Born To Run

On May 22, 1974, down-on-his-luck music producer turned music critic, Jon Landau, was lucky enough to be at a Bonnie Raitt gig in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Yes, he got to see the wonderful Bonnie in her early days as her rising star was taking off, and wouldn't that have been a treat. But it was on that fateful night that he watched and listened in awe as a 24 year old support act from New Jersey stole the show.

What he wrote about that gig would change his life forever. And most would say it also had a major influence on that New Jersey singer-songwriters trajectory.

"Tonight ... I saw rock'n'roll's past flash before my eyes. And I saw something else. I saw rock'n'roll's future and it's name is Bruce Springsteeen.  And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time"


At that stage of his career, Springsteen was on his 2nd album with CBS, but was by no means a household name. His third album, Born To Run,was where Springsteen's reputation as a perfectionist became folklore. There were a dozen guitar overdubs on the title track alone. Studio sessions ran way over budget. But the Boss was on a mission - born to run, if you like.

The record was released on August 25, 1975 and with Landau's comments fresh in the music world's ears, the Boss sky-rocketed to the global fame and respect he has commanded ever since.

Such was the influence of Landau's review, that the Boss took him on as his right-hand man - manager, producer and confidante. 

The rest, as they say, is rock'n'roll history.

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Cheers from Yesteryear