Well, I knew this was coming sooner or later, so I might as well get it over with. I should probably preface this with: For Completists Only.
So here’s the deal:
There’s a song in Bruce’s catalog referred to by fans and bootleggers as “Zoom Theme.” It’s considered a Springsteen original; it should therefore receive an entry under the Roll of the Dice banner.
The thing is: by no stretch is “Zoom Theme” an original Springsteen song. Reference texts and sites describe at as a re-written version of Irving Berlin’s “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” but there’s very little re-written about it.
Here’s the original, first recorded by Arthur Collins and Byron Harlan in 1911.
That recording was an instant smash success. For ten solid weeks, it was the most popular song in the United States, and it kicked off an entire ragtime craze.
It inspired covers for decades, a dozen of which became hits over the fifty years following its initial release. So while today it may only echo faintly in the recesses of American musical history, for 21-year-old Bruce Springsteen in 1971, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” loomed large.
As to what inspired him to adopt it as his (very) short-lived band’s theme song, that I cannot say.
Nevertheless, when Bruce adopted his Dr. Zoom persona in the spring of 1971 and assembled a band he called The Sonic Boom, he adapted the song as a mid-set transition. You can listen to this very rare recording below, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
The recording quality is just fine, mind you, but the performance–well, let’s just say Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom were known for embracing the absurd.
See what I mean? The only thing re-written about it is the song’s title refrain, and the performance… well, it’s not completely without merit, I suppose: “Funky” Garry Tallent gets a rare moment in the spotlight on this tuba-led arrangement.
Other than that, though… well, let’s just agree to treat this as a cover rather than an original. It seems the kindest thing to do.
Alexander’s Ragtime Band (Zoom Theme)
First performed: May 14, 1971 (Asbury Park, NJ)
Last performed: May 15, 1971 (Union, NJ)
