Bruce Springsteen was the surprise guest at a symposium this weekend celebrating the 50th anniversary of his sophomore album, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, the Asbury Park Press reports.
The event was held at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, on Saturday, October 28, with Springsteen interviewed by Robert Santelli, executive director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music. He also sat in on a panel that featured original E Street Band members Vini Lopez and David Sancious, and original and current member, Garry Tallent.
“The album is a lovely wild card — me finally getting a chance to express myself,” Springsteen told the audience. “Everything I’ve basically done for the rest of my career started on The Wild and the Innocent. It’s a lovely little record and I’m still very proud of it.”
“The main thing for me on The Wild and the Innocent was that I wanted to introduce myself as a rock ‘n’ roll performer,” he continued, noting he wasn’t supposed to put any electric guitar on his debut album, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., because he was originally signed as a singer/songwriter.
He added, “But the second record I knew I wanted to write basically a rock and soul music.”
Released in 1973, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle received critical praise but wasn’t initially a commercial success. It features future Springsteen classic “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” and fan favorites like “4th of July Asbury Park (Sandy),” “Kitty’s Back” and more.
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