Disc 1Live!•
01. Soulfire LIVE! Intro
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02. Mike Stoller Intro
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03. Sweet Soul Music (A.L.Conley/O.Redding/S.Cooke)
Otis Redding took an interest in Arthur Conley who had started recording as a kid in a gospel group. The two of them rewrote Sam Cooke's "Yeah Man," threw a little Elmer Bernstein score from the Magnificent Seven in, and produced this classic. Conley for me was one of the greatest and underrated singers of all time. It was the perfect opener for us and I figured we'd introduce him to a whole new generation.
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04. Soulfire (S.Van Zandt/A.Bruus)
Doing the radio show keeps you very much in tune with what's going on in the world. Of course it's not the mainstream real world, we live in a completely parallel universe, but we've introduced over 1000 new bands in the past 14 years. Which means we're not the only freaks, misfits, and outcasts in this parallel universe. We've signed some to our Wicked Cool label, like The Breakers, who were a very good band from Denmark. This was written as a straight ahead Motown-type song. I rewrote some of it for my version on the Soulfire album.
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05. I'm Coming Back (S.Van Zandt)
This was written for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes' Better Days reunion album we did 15 years after the first three. The story worked perfectly for Southside in
the '90's and it works for me today. It's one of my favorite lyrics.
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06. Blues Is My Business Intro
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07. Blues Is My Business (K.Bowe/T.Cerney)
I'd never recorded a real urban Southside-of-Chicago blues thing for any of my solo albums. We all passed through different genres growing up and Blues was a big one for me. You take a little bit from here and a little bit from there and that's how you form your identity. We did a Blues meets Doo-Wop thing by Junior Wells called "Little By Little" with the Jukes. I think it was a B-side of something. Other than that, this Etta James number is the first Blues I've ever recorded. There's some Albert King in there, some Hubert Sumlin, some Buddy Guy, and a lot of Mike Bloomfield, who I just love. He doesn't get the respect he deserves.
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08. Love On The Wrong Side Of Town (S.Van Zandt/B.Springsteen)
Bruce had the riff and I did the rest. When you've done the original version, it's not always easy to redo the same song. I found it difficult to change much with this one, but when we got to the end of the song I found an opportunity to make a few moves.
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09. Until The Good Is Gone Intro
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10. Until The Good Is Gone (S.Van Zandt)
Straight up Soul number from my first album. Somewhere between Otis Redding Stax and The Impressions. Big Mama McEvily was my first and last kickass Manager. Should have never left her.
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11. Angel Eyes (S.Van Zandt)
Maureen was a ballet dancer. That's her song.
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12. Some Things Just Don't Change (S.Van Zandt)
I found it quite challenging as a singer doing some of these songs. They are written with an intense simplicity that leaves no room for anything less than full commitment. Singing them made me really appreciate Southside Johnny even more. When I gave them these songs, I didn't really have any desire to be my own performer or a frontman, so I was able to express my artistic creativity through him. And he's been out there all these years keeping my music alive, when I myself was not. This is one of my favorites. I wrote it with David Ruffin and The Temptations in mind. I was, as usual, basically trying to write a classic Motown song. And I'm gonna keep trying until I get there.
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13. Saint Valentine's Day Intro
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14. Saint Valentine's Day (S.Van Zandt)
I wrote this for Nancy Sinatra but unfortunately we never did the session. One of my biggest regrets. I recorded it with The Cocktail Slippers, similar to the way I was going to do it with Nancy, and they did a great job with it. I played it for David Chase and it blew his mind because it had a similar plot line to the script he'd written for his first movie. So we did a more Byrds-style version for Not Fade Away. For Soulfire, I combined the two versions and added a horn line that changed the whole complexion of the song. Makes it more of a soul thing so it fit the album better.
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15. Standing In The Line Of Fire Intro
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16. Standing In The Line Of Fire (S.Van Zandt/G.Anderson/L.Anderson)
Bruce wanted to Produce something for Gary as a way to say thanks and brought me into it. We had been doing his "Quarter to Three" as an encore for years. We did two albums then me and Gary wrote this as a title track for a third. I combined it with a tribute to Ennio Morricone I'd written as part of my Lilyhammer score. Turned out interesting.
