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Mike Appel (born October 27, 1942) [1] is an American music industry manager and record producer, best known for his role in both capacities in the early career of Bruce Springsteen.
Appel was born in Flushing in Queens, New York, of three-quarters Irish and one-quarter Jewish heritage and was raised Roman Catholic. [1] His father was a successful real estate broker on Long Island. [1] Appel began playing the guitar at age 14. [1]
Appel was a guitarist and songwriter for several obscure groups during the 1950s and 1960s. He was a member of The Balloon Farm, and co-wrote their 1967 hit "A Question of Temperature". He also was a producer and songwriter for the early metal band Sir Lord Baltimore.
In 1971, Carl 'Tinker' West, the manager of some of Springsteen's early bands - Child, Steel Mill and The Bruce Springsteen Band - referred Springsteen to Appel. Springsteen auditioned for Appel in 1971; Appel told him to come back when he had written more songs. When Springsteen returned in 1972, Appel signed Springsteen to a production contract, and got Springsteen the audition with Columbia Records' John H. Hammond that led to Clive Davis signing Springsteen. He produced Springsteen's first two albums, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle , both released in 1973. He also co-produced Springsteen's third and breakthrough album, Born to Run .
Appel gradually alienated Springsteen during the recording of Born to Run and Springsteen sought to replace Appel as both manager and record producer with Jon Landau. By 1976 a lengthy legal battle between Appel and Springsteen ensued, which was eventually settled out of court. [2] Appel, who was not able to find further success in the industry, subsequently co-wrote, with Marc Eliot, the 1992 book Down Thunder Road about his experiences with Springsteen.
Appel is generally credited for his aggressive tactics in getting Springsteen's career started, although his production abilities have often been criticized. However, Appel is also sometimes credited with fostering the looser, more musically adventurous and lyrically romantic approach of Springsteen's first two albums. After Landau took over, Springsteen's work became more tightly focused in musical terms and more political in content.
With producer and songwriter Wes Farrell and Jim Cretecos, Appel co-wrote five songs recorded by the Partridge Family: the chart hit "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted" (US no. 6, 1971) and the album tracks "I Can Feel Your Heartbeat" and "Somebody Wants To Love You" (both 1970) and "Umbrella Man" and "Rainmaker" (both 1971).
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen is an American rock singer, songwriter and guitarist. Nicknamed "The Boss", he has released 21 studio albums during a career spanning six decades, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Springsteen is an originator of heartland rock, a genre combining mainstream rock music with poetic and socially conscious lyrics that feature narratives primarily concerning working-class American life. He is known for his descriptive lyrics and energetic concerts, with performances that can last for more than four hours.
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. It was produced by Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos from June through October 1972 at the budget-priced 914 Sound Studios. The album was released January 5, 1973, by Columbia Records to average sales but positive critical reviews.
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle is the second studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. It was recorded by Springsteen with the E Street Band at 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, New York, and released on November 5, 1973, by Columbia Records. It includes the song "Rosalita ", the band's most-used set-closing song through 1985.
"4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)", often known just as "Sandy", is a 1973 song by Bruce Springsteen, originally appearing as the second song on his album The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. It was released as a single from the album in Germany.
Up to Date is the second studio album by The Partridge Family. Released in February 1971, just four months after the group's debut LP, the album entered Billboard's Top LP's chart in early April, having been certified gold on 25 March 1971. In its fourth week on the Top 200, the album improved on its predecessor, reaching no. 3.
Darkness on the Edge of Town is the fourth studio album by 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 co-produced, with assistance from bandmate Steven Van Zandt.
Born to Run is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on August 25, 1975, by Columbia Records. As his effort to break into the mainstream, the album was a commercial success, peaking at number three on the Billboard 200 and eventually selling seven million copies in the United States. Two singles were released from the album: "Born to Run" and "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"; the former helped Springsteen achieve mainstream popularity. The tracks "Thunder Road", "Backstreets", "She's the One", and "Jungleland" became staples of album-oriented rock radio and Springsteen concert high points.
