Men Without Women

by Little Steven, Clarence Clemons, Manolo Badrena, Jean Beauvoir, Nelson Bogart

Overview

Anyone who has ever saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band between 1975 and 1981 knows one of the reasons they were among the best live bands in America is they had three members with the power and charisma to make great frontmen -- Springsteen, Clarence Clemons, and "Miami Steve" Van Zandt. In 1982, while Springsteen was laboring over Born in the U.S.A., Van Zandt -- who'd already proved his considerable chops as a producer, songwriter, and arranger working with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes and Gary U.S. Bonds -- stepped away from the E Street Band to launch a solo project, Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul, and in many ways the first Little Steven album, Men Without Women, is the finest album the Asbury Jukes never made. Like the Jukes best work, Men Without Women blends the muscle and swagger of Jersey shore rock & roll with the horn-fueled heart and soul of classic R&B, and here Van Zandt was willing to push himself further in both directions at once. With a five-piece horn section blazing throughout (featuring Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg leading a crew of former Jukes brass players) and former Rascals Dino Danelli and Felix Cavaliere on hand, this album's blue-eyed soul credentials are unimpeachable, but Van Zandt's guitar (and Jean Beauvior's bass) speak with the sound and fury of a true roots rock rebel. While Van Zandt's songwriting was always impressive, Men Without Women's best moments expressed a degree of passion, vulnerability, and determined fervor he hadn't quite permitted himself in the past (he also began to express the political concerns that would dominate his later work on "Under the Gun"), and if Van Zandt was a less precise vocalist than "Southside" Johnny Lyon, the gritty sincerity and emotional force of his performances more than made up for it. On Men Without Women, Little Steven & the Disciples merged the brassy swing of a classic Motown side with the sweaty blare of a amped-up garage band, and if that sounds like an odd combination, in both soul and garage rock, commitment is what counts, and Little Steven had that to spare -- along with a set of really great songs.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/31/2020
UPC:	0602508904486
Rank:	87408

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Lyin' in a Bed of Fire
2. Inside of Me
3. Until the Good Is Gone
4. Men Without Women
5. Under the Gun
6. Save Me
7. Princess of Little Italy
8. Angel Eyes
9. Forever
10. I've Been Waiting

Disc 2

1. Intro
2. Lyin' in a Bed of Fire
3. Save Me
4. Forever
5. Inside of Me
6. Take It Inside
7. Until the Good Is Gone
8. Princess of Little Italy
9. Caravan
10. Under the Gun
11. I Played The Fool
12. I Don't Want to Go Home
13. Angel Eyes
14. This Time It's for Real
15. Can I Get a Witness
16. Closing Credits

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Little Steven   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Clarence Clemons   Background Vocals
Manolo Badrena   Percussion
Jean Beauvoir   Bass
Nelson Bogart   Trumpet
J.T. Bowen   Background Vocals
Felix Cavaliere   Organ,Piano
Crispin Cioe   Baritone Saxophone
Rusty Cloud   Organ
Dino Danelli   Drums
Monti Louis Ellison   Percussion,Berimbau,Djembe
Danny Federici   Organ,Accordion
Sammy Figueroa   Percussion
Stan Harrison   Flute,Tenor Saxophone
Kevin Kavanaugh   Piano
Benjy King   Keyboards
Mark Pender   Trumpet
Richie Rosenberg   Trombone,Background Vocals
Garry Tallent   Bass
Max Weinberg   Drums
Zoe Yanakis   Oboe,Soloist
Arno Hecht   Flute,Tenor Saxophone
Paul Litterall   Trumpet
Ed Manion   Baritone Saxophone
Mike Spengler   Trumpet
Gary Bonds   Background Vocals
Ben Newberry   Chimes
Bob Werner   Tambourine

Technical Credits

Bob Clearmountain   Engineer
Dino Danelli   Assistant Art Design
Garry Rindfuss   Engineer
Toby Scott   Engineer
Steven Van Zandt   Composer
Miami Steve   Arranger,Producer
Henry Marquez   Art Direction
Bill Burks   Art Direction
Peter Rüchel   Executive Producer
Mike Diehl   Assistant Art Design