Hearts of Stone | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 13, 1978 | |||
Recorded | January – June 1978 | |||
Studio | Secret Sound Studios, New York, NY | |||
Genre | Rock, R&B | |||
Length | 34:48 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Producer | Steven Van Zandt | |||
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes chronology | ||||
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Singles from Hearts of Stone | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Cherwell | [2] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
Hearts of Stone is the third album by New Jersey rock band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, released in October 1978. The album peaked at number 112 on the Billboard 200 chart during the week of January 13, 1979. [4] All of the album's songs were written by Southside Johnny, Bruce Springsteen, and E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt. Van Zandt, the band's manager, [5] also produced, arranged and played guitar. [6]
Work on the album began in January of 1978 at the Record Plant in New York City. After recording approximately eight songs (see "Outtakes" section below), both Southside Johnny and Steve Van Zandt felt that the material was not meeting their standards, and as a result temporarily abandoned the album sessions. Several months later, after meeting to rehearse material at Carroll Music in Manhattan, sessions resumed at Secret Sound Studios in downtown NYC. The songs that became the final album were thereafter recorded during the short breaks between the Jukes' busy touring schedule, and were mixed by Van Zandt between appearances on Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town tour. [7]
Springsteen penned the title track and the radio-friendly "Talk To Me", and is credited along with Southside Johnny and Van Zandt on "Trapped Again", but Van Zandt takes solo credit for the remaining six tracks. More to the point, this record pointed the way to the kind of music the reincarnated "Little Steven" would begin making in the early 1980s. Van Zandt asked photographer Frank Stefanko to shoot the album cover art, after meeting during Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town.
The first two tracks, the guitar-driven, syncopated rave-up "Got To Find a Better Way Home" and the horn-powered "This Time Baby's Gone for Good", are classic Van Zandt compositions, heavily anchored in '60s soul. The bouncy third track belies its lyric; "I Played the Fool" makes very good use of bass and horns to carve a distinctive sound. The title track was demoed by Springsteen and the E Street Band, along with "Talk To Me", at the Record Plant on October 14, 1977. Engineer Thom Panunzio dubbed them to cassette for Van Zandt (not present at the session), memorialized by a note reproduced in 2010's "The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story". [8] During 1978 sessions at Secret Sound Studios, he combined the base rhythm track from the tape with Southside's vocals, brass by the Miami Horns, and his own lead guitar. [9] "Hearts of Stone" is soulful, almost wan, as it details the ache of lovers who cannot be together, while "Talk To Me", provided a bridge to the Jukes' familiar sound from their first two records. Pointing the way to the sound they would embrace on their next record, the record's final track, "Light Don't Shine", is light on horns and relies more on detailed guitar, alongside a soft-voiced, reflective Johnny. This song would, ironically, prove to be something of an epitaph.
The album was well received by critics upon its release. However, Lyon severely injured his hand on November 13, 1978, which impacted the band's touring schedule. In an interview from 2000, he recalled, "I had cut my arm on a glass during a show in Sacramento. I was supposed to be off the road for three months at least and we were back on the road in two weeks. We had a huge tour booked. We were going to be gone for a year. The record company had actually started to get into it, but as soon as I got hurt and was off the road, they kind of said 'That’s that' and moved on to other things. It was bitter for me then, but over time you learn that’s just the way this business is." [10] In addition to being released by Epic Records, the group also parted ways with its manager and producer, Miami Steve Van Zandt. Their next album, The Jukes, would rely on songs written by members of the band. [11] It was not until 1991's "Better Days" that Van Zandt and Springsteen would rejoin Southside Johnny for many of the tracks.