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17. I Saw The Light (S.Van Zandt)
I had half-written it for Richie Sambora & Orianthi for their new thing, RSO. But the next time I talked to him they had already written 40 songs so I didn't bother finishing it. I came across it as we were making my album and thought, "I like this riff, maybe I'll finish it for me."
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18. Salvation (S.Van Zandt)
This was part of my '60's Hard Rock record Born Again Savage which will forever be the album I played the most guitar on. Just me, Jason Bonham, and Adam Clayton. It's Jeff Beck Ola, Led Zeppelin, and AC/DC with a lot of Paul Rodgers.
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19. The City Weeps Tonight Intro
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20. The City Weeps Tonight (S.Van Zandt)
I love Doo-Wop. This was going to be the first song on my first solo album. I was going to do a chronological history of Rock and Roll but the concept changed and I got political. It remained three-quarters finished all these years, but it never entirely left my mind.
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21. Down And Out In New York City (B.Chandler/B.De Vorzon)
I love the blaxploitation genre. We do a special in the Underground Garage every year celebrating the day after Thanksgiving as “Blaxploitation Friday." I saw every one of these movies in Asbury Park when I lived there in the early 70s. Sometimes I'd be the only person in the theater. We did it for Leo Green's BluesFest in London in 2016, we came up with a really cool groove and a new horn line and made it our own enough to cut it for Soulfire. It has a Jazzy element that I also explored with my Lilyhammer score, but like the Blues and Doo-Wop songs, it's a new fresh genre for a solo album. The horn section shows why they're the best in the world on this one.
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22. Princess Of Little Italy Intro
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23. Princess Of Little Italy (S.Van Zandt)
The song is written from the point of view of an Italian grandfather from the old country trying to understand his grandaughter and the modern world. He'll never get there. Banana, one of my heroes from the Youngbloods plays the mandolin.
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24. Solidarity (S.Van Zandt)
I sent this track from my second album to Chris Blackwell to release in Jamaica. He gave it to Black Uhuru who had a hit and won a Grammy. Andy and the band take the solo to a psychedelic wonderland.
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25. Leonard Peltier (S.Van Zandt)
One of the most outrageous miscarriages of justice in the history of our country. He's still in jail 40 years later in spite of falsified evidence, coerced witnesses, and a ballistics test that didn't match his rifle.
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26. I Am A Patriot (S.Van Zandt)
So cool when somebody does one of your songs. Even cooler when it's Jackson Browne and Eddie Vedder. Particularly satisfying because it was the most difficult song I've ever written.
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27. Groovin' Is Easy (Gravenites/Polte)
Mike Bloomfield was an American legend from the moment he entered the old CBS studios with his Telecaster over his shoulder, no case, dripping wet from the rain to record "Like A Rolling Stone." He'd light up the Paul Butterfield Blues Band for two albums before starting the Electric Flag with fellow Chicagoan Nick Gravenites and emigrate to San Francisco.
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28. Ride The Night Away Intro
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29. Ride The Night Away (S.Van Zandt/S.Jordan)
Steve Jordan came over my house one day and said, "I've got a Jimmy Barnes session, I promised him a song and I don't have one so I'm not leaving until you write one." So I did.
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30. Bitter Fruit (S.Van Zandt)
Heavy Salsa. Ruben Blades did the duet on my third album. I wish I saw him more often.
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31. Forever (S.Van Zandt)
One of my many tributes to Smokey Robinson I hope he records someday. It was always my favorite mix from my first album because I made Bob Clearmountain do it in mono.
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32. Checkpoint Charlie Intro
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33. Checkpoint Charlie (S.Van Zandt)
Another Smokey tribute. Walking into East Berlin in the old days was a twilight zone experience. Another planet. So sad with a happy ending. Now new fascists want to build new walls.
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34. I Don't Want To Go Home (S.Van Zandt)
It's the first song I ever wrote that I liked. I'd spent five or six years trying to write songs but they just didn't connect for me. I decided to go back and really study the roots of Rock. For me, the architects, the pioneer Songwriter/ Producers were Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. So I decided I'd write a Drifters song. I was on the oldies circuit at the time, playing with The Dovells and later Dion, I got to meet all of my 50s and 60s early Rock and Roll heroes, and spend some time with them. I wrote it for Ben E. King and gave it to Southside. I cut it for Soulfire the way I'd originally imagined it. The group vocals answering the lead.
