Album Review - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

Back in the year 2006, I was a young lad of the tender age of 21.  As a student of New York University, I'll remember my junior year as a time of growing my world: I expanded my friend base, had my share of drama with the fairer sex, and consumed alcohol in amounts that my "current self" would get dizzy just thinking about.  And, as always, I was expanding my musical tastes.  Junior year was the first time I really got into bands such as the Cure, the Futureheads, the Exploding Hearts, the Replacements, the New Pornographers and the Violent Femmes.  While these bands vary from each other, they can pretty much be grouped into "rock" or "pop" categories.  It shouldn't shock anyone to see them on the iPod of a young straight white male.  Which is why, when Springsteen's Seeger Sessions dropped in April of 2006, it was such a shock to my system.

Having been a Bruce fan since 1999, I thought I knew what to expect from Springsteen.  At that time, I had been a Bruce fan for two previous studio releases - The Rising and Devils & Dust.  While Devils & Dust was a stripped-down departure from Bruce's normal sound, it was not unprecedented.  Bruce had done two previous "quiet" albums, Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad, and both times they were followed up by sensation pop albums (Born In The U.S.A.  and The Rising, respectively).  I expected something similar post-Devils & Dust, instead, Springsteen went the bluegrass direction.  I certainly did not see that coming.

At the time, I treated the album as novelty.  I remember my 21-year-old self describing it to friends, saying "Bruce has conquered rock music, now he wants to conquer other genres.  I bet he does a rap album next!"  Oh, 21-year-old Rory, what rapier wit you had.  21-year-old Rory was also fascinated by songs such as "Erie Canal", which he sang in his third grade music class, and the cartoon story presented in "Froggie Went A-Courtin;".  However, seven years have passed, and I've recently been playing the album more and more on my iPod.  And, if I can't indulge myself in a thousand word rant about a seven-year-old album on my personal blog, where else can I?

While I most consume my music on random on my iPod, this is an album that works best played in order.  The opening track, "Old Dan Tucker", is probably the most shocking start to a Springsteen album since "Ain't Got You".  It starts with the classic Springsteen countdown, but with the faint hint of a chuckle.  Then, where you'd normally have a guitar or piano on a typical Springsteen album, you get a rollicking banjo solo.  It is these first few seconds that set the tone for the album - you are getting Springsteen, but a light-hearted, laughing Springsteen who isn't following his own rules.

From there, we are led on a journey that mixes classic Springsteen elements with all the strongest traditions of folk music.  There are tales of tragic characters like "Jesse James" and "John Henry", both songs telling stories of their deaths delivered in a joyous romp - if you close your eyes, you could imagine the band playing these songs drunkenly at a bar, trying to cheer themselves up.  Songs such as "My Oklahoma Home" and "Pay Me My Money Down" hearken back to Springsteen classics like "Workin' On The Highway" and "Sherry Darling", both sardonic tales sung by a down-on-his-luck narrator.  My personal favorite song from the album is "O Mary Don't You Weep No More", which was originally a Negro spiritual.  This song is delivered by Bruce and the Seeger Sessions band with exuberant fever.  It encapsulates the how the sadness of life can be uplifted with the power of music, which is the main message of the album.

While I can go back and listen to the album any time, it does make me wistful for the Springsteen and Seeger Session band concert I saw that summer in 2006.  It has stuck with me as strong as nearly any Springsteen concert I had seen, including seeing him on his birthday and the last show with Clarence Clemons in Buffalo, 2009.



While this isn't from the show I saw, it shows how these old songs got everyone in the crowd rocking along.  People were singing "Pay Me My Money" about as loud as they would sing along to "Hungry Heart".  The concert I saw was also one of the few times I got to hear songs from Devils & Dust played live, such as "Long Time Comin'".  And I absolutely fell in love with this version of one of my all-time favorite Springsteen songs:



All I can say is: wow.  It sounds absolutely perfect in this setting - it seems like the song was written 80 years ago.  That's what I love about "Atlantic City": there are three completely different versions performed by one artist, and each version tells a "different" story.



Springsteen closed with "Man On The Flying Trapeze", saying that this song helped explain what he was doing, exploring these old songs and bringing them into the forefront again.  And that's what is beautiful about this album: it may not be Bruce's best, but there will never be another one like it.  The songs may have sad messages, but the joy that Springsteen and the band have just pours through the speakers, and makes me smile every time I listen to it.

