Bruce Springsteen - Richfield Whistle (RARE home demo 1983)

Wow, this song is great!! "Richfield Whistle" was recorded on April 24, 1983, at Thrill Hill Recording, Hollywood Hills, California. Developed from the 1981-83 work-in-progress composition "James Lincoln Deer". It was later recorded with the band at The Hit Factory on May 27, and on June 10, 1983 during Born In The U.S.A. sessions, neither full band recording are in circulation, yet. This haunting ballad is very reminiscent of the Nebraska material, though it was written later. It is another song that could be made into a movie. Thanks for listening!

[@mikedangelo9250]

WOW, great song, I've never heard this, Thank You

[@ekimklaw]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@barbarababsy7348]

🌹

[@mikelsaraleguiansorena4993]

Gran canción. No la conocía. Esa época de Bruce fue brutalmente productiva.

[@anelladambrosio2513]

Questa canzone e molto bella!ma anche nostalgica!!😥🤩🤩😍😍😘🎶🎶💋🌹🍀

[@ekimklaw]

He may have written the lyrics, or at least came up with the idea, during his Nebraska writing sessions, but the info I have shows this was recorded during the Born In The USA writing sessions. Would fit right in to Nebraska though!!! Check out “James Lincoln Dear” too.

[@kasebmohamed5468]

It really was a parallel career. He was constantly waving between the E Street Band sound and his home studio, in which he was constantly developing his solo style. Nebraska gave a first idea of his early solo developments, but the Thrill Hill Demos of '83 went a lot further in my opinion by including electronic sounds, it should have been released oficially in '83 after Nebraska, and before Born In The USA which marked Bruce's full return with the E Street Band (well, in fact Born In The USA is two albums in one as it contains two distinct groups of recordings, '82 and '83 sessions, with the Thrill Hill Demos being recorded in-between). I find the Thrill Hill demos much closer to Tunnel Of Love than to anything from Born In The USA, as if he had gone back to his solo developments after a band phase in '84-'85. In my opinion Bruce's two distinct artistic paths in the 80s were: 1. Electric Nebraska/Early Born In The USA Sessions '82 > Born In The USA Sessions '83-'84 > Born In The USA Tour '84-'85 > Tunnel Of Love Tour '88 2. Solo Nebraska Sessions '81-'82 > Thrill Hill Demos '83 > Semi-solo Tour '86 > Tunnel Of Love Sessions '87 The two trajectories coexisted before Bruce finally chose to fully go solo in the 90s, with the darker songs of Lucky Town and then The Ghost Of Tom Joad and the movie songs being the peak of these solo dark folk developments.

[@ritahorvath8207]

♡ 🤍

[@paoloamoroso3972]

Nebraska outtake ?

[@kasebmohamed5468]

Yes and no, it's a deeply reworked version of a Nebraska demo, James Lincoln Deer (recorded somewhere in late '81). The demo was quite rough, but Bruce made it more melodic and musically refined, and it became Richfield Whistle, which he recorded solo in early 83 in a more pre-Tunnel Of Love-like style (it sounds a little like When You Need Me in my opinion, a Tunnel Of Love outtake), though it still retains the depressed folk atmosphere of Nebraska! By the way, I strongly recommand you to listen to the whole Thrill Hill Demos of '83, there are priceless gems, with some very interesting Suicide-influenced minimal electro-post-punk folk experimentations (especially on the song The Klansman), he was in a similar mood as on Nebraska, but with a more mature voice and more developed musical ideas, leaning towards Tunnel Of Love, it could have been a classic if it had been released! But none of these recordings made it into Born In The USA, for which Bruce and Jon selected the most heartland rock-sounding songs!