Joe Grushecky & Bruce Springsteen
Electric Factory
Philadelphia, PA
October 19, 1985
(DAT Master)

23rd Anniversary Release

Taper: AK
Recording: Sonic Studios > Sony D7

Transfer: DAT .wav transfer > iZotope RX / ozone 5 (mastered) > Peak Pro 6 (post production) > xACT 2.39 > FLAC

01 No Strings Attached
02 Swimming With Sharks
03 Comin' Down Maria
04 Only Lovers Left Alive
05 What Did You Do In The War *
06 Talking To The King *
07 Chain Smokin' *
08 Labour Of Love *
09 Never Be Enough Time *
10 Murder Inc. *
11 Mustang Salley *
12 Dark And Bloody Ground *
13 Pumping Iron *
14 American Babylon *
15 Homestead *
16 Light Of Day *
17 Brown Eyed Girl *
18 Down The Road Apiece *
19 Rebel Music *
WYSP ED SCIAKY BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW
20 Interview *
21 Interview *
22 Interview *
23 Interview *
24 Interview *

* w/Bruce Springsteen

Known Faults:
- None

We continue our journey through the AK archives and master recordings with an intense show at The Electric Factory in Philadelphia as Bruce continues the "October Assault", a weeklong guesting slot on Joe Grushecky's "American Babylon' Tour. 

We are pleased to release directly from AK's DAT Master on the 23rd Anniversary of this great recording. 

This is a beautiful capture recording mere feet from the speaker stacks, we turn it over to AK for details of the night.

"This was my 3rd show in 3 nights. The tour was quickly planned to promote Joe Grushecky’s latest album, American Babylon, produced by Bruce Springsteen.
I attended the Stone Pony and Tramps shows the previous two nights and I also attended the Pittsburgh shows the following  two nights.  5 consecutive great nights of rock n’ roll.
 
I had the pleasure of meeting Bruce in the Electric Factory parking lot a few hours before showtime.  
 
Here’s how I remember things:
 
The late great Philly DJ/longtime Bruce fan Ed Sciaky was near me outside the venue and had a portable recorder and mic. He told me he was going to try to get an unplanned interview with Bruce like the old days.
 
Bruce arrived in a black SUV.  A handful of fans and I chatted with Bruce and he signed autographs for all.
 
Bruce and Ed headed into the venue for the interview that Ed was about to ambush him with. It would be edited and broadcast the following week, the interview is included as bonus tracks.
 
The venue is a sonically poor old warehouse.  But…..  that does not matter at all….. Once inside the venue, I realize it is much larger than The Pony and Tramps and most importantly, there are HUGE speaker stacks on both sides of the stage.  I take a spot on the rail,  stage left about 5 feet from the speaker stack.  Ed Sciaky appears a few minutes before the show and he is on the stage side of the rail that separates the crowd  from the stage.  I am on the other side of the rail. I ask him if he got his interview and he nods yes.  The show is about to start and he is standing directly between me and the speaker stack.  I am about to tell Ed to move because he is blocking the path of my mics to the speaker.  I am holding the mics about a foot from his head, but he has no idea as they are camouflaged in a sweatshirt I’m holding on the rail.  To my surprise Ed goes on stage, takes the Stage mic and starts the show intro.  I was able to capture the whole show from that position.  There was a moment during Talkin’ to the King where a security goon attempted to get the attention of a friend who was taking photos a few people behind me and it caused a brief change of sound during that song.       
 
As for the sound mix, of all of the American Babylon shows, Bruce’s vocals are the most upfront on this one.  At the end of Talkin’ to the King when Bruce screams “Sometimes I think I sold my soul to become the King of Rock n’ Roll, it sounds like he is in your living room."

Huge debt of gratitude to AK for allowing his substantial, flat out awesome archives and masters to be enjoyed by us all.

Samples and artwork provided...

mjk5510 & AK