The Return of "US" Bonds
Gordon Antell | 10/26/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For those not familiar with Gary "US" Bonds, he had back to back hits during the early sixties with songs "Qaurter To Three" and "New Orleans". By the mid to late sixties, he had vanished off the pop music radar and was figured for bargain bin obscurity. Flash forward to 1978, a gentleman from New Jersey by the name of Bruce Springsteen is touring across North America in support of "Darkness on the Edge of Town", his follow-up to his breakthrough record, "Born To Run". His tour is a sell-out in theaters and sports arenas and each encore closes out with Bonds' "Quarter To Three", in which at the end of the song he collapses on stage, feigning a heart attack. He is "revived" by band members and contiues on for another 10 minutes to the song. The tour ends at the dawn of 1979. During Bruce's hiatus before the release of "The River", he visits a nightclub off the Jersey turnpike and catches Gary "US" Bonds on stage. Afterwards, they keep in touch. Following the winter leg of the River tour, Bruce & Miami Steve Van Zandt spend a month recording and mixing "Dedication", employing the rest of the E Street Band, plus fellow Jersey notables, including the Asbury Jukes horn section. Mid-April of 1981, Dedication sees thelight of day and has a moderate hit with "This Little Girl", a Springsteen composition. Matter of fact there are only 3 Springsteen compositions (Dedication, Your Love and This Little Girl). Bruce duets with Gary beautifully on the opening track, "Jole Blon", a Cajun traditional with Danny Federici's accordian weaving throughout it. Miami Steve contributes one tune, "Daddy's Come Home", which Bonds interprets with every ounce of soul, as if he is living out those words daily: "Your Daddy's come home/back where he belongs" The other five songs are all cover tunes that showcase Bond's range, to the best of his ability. I find his vocals a little flat, but it works well when he duets with Bruce's roughness vocal quality. The Beatles "It's Only Love" and Jackson Browne's "The Pretender" fair pretty well.
If you're a Springsteen fan, you have to own this CD. If you're a fan of old school rock 'n roll, you should also own it. He released a follow-up album, "On The Line", a year later in 1982, which had no covers, and some originals by Bonds, but about 7 Springsteen songs were included, too. Pick that one up, also."
