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Even Springsteen can’t reach us. This was released last week and I just found out today, via a SiriusXM playlist I get from the company each week, of added tracks. I’d heard the Boss had a new album in the works, not that I cared, he seemed to have lost track, this happens when you get caught up in your image, are beholden to your fans’ perception of you, you ultimately become irrelevant to everyone else. Then again, it’s your fans that keep you alive, so… But Springsteen is one of those acts that we all knew and we all might be theoretically open to once again, assuming we knew he had new material.

Then again, Springsteen owns the press, he gets mainstream media hype every time he farts. His album releases are military campaigns. Then again, his story is about played out, with his book and stage show, what else is there to excavate, what story is there to tell?

He had writer’s block.

I did not know this until I started to research “Letter to You” after hearing it.

In the tradition of “Born To Run,” the sound is rough, it’s not crystal clear, and therefore you get that miasma of sound he’s famous for and it’s hard to pay attention and then…suddenly you wake up, your ears stand at attention, has Bruce found the plot again?

He hasn’t had it for a very long time. The overhyped “Rising” was disappointing, at least on an absolute Boss scale, but what came thereafter was even worse, more self-conscious and less appealing, but at least he soldiered on, when everybody else gave up he continued to write and put out new material, kudos for that. But last year’s overbaked “Western Stars” fell flat. I hate to say it, but shut up and play your music, let it stand or not. The backstory, the concept of “Western Stars,” if only the music lived up to the endless hype, we even got a film…it’s not like “Western Stars” was awful, it just wasn’t great.

The problem is Springsteen is competing with himself. And therefore he’s always trying to reach a mark he may not ever be able get to again. Once again, his brethren have solved this problem by not even trying. But somehow, the Boss has connected again with “Letter To You”…it’s close, but no cigar, but maybe a cigarette, it’s got the majesty and the energy of the records that made him famous. It’s nearly anthemic. And not a moment too long, actually its length makes the record better, it allows the band to stretch out, the lead guitar playing at the end is so satisfying.

As for the front cover photo… It’s great, but it’s also part of the hype, if you search online you’ll find a whole story about the creation thereof…talk about eviscerating the mystery.

There’s a generic guitar opening, yet there’s a wild lead guitar way in the background and then it all fades and Bruce starts to sing. But it’s the change that gets you, when Bruce sings “Tried to summon all that my heart finds is true,” that drop down is reminiscent of the hook that makes “Green River” so great, even though that minor Creedence classic (talk about a contradiction in terms…it’s not as great as the greats, but it’s so much better than the competition) is superior.

The band comes in on the second verse, classic Springsteen, and then you get that change once again, adding meaning, gravitas:

Dug deep in my soul and signed my name true
And sent it in my letter to you

Unfortunately, the chorus is not as good as the verse. Except for the last line, “And I sent it in my letter to you.” But in the break the organ in the background gives you everything but the kitchen sink E Street Band sound.

And then…quiet.

I’d quote the lyrics but they’re substandard. This entire song is not up to Bruce’s standard. If someone else wrote the words you’d shrug. And as for “letter,” why not “e-mail” or “text” or “iMessage”? We’re not going back to letters, no way, which is one of the reasons why the post office is floundering financially.

But, there’s that drop in the verse. And the break. And the playing at the end. No one else is doing this. Then again, like I said, most of Bruce’s contemporaries are doing nothing.

But what I immediately thought when I heard “Letter To You” is…WE HAD TO WAIT FOR THIS?

“Letter To You” is not a one listen hit. They’ll play it on AAA but you won’t be closed if you’re not a fan, it can slide right off of you, unlike Bruce’s best work. But, like I said, it’s close, it gives one hope Bruce can recapture the magic.

Bruce went back to basics. As in the band played together, there was not all this tracking, overdubbing, and that aids the song, the performance is cohesive, you can visualize the song being played in a club, where Bruce started.

But Bruce should be putting out this stuff on a regular basis. Instead of worrying about living up to his lofty standards, why not put out new stuff when he writes it, keep the juices flowing, maybe he’ll capture lightning in a bottle. The old paradigm is broken, why is he beholden to it?

