influence of The Kinks’ “See My Friends,” especially since the band had already covered it earlier in the set.
Wherever it came from, this is a pretty daring choice and solid execution from a group of high school kids. Bruce was still only seventeen at the time; fame and greatness still lay ahead.
Eleanor Rigby
First performed: September 16, 1967 (Freehold, NJ)
Last performed: December 27, 1967 (Freehold, NJ)
Ken,
This ia absolutely an awesome find. I do think if you were to ask Bruce he might tell you they were listening to a bit of Vanilla Fudge at the time. Sounds like their version of You keep Me Hanging On..