{"id":6175,"date":"2018-11-30T06:00:16","date_gmt":"2018-11-30T13:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/?p=6175"},"modified":"2023-01-01T08:21:05","modified_gmt":"2023-01-01T16:21:05","slug":"roll-of-the-dice-garden-state-parkway-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2018\/11\/30\/roll-of-the-dice-garden-state-parkway-blues\/","title":{"rendered":"Roll of the Dice: Garden State Parkway Blues"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” and “Kitty’s Back,<\/a>” before even “Thundercrack<\/a>,” there was “Garden State Parkway Blues” — Bruce’s prototype for the epic show-stopping, song-changing, band-vamping showcase that brings his main sets to their will-it-ever-end end.<\/p>\n

Because its\u00a0such<\/em> a long song (thirty freaking minutes!), unrecorded and raw, it’s tempting to dismiss “Garden City Parkway Blues” as early self-indulgence or an excuse for an extended jam session.<\/p>\n

But to do so would be a mistake for any Springsteen scholar, for “Garden State Parkway Blues” not only provides remarkably transparent insight into Bruce’s contemporary influences, it also rewards even a casually attentive listener with the seeds of songs that he wouldn’t write for years or even decades to come.<\/p>\n

I’m not kidding.<\/p>\n

Let’s take a listen, but first an important note: because the song is so long, and because there are so many notable passages to discuss, I’m going to repost the same video several times below–each time with a different timestamp bookmark, however, so you can easily jump to the place I’m discussing. Bruce never recorded the song in the studio (that we know of), but we’re fortunate enough to have a wonderful quality recording of a Steel Mill performance from 1970 to use as reference.<\/p>\n

If you have the time, start by listening to the entire song and see how many other songs you hear echoes of.<\/p>\n