Bruce - All Along The Watchtower

My bro-in-law showed me this video last night and I had to share!!

I'm used to seeing Bruce just strumming along and singing his head off, but this clip makes you appreciate his Tele skills up close and in your face.

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Now, for my silly question (because there always is one with me :lol: ) When listening to Bruce (or bands with multiple guitar players) how do you determine who's playing what guitar part? My assumption is that you just have to have that well trained ear and knowledge of the band as a whole. I'm sure it's mixed up, maybe if Little Steven wrote a lead guitar part, that's him playing it, and if it was Bruce, he'd play it...but maybe not always live since he's busy doing other things?

I think Bruce decides who takes the leads, I mean, he is The Boss afterall! :wink:

But he, Steve and Nils have such different sounds & styles that I have no issues knowing who's taking the lead. That, and Bruce takes most of them.

I think Bruce decides who takes the leads.

But he, Steve and Nils have such different sounds & styles that I have no issues knowing who's taking the lead. That, and Bruce takes most of them.

Ahh see I didn't know that, so now I will listen with a closer ear :cool:

Look I am not a snob, not ego centric, but I have to say something. Bruce Springsteen plays guitar like a kid in his second month of learning. Sorry I know he is a super star and if he has written some of the songs he plays then he has great song writing talent, but his guitar playing is amateurish as best. It always has been and appears after all of this time that it always will be. I don't care if anyone agrees with me or not, it is so blatantly obvious and true you have to be a pretty bad guitar player yourself not to see it. :oops:
His Tele skills are not up close and in my face, they are on the floor because I just threw up. :confused:

Well alrighty then....

http://i55.tinypic.com/5487r8.png

Look I am not a snob, not ego centric, but I have to say something. Bruce Springsteen plays guitar like a kid in his second month of learning. Sorry I know he is a super star and if he has written some of the songs he plays then he has great song writing talent, but his guitar playing is amateurish as best. It always has been and appears after all of this time that it always will be. I don't care if anyone agrees with me or not, it is so blatantly obvious and true you have to be a pretty bad guitar player yourself not to see it. :oops:
His Tele skills are not up close and in my face, they are on the floor because I just threw up. :confused:

Bruce is very much like Neil Young. Plays from the heart. I think he's great. And by the way, I can play my ass off.:twisted:

Look I am not a snob, not ego centric, but I have to say something. Bruce Springsteen plays guitar like a kid in his second month of learning. Sorry I know he is a super star and if he has written some of the songs he plays then he has great song writing talent, but his guitar playing is amateurish as best. It always has been and appears after all of this time that it always will be. I don't care if anyone agrees with me or not, it is so blatantly obvious and true you have to be a pretty bad guitar player yourself not to see it. :oops:
His Tele skills are not up close and in my face, they are on the floor because I just threw up. :confused:

On the other hand, you have to be a pretty bad, amateurish guitar player to not be able to tell Bruce plays with feel and you have to be borderline deaf to not be able to hear that his guitar playing is just fine.



I think it's really cool when Bruce's band plays covers, especially this one. It's one of my favorite RnR songs. The camera man needs some help in the beginning though... :wink:

Look I am not a snob, not ego centric, but I have to say something. Bruce Springsteen plays guitar like a kid in his second month of learning. Sorry I know he is a super star and if he has written some of the songs he plays then he has great song writing talent, but his guitar playing is amateurish as best. It always has been and appears after all of this time that it always will be. I don't care if anyone agrees with me or not, it is so blatantly obvious and true you have to be a pretty bad guitar player yourself not to see it. :oops:
His Tele skills are not up close and in my face, they are on the floor because I just threw up. :confused:

I've never seen you play, but I would bet my bottom dollar that Bruce on his worst day would completely outplay you on your best day......and then proceed to make you mop up his sweat.

Look I am not a snob, not ego centric, but I have to say something. Bruce Springsteen plays guitar like a kid in his second month of learning. Sorry I know he is a super star and if he has written some of the songs he plays then he has great song writing talent, but his guitar playing is amateurish as best. It always has been and appears after all of this time that it always will be. I don't care if anyone agrees with me or not, it is so blatantly obvious and true you have to be a pretty bad guitar player yourself not to see it. :oops:
His Tele skills are not up close and in my face, they are on the floor because I just threw up. :confused:

Uh... yeah, he wrote a few...

Wow.

Poor OP, the troll trolled his thread...

I hate when that happens.

:/

Now, for my silly question (because there always is one with me :lol: ) When listening to Bruce (or bands with multiple guitar players) how do you determine who's playing what guitar part? My assumption is that you just have to have that well trained ear and knowledge of the band as a whole. I'm sure it's mixed up, maybe if Little Steven wrote a lead guitar part, that's him playing it, and if it was Bruce, he'd play it...but maybe not always live since he's busy doing other things?