After Hearts of Stone, the Asbury Jukes released several other well-received albums. However, they failed to achieve commercial success and moved from label to label in the following decades, scratching out their existence in little-known bars not much higher in stature than the clubs they played on the way up. [12] In 1987, Rolling Stone voted Hearts of Stone among the top 100 albums from 1967 to 1987 (#92). In 2000, The New York Times numbered it among the best albums the band had released, along with debut I Don't Want To Go Home , Reach Up and Touch the Sky and At Least We Got Shoes . [13] Jon Bon Jovi claims that the title track, "Hearts of Stone", was the inspiration for his song "Never Say Goodbye". [14]
Additional songs were recorded for the album including "Inside of Me", "Princess of Little Italy", "Until the Good Is Gone", "Forever", "Angel Eyes" and "I've Been Waiting" which were not included on the final album release but were re-recorded by Steve Van Zandt for his first solo album Men Without Women . Versions of "Forever" and "Until the Good Is Gone" with Southside Johnny on vocals can be heard on his live album Hearts of Stone LIVE from 2009. Additionally, the track "Working Girl" was originally recorded during these sessions and appears on Southside's 2004 release Missing Pieces, which contains the recordings made during the lost 1982 sessions. The liner notes state the song is from the Hearts of Stone sessions and the track features the clear presence of Steven Van Zandt on harmony vocals. Early versions of the songs "Walking Through Midnight" (eventually re-recorded in 1988 for the Slow Dance album) and "Shake 'Em Down" (re-recorded for 1991's Better Days ) were also recorded during the 1978 album sessions. [15]
On July 2, 2011, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes recorded a live performance of Van Zandt's entire Men Without Women album for release on CD, which includes all of the songs originally written and recorded for Hearts of Stone that were eventually passed over. [16]
All tracks composed by Steven Van Zandt; except where indicated
Darkness on the Edge of Town is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 2, 1978, by Columbia Records. The album was recorded after a series of legal disputes between Springsteen and his former manager Mike Appel, during sessions in New York City with the E Street Band from June 1977 to March 1978. Springsteen and Jon Landau served as producers, with assistance from bandmate Steven Van Zandt.
Steven Van Zandt, also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He has appeared in several television drama series, including as Silvio Dante in The Sopranos (1999–2007) and as Frank Tagliano in Lilyhammer (2012–2014). Van Zandt has his own solo band called Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, intermittently active since the 1980s.
John Lyon, known professionally as Southside Johnny, is an American singer-songwriter who usually fronts his band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.
Vincent Lopez, nicknamed Mad Dog, is an American drummer. Between 1968 and 1974 Lopez backed Bruce Springsteen in several bands, including Steel Mill and the E Street Band. He also played on Springsteen's first two albums, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle. Both during and after his time with the E Street Band, Lopez played drums with numerous Jersey Shore bands.
The E Street Band is an American rock band that has been the primary backing band for rock musician Bruce Springsteen since 1972. In 2014, the E Street Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing career, the band included guitarists Steven Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren, and Patti Scialfa, keyboardists Danny Federici and Roy Bittan, bassist Garry Tallent, drummer Max Weinberg and saxophonist Clarence Clemons.
The Miami Horns are an American horn section best known for touring and recording with Southside Johnny, Bruce Springsteen, Little Steven and The Max Weinberg 7. They have also toured, performed or recorded with, among others, Diana Ross, Gary U.S. Bonds, Robert Cray, Bon Jovi, Cissy Houston, Joe Cocker, Dave Edmunds, Darlene Love, The Allman Brothers Band, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow and Ricky Martin. As individuals, the various members have also worked with the likes of Aerosmith, David Bowie, Duran Duran, Power Station, Graham Parker, and They Might Be Giants.
Ernest Carter is an American drummer. He has toured and recorded with, among others, Bruce Springsteen, David Sancious, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes and Paul Butterfield. During his time with Springsteen, he played the drums on the song "Born to Run".
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes are an American musical group from the Jersey Shore led by Southside Johnny. They have been recording albums since 1976 and are closely associated with Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. They have recorded or performed several Springsteen songs, including "The Fever" (1973) and "Fade Away" (1980). Springsteen has also performed with the band on several occasions. In 1991, Springsteen and the E Street band appeared on Southside Johnny's Better Days album.
Ed Manion, also known as Eddie "Kingfish" Manion, is an American saxophonist, who plays both tenor and baritone sax. As a solo artist, he released his own instrumental album titled Nightlife in 2015. Manion is a recording and touring member of Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. He was a touring member of the horn section for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and also a member of Bruce Springsteen with The Seeger Sessions Band Tour, later called Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band. He is an original member of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, The Miami Horns, and Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. As a session musician, he has recorded, toured, and/or performed with, among others, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Diana Ross, Gary U.S. Bonds, Bon Jovi, Willy DeVille, Dave Edmunds, Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, Darlene Love, Ronnie Spector, Dion, The Allman Brothers Band, Kim Wilson, and Graham Parker. As a solo artist, he released his own CD titled Follow Through in 2004.
