"Kitty's Back," the third song on Bruce Springsteen's second album, 1973's "The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle" is one of my all-time favorite songs. I've listened to it a hundred times or more.
The recording is perfection.
However, there are live versions that are a welcome change up from that perfection, especially since Kitty is very jazzy and benefits from improvisation. In this live performance from 1978, it turns into a regular jazz odyssey in the middle. This performance is also good because it's in New Jersey, Springsteen's native turf.
There are other live versions available online, but mostly from this century. I wonder what people who only know Springsteen in his Captain America incarnation think of the musically complex Kitty's Back? Not much probably. But the E Street Band was never so musically exciting as with this song.
Fun fact: apparently the band got its name because they used to practice at the home of the mom of early member Dave Sancious and she lived on E street in Asbury Park. Sancious is a genius and I worship him - I've mentioned that before.
Sancious left the group after this album and it was all downhill from there.
I was excited to see that Sancious played with the band for the E Street Band induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.