And a stiff today does not matter, it doesn’t tarnish your image, it just fades away. And creators know when you throw off the rust and finally get inspired you frequently end up on a roll of creativity, which is why we got “Lucky Town” along with “Human Touch.”

Writer’s block is usually fear about doing something bad, not reaching the level you used to be at, a peak in your mind that you probably never achieved anyway, then again, one of the worst things about making it is you’re saddled with the adulation, it inhibits you. Can you say Alanis Morissette? She became so self-conscious as to become irrelevant.

But Bruce is first and foremost a musician. Who came up on the road. And that’s about playing each and every night, improving, learning what works and what does not along the way. Now he can do the same thing online. And, if he rings the bell, hits the note, word will spread, after all, he’s got his army, although I must admit they’ve turned off disbelievers nearly completely, I’m a fan and they bug me, what I always say about Bruce is I don’t hate him, I hate his FANS! After all, I saw him live at the Bottom Line in ’74, the year before “Born To Run,” most are johnny-come-latelies, like the young ‘uns who lecture you on the Dead even though they weren’t even born when the band cut “Workingman’s Dead.”

So my goal here is to encourage you Bruce. You’ve recaptured something you’ve lost. Sure, “Letter To You” is not an “A,” but it has elements that are so close. Get the band together, write the lyrics in the studio, lay down some tracks, put them on Spotify, the rest of the streaming services. Surprise us. Irregularity works online. Not a track a week, maybe one and then another six weeks later and then three a month after that and then maybe nothing for months and then six all at once. What a fan wants most is more material. And today, when fandom is one of the few ways people can feel like they belong, they’re less critical, they forgive mistakes, they want to send the message they’re there for you, every step of the way, that they’re supportive.

Yes, Bruce is for listeners, not for the media. The people at the “New York Times” didn’t go to shows in the seventies and stay up all night. And neither did Chris Christie. It’s the nobodies who own you, admit it. Nobodies run the planet. In their world you’re a somebody, you make their lives worth living, live alongside them! You don’t have to be on the cover of “Time” and “Newsweek,” you don’t need to be all over MTV, everything is small these days, everything is cottage industry, the biggest of acts is smaller than you ever were.

So, can old rockers have something to say?

Age is respected in country, but not rock, why not? Bruce’s kids are out of the house, music is what he’s got. It’s time to get back to the garden, to go back to the beginning, and to take chances too, to keep it interesting.

Bruce is incomplete. That’s why he does this, make records. He needs you to fill the hole inside him. And you want to, and you want to tell everybody if he does something worthwhile, that’s the joy of being a fan, telling others about what you love, even if Bruce’s fans have overdone it in the past. So, Bruce wants it. The audience wants it. We’re just looking for that one track. Listening to “Letter To You” makes me think he’s still got it inside, ready to come out when he throws off the cloak of respectability, stops worrying about what others think, just starts being the alienated musician with a dream once again.

Right now the AQI is just a bit over 150, in the red zone, labeled “Unhealthy.” As for the beach, down by where I hike, it’s even worse, it’s also in the red zone, i.e. “Unhealthy,” but it’s about 160.

Now the truth of Los Angeles is the further you go east, the worse the smog gets. Normally the coast has the clearer air. But not now.

The fire is out by Azusa, you know, of “The Anaheim, Azusa & Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review and Timing Association.” That was the b-side of Jan and Dean’s single “Ride the Wild Surf.” I thought they made up the names, I had no idea these places really existed. But they do. And Azusa is right on the borderline, of the Angeles National Forest.

That’s something that non-natives, people who’ve never been to L.A., don’t know. That the wilderness bumps right up against the metropolis. There’s everybody, and then there’s nobody. And where there’s nobody can get very hot during the day and equally cold at night so if you’re stranded there, outside cell range, you might not make it back.

But I’m going nowhere. I’m home. Inside.

You can take the warnings seriously or you can maybe pay the piper later. Then again, even if you can’t quite see the particulates in the air you can certainly smell the smoke and visibility…well, at least there’s some sunshine today, but nothing like the blue skies we’re used to. Oh, that’s another thing about SoCal, no clouds. I know, I know, they’re a feature on the east coast, everywhere else, but we rarely get them here, unless it’s gonna rain. And usually that’s when the rain comes, when the fires begin, that’s the turning point, you watch the news for precipitation but…I’ve been here for eons and I might have seen it rain in September once, maybe twice, so that’s not how the fires are gonna be extinguished.

