The building was across the street from West End Elementary School, and for years was Tommy Reed's bicycle repair shop and penny candy store it has since been demolished and its former location is occupied by a parking lot. The back photo for the album featured six members of Springsteen's backing E Street Band standing in a doorway of an antique store on Sairs Ave in the West End section of Long Branch, New Jersey. and was instead characterized by 'a grand fusion of nostalgic rock 'n' roll and soulful R&B'. Sputnikmusic critic Adam Thomas later wrote that the album departed from the folk influences of Springsteen's 1973 debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. Musical style Īccording to biographer Peter Ames Carlin, Springsteen had developed a 'renewed passion for full-band rock 'n' roll' with The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. Along with these tracks, the album would be composed of 'New York City Serenade', completed August 7, and 'The E Street Shuffle', recorded on June 28 in one session. Septemwas the final day of sessions, with final touches applied to 'Kitty's Back', the last verse of ' 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)' overdubbed with new lyrics, ' Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)' and a brand new song, ' Incident on 57th Street', both recorded from scratch and completed. Sessions did not resume until June 22, but all backing tracks and most of the album would be recorded by the end of the week. Two days later, ' The Fever' was recorded in one take, then discarded and not included on the album. Recording began on May 14, 1973, with the day spent on 'Circus Song', which would be finished on June 28, and re-titled 'Wild Billy's Circus Story'. In the 2020 updated version of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, the album was ranked at number 345. On November 7, 2009, Springsteen and the E Street Band played the album in its entirety for the first time during a concert at Madison Square Garden. Once Springsteen achieved nationwide popularity with Born to Run, several selections from this album became popular FM radio airplay and concert favorites.

Locally though, the album sold well, was played regularly on Northeast AOR stations and did make Springsteen a local phenomenon. It includes the song ' Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)', the band's most-used set-closing song through 1985.Īs with Springsteen's first album released earlier in the year, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle was well-received critically but had little commercial success at the time, nationally. It was recorded by Springsteen with the E Street Band at 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, New York, and released on Novemby Columbia Records. The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle is the second studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen.

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