Thats not a silly question. Its pretty easy to figure out live who is soloing. I agree that it is hard on the records. If its a tele sound, then it is probably Bruce. If it sounds like a strat or Gibson, well then it could be any of the three! Nils has the most distinct style, as he uses his fingers and a thumb pick (not exactly like Lindsey Buckingham, but there are similarities). Both Bruce and Steve are no-frills players that play with feeling and complement the song.

BUT, in a nutshell, it is widely believed that most recorded solos are Bruce, while Steve and Nils do the fills/rhythm/etc.

Thaks for the cool replies! I am not too great on picking out a tele vs. Strat etc, but now i think i will test myself!

And to the troll...doesnt matter to me what anyone thinks about anyone's playing. Music for me is expression not technicality. This is why I never participate in any "best" threads. For me there is music i like, and music i probably will like someday because i found a part of it that speaks to me. Why waste time comparing and judging, the point is to listen, feel, share,and ENJOY!

Look I am not a snob, not ego centric, but I have to say something. Bruce Springsteen plays guitar like a kid in his second month of learning. Sorry I know he is a super star and if he has written some of the songs he plays then he has great song writing talent, but his guitar playing is amateurish as best. It always has been and appears after all of this time that it always will be. I don't care if anyone agrees with me or not, it is so blatantly obvious and true you have to be a pretty bad guitar player yourself not to see it. :oops:
His Tele skills are not up close and in my face, they are on the floor because I just threw up. :confused:

If I would have been playing like that in my second month of learning, I would be in the RnR Hall of Fame by now!:rolleyes:

Look I am not a snob, not ego centric, but I have to say something. Bruce Springsteen plays guitar like a kid in his second month of learning.

I think that's intentional on Springsteen's part. The above analogy to Neil Young is a good one. I think both Springsteen and Young use the guitar to add various qualities to the song rather than use the song as a platform to demonstrate their guitar technique. Both seem to like the raw energy that a lot of players lose as they become more fluid and technically proficient.

The world is full of virtuosos with very similar styles but Springsteen and Young are pretty unique.

Off the "can he or can't he play" thread, of which I am not going to join in.
What pick ups are in that tele? Hot rails, chopper ?
Any one know for certain?

Sorry if I have offended any Bruce Springsteen fans out there. When I was in high school my band tried out for a county wide rock and roll contest. We were in two of them. Out of the 50 bands that tried out only 10 made the contest. We tied for first place on the second one and had the only standing ovation of the evening. Our singer took the best vocalist award in both contests and I received votes as the best guitarist I saw their voting sheets. I used to do 45 minutes a day of finger exercises and then spent another hour and a half working on material for the band.

You may be saying that is no big deal, but when you consider who was in those contests including the first one; Ricky Veto the lead guitar player in Fleetwood Mac for three years. He was on tour with Bonny Rait for more than a year, toured with Jackson Browne... the list goes on. Also in that contest was Hughey MacDonald who is currently the bass player in Bon Jovi. Also Billy "Obie" Obrien who is Bon Jovi's recording engineer. Many other notables in those contests back in 66 and 68 including Mike Nicosia who played with The Guess Who. I was 16 and 18 back then. When I was in college I formed a band called "Dirty Time Incorporated" we had the best talent of WCU school of music, our lead trumpet player left in his last semester getting ready to graduate because he went on tour with Maynard Ferguson. I have seen a lot of talent. We spent 6 months screening the music school to get the best for that band.

Look you can go into any music store and hear guys in there with tons of talent. You can ignore the playing ability of Bruce Springsteen all you want because you may be a "Bruce can do no wrong" kind of fan as in you are that enamored with him, but any arbitrary person with an unbiased opinion could listen to him play and realize that for some reason his hands are frozen.

OK he plays a Tele and he had quite an old looking one for a long time, maybe he still does but that in of itself doesn't make for good playing.

Look I know that no one is coming to my rescue because they are smart enough to know that you don't stand in the way of a Bruce Springsteen fan. Bruces fans are not alone there are millions of them out there. I admit I have enjoyed his singing, performances, and songs for a long time. I am only commenting about his lead guitar playing. Hey some guys are great singer, songwriters, rhythm guitar players, and performers, and others play lead guitar. Then again you have Eric Claptons and Jimmy Hendrix who do it all well. Oops, there I go again :roll:

So the only point I am making is that Bruce is great, he just isn't a great lead guitar player.