The rest of the country is laughing at California. Yet, I point them to yesterday’s article about Jerry Brown:

“Jerry Brown on a California Exodus: ‘Tell Me: Where Are You Going to Go?’ – From his ranch, the former California governor is experiencing the same smoky air wafting through much of the state. ‘We are causing this,’ he declared in an interview”

My mother once told me that her mother, my grandmother, would still be voting for Roosevelt if he hadn’t died. That’s how I feel about Jerry Brown if hadn’t termed out. Elected young, he was considered “Governor Moonbeam.” He ran for president too early. And then as an oldster Brown came back, was mayor of Oakland and ended up back as governor, older and wiser. California is a blue state. Once upon a time it had huge red factions, but those are now gone, and everyone likes Arnold, well, except maybe for his ex-wife, but he proved he was not up to the job as governor and there are no Republicans in the pipeline. Unlike Arnold, Brown is a wonk. He not only knows, he can opine for days. And with experience he knew it was about compromise, realism. It was Brown who fought with the Democrats, even though he was one of them, he pulled them back from the brink, he restored California’s finances. But that didn’t keep the rest of the country from laughing about California.

It happens in California first. Always has, still seems to be. Sure, you’ve got nitwits testing the limits in Florida, but that’s more of an ongoing Darwin Awards culture than cutting edge. You see in California we’re three hours from New York. We might as well be living in a different country. Californians get no respect, they’re seen as flighty, and that serves them well, it allows them to jettison judgment and just be who they are, who they want to be. And as a result, innovation happens in the Golden State.

It’s California that has pressed for cleaner air. It’s California that not only engendered smog controls on automobiles, but got the whole car industry to cater to its demands. You see with enough customers, you’ve got leverage. And the truth is many of the cutting edge cars are designed in California anyway.

Don’t talk to me about Texas. It’s a boom and bust state, depending on the energy market. Fracking is a financial disaster. As for tax considerations…that’s how we got into this mess, via low taxes. You can’t have it all and not pay for it. Which brings me to last week’s Nicholas Kristof article:

“‘We’re No. 28! And Dropping!’-A measure of social progress finds that the quality of life has dropped in America over the last decades, even as it has risen almost everywhere else.”

The American Dream is over, and the sooner we wake up to this fact the sooner we can be on the road to recovery. Then again, facts are fungible, there no longer is any truth, but if you look outside my window you can see some.

So, I don’t want to get Covid-19. How will I achieve this? Especially in a country that opens more and more each day. People are burned out, to use a phrase, with staying home so they’re not. I’m just waiting another week for the Labor Day Covid-19 statistics. Seems like people went on road trips, interacted, will there be a negative result? You’d think so. But everybody believes Covid-19 can’t reach and affect them, no way.

So I’m reading and streaming. And working a ton too, I’m busy, I’m not complaining about it.

But at the beginning of lockdown, it was novel, everybody was calling, everybody wanted to Zoom…but that’s died down, everybody’s hunkered down, waiting for it to be over. When will it be over? Fauci says not before the fall of 2021. Other experts say it will be sometime in 2022 that we can live our lives normally. What am I supposed to do in the interim?

Right now my house is not in danger. Although we did have to evacuate a couple of years back. But everybody’s in suspended animation when it comes to their mental health. Staying home takes a toll. Not that you’d get anybody to admit it in our winners rule society. If you evidence just a crack, someone will come along and split you in half and take your spot. We’re lemmings climbing a greased pole.

So, California is burning up, but it’s not like the rest of the country is getting a pass. There’s that new hurricane, Sally, sauntering to the coast, you’d better keep your Mustang in your garage. But those people in Louisiana who lost their homes in the last hurricane, we no longer hear about them, the news cycle can’t keep up with the past. Kind of like everybody no longer getting cash from the government, how are they paying their bills? But in America we ignore those who lose, they soil our image of our nation.

