The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts Explained

The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts
Type:live
Artist:Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Cover:Bruce Springsteen - The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts.png
Recorded:September 21–22, 1979
Venue:Madison Square Garden
Genre:Rock
Length:90:12
Label:Columbia
Producer:Bruce Springsteen
Chronology:Bruce Springsteen
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The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts is a live album and concert film by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, released on November 19, 2021. It was recorded over two nights, September 21 and 22, 1979, at Madison Square Garden, as part of the No Nukes concerts organized by activist group Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) against the use of nuclear energy.

Most tracks are from Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) and its predecessor, Born to Run (1975), while the album also includes performances of "The River" and "Sherry Darling" preceding their release in studio form on the following year's The River (1980).[1] Springsteen's "Detroit Medley" and his cover of Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs' "Stay" were previously released in a different form on the 1980 album .

Critical reception

On review aggregator Metacritic, the album has a score of 93 out of 100 based on six critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Reviewing the album for Pitchfork, Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the audio recording and accompanying film "flesh out a pivotal moment in Springsteen's rise to superstardom, providing the first professionally recorded and filmed glimpse of the E Street Band at full roar", complimenting the set list for being "structured like a party" and concluding that Springsteen's other performances over the years "haven't diminished the power of this one: It has a distinctive blend of magic and might, the sound of a band who knows they've hit their stride and still gets giddy at the noise they make".

Track listing

Tracks 1–5, 10 and 12 were recorded on September 22, 1979, while tracks 6–9, 11 and 13 were recorded on September 21, 1979. All tracks are written by Bruce Springsteen, except where noted.[2]

Personnel

Musicians

Additional musicians on "Stay"

Technical personnel

Film credits

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2021)! scope="col"
Position
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[3] 65

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Springsteen's "Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts" has the best live version of "The Promised Land". Salon.com. Womack. Kenneth. November 20, 2021. November 27, 2021. November 30, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211130024824/https://www.salon.com/2021/11/20/springsteens-legendary-1979-no-nukes-concerts-has-the-best-live-version-of-the-promised-land/. live.
  2. The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. 2021. liner notes. Columbia Records. 19439892932.
  3. Web site: Top 100 Albums Annual 2021. El portal de Música. January 29, 2022. January 20, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220120180842/https://www.elportaldemusica.es/lists/top-100-albums/2021. live.