I betcha my Daddy can beat up your Daddy. :mrgreen:

Bottom line; millions of folks love Bruce, and how many fans do you have?

Who cares who was in some old HS talent contest you were in, besides you?

Dude, swallow the sour grapes and move on.

BTW, I'm not a big Bruce fan, but do prefer players like him and Neil Young over technically precise shredders, who produce little more than white noise to my ear.

BTW, I'm not a big Bruce fan, but do prefer players like him and Neil Young over technically precise shredders, who produce little more than white noise to my ear.

I agree with you on that point. Shredders with their never ending white noise is not what I call enjoyable music to listen to.
Guitar players that I love.
Stevey Ray Vaughan
Eric Clapton
Jimi Hendrix
Me :mrgreen:

Ok I guess it is not polite for me to criticize another guitar player, and for that I apologize. I will let this go and any others who wish to have the last word, I will let it be. Sometimes silence is golden. I would much rather talk about what I love and that is Tele's and Strat's with an occasstional Les Paul thrown in.

I bet Bruce could show us all a thing or two in the studio.:twisted:

I think that's intentional on Springsteen's part. The above analogy to Neil Young is a good one. I think both Springsteen and Young use the guitar to add various qualities to the song rather than use the song as a platform to demonstrate their guitar technique. Both seem to like the raw energy that a lot of players lose as they become more fluid and technically proficient.

The world is full of virtuosos with very similar styles but Springsteen and Young are pretty unique.


^^ THIS ^^

You may be saying that is no big deal, but when you consider who was in those contests including the first one; Ricky Veto the lead guitar player in Fleetwood Mac for three years. He was on tour with Bonny Rait for more than a year, toured with Jackson Browne... the list goes on.

BTW, it's Rick Vito and Bonnie Raitt.

Credibility out the window.

BTW, it's Rick Vito and Bonnie Raitt.

Credibility out the window.

I grew up with Ricky Vito and his brother Mark, used to rent a condo from his Mom.

Sorry if I have offended any Bruce Springsteen fans out there. When I was in high school my band tried out for a county wide rock and roll contest. We were in two of them. Out of the 50 bands that tried out only 10 made the contest. We tied for first place on the second one and had the only standing ovation of the evening. Our singer took the best vocalist award in both contests and I received votes as the best guitarist I saw their voting sheets. I used to do 45 minutes a day of finger exercises and then spent another hour and a half working on material for the band.

You may be saying that is no big deal, but when you consider who was in those contests including the first one; Ricky Veto the lead guitar player in Fleetwood Mac for three years. He was on tour with Bonny Rait for more than a year, toured with Jackson Browne... the list goes on. Also in that contest was Hughey MacDonald who is currently the bass player in Bon Jovi. Also Billy "Obie" Obrien who is Bon Jovi's recording engineer. Many other notables in those contests back in 66 and 68 including Mike Nicosia who played with The Guess Who. I was 16 and 18 back then. When I was in college I formed a band called "Dirty Time Incorporated" we had the best talent of WCU school of music, our lead trumpet player left in his last semester getting ready to graduate because he went on tour with Maynard Ferguson. I have seen a lot of talent. We spent 6 months screening the music school to get the best for that band.

Look you can go into any music store and hear guys in there with tons of talent. You can ignore the playing ability of Bruce Springsteen all you want because you may be a "Bruce can do no wrong" kind of fan as in you are that enamored with him, but any arbitrary person with an unbiased opinion could listen to him play and realize that for some reason his hands are frozen.

OK he plays a Tele and he had quite an old looking one for a long time, maybe he still does but that in of itself doesn't make for good playing.

Look I know that no one is coming to my rescue because they are smart enough to know that you don't stand in the way of a Bruce Springsteen fan. Bruces fans are not alone there are millions of them out there. I admit I have enjoyed his singing, performances, and songs for a long time. I am only commenting about his lead guitar playing. Hey some guys are great singer, songwriters, rhythm guitar players, and performers, and others play lead guitar. Then again you have Eric Claptons and Jimmy Hendrix who do it all well. Oops, there I go again :roll:

So the only point I am making is that Bruce is great, he just isn't a great lead guitar player.

I betcha my Daddy can beat up your Daddy. :mrgreen:

I don't really have a problem with you not liking Bruce's lead playing - to each his own. It was the way you insulted the OP and anyone else who does like his playing that I had an issue with. My guess is that's the reason no one is coming to your defense. I don't care who you played with or what school you went to, there's a right and a wrong way to express your opinion. Part of that is remembering that it's just that - an opinion.

Credibility (if true) back in the window.

Spelling and grammar (and etiquette) still highly suspect...