And then there’s the election. There’s tons of news, not that almost any of it is relevant. Except for Caputo talking about fighting in the streets and all the left-leaning publications filing articles about what to do if Trump won’t leave, if he declares unjust victory. There are more questions than answers, and if you believe in the system you’re gonna get your comeuppance in November. As for the Post Office? The L.A. “Times” had a front page story today, turns out mail is much slower, but that’s old news, that ship has sailed, DeJoy is in charge and get over it.

Nothing sticks. At least the left wing prognosticators have realized this. They say out loud that the Woodward book will have no effect. Nothing Trump does will shake his believers free, nothing!

So, we’re watching “Borgen.” We’ve started the third season. I recommend it.

And I’ve been reading books that I can’t quite recommend.

But the truth is almost nothing is as satisfying as it once was. You yearn for time to catch up, and then when you get it each and every day…

So, over the weekend it was like the end of the world, dark outside. Eventually it will return to normal, it always does, but frequently at a cost. But relief doesn’t appear to be on the horizon. Nothing is imminent.

They rescued the auto companies in 2008, it turned out to be the right thing to do. Do we rescue small businesses today? Is there enough money to do this? Yes, I’ve got a ton of questions, you probably do too. But answers are elusive. Seems the country wants to live in darkness. And in California we are right now.

Check your AQI – Enter your city or zip code in the box in the upper righthand corner, click on your town in the resulting list and then click on the red button that says “AQI”:

U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI)

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Tune in today, September 15th, to Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.

Hear the episode live on SiriusXM VOLUME: HearLefsetzLive

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app: LefsetzLive

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“Goats Head Soup” was a disappointment. The opening cut, “Dancing With Mr. D,” was not on the level of other album openers. That’s where the Stones shined, can you say “Gimmie Shelter,” can you say “Brown Sugar”? Then again, “Rocks Off,” which kicked “Exile” off, was not superior, then again it was better than “Dancing With Mr. D” and it was followed up by the better “Rip This Joint,” the ethereal “Shake Your Hips,” the vastly underrated (and my favorite on the LP!) “Casino Boogie” and the album side finished with “Tumbling Dice,” whereas “Dancing With Mr. D” was followed by the nearly lame, sans energy, “100 Years Ago” and then the dirgey “Coming Down Again,” which sounded like everybody involved was on drugs, which they probably were, but the first side ends with the album’s two keepers, my personal favorite, “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)” and the classic “Angie.” “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)” began with Billy Preston’s exquisite clavinet and then the way Mick sang “The PO-lice in New York City”…you were instantly closed. As for “Angie,” can we say “Sweet Black Angel” on “Exile” was better? “Sweet Black Angel” was made by a band that didn’t care what you thought, you could only peer in on their world, you wanted to get closer, whereas “Angie” was obvious.

As for the second side of “Goats Head Soup,” it was Johnny Winter who made “Silver Train” famous, not that he improved on it that much, the original just sounds thin, there’s no punch. But “Hide Your Love” is the second side surprise, once again Mick’s vocal enchants and intrigues, the way the words are thrown off, but the secret sauce is the piano, played by Jagger himself. No one ever talks about “Hide Your Love,” it’s one of only two cuts on the album that doesn’t get its own Wikipedia page, it never got played on the radio, but if you were a dedicated fan it got under your skin and you never burned out on it. And the next track, “Winter,” was also a winner, as was track number nine, “Can You Hear The Music,” with its hypnotic groove, albeit also druggy and low key, akin to “The Rain Song” on “Houses of the Holy.” These three cuts in the middle of “Goats Head Soup” are the heart of the LP, they’re what sustains when the rest falls away, when you tire of the rest you still want to hear these three.

But not the closer, “Star Star.”

This was when the Stones were the World’s Greatest Rock & Roll Band, the ’72 tour proved it, they lived up to the hype, they were at the apotheosis and as a result of their royal status they got endless reams of hype, which the band was good at anyway, and we could not stop hearing about this song “Star Star,” only then it was referred to as “Starf*cker,” back when to swear on a record was still taboo. So, we anticipated the cut, promoted for nearly a year, even though it had to be renamed “Star Star,” and the result was…flat. A lame Chuck Berry-influenced cut that wouldn’t make anybody erect, wouldn’t get the juices flowing in the most eager of groupies. There was no bottom, no punch, as for the chorus…yes, they used the f-word, but that was about the only appeal of the track, it wasn’t that it was bad, but it was a throwaway, we waited for THIS?