Lyrics Spotlight - Ain't Got You

“I got a pound of caviar sitting home on ice
I got a fancy foreign car that rides like paradise
I got a hundred pretty women knockin' down my door
And folks wanna kiss me I ain't even seen before ”
- Ain't Got You, Tunnel of Love


At the end of a long working day, I go through a process I call "decompression", where I take about 10-15 minutes to relax and wash away the stresses of the day (which come more from the commute rather than the job).  It's a three step process that involves 1. blasting music, 2. taking off nearly all my clothes, and 3. throwing myself face-first onto the couch.  I understand this may be an unsettling image to some of our readers and is in no way essential to the rest of the post, but I'm offering it out there as a solution to cure one's post-work stress.

Anyway, during one of my decompression moments, "Ain't Got You" started playing.  My girlfriend, who is a nascent Springsteen fan, takes notice, and asks if this was a cover song.  I assured her it wasn't, but immediately went to Wikipedia to check.  This minor interchange got me thinking about not only this song, but the way we interact with music today.

As a young Springsteen fan from the later 90s, my experience is completely different from those fans from the 70s and 80s, which is why "Ain't Got You" has fascinated me.  Here was Bruce's first studio album since the chart-destroying Born In The U.S.A., and so much had changed in that time.  Changes came not only from Bruce himself (being married, using less of the E Street Band, change in song subject matter), but in the way you, as a fan, consumed his music.  In 1984, fans bought Bruce's album in vinyl, dropped the needle, and heard a pounding song about the struggles of thousands of Vietnam veterans.  In 1987, fans were probably buying Bruce for the first time on compact discs, and immediately got a stripped-down bluesy number about a rich guy trying to win over a hottie.   It must have been a crazy shock for Springsteen fans that, given my youth, I'll never be able to fully understand.

That being said, I've always listened to "Ain't Got You" outside of its historical context in Springsteen's career, and absolutely love it.  The simple 1950s musical vibe completely works with the over-the-top riches lyrics.  It even has a little bit of a touch of George Michael's "Faith", which was released at almost the same time.  I spotlighted the above lyrics, as they remind me the most of Joe Walsh's "Life's Been Good".  There was a podcast where Chuck Klosterman interviewed Joe Walsh, and asked him how much of "Life's Been Good" was actually true.  If I ever had the chance to sit down with Bruce, I'd love to hear what about "Ain't Got You" was actually true.  I really can't picture Bruce driving a foreign car, and have a tougher time imagining him in possession of a pound of caviar at any point in his life.

The Top 100 Springsteen Songs

Last Thursday, two Springsteen fans released their crowd-sourced list of the top 100 Springsteen songs.  Now, mind you, analyzing "best of" lists on the Internet is tired and pointless, but I can't help myself from sharing a few thoughts.

Firstly, when looking at such a long list, it is important not to get hung up on the rankings of each song.  Whether "Long Time Comin'" is better than "Blood Brothers" does not matter.  I'm grading this list for its comprehensiveness.  Does this list accurately represent Bruce's career?  Can a Springsteen novice use this as a launching pad for exploring Springsteen's music?  On these aspects, the list is very successful.  Nearly every album and landmark single from Bruce's career is represented here.  While Working on a Dream is snubbed, the list still has numerous songs from recent albums such as Magic (4 songs!), The Promise, and Wrecking Ball.  This list is so thorough that even a Springsteen die-hard like myself had to go back and listen to a few songs that I had forgotten about.

Only two downsides pop to mind regarding this list.  One is that it doesn't look like Bruce is anywhere near retirement - I expect him to keep chugging out more albums in the near future (dozens of songs were scrapped in the writing process for Wrecking Ball, so if nothing else, I'd expect another B-sides album).  Therefore, this list will probably  have to be constantly updated.  The other negative of this list probably only bugs me: it is in an image format!  Why not list it out in text?  It makes it easier to search and find specific songs in the list!

With that being said, I've taken a few minutes to type up the list for you, dear reader.  I've also added links to the times we've discussed these songs on the blog, so if you want to know our thoughts on each song, including live performances and analysis of the lyrics, make sure to click away.