"Thunder Road" is a 1975 song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen. It is the opening track on his breakthrough album Born to Run. One of the artist's most popular songs, while never released as a single, "Thunder Road" is ranked as one of Springsteen's greatest songs and one of the top rock songs in history. It is number 111 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, and also the 103rd-best ranked song on critics' all-time lists according to Acclaimed Music.
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.
"Jungleland" is the closing song on Bruce Springsteen's 1975 album Born to Run. It contains one of E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons' most recognizable solos. It also features short-time E Streeter Suki Lahav, who performs the delicate 23-note violin introduction to the song, accompanied by Roy Bittan on piano in the opening.
"Fire" is a song written by Bruce Springsteen in 1977 which had its highest profile as a 1978 single release by the Pointer Sisters. The song was also released by Robert Gordon and Springsteen himself.
The Born to Run tours were the unofficially-named concert tours surrounding the release of Bruce Springsteen's 1975 album Born to Run which occurred between 1974 and 1977. The album represented Springsteen's commercial breakthrough, and was marked by a grueling and meticulous recording process. To make ends meet Springsteen and the E Street Band toured constantly during the first set of recording sessions for it, performing his new songs as he developed them. Financial success was short-lived, however, as he was soon plunged into legal battles with his former manager Mike Appel and enjoined from further studio recording. Touring continued as a means of making a living, long after the conventional period of playing in connection with an album's release was over; only when his legal issues were finally resolved in 1977 did these tours conclude.
"I'm Goin' Down" is a rock song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. It was released on August 27, 1985 by Columbia Records as the sixth single from his 1984 album Born in the U.S.A. The song was recorded with the E Street Band in May 1982 at the Power Station music studio, and co-produced by Springsteen, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, and Steve Van Zandt. Although Springsteen had changing ideas about the songs to put on the album, "I'm Goin' Down" was ultimately selected for inclusion.
"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.
914 Sound Recording Studios, Inc. was a recording studio in Blauvelt, New York, incorporated by Brooks Arthur on August 28, 1970. Some of the artists who recorded tracks and albums in the studio were Bruce Springsteen, Dusty Springfield, Ramones, Janis Ian, Blood, Sweat & Tears and Melanie. It was named after telephone area code 914, which served as the area code for Rockland County until 2000.
"The Ties That Bind" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen. It is the opening song on his fifth album, The River. It was the second song recorded for 'The River', at The Power Station in New York on April 9–11, 1979. The recording engineer was Bob Clearmountain. After Springsteen injured himself driving an ATV, forcing a one-month halt, Neil Dorfsman became the chief engineer when sessions resumed. Springsteen wrote the song during September - October 1978, while on the road during the Darkness Tour. After introducing it on November 1, 1978, it was played every night during the final two months of the tour.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Greatest Hits is Bruce Springsteen's fifth compilation album, released as a limited edition first in the United States, Canada and Australia on January 13, 2009, exclusively through Wal-Mart retailers.
Clinton Heylin is an English author. Heylin has written extensively about popular music, especially on the life and work of Bob Dylan.
The Born in the U.S.A. 12" Single Collection is a box set of 12" singles from the album Born in the U.S.A. by rock artist Bruce Springsteen. It was released in the UK in 1985 courtesy of CBS Records to help promote the Born in the U.S.A. album. It originally came with a poster of Springsteen and a bonus 7" single previously unreleased in the UK. It contains all the singles from Born in the U.S.A. except for "My Hometown" and "Born in the U.S.A." All songs written by Springsteen and mixed by Bob Clearmountain except where noted.
"Darkness on the Edge of Town" is the last song on the 1978 album of the same name, Darkness on the Edge of Town, by Bruce Springsteen. It was the last song recorded and mixed, and in April 1978 was designated the title song. A thematic album whose songs portray the struggles of the less-fortunate, not only to survive, but to keep their spirit and will to live alive, the title track portrays a hard-luck loser in life who refuses to give up. Springsteen's fourth album, released three years after his 1975 effort Born to Run, was delayed two years because of legal problems with his former manager, Mike Appel. Expectations were high after he took one year to complete the album.
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