On June 9, 1972 opening notes for one of rock music’s most famous bands were strummed.
Almost half a century ago, US singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen signed with Columbia Records and immediately set to work on his classic 1972 album, Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ.
That meant he needed to assemble a band to match his ambition.
But that’s not as easy as it sounds. Setting up the right group is more than simply looking for the finest musicians available.
It is more about finding that rare alchemy of talent and humility that would, in turn, create a musical shorthand, allowing both leader and group to be in sync on stage and record.
Here are six examples of artists at one with their band:
1. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band
Springsteen's band was named after the street in New Jersey where he assembled the original quintet from players in the neighbourhood.
The success of Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ, and subsequent records Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town and The River are a showcase of the group's influence on The Boss's sound. From the saxophone playing of the late Clarence Clemons, to the sturdy riffs of Steven Van Zandt, the line up provided the fire and drama to Springsteen's chronicles of life in small town America.
The fact that The E Street Band remains synonymous with Springsteen's celebrated body of work is an example of how, in popular music, the whole is better than the sum of its parts.
2. Bob Marley and The Wailers
Originally beginning as a partnership between singer Peter Tosh, percussionist Bunny Wailer and Bob Marley on guitar, the latter took over the group when relationships between the trio soured.
With Aston "Family Man" Barrett (bass) and Carlton Barrett (drums) recruited to form reggae music's greatest ever rhythm section, The Wailers went on to back many of Marley's life-affirming hits, including Get Up, Stand Up, Exodus and Three Little Birds.
3. James Brown and The JB’s
One of the tightest bands in funk music, period. After all, James Brown expected nothing less. As the proclaimed "hardest man in show business," Brown ensured his musicians were on point at all times, largely due to his habit of fining members for every bum note.
But in the end, it seems that tough love approach probably helped the band's members, such as saxophonist Maceo Parker and bassist Bootsy Collins. Both went on to have successful solo careers of their own.
4. Prince and The Revolution
One of the toughest gigs in the business. Such was Prince's restless creative spirit, that he formed and disbanded groups with relative frequency.
But The Revolution will always go down as the Purple One's premier backing group for their work on three essential albums, 1984's Purple Rain, 1985's Around the World and their final outing for 1986's Parade.
5. Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
As a keen rocker, Joan Jett always wanted her own band. Hence, she ignored her label's requests to go solo and placed an advertisement in a Los Angeles paper in the late 1970s requesting "three good men." Not long after The Blackhearts were formed, for the past thirty years they have supported Jett on tour and on classic singles I Love Rock'n'Roll and Crimson and Clover.
6. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Arguably the greatest living backing ensemble working today. Since 1983, this Australian collective of experimental musicians has provided various soundscapes – from the thunderous and the nightmarish to desolate beauty – for singer and poet Nick Cave to impart his personal lyricism. Simply put, there would be no Nick Cave without The Bad Seeds.
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Wallabies
Updated team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Dane Haylett-Petty, 13-Reece Hodge, 12-Matt Toomua, 11-Marika Koroibete, 10-Kurtley Beale, 9-Will Genia, 8-Pete Samu, 7-Michael Hooper (captain), 6-Lukhan Tui, 5-Adam Coleman, 4-Rory Arnold, 3-Allan Alaalatoa, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16-Folau Faingaa, 17-Tom Robertson, 18-Taniela Tupou, 19-Izack Rodda, 20-Ned Hanigan, 21-Joe Powell, 22-Bernard Foley, 23-Jack Maddocks.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
The specs
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Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The specs: 2018 Dodge Durango SRT
Price, base / as tested: Dh259,000
Engine: 6.4-litre V8
Power: 475hp @ 6,000rpm
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Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
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Torque: 175Nm
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Available: Now
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