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35. Out Of The Darkness Intro
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36. Out Of The Darkness (S.Van Zandt)
And I thought we were in The Darkness when I wrote this in 1984! Even Orwell wouldn't believe our situation now.
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37. End Credits
Disc 2 Bonus Tracks!•
01. Soulfire Featurette
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02. Even The Losers (T.Petty)
October 26,2017 - Fort Lauderdale, FL Revolution Live
Tom's death hit me pretty hard.
Interesting because we were friendly but I don't remember ever having a lengthy conversation with him. We didn't have to. We were the same age so we knew we had everything that mattered in common. He died October 2, the day after the Las Vegas Massacre, so his passing didn't get much attention. That was understandable but it bothered me. So I decided to keep him in the front of my audience's minds for the rest of the year at least. Of course nobody dies in our world. He'll live forever on the Underground Garage and Outlaw Country.
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03. Can't Be So Bad Intro
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04. Can't Be So Bad (featuring Jerry Miller) (D.Stevenson/J.Miller)
October 15,2017 - Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
Moby Grape was only around for two albums really, which was a shame because they were one of the great American bands of all time. And Jerry Miller continues to be one of the greatest American guitar players.
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05. You Shook Me All Night Long (B.Johnson/A.Young/M.Young)
November 20,2017 - Oslo, Norway Rockefeller Music Hall
Tribute to Malcolm Young's superb essential rhythm guitar work in AC/DC.
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06. Working Class Hero (J.Lennon)
October 9,2017 - Toronto, Canada Danforth Music Hall
Somebody asked me to do a benefit for the Kennedy Center. They do good things so I was into that. It was a tribute to John Lennon so I was into that. They told me Taj Mahal would be there so I was really into that. But at first, I wasn't sure I had anything of value to contribute. I asked Maureen what she thought I should do. She immediately suggested "Working Class Hero." After writing so many gorgeous melodies John Lennon stripped things down to as raw a primitive emotion as he could with this one. The simplicity of the song worked for his purpose at the time, but it wasn't working for me. I messed with it until this arrangement came to me and justified the whole trip.
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07. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place (B.Mann/C.Weil)
November 16,2017 - Newcastle, England 02 Academy
It was interesting how quite a ways into the British Invasion, the Brill Building and 1650 Broadway were still supplying songs to Artists that were good songwriters themselves. Like this Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil classic originally performed by The Animals. One of the greatest.
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08. Can I Get A Witness (featuring Richie Sambora) (Holland/Dozier/Holland)
October 19,2017 - Los Angeles, CA Orpheum Theatre
I've always been close to the Bon Jovi band but Richie's the one I see the most. He stormed the stage without a rehearsal and blew minds in LA that night. Another underrated guitar player.
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09. It's Not My Cross To Bear (G.Allman)
September 21,2017 - Holmdel, NJ Laid Back Festival, PNC Bank Arts Center
Another of the greatest American bands and Greg Allman, one of the most soulful singers America will ever produce.
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10. Freeze Frame (featuring Peter Wolf) (P.Wolf/S.Justman)
December 21,2017 - Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Bowl
Peter Wolf hasn't changed one bit since 1969 when I first met him. He was the greatest then, he's the greatest now.
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11. The Time Of Your Life (S.Van Zandt)
May 27,2017 - Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Theatre
I love Chris Columbus. He not only discovered America, he discovered I could deliver songs for his movies. He's completely responsible for two of my best songs and this is one of them.
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12. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (featuring Bruce Springsteen) (B.Springsteen)
September 21,2017 - Holmdel, NJ Laid Back Festival, PNC Bank Arts Center
We gave this baby the Sam & Dave treatment which never goes wrong.
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13. I Don't Want To Go Home (featuring Bruce Springsteen) (S.Van Zandt)
May 27,2017 - Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Theatre
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14. Merry Christmas (l Don't Want To Fight Tonight) (J.Ramone)
December 8,2017 - Madrid, Spain Palacio Vistalegre
I first did this Ramones classic at a Christmas Show in Jersey probably 20 years ago. I still like it.
МАССА ТО МЕССА!
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15. I Saw Her Standing There Intro
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16. I Saw Her Standing There (featuring Paul McCartney) (Lennon/McCartney)
November 5,2017 - London, UK The Roundhouse
Our 2017 Tour began in London with one of the most thrilling moments of my life.