Now the Starmaking Machinery cannot let a dollar fall by the wayside if it’s there to be had, especially if you’re already a star, therefore we get unnecessary product that actually impinges on the reputation of the original. Not only is the remix of “Goats Head Soup” superfluous, it’s offensive. Instead of being cohesive, certain instruments stick out that were just part of the fabric of the original. God, the music business would rewrite the Ten Commandments if it thought it would move a few more Bibles. So, who is excited about this project? NOBODY! Not one single track of the remix has a million streams on Spotify, hell, five of the ten cuts don’t even reach 100,000. And except for the three “new” cuts on CD2, nothing on the rest of this three CD set even breaks six figures. Then again, this is not about streaming, but sales. To collectors. God knows why. They didn’t play it to begin with, like too many Stones albums “Goats Head Soup”‘s sales faded nearly immediately.

But what is funny is the last CD is live, a previously much-desired recording known as “The Brussels Affair.” Funny how when something is in plain sight it’s not so desirable. But this is what interested me.

Unlike today’s acts, the Stones were and still are rough. Today’s acts are seamless, at least those that play the arenas, they believe the audience expects it. They don’t wait to warm up during the set, they deliver from the first note, but not the Stones. Having said that, I must say in this case “Brown Sugar,” the concert’s opener, is surprisingly good. But “Gimme Shelter” contains little of the ethereality of the original and never quite gels, but thank god it’s not the dud of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” later in the set, which starts off slow and…never gets going.

So, I’m going track by track, trying to get a sense of the performance, the show. “Happy”…it’s full of energy but it’s ragged, Keith’s vocal is shouted and substandard and if you want to give the band the benefit of the doubt you can nod your head and compliment it, but in a world where there’s an unlimited amount of music available at your fingertips if you can make it through once that’s enough.

And I’ve seen the Stones kill “Tumbling Dice.” On the ’75 tour at the Forum. They were rough and then they finally locked on, I’ll never forget it, they found a groove that’s not even extant in the original. But they didn’t reach that peak here.

And then came “Star Star.”

Now this is the last number I’m excited about hearing, it’s hard to polish a turd, but…immediately what blasts out of the speakers is a fluid guitar sound that is straight out of the Chuck Berry canon, BUT BETTER! My attention is caught immediately, I’m just waiting for this sound to come back. But really it doesn’t reappear in force until the second verse.

And it’s clear, this is the secret sauce, this is MICK TAYLOR!

You can make a good case that “Beggars Banquet” is the best Stones album, it’s certainly the one that takes the most risks. Despite the famous openers on both sides, the high energy “Sympathy For The Devil” and “Street Fighting Man,” it’s the quiet acoustic cuts that seal the deal on this masterpiece.

And for all the people who laud “Sticky Fingers,” my favorite is “Let It Bleed.”

Neither of these albums featured Mick Taylor, but when the axeman is firmly ensconced in the band they become the biggest in the land, the biggest on the PLANET!

Then comes “Exile.” Then comes “Goats Head Soup” and “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll” and Mick Taylor quits. And the band is never the same. Sure, “Some Girls” is a comeback after too much middling material, and there’s an occasional great track, like “Memory Motel” off “Black and Blue,” but the band never reaches the height of the Mick Taylor years ever again. They let him come out on the 50th Anniversary tour to play a few numbers and he killed and he was the highlight but now when you go to see the Stones it’s about getting a notch in your belt more than the actual music, who’s performing on stage.

But it wasn’t only Mick Taylor, it was Jimmy Miller, who could somehow channel the Glimmer Twins, get them to focus, as soon as he worked with the band they cut “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” an unexpected summer smash of ’68 and he worked with the act through “Goats Head Soup.”

In other words, it’s the little things that make the difference. This is why you don’t mess with masterpieces, why you don’t try to improve art. This happens all the time in the restoration of paintings. In the name of getting rid of grit and grime the end result has none of the feel of the original. Do no damage. And the same deal with remixes. Excellence is funny. Once it’s perfect, you don’t want to touch it. And anybody who creates and doesn’t know when to stop…is not creating A+ material. A+ material is channeled from the gods, you’re in a trance and when you wake up you realize if you touch what you’ve created again you ruin it.