Look I think I have learned some valuable lessons here. One is that I should not have stomped on this thread and I apologize for doing so. Second is that there are different types of musicians out there and it is totally unprofessional to criticize them. It's not like I am a judge on American Idol or something. I have been having fun in this thread, but obviously my fun is seriously offending others and for that I am sincerely sorry.
I don't think my opinions are wrong, they are just misplaced. Sorry about that. :oops:

Fair enough.

Look I think I have learned some valuable lessons here. One is that I should not have stomped on this thread and I apologize for doing so. Second is that there are different types of musicians out there and it is totally unprofessional to criticize them. It's not like I am a judge on American Idol or something. I have been having fun in this thread, but obviously my fun is seriously offending others and for that I am sincerely sorry.
I don't think my opinions are wrong, they are just misplaced. Sorry about that. :oops:

That's the thing about opinions, none of them are wrong. But that doesn't make yours more right than someone else's either.

I like a lot of other players more than Bruce, but his playing is pretty integral to his songs.

And the rant about your high school talent contest reminds me of a song some guy wrote called Glory Days - you might have heard it. :wink:

The Boss has a nice raw sound ... saying he is no better then a kid in his second month of learning is like saying Arnold Palmer was a hack golfer because his golf swing was unorthodox.
It was ... it's horrible ... but he split the fairways with it.

Music is an art form of expression and the talent of the musicians varies greatly, no doubt, and for many artists their work has less to do with technical proficiency than it does with overall expression. There were hundreds of thousands of better guitar players than Woody Guthrie, but who would have accompanied him and played his songs better than he did himself? Yes, someone may have played cleaner or whatever, but his artistry had little to do with a technical proficiency and to my ears a better player would have detracted from his delivery. Springsteen is in many ways a modern Woody in his raw delivery and storytelling and his guitar suits him just fine. The absolute best concert I ever saw was Springsteen back in 1975. Beat it if you can, I have waited a long time to find another concert that compared to it.

I think it's really cool when Bruce's band plays covers.


I've seen Springsteen and the E Street Band in concert twice within the last three years.

As probably most of you know, people now bring placards with songs titles written on them to the shows.

Some are Springsteen songs and some are covers.

Bruce collects many of the signs/banners and decides on the spot which ones to play.

It is a highlight of the shows. Great, great stuff.

There is a subtlety to Springsteen that is hard for some to get. On guitar, he will never be a pyrotechical virtuoso playing a million notes a second, but he can put a song across like nobody else, regardless of whether it is one of his or a cover. This subtlety is usually lost on those who favor the pyrotechnics. To each their own.

Music is an art form of expression and the talent of the musicians varies greatly, no doubt, and for many artists their work has less to do with technical proficiency than it does with overall expression. There were hundreds of thousands of better guitar players than Woody Guthrie, but who would have accompanied him and played his songs better than he did himself? Yes, someone may have played cleaner or whatever, but his artistry had little to do with a technical proficiency and to my ears a better player would have detracted from his delivery. Springsteen is in many ways a modern Woody in his raw delivery and storytelling and his guitar suits him just fine. The absolute best concert I ever saw was Springsteen back in 1975. Beat it if you can, I have waited a long time to find another concert that compared to it.Pretty much.

I've never been a big Springsteen fan either. I was a little disappointed with this "Watchtower" version, for a couple of reasons. It was a remake of the Hendrix version, and has little to do with the spirit of the original, I didn't really like the rhythm, that so dominates the intro and the quieter sections. The other singer didn't sound very good.

Bruce Springsteen's popularity comes from his songs, his singing, and his performances, and for that he has remained for over 35 years. I appreciated the fact that a singer/songwriter/performer can play his own leads, even if he's not that great a lead player.

It's possible to play with both skill and feeling. One without the other will leave me cold or annoyed. Neil Young plays leads with "feeling" but his solos don't do anything for me; he's not a "lead player". Playing loud with a lot of "feel" is not really different than playing loud with a lot of notes using "skill" (shredding), because neither one captures the balance of skill and emotion.

This performance of "All Along the Watchtower" obviously went over well in the concert, as it should. But it would not hold up as a quality studio version would.

JMO, YMMV.

Thanks for sharing that, Rain.
FWIW, that's not the E-street band Bruce is playing with and it seems to be at some kind of small benefit show.

I just a/b'd this and the Hendrix version.

Hendrix 10
Springsteen 4

IMO

I just a/b'd this and the Hendrix version.

Hendrix 10
Springsteen 4

IMO

And with music, like hockey, there's a winner and a loser.... because someone is always keeping score.

