Bells Of San Salvador

BELLS OF SAN SALVADOR - V1 1:28 LM-10
BELLS OF SAN SALVADOR - V2 1:17 LM-10
BELLS OF SAN SALVADOR - V3 0:32 LM-10
BELLS OF SAN SALVADOR - V4 2:18 LM-10
BELLS OF SAN SALVADOR - V5 3:09 LM-10
BELLS OF SAN SALVADOR - V6 3:07 private

Note: V1-5 are acoustic demos that were recorded at Springsteen's home in Colts Neck, NJ between September and December 1981. V1-V4 are merely vocalisations over a guitar backing, while V5 has Springsteen tentatively adding primitive vocals. V1 can be found, incorrectly titled as 'Ruled By The Gun #2', on Lost Masters X. V2 is track 11 on the same CD, 'Untitled Riff', which ends with Springsteen speaking the words "Bells Of San Salvador", which links all these recordings under that title. V3 and V5 are tracks 22 and 23 on the same CD, titled 'They Killed Him In The Street', while V4 is erroneously titled 'Wages Of Sin #3', track 13. A careful listen shows V1 and V4 were mistakenly grouped with other outtakes on the disc.

V6 is a full-band performance probably recorded at Colts Neck in late 1981. A sinister and oppressive song, it describes a May 1979 massacre that took place on the steps of San Salvador Cathedral in El Salvador. Despite being well developed, it was not cut at Power Station in April-May 1982 like many of the other songs known to have been rehearsed during this period, and session logs indicate it was never recorded in the studio. The opening line of the song, "They took him from his house and killed him in the street," can also be found in the lyrics of Springsteen's adaptation of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Run Through The Jungle", which was performed live three times during the European leg of the River Tour.

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