Men Without Women is the debut solo studio album by American musician Steven Van Zandt, credited as Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. It was released on October 1, 1982 by EMI America. The title track was inspired by the Ernest Hemingway collection of short stories of the same name.
Robert Bandiera is an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter from New Jersey. Bandiera played rhythm guitar for Bon Jovi in live performances from 2005 until 2015 and for nearly two decades was lead guitarist for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. Bandiera and his band have backed Bruce Springsteen at benefit concerts.
"The Fever" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen in 1973. The song would not see formal release until the 1999 compilation 18 Tracks.
"Fade Away" is a 1980 song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen, accompanied by the E Street Band. It is included on his album The River, and the second single released from it in the United States, reaching the top twenty in both the United States and Canada.
Reach Up and Touch the Sky, sometimes called Reach Out and Touch the Sky, is a 1981 double live album by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. Released on Mercury Records in 1981 to satisfy the contract of the band, which had recently broken up, it was a moderate commercial success, charting in the United States and reviving the band's flagging sales. It was also critically well received. In 2003, the Rough Guide to Rock indicated that the album was the band's "defining moment".
I Don't Want to Go Home was the first album by New Jersey rock/R&B band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. The work helped establish the basis of the Jersey Shore sound. It was produced and arranged by manager Steven Van Zandt, who also sang, played guitar, wrote the title song, and elicited the contribution of two compositions by Bruce Springsteen, who also wrote the liner notes.
This Time It's for Real is the second album by New Jersey band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, featuring three compositions by Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt, as well as an additional five by the latter. Like their first album, I Don't Want To Go Home, there are a number of guest artists and duets, a trend that would be dropped for their next album, Hearts of Stone. "Check Mr. Popeye" features Kenny "Popeye" Pentifallo on vocals with The Coasters on background vocals. The track "First Night" features the Satins on background vocals and Steven Van Zandt on duet vocals. "Little Girl So Fine" features background vocals by the Drifters.
Better Days is an album by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, released in 1991. It yielded minor hits "It's Been a Long Time" and "I've Been Workin' Too Hard". The song "It's Been a Long Time" features shared lead vocals by Southside Johnny, Steven Van Zandt, and Bruce Springsteen and is a reflection back on their early years together in the music business. "I've Been Working Too Hard" features a duet with Jon Bon Jovi. Eight of the eleven songs were written by Van Zandt, harkening back to the Jukes' first three albums which also featured Van Zandt writing, playing guitar, and singing harmony and sometimes duet vocals. One track, "All the Way Home", was written by Bruce Springsteen who later recorded his own version of it for his 2005 solo album Devils and Dust.
Olympiastadion, Helsinki, July 31, 2012 is a live album by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, released on May 23, 2017. It is the thirteenth such release by the Bruce Springsteen Archives. The concert is notable for being, as of the time of its release, the longest by Springsteen and the band, at four hours and six minutes in length. The show also included a brief five-song acoustic set for fans who had arrived early; this is not included on the recording.[A] The concert is the third full-length show from the Wrecking Ball Tour to be released, following Apollo Theater 3/09/12, a rehearsal for the tour, and Ippodromo delle Capannelle, Rome 2013.
This is the discography of Steven Van Zandt, an American songwriter, singer, musician, and actor. Van Zandt has been featured on records steadily since 1975 as a member of Bruce Springsteen's The E Street Band and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, as well as with his own band Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.
Rock N Roll Rebel: The Early Work is a box set collection by Little Steven, released on December 6, 2019. The set contains Van Zandt's first five studio albums remastered from the original master tapes for the first time ever. The box set also features 51 bonus tracks, including demos, studio outtakes, b-sides, remixes, and live tracks, many of which are previously unreleased. The set also includes the 1985 album Sun City by Van Zandt's protest supergroup Artists United Against Apartheid.
The group signed with Epic Records and released I Don't Want to Go Home in 1976; it featured Mr. Springsteen's Fever, a Jukes signature song. The album was among the band's best, along with Hearts of Stone (1978), the double LP Live: Reach Up and Touch the Sky (1981) and At Least We Got Shoes (1986).