I like the Romeo Rose version. :rolleyes:

From Before The Flood 100.:lol:

Jeez, Louise...I would be willin to bet that Mr. Springsteen doesn't give a %>& about this stuff. Y'all (on both sides) should get a life. He's just a guitar player who writes some songs. That's it,boys and girls...

That's the thing about opinions, none of them are wrong. But that doesn't make yours more right than someone else's either.

I like a lot of other players more than Bruce, but his playing is pretty integral to his songs.

And the rant about your high school talent contest reminds me of a song some guy wrote called Glory Days - you might have heard it. :wink:

GGPC I was looking for the "Like" button like on Facebook but I couldn't find it so this is my official "Like" of your post. Thank you for your understanding.

Over this side of the pond Bruce is pretty much ignored. Ask the average Brit and the only thing they might relate to him is "born to run" and "born in the USA". Many of us were really surprised to be a headliner on the Glastonbury line up a few years ago.
So, after the festival, those who didn't go but watched the highlights, pretty much had the same reaction. Jes' , that Springsteen bloke knows how to put on a show. Ok no-one I spoke to said what great guitarist he is but he is definatley one the best performers around, nows how to work an audience and puts passion into what he does. A big eye opener for many here.
Rather than criticise him for what he doesn't attempt to be, I'll praise him for what he is, a superb frontman, singer song writer.
( believe Prince is one of the headliners this year. Again an odd choice for this English "old hippy festival". Think he's going to blow some people away. Another artist that is largely ignored here and only remembered for purple rain).

I'm responding on my phone so can someone post Bruce's guitar intro to "Prove it All Night" from 78?

I'm responding on my phone so can someone post Bruce's guitar intro to "Prove it All Night" from 78?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iIweNHqALY

He kicks in at about 2.20. Great

how do I add video to the post? Tried the youtube hyperlinkbutton, but??

Look I am not a snob, not ego centric, but I have to say something. Bruce Springsteen plays guitar like a kid in his second month of learning. Sorry I know he is a super star and if he has written some of the songs he plays then he has great song writing talent, but his guitar playing is amateurish as best. It always has been and appears after all of this time that it always will be. I don't care if anyone agrees with me or not, it is so blatantly obvious and true you have to be a pretty bad guitar player yourself not to see it. :oops:
His Tele skills are not up close and in my face, they are on the floor because I just threw up. :confused:
I'm assuming this is tongue in cheek as there is no way you could have the musical experience you have stated without knowing that Bruce is one of the best singer-songwriters there is. Bruce only covers the odd classic rock song. As far as his guitar playing, I was surprised that his leads are quite good within the genre he plays. But given the choice of having Bruce's songwriting talents or the guitar skills of any other guitarist, I'd choose Bruce's songwriting. I'm actually shocked at how many absolutely stunning guitar players there are in the world. However, this makes them a dime-a-dozen. I'll take a great songwriter any day. and songwriters make the money and are remembered.

The thing that sets Bruce's guitar playing apart from most others is how he uses his skills to compliment the song, not take it over.

He rarely shreds, but when he does, it enhances the song he is playing. Maybe not being a guitar god reigns him in so that when he breaks into a solo, it hits you right in the heart.

I'll take a Springsteen solo over a Vai solo any day of the week.

Bruce sounds good on this but who is that other singer-he does not do anything for this song

Geez people, it isn't brain surgery.

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Geez people, it isn't brain surgery.

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That gave me goosebumps!

That gave me goosebumps!

It reminds me of the theme music in the opening of Taxi. I wish I had Bruce's speaking voice. It's just freaking cool. Those pinch harmonics sound great. Bruce is a fiend on the guitar. Hard to believe some don't find it amazing.

Ok, wow. I've been listening to more Bruce the past hour than I have before (besides Nebraska). I just assumed he didn't play much lead guitar. I didn't watch him play before this thread very much, just listen casually. I knew he had talent in ridiculous amounts, but I didn't know it extended to his lead ability and playing so much. I'm glad this thread was started, it has definitely exposed me to something new that's always been there.

BAWa9eiSjw8

Going toe to toe with James Burton...and he holds his own against the master until he bows out gracefully..

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BAWa9eiSjw8

Going toe to toe with James Burton...and he holds his own against the master until he bows out gracefully..

la2H9OCOlrQ

I stand corrected. In the first one he had some really nice stuff in there, especially good for the style of song. In the second one I don't know what happened he appears to have his guitar turned down a lot.

Bruce brings it in this one. Very Neil Young:
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Bruce rocking a Jr.
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The thing I love about Bruce is that he always brings it.Nothings half assed. That's effing inspirational.

If you have ever seen him live you know he can play.