1. Thunder Road
2. Jungleland
3. Backstreets
4. Born To Run
5. Incident On 57th Street
6. Racing In The Street
7. Badlands
8. The River
9. The Promised Land
10. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
11. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
12. Land Of Hope & Dreams
13. Prove It All Night
14. Drive All Night
15. Lost In The Flood
16. New York City Serenade
17. Atlantic City
18. No Surrender
19. Long Walk Home
20. 4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
21. The Promise
22. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
23. The Rising
24. Something In The Night
25. For You
26. Kitty's Back
27. Growin' Up
28. Brilliant Disguise
29. Downbound Train
30. Spirit In The Night
31. Because The Night
32. She's The One
33. Born In The USA
34. Tougher Than The Rest
35. My City Of Ruins
36. Candy's Room
37. One Step Up
38. If I Should Fall Behind
39. Point Blank
40. Independence Day
41. Youngstown
42. Stolen Car
43. Out In The Street
44. The Price You Pay
45. Adam Raised A Cain
46. Sherry Darling
47. Loose Ends
48. This Hard Land
49. The Ghost of Tom Joad
50. Thundercrack
51. Tunnel of Love
52. Bobby Jean
53. It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City
54. Meeting Across the River
55. Reason To Believe
56. My Love Will Not Let You Down
57. Human Touch
58. Frankie
59. The Ties That Bind
60. Ramrod
61. Dancing In The Dark
62. Back In Your Arms
63. Living Proof
64. You're Missing
65. Long Time Comin'
66. Blood Brothers
67. Streets Of Fire
68. Girls In Their Summer Clothes
69. Glory Days
70. Night
71. Better Days
72. Highway Patrolman
73. Wrecking Ball
74. American Skin (41 Shots)
75. Cadillac Ranch
76. The E Street Shuffle
77. Fade Away
78. I'm Goin' Down
79. Be True
80. Hungry Heart
81. The Fever
82. Death To My Hometown
83. Roulette
84. Radio Nowhere
85. Walk Like A Man
86. Janey Don't You Lose Heart
87. Jackson Cage
88. Lucky Town
89. Take 'Em As They Come
90. Valentine's Day
91. Streets Of Philadelphia
92. I'm On Fire
93. My Hometown
94. None But The Brave
95. Blinded By The Light
96. Across the Border
97. Murder Incorporated
98. Devil's Arcade
99. Happy
100. Open All Night

Gave It A Name - The Best Band Names from Bruce's Past

Band names have always been an obsession of mine.  Thinking of the different names I would use for my fictional band helps me take a step forward into achieving my fantasy of being a rock star, without the heavy lifting involved in learning how to play an instrument.  In my down time, when I'm not wasting it thinking of band names, I do something more productive - analyze other band names.

A good band name is simple and memorable, and "Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band" fits the criteria effectively.  However, when Bruce began his career in the late 1960s and early 1970s, he bounced around between a variety of oddly named musical groups.  What follows is a ranking of my personal favorite pre-E Street Band names, with the sole criteria being my own arbitrary opinion.  

Missed the cut: Child, Sundance Blues Band.  Honestly, I have no idea what to make of those names.

5. The Bruce Springsteen Band

Formed in 1971, Bruce clearly didn't strain himself too hard when coming up with this name.  Not only is it boring, it is too pretentious.  While he is "The Boss", Bruce has always been a man of the people.  He saves accolades such as "pants-dropping" and "booty shaking" for his band, not himself.  Plus, it reminds me of The Dave Matthews Band, which is never a good thing.

4. Earth

From the late 1960s, it was in this band where he acquired the nickname "The Boss".  This name seems to be a product of its time, as other hippy-esque bands were forming using "Earth" as well, such as Manfred Mann's Earth Band and Earth, Wind, and Fire.  But, part of me would like to see Bruce open a show with a Will-Smith-in-Independence-Day greeting: "Welcome To Earth!"

3. The Castiles

Way back in 1967, when Bruce was just 17, he was part of The Castiles.  Look at those young boys up there!  Like the name would indicate, they were trying to replicate The Beatles clean-cut image (and pop sound, as heard in the video above).  Part of me wishes to see the alternate reality where The Castiles were a bigger hit.  Could you imagine Bruce writing more Beatles-stylized pop songs and wearing coordinated outfits?  (Side note: it's pronounced kah-steels right?  I usually mispronounce words that I only read - I pronounced "superfluous" as "SUPERfluous" for an embarrassingly long time) 

2. Steel Mill

This is Bruce's most significant pre-E Street Band group, as it featured Vini Lopez, Danny Federici, and Steve Van Zandt.  You can find tons of there lengthy jam sessions on Youtube, and they are definitely worth checking out.  But forget the noise, what about the name?  There's something very 70s rock about this name, mainly about a) it is two words that sound similar and you'd be unable to pronounce it drunk and b) it sounds vaguely homoerotic.  Deep Purple and the fictional Stillwater also fit this description.  

1. Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom

Really, was there any other choice?  Far be it for me to criticize Bruce's career decisions, but not sticking with Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom is a huge mistake.  It not only fits Bruce's personality to a tee, it is instantly memorable.  I'd argue that he'd be even more popular today had he been known to everyone as "Dr. Z" over "The Boss".  Now, indeed, being called "Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom" may undercut the emotions of songs like "Devils & Dust" or "Lost in the Flood", but it is a small price to pay for having one of the greatest names in rock and roll history.  

