When I graduated from high school, my godparents, Raymond and Pauline Brisson, gave me the gift of a check to spend as I wished. I don’t remember how much the check was for, but it was enough for me to go to the Tech Hi-Fi store in Cambridge, MA, (just off Harvard Square) and buy a Kenwood stereo amplifier and a Kenwood KW-4066, 3-Head Stereo Reel-To-Reel Tape Deck.

I used that tape deck for many years, making many hours of live recordings. Sometimes, I would also tape off the radio – WBCN, 104.1, Boston – especially if the station was broadcasting a live concert or playing a rare track from a favorite artist.

Once, I was lucky enough to capture a stunning recording of an incredible song called “The Fever” by Bruce Springsteen. The track was recorded on May 16, 1973 at the Record Plant in New York City. It was an outtake from the sessions for Bruce’s second album, The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle.

In 1999, I was very excited to find “The Fever” on a Bruce Springsteen rarities album called 18 Tracks.

Tonight, on Bruce Springsteen’s 64th birthday, I’d like to share that recording with you.