Book Review: I Don't Want to Go Home

In 1970, Asbury Park, New Jersey, was ripped apart by race riots that left the once-proud beach town an hour away from Manhattan smoldering, suffering and left for dead. Four years later, a few miles down the coast in Seaside Heights, two bouncers, Jack Roig and Butch Pielka, tired of the daily grind, dreamt of owning their own place. Under-prepared and minimally funded, the two bought the first bar they considered, in a city where no one wanted to be, without setting one foot in the place. They named it the Stone Pony, and turned it into a rock club that Bruce Springsteen would soon call home and a dying town would call its beating heart.

But the bar had to fight to survive. Despite its success in launching and attracting rockers like Stevie Van Zandt, “Southside” Johnny Lyon, and Springsteen, the Stone Pony—like everything in Asbury Park for the past half century—could only weather the drags of a depressed city for so long.

Bruce Springsteen - The River

Today (October 17th) marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of The River, the double-length fifth studio album from Bruce Springsteen. This multi-Platinum 1980 release flowed to number 65 in Ireland, number 31 in West Germany, number 28 in Japan, number 8 in Australia, number 5 in Spain, number 3 in France, number 2 in the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the UK, and number 1 in Canada and Norway. Here in the US, it spent one hundred and eight weeks on the Billboard Album charts that included four weeks at the number 1 spot.

Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Sunday.

Today (June 2nd) marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of Darkness on the Edge of Town, the fourth studio album from New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen. Despite a three year period since 1975’s Born To Run (click here for that review), this multi-Platinum seller from 1978 went to number 75 in Ireland, number 16 in the UK, number 12 in Norway, number 11 in New Zealand, number 9 in Australia and Sweden, number 7 in Canada, number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 200, and number 4 in the Netherlands. It actually remained on the US charts for ninety-seven weeks in total.

Gary U.S. Bonds - On the Line

Happy seventy-third birthday today (June 6th) to American rhythm and blues singer Gary Levone Anderson, known best by his stage name of Gary U.S. Bonds. He started his career in the 1960’s and, after two albums, took a break from recording. In the early 80’s, he made a career comeback.

In June of 1982, thirty years ago this month, Bonds released his third studio album On the Line. This was the second of two albums that were produced by Bruce Stringsteen and Steven Van Zandt. The two E. Street Band members wrote eight of the tracks, and Bonds was also back by the classic rock group. The album produced one Top 40 hit single.