Bruce Hornsby and The Range - New York 1986

This is Bruce Hornsby and The Range recorded from the Midnight show broadcast live by WNEW-FM, New York on the 2nd September 1986.

The band formed in 1984 and were signed to RCA Records in 1985. Bruce Hornsby's recording career started with the biggest hit he has had to date, entitled "The Way It Is". It topped the American music charts in 1986.

With a propulsive yet contemplative piano riff and the refrain, That's just the way it is / Some things will never change / That's just the way it is / But don't you believe them, the song was catchy and described aspects of the American Civil Rights movement and institutional racism.

The song also hit a nerve with the American public, reflecting dissatisfaction with perceived economic decline in the early-to-mid 1980s. In years to come, the song would be sampled by at least six rap artists, including Tupac Shakur, E-40, and Mase.

Source: FM Broadcast.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@192kbps.

Genre: Contemporary Rock.

Set: Majority of Concert.

Set List:

01 Jacob's Ladder
02 The Way It Is
03 The Long Race
04 Mandolin Rain
05 Piano Solo
06 The Red Plains
07 I Know You Rider (small edit due to tape flip).
08 Every Little Kiss
09 The River Runs Low
10 Wild Frontier
11 Western Skyline
12 Till The Dreaming's Done
13 Down the Road Tonight (fade out, last couple minutes missing).

The Band:

Bruce Hornsby - keyboards, vocals
Peter Harris - guitar
George Marinelli - guitar
Joe Puerta - bass
John Molo - drums

Links: Official Site HERE.

Comments:

With the success of the single worldwide, the album The Way It Is went multi-platinum and produced another top five hit with "Mandolin Rain" (co-written, as many of Hornsby's early songs were, with his brother John Hornsby). "Every Little Kiss" also did respectably well. Other tracks on the album helped establish what some labeled the "Virginia sound", a mixture of rock, jazz, and bluegrass with an observational Southern feel. Bruce Hornsby and the Range would go on to win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1987.

Bruce Hornsby and the Range's sound is somewhat distinctive. For one, Bruce Hornsby's consistent use of syncopation in his piano solos was different from other pianists during the 1980s. Bruce Hornsby used a brighter piano sound, which was typical for 1980's Pop Music. There is also extensive use of synthesizers used as background for Bruce Hornsby's solos, most notable on the tracks "The Show Goes On" and "The Road Not Taken". John Molo's drumbeats were often looped throughout the recorded versions of songs. They are typical double-time beats, which allowed Bruce Hornsby and the rest of the band to do more with their solos.

Download links (two) in comments below.

Buy: Mp3's at Amazon.co.uk - Bruce Hornsby and the Range