Great and informative reading, good job, thanks for this update

How would Bowie have been able to play any Springsteen cover to Bruce in Philly if all these tracks had been recorded in Europe?

Huh? I'm not sure what you mean, Ruud. David didn't just drop everything in Europe and leave it there in 1974.

Three perfectly possible options:

(a) What was played to Bruce in Philly was a version of the (for want of a better phrase) 'Diamond Dogs version', which was in the possession of David and/or Tony. We know perfectly well that David brought a whole load of other masters and backing tracks over to America with him in '74... for example Lulu's version of Can You Hear Me, recorded in London with overdubs added in New York... not to mention the whole of the Diamond Dogs album (the US Rebel Rebel single was dubbed and remixed in New York, remember).

Alternatively, perhaps...

(b) What was played to Bruce in Philly was simply the second, unfinished instrumental backing track recorded in Philly, with no vocals (as explained by Tony Visconti; see my long post above).

or...

(c) We could believe David's account that he never actually played the track to Bruce. Quote: "I remember chickening out of playing it. I didn't want to play it to him because I wasn't happy with it anyway."

So I don't see a problem there...

Nick


http://twitter.com/NicholasPegg