Sir Paul McCartney surprised us on stage for the encore of our show.
It was the third time we had performed together.
He had come on with Bruce and the E Street Band for Hard Rock Live! at the Hyde Park debacle where they pulled the plug on us for going ten minutes over the stupid curfew! Then he invited Bruce and me to join him for an encore at Madison Square Garden in New York.
But this one was particularly meaningful to me. It was an incredibly generous endorsement of my own work and just the encouragement my new artistic rebirth needed.
As if I didn't have enough to be thankful to him for!
I will be forever grateful.
Because of that wonderful gesture, I wanted to do something special once we got to Liverpool.
We decided to do a mini-tribute to the Beatles and do a "lunchtime set" at the Cavern the way they used to.
I don't think anybody's done one since!
The Cavern people were great and were a bit shocked and amused that I wanted to use the smaller stage, the "tunnel," the one that most resembled the original Cavern stage which barely fit our rhythm section! We put the horns and girls in the hallway next to the stage where Eddie and Richie could make just enough eye contact through the arches and off we went.
We did an eight-song set, half numbers they had performed there and half Beatles songs with horns. Here's the set:
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17. Cavern Club Featurette
CAVERN CLUB LUNCHTIME SET
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18. Cavern Club Intro
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19. Magical Mystery Tour (Lennon/McCartney)
November 14,2017 - Liverpool, UK Cavern Club
A great opener, and appropriate, as we broke new mysterious ground hoping to rise to the occasion to honor our heroes. Failure would have been banishment from England forever!
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20. Boys (L.Dixon/W.Farrell)
November 14,2017 - Liverpool, UK Cavern Club
The Shirelles' B-side was a showstopper for Ringo both with the Beatles and Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. In Hamburg and the Cavern. Still his greatest vocal performance. And one of the coolest drum parts ever which I can't talk him into doing anymore.
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21. Slow Down Intro
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22. Slow Down (L.Williams)
November 14,2017 - Liverpool, UK Cavern Club
Larry Williams was a Little Richard protege from New Orleans and was one of the five artists covered by both the Beatles and Stones. Some of us may have a vague recollection of "Bony Moronie," but most of my generation would never have heard of him if they hadn't introduced him to us. Lennon actually improves the melody and sings the hell out of it.
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23. Some Other Guy (Leiber/Stoller/Barrett)
November 14,2017 - Liverpool, UK Cavern Club
A rather obscure solo single (co-written with the amazing Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller) from a very important cat, Richard Barrett. He discovered Frankie Lymon and Little Anthony and played piano on the classic Chantels' "Maybe" among many other things. (We used him doing the same "Maybe" triplets on Southside Johnny's "First Night"). "Some Other Guy" has a special significance for this occasion, it being the only footage of the Beatles at the Cavern. About a week after Ringo joined. They sang it enthusiastically as a group vocal and, oddly enough, all the Merseybeat bands seemed to have it in their act!
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24. Soldier Of Love Intro
• 25. Soldier Of Love (Lay Down Your Arms) (B.Cason/T.Moon)
November 14,2017 - Liverpool, UK Cavern Club
My favorite of all the Arthur Alexander classics, and again one of the five artists covered by both the Beatles and Stones, and again an amazing artist we never would have heard of. It is the one song I wished the Beatles had recorded properly but never did. Thankfully we have the wonderful live at the BBC version.
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26. Good Morning Good Morning (Lennon/McCartney)
November 14,2017 - Liverpool, UK Cavern Club
The fantastic sound of the horns on this classic from Sgt. Pepper has always been impressive. Not to mention Paul's amazing solo.
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27. Got To Get You Into My Life (Lennon/McCartney)
November 14,2017 - Liverpool, UK Cavern Club
I think this was the first time we heard horns on a Beatles record. We weren't sure what to make of it at first. We just waited for that little simple 2 bar guitar lick (from George I believe?) at the end.
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28. All You Need Is Love (Lennon/McCartney)
November 14,2017 - Liverpool, UK Cavern Club
Who knows what the French national anthem had to do with anything but it sure was cool. Quite a challenge live. Andy managed all the sounds at the end. And the rooster for "Good Morning Good Morning."
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29. Birthday (Lennon/McCartney)
November 8,2017 - Leeds, UK 02 Academy Leeds
Something we did for Maureen's birthday. I thought we'd throw it in.
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