Live Feb 1972 version
Well if you wanna hear some boogie like I'm gonna play
Just will you take me out and I'll knock out play
The drummer is a cat they call Charlie McCoy
You all see that rubber-legged boy
C'mon everybody won't you lose your lease
Down the road, down the road, down the road apiece
Well there's a place where you can get your kicks
It's open every night about twelve to six
If wanna hear some boogie you can get your fill
And shoot that thing through you like an old steam drill
Mama cookin' chicken fried in bacon grease
Down the road, down the road, down the road apiece
Well there's a place that you can get your kicks
Open every night about twelve to six
If you wanna hear some boogie you can get your fill
Shoot that thing through you like an old steam drill
Mama cookin' chicken fried in bacon grease
Down the road, down the road, down the road apiece
DOWN THE ROAD APIECE is a 1940 song by Will Bradley Trio. See the Original Will Bradley Trio version for more details.
The above lyrics are for a live performance of DOWN THE ROAD APIECE at The Back Door in Richmond, VA, with The Bruce Springsteen Band. The exact date is unknown, but it's from the February 1972 residency at The Back Door (see section below).
The Bruce Springsteen Band played nine shows at The Back Door in Richmond, VA, during three of the four weekends of February 1972 (04, 05, 06, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, and 27 Feb 1972). They played one show each night and they were the sole act on the bill. Soundboard and audience recordings from these shows circulate among collectors.
Soundboard recordings for 8 tracks, taken directly from Tinker West's original reel tapes, are in circulation. The exact dates for the 8 tracks are not known but it is more likely that all of them come from the same show, probably from the final weekend of the residency. Audience recordings for 13 more tracks are also in circulation. The exact dates are not know but it is more likely that most of them come from the final weekend's performances. A soundboard recording consisting of 14 more tracks is currently in very limited circulation. The recording comes from the 25 Feb 1972 show and is likely the complete show. An audience recording consisting of 5 more tracks is also in circulation and, according to Brucebase, can be identified with some confidence to date from the 26 Feb 1972 show.
A reel-to-reel tape containing the soundboard recording of the 25 Feb 1972 show was auctioned in June 2014 on Sotheby's (see photo below). According to the auction house, the tape comes directly from the collection of John Hammond, "perhaps requested in an attempt to ascertain if the performer that he was so taken by as a solo acoustic act could similarly engage a live audience fronting an electric band." The tape features a printed label with hand-written setlist, but some of the songs are misidentified.
Other versions of DOWN THE ROAD APIECE were also officially released.
DOWN THE ROAD APIECE is known to have been performed at least 4 times in Bruce Springsteen's early years (pre-October 1972). Very little is known about shows from this early period, and therefore, the song must have been played on some more dates.
DOWN THE ROAD APIECE was performed 6 times during the 6-date-long October Assault Tour with Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers. The live 20 Oct 1995 version was first officially released in 1999.
DOWN THE ROAD APIECE was performed during the first (2000) annual Light Of Day benefit. The song was played with Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers.
Bruce Springsteen appeared at a total of six Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers concerts at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in Pittsburgh, PA, in 2010, 2011, and 2014. DOWN THE ROAD APIECE was performed on 04 Nov 2010, 03 Nov 2011, 04 Nov 2011, and 23 May 2014.
DOWN THE ROAD APIECE was performed off-tour on 09 Jul 1995 at Cafe Eckstein in Berlin, Germany, during a gig with Wolfgang Niedecken and Leopardefellband to tape the HUNGRY HEART music video.
DOWN THE ROAD APIECE was performed off-tour on 02 Mar 1998 at Nick's Fat City in Pittsburgh, PA, during a guest appearance with Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers.
DOWN THE ROAD APIECE was performed off-tour on 06 Nov 1998 at Club 251 in West Palm Beach, FL, during a guest appearance with Clarence Clemons.
DOWN THE ROAD APIECE was performed off-tour on 17 Jul 2004 at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ, during a guest appearance with Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.
Much of the above information about the 1972 residency at The Back Door is taken from Brucebase.
List of available versions of DOWN THE ROAD APIECE on this website:
DOWN THE ROAD APIECE [Live Feb 1972 version]
