Notes

---

The Bruce Springsteen story vol. 3: Steelmill
tracks 1-3: Demos recorded for Bill Graham at Fillmore Recording studios,
San Fransisco CA, February 22nd, 1970
tracks 4-7: Live at West End, NJ march 1970 (see Brucebase story below)

ONE show, with STEEL MILL the sole act on the bill. This was a replacement c
oncert for a cancellation of the musical "Hair". The above-mentioned
setlist is taken from a circulating soundboard of very good to excellent
quality, although end-user quality tends to vary widely due to the fact
the material has been in circulation for over 20 years and some
circulating copies are many generations downstream. This 6-song,
78-minute segment of audio, long referred to in collector circles as
"the West End gig", would have to rank as the most misidentified,
misdated and cannibalized of all Springsteen recordings. To make
matters even messier though, the show's epic 30-minute finale,
"Garden State Parkway Blues", is sometimes edited into separate segments
and assigned fictitious titles such as "Mountain Child", "I Got A Woman"
or "Sunlight Soldiers". Many LP and CD bootlegs (such as "TORN AND FRAYED"
, "THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN STORY VOL 3" and "DEEP DOWN IN THE VAULTS")
contain one, two or several of these tracks - assigned to a wide variety
of incorrect dates/venues. However "SUNLIGHT SOLDIERS AT THE WEST END"
(Rattlesnake) includes the complete audio and merely messes up the
correct date/venue.

This soundboard tape is very deceptive in that drummer Vinnie Lopez's
voice microphone is abnormally dominant in the mix, so much so that it
sounds like a co-lead singer (i.e., Robbin Thompson) is interacting
with Springsteen throughout the show. However under an extremely close
comparison it can be determined that the "co-lead" vocalist is actually
drummer and background vocalist Lopez, with his microphone turned way
up in the audio mix. Robbin Thompson's voice is definitely not present.

There are three critical clues during the performance that, when
combined, powerfully point to the true location and date of this show.
Firstly, Bruce's dedication to the "West End Fire Department" - this
signifies a Long Branch or close proximity location. Secondly, the
distinct sound of wooden side bleachers being stomped during the final
song - this signifies it's indoors and it's a gymnasium (not a theatre
or concert hall). Thirdly, Bruce recites the opening line of James Taylor's
song "Sweet Baby James" during "Garden State Parkway Blues" - that places
the show no sooner than late March, 1970. Consequently this audio can,
to a high degree of probability, be identified as coming from this April
24, 1970 show.