Men Without Women was Little Steven’s first Disciples of Soul album, but at least for three of its tracks, it might be more accurate to call it a Little Steven-fronted E Street Band project.
We took a listen to “Angel Eyes” and “Until the Good is Gone” a couple of years ago; now we round out the trilogy with the album’s title track, “Men Without Women.” (All three tracks were recorded with Little Steven’s E Street Band and Asbury Jukes mates before he recruited his Disciples.)
“Men Without Women” may be the least performed of the album’s three tracks with (uncredited) Springsteen contributions, but it’s a great song that any man who’s ever done something stupid when out with the guys will understand.
We can clearly hear Bruce’s delightfully messy harmony vocals kick in close to the one-minute mark, and they grow increasingly prominent (and out of sync) through the bridge and final verse. We clearly sense that these two men are about to do the things that men without women do.
But vocals shouldn’t be our sole focus here, because “Men Without Women” is a great “secret” E Street Band track. They’re not the only performers on the song (and not all of the band is present), but Garry’s bass is prominent in the mix, Max’s punctuation is unmistakable, and Danny’s organ is the last thing we hear.
As with “Angel Eyes,” Bruce and Steve have never performed “Men Without Women” together in concert, but with Steve’s solo career on a creative upswing, who knows… maybe that will change soon.
Men Without Women
Recorded: November 1981
Released: Men Without Women (1982)
Never performed
