Speed of Life

by Gregg Chadwick   NBC broadcast a fundraiser tonight to raise money for hurricane relief for the communities hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy. (If you are on the West Coast the event will be re-broadcast across NBC and its affiliated networks including MSNBC starting at 8pm.) To donate, visit RedCross.org or iTunes.com/redcross; call 1-800-HELPNOW or 1-800-RED-CROSS; or text "REDCROSS" to 90999 to make a $10 donation. The telethon,  Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together , was hosted by newscaster Matt Lauer and included poignant performances by Staten Island's Christina Aguilera, New Jersey's Jon Bon Jovi, and Long Island's Billy Joel, as well as Steven Tyler with members of Aerosmith, and Sting.   Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band closed the event with a powerful rendition of Land and Hope and Dreams from his most recent album Wrecking Ball . Bruce dedicated the song: "We're gonna send this out to the people of NY and NJ, and to al...

by Gregg Chadwick Land of Hope and Dreams (Song by Song Review of Bruce Springsteen's New Album - Wrecking Ball) People get ready, there's a train a-comin' You don't need no baggage, you just get on board All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin' Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord - Curtis Mayfield, People Get Ready Central Railroad of New Jersey Steam 4-6-2, Jersey City, New Jersey, February 06, 1954  My grandfather on my mother's side spent his working life as a train engineer on the Jersey Central Line. That itself sounds like a Springsteen lyric and explains part of my great love for  Land of Hope and Dreams . ( Listen Here ) Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band first performed the song during the reunion tour in 1999, a live version was released on   Live in New York City in 2001  and also   on  The Essential Bruce Springsteen  in 2003.   The version of  Land of Hope and Dreams  featured on...