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RELEASE DATE: October 8th 2007
Long before he gained additional notoriety as a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street band in the early ’80s, Nils Lofgren had already earned his mettle at an early age. The diminutive yet prodigious and athletic musician—accordion, piano and guitar—formed his first group, Grin, in his late teens. A key highlight of their live shows, which Lofgren also maintained in his burgeoning solo career, was the trampoline act he regularly showcased while bouncing, somersaulting and playing the guitar at the same time.
The next key phase of Lofgren’s career began with the recording of this long-out-of-print, solo album debut for A&M Records that, over the many years since its initial release, has proven itself to be a true classic. With solid songwriting by Lofgren, along with tasteful execution and masterful, subtle co-production by the late, journeyman-producer-musician David Briggs, the debut, literally struck a chord with FM radio programmers, the supportive critics and especially Lofgren’s ever-growing fan base.
This was the album whose highlights included “Back It Up,” the reflective “The Sun Hasn’t Set On This Boy Yet” and “Keith Don’t Go”—written as a personal plea to Keith Richards to not leave the Rolling Stones (a longstanding rumor at the time of its inception). Considering the latter’s status today, in 2007, who knows, maybe Lofgren’s words had some influence.
All told, this eponymous debut contained many of the songs that became synonymous with Lofgren through his entire career. A landmark in rock history, it’s now available through Hip-O Select.
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