Sadly, we are where we are with the E Street Band.  But, the good news is that the title of Dr. Zoom is still vacant in the world.  I would highly encourage any young musician to keep this name in mind, and anyone with the last name "Zoom" to enroll in medical school.

Mother's Day

As you can tell, we're a bunch of Mommas' Boys here at Legends of Springsteen.  Just this past week, we've seen Bruce dancing with his mom and have written an ode to Bruce's ode about moms.  It should be noted that our mothers have all had a significant part in creating this blog (and I'm not just talking about the biochemistry involved in creating life).

In Steve's personal history, an impromptu stocking-stuffer from Mrs. Snart drove him to Bruce fandom.  OB's mom helped him out - not only was she a big Bruce fan, but also kept a plethora of show tune CDs around to make sure he only listened to the Boss.  And my mom's rave reviews of the E Street Reunion Tour were my inspiration to seek out more Springsteen music.

So, while Bruce frequently writes from the point of view of a male rebellious youth (with some exceptions), his crossover appeal to women has helped his music find new audiences for future generations.  Even if your mom isn't a Bruce fan, I'm sure that you'll be able to find something that she's passed from her generation to yours.  With that in mind, make sure to thank your mom this Sunday; you may have stuck only listening to 90s grunge, Ozzy Osbourne, or Hootie and the Blowfish.

My Brief History of Bruce (Steve)

In this series of posts, we will give you some background on how your three lovely bloggers became Springsteen fans. Second up, Steve:

My Bruce Springsteen indoctrination was a three-stage process dating back to 1995 when I received Bruce’s Greatest Hits album as a Christmas stocking stuffer (purchased by my Mother at the checkout aisle at Pathmark). I had an instant affection for Born in the USA but as an eleven-year-old brainwashed by grunge and heavy metal on the radio, I found Bruce’s music too soft to fully get me behind the entire album.

My interest remained limited until 2002 when The Rising was top of the charts and a live performance music video of The Rising gave me a sample of Bruce’s enthralling entertainer skills. But it was Lonesome Day’s music video, with its elegiac imagery and hopeful lyrics mixed with melancholy that compelled to receive my second Bruce album, once again in the form of a Christmas present.

The final stage of complete immersion came in 2004 during my sophomore year at college. I finally had access to a high-speed Internet connection, considerable CPU storage space and an unregulated network to do all the illegal music downloading I wanted. With such freedoms I was able to explore Bruce’s entire body of work, devouring everything from Tunnel of Love to an alternate version of the then unreleased Spanish Eyes to a live version of Downbound Train from 1985.

I’ve spent the past seven years obsessing over his music and feel like I still discover another amazing song every week. But through it all, The Rising is – and always will be – the album that defines my relationship.

Steve's Stats

Favorite song: Rosalita

Favorite album: The Rising

Number of Concerts attended:4

Least favorite song: Part Man, Part Monkey

My Brief History of Bruce (Rory)

In this series of posts, we will give you some background on how your three lovely bloggers became Springsteen fans. First up, Rory:

In what would seem stunning to most people, I didn't give a crap about music from the age of 12 through 16. While these are usually formative years for most people's music tastes, I was more obsessed with comic books and basketball. I had a brief affair with Hootie and the Blowfish in 1995, but that taught me the harsh lesson that "cool" comes and goes in the blink of an eye. In addition, it was too expensive to keep up with all the latest crazes. CDs and CD players were outrageously expensive, especially considering the vastly superior music formats and players we currently have at mostly lower prices.

Then, in 1999, Bruce reunited back with the E Street Band, and he was all over the news. My mom went to his concert in Madison Square Garden in the summer of 2000, and would constantly rave about him. I had been working part time at a comic book store, which had the radio station blaring Q104.3, New York's classic rock station. So, I did enjoy the genre, and was vaguely familiar with some of Springsteen's work. When my mom brought home Springsteen's Live in New York album in 2001, I decided "I will now become a Springsteen fan." Bruce didn't disappoint, as that album, in addition with The Rising, was the perfect way to win over a new fan like myself.

With this, I finally began to develop what one woud call "musical taste". After exploring Bruce's work, I became a fan of many other classic rock musicians (Beatles, Bowie, Queen, etc.). I sought out the bands that both influenced, and drew inspiration from, these musicians. Springsteen's work reintroduced me to music as a whole, and without him, I wouldn't be the loveable karoake crooner I become after several drinks.

Rory's Stats
Favorite Song: Atlantic City
Favorite Album: Darkness On The Edge of Town
Number of Bruce Concerts Attended: 7
Least Favorite Song: A Night With The Jersey Devil