"C'mon and take your best shot

Let me see what you got

Bring on your wrecking ball"

-Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen's new release, "Wrecking Ball" (Columbia Records) has been hailed in many circles as one of the better new releases of 2012. The song "Wrecking Ball" is about the demolition of Giants_Stadium in the Meadowlands of New Jersey, or as one might say, "somewhere in the swamps Jersey".

As with most of the gentrification of these United States, the City of Elgin is no stranger to the destruction of the wrecking ball. Take a look at any older picture of downtown Elgin and you will see the landscape of this urban city dramatically different than what you see today.

The most significant building in Elgin to suffer the wrath of the wrecking ball was the Elgin National Watch Factory. The Elgin National Watch Factory (on National Street) was in operation from 1867 to the early 1960's. It was the premier watch manufacturer in the world. Over 1 million watches were produced at the factory. Over half of the pocket watches produced in the United States were manufactured at the Watch Factory. To tie some music into this, the Robert_Johnson recording "Walkin Blues" mentions an Elgin Watch, "She's got Elgin movements from her head down to her toes." We can count foreign competition, like the themes of some Springsteen songs, as the main culprit for the Watch Factory's demise.

The photo above is an actual Elgin pocket watch (placed on the Springsteen album cover "Wrecking Ball") from around 1948. It is a "Railroad" watch. Railroad watches had to be calibrated to such precise times that trains and their conductors could run their train schedules around these watches.

Here is the Elgin Watch Factory in it's hey day. Today, if you are familiar with the Elgin Grand Victoria Casino, the GVC is just to the left of this picture on Grove St.

The wrecking ball came to the watch factory beginning in the summer of 1966. These photos here are from the E.C. Alft's book, "Old Elgin: A Pictorial History". The Watch Factory clock tower had a face and hands that rivaled the size of London's "Big Ben". Its almost criminal the powers that be of Elgin didn't at least have the foresight to at least preserve the Tower. They did not.

"All of our victories and glories have turned to parking lots" -Bruce Springsteen "Wrecking Ball"

The Watch Factory land, more or less, stood vacant until a shopping center was built in the mid-1980's. Much of the soil under the factory had to be eradicated because of radium. In fact, the layout of the parking lot is in such a way to encapsulate whatever radium that may have remained. Today a Butera Grocery store and several other strip mall type stores occupy the Watch Factory grounds.

To see a fantastic exhibit on the Elgin Watch Factory visit the Elgin Historical Society at 360 Park St. in Elgin. In it is an actual hour hand from the Tower.

Find Bruce Springsteen's new record "Wrecking Ball" at Rediscover Records. Here is Springsteen performing "Wrecking Ball"

New Releases

Greetings from Elgin, Illinois. Home of Rediscover Records. Elgin has had some pretty cool record shops over the years but they, unfortunately, drifted, crumbled, wept, and gradually left the landscape of Elgin. Rediscover Records is a place in Elgin where you can browse record bins, have your sound palette whetted by unique soundscapes while in store. Rediscover Records today, it's where you can find new vinyl, used vinyl, 45's, and even those old 78's.

On Tuesday November 16th we'll have a few new exciting new releases on vinyl.

First and foremost, one of the more awaited releases in the world of Rediscover Records, it's the remastered version of Bruce Springsteen's "Darkness On the Edge of Town". It's an amazing collection of songs that, some say, tragically never made it on to the "Darkness" record because they didn't fit thematically with the record. Here is actor Ed Norton interviewing Springsteen on the making of Darkness. Ed Norton interviewing Bruce Springsteen

We'll have a limited supply of the 3 CD and 3 DVD boxset available on November 16th.

We'll also have the vinyl "The Promise" on a 3 record 180g. vinyl spanning 21 songs.

The "Darkness" tour of 1978 was one of the more epic tours in Springsteen's history. Here is but a small sample with a blistering version (pardon the rock critic speak) of "Prove It All Night" with the full on instrumental introduction.

Not to get lost in the E Street shuffle are a couple other releases we'll have on November 16th. One of the more exciting bands in recent memory are Japandroids. We already have in the "No Singles" record and you'll be able to pick up the new single "Heavenward Grand Prix". Very limited copies in store and they'll go quick so get yours today.

Here are the Japandroids live on KEXP. Get yer rock on!

In the spirit of rock 2 person groups, we bring you Scott Lucas of Local H fame. The release date for this record is November 16th as well. This time Lucas is with the Married Men and their new release, Scott Lucas & the Married Men "The Absolute Beginners". Again, limited supplies in stock so get them while you can.

Rediscover Records today!

Record Store Moment

We're spinnin' Bruce Springsteen's 1980 double LP "The_River". I turned over side 1 and flipped it to side two and out pumps the opening drums of the hit single, "Hungry Heart". An elder statesmen in the store was suddenly brought back in time,

"Aaaah," as he smiled big, "this reminds me of Alaska. I worked in Valdez, Alaska and on our lunch breaks the girls would put this song on the jukebox because they wanted to dance to it. This is a great cut."

You could sense just by the music he was brought right back to a special place in his life. Sometimes working in a record store isn't about money at all. It's hearing, listening, sharing, stories just like these.

"Everybody needs a place to rest

Everybody wants to have a home"