Now it’s not like this live performance of “Star Star” is the best thing you’ve ever heard. Actually, if you just cherry-pick it you probably won’t be impressed. You need to start at the top, with “Brown Sugar,” and then “Star Star” will jump out at you, it’s a revelation. It’s live performance. When suddenly the outfit fires on all cylinders, transcends, when the whole building levitates, when you leave the rest of the world behind, when the only thing that counts is RIGHT NOW, as the mellifluous sound permeates your skin and gets you jumping.

Now if you were at this show and you were a groupie, if you had access, you’d be eager to spread your legs for some of this juice.

Oh, don’t get your knickers in a twist, don’t bring out the politically correct police. I just point you to this article:

“The Real Penny Lane Has a Few Things Left to Say About ‘Almost Famous'”: bit.ly/2Ro4qlo

The groupies were not “Band-Aids.” And they knew what they were getting into and they were PROUD OF IT! I know, that might not be the way you want it to be, but Pamela Des Barres has made a living on her groupie exploits, she’s more famous than some of the musicians she bedded.

Access. That’s what we wanted back then. There was no Instagram, no social media. You never got to meet anybody, never mind get backstage.

Now the lyrics of “Star Star” make sense:

genius.com/The-rolling-stones-star-star-lyrics

I’m not gonna recite them here, they’re too dangerous, kind of like “Stray Cat Blues,” Mick Jagger is fully aware of what he’s singing. Then again, this song is personal even though it was broadcast to millions. Who exactly was this woman, what exactly happened? And Ali MacGraw and Steve McQueen?

And rock and roll was always about sex, and the truth is so many of the legends got into the business for this very reason, to get laid, it’s the only way women would find them attractive, if they got up on stage and played music.

Not that you had to be at the venue to get moist. Maybe a dark basement. Maybe a living room after dark with all the lights turned out. Maybe even a high school dance. If the right song was played, if the performance was hot enough you’d be surprised what could transpire. Never forget, music INSPIRES!

And then “Dancing With Mr. D” swings live more than it does on wax, the band is in a groove.

And then Mick rips off “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker),” his vocal puts the track over the top all by itself, the backup vocals are kind of lame, but when Mick comes back in, whew!

And “Angie” is more resonant live than on “Goats Head Soup.” It comes alive, full-bodied, it’s human.

And just when you think the band is cruising on the edge…

It doesn’t.

But that moment in “Star Star,” it’s such a surprise.

And if you go to see the Stones today it’s the same thing. They play stadiums but at heart they’re a bar band, just one with much better songs. They need a few beers, some crowd energy, to find their groove, to lock it all in, and then they turn into the World’s Greatest Rock & Roll Band.

It takes cojones to risk it, to play without a net, without hard drives underpinning the whole performance. It’s about capturing lightning in a bottle, that’s what the great records contain, lightning, as do the great live performances. And the truth is this performance of “Star Star” is about as good a live cut from the Stones released repertoire as it gets, there have been too many of these double albums that were not memorable, many only required one play, I know, because I bought them. That’s the magic of Mick Taylor…the rest of the band had to keep up with him! Yes, a star lifts the performance of the rest of the group, of the team. You’re inspired to be better. Sure, Mick and Keith wrote almost all of the material, and Keith has created some cool sounds, but Mick Taylor has been almost completely forgotten. Then again, he couldn’t make it without the rest of the group. But it’s hard to be the new guy, no matter how long you’ve been involved, just ask Jason Newsted, you’re nearly a hired player, you constantly get crapped on, you’re not allowed into the inner sanctum populated by those who grew up together, who sweated together on the road to success.

So what we’ve got here is a forty seven year old relic.

Don’t forget, back then you had to go to the gig to see the band. You were either there or you were not. And every night the performance evaporated when the lights came back on. You weren’t sure what you’d get, something subpar or the show of your life.

And it was the rock and rollers who got the girls. No one knew who ran the bank, there was no tech, there were no billionaires.

We gave it all up for rock and roll, not only the girls.

And if you listen to this performance of “Star Star,” you’ll know why.