Cover Spotlight - "Dancing in the Dark" by Hot Chip

As with Nathaniel Rateliff, here we have another one of my personal favorite musicians covering one of my all-time favorite musicians.  I'm not sure whether that means Springsteen is highly influential across multiple genres and generations, or that I don't have a very diverse musical taste.  Either way, enjoy a version of "Dancing in the Dark" that sounds even more 80s than the original 80s version (and stick around towards the end for a surprise song change).

Cover Spotlight - "Atlantic City" by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

COVER ROOM - Nathaniel Rateliff and The Nightsweats - Atlantic City from Chris Tartaro on Vimeo.

While "Atlantic City" isn't Springsteen's most famous song, it remains extremely popular among fans and other fellow musicians.  Its stark, romantic imagery has led to several covers, including this quite recent version by Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats.  Rateliff's version does owe a lot to The Band's interpretation, but it is still a terrific performance.

Cover Spotlight - "I'm On Fire" by the Staves

Tip of the hat to my wife for this one.  She has been raving about the Staves for some time now, and honestly, I wasn't paying much attention.  Then she said, "They do a cover of 'I'm On Fire'," and I was all ears!  Gotta say, it's pretty good!  Give it a listen, and get in touch with your feminine side.

Bruce covers Sting's "I Hung My Head"

Here's Bruce doing a cover of Sting's "I Hung My Head" at the Kennedy Center honors.  I'm not too familiar with the original song (this isn't Legends of Sting), but man, Bruce really knocks this out of the park, making it feel like an old Bruce classic.

Springsteen Covers Crystals' "Then He Kissed Me" and Berry's "Little Queenie"

This past weekend, Springsteen released a concert he performed in St. Louis in 2008 on his website.  This concert from the Magic tour includes covers of the Crystals' "Then He Kissed Me" and Chuck Berry's "Little Queenie".  You can download the concert on his website, but here's "Then He Kissed Me" and "Little Queenie" for you now!

Video Spotlight - "You Never Can Tell", Germany 7/7/2013

For your weekend enjoyment: this cover of "You Never Can Tell", a Chuck Berry song that most from my generation will know from Pulp Fiction.  While Bruce's cover itself is fun and rocking (kind of like his version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"), I absolutely love the first three minutes of the video.  Here, we see Bruce the bandleader - teaching not only his horn section how to play the song, but the entire crowd.

Awkward Cover Spotlight - Mary J. Blige's "American Skin (41 Shots)"

I must say, I am late to the party of this, having seen this already skewered on several late night talk shows.  But, for the uninitiated, here we go:

In an interview about three weeks ago, political powerhouse Mary J. Blige sat down with democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.  I didn't watch the whole thirty minute interview, but I"m sure it was a spirited discussion spanning numerous topics like emerging overseas markets, alternative energy solutions, and the ongoing Boko Haram conflict.  In the midst of all that, the conversation shockingly turned to police brutality, giving Mary J. a chance to serenade Secretary Clinton with an intimate performance of Bruce's "American Skin (41 Shots)".

The uncomfortability levels are off the charts and even moreso in the unedited, full version (the whole interview is here, and the singing starts at minute 18).  I'm so happy this moment exists - that Clinton actually sat down with Blige, that Blige is a Bruce fan, that Blige decided it'd be great to sing to Clinton during an interview, that Clinton had no idea how to process it.  While Bruce has been unusually quiet during this campaign (I'd assume he's a slightly wounded BernieBro, but that's just pure speculation), it's nice that he was able to somewhat contribute yet another WTF moment in this batshit crazy election.

Arcade Fire - "Born In The USA", WayHome Festival

Springsteen enthusiasts Arcade Fire played yet another tribute to their idol last July at the WayHome Festival in Ontario.  True to their hipster nature, the Canadian band sang a few lines of "Born In The USA", at a Canadian music festival.  Unfortunately, it is tough to tell whether the video is of poor quality, or if the performance itself wasn't very good (I'm leaning towards the former).  This, however, leads me to a rant that I'm sure many fans of going to concerts can relate to.

Whenever you see a live band, the pit will be littered with people holding up their cell phones to record the show.  While some musicians will try to ban them, it's a battle that is long over; love them or hate them, the smartphones are there to stay.  I have two conflicting thoughts on this issue.  My heart says that people should put down their phones, live in the moment, and enjoy the amazing performance that they paid good money for.  However, my brain says: who I am to tell people how to enjoy the show?  And, haven't I posted hundreds of articles using recordings that people made at concerts?  Touché, Rorybrain.

However, let's be realistic - there's a happy medium.  For the dozens of cameras at every concert, there's only maybe 1-2 good quality videos from any show that I can find online.  The success rate of recording is poor.  So, I'd ask all amateur concert historians to take an honest look at their abilities.  Are they producing quality concert footage?  Is it worth the distraction?  Can they improve the moments they capture?  If smartphones plan to be a permanent feature at concerts, the least we can do is improve their output.

Springsteen Covers "Purple Rain"

As I said in yesterday's post, I would not be surprised to see Bruce honor Prince by playing one of his songs.  I speculated as what it could be - perhaps something of a rocker like "Let's Go Crazy", or maybe follow Warren Zevon's path with "Raspberry Beret".  However, he opened last night's show with an outstanding version of "Purple Rain".  Nils Lofgren also shines, making this a perfect tribute to the late Prince.

Update: Springsteen has made this available as a free download on his website.

Cover Spotlight - "Human Touch" by Joe Cocker

File this under "Covers I Had No Idea Existed".  This cut comes from Cocker's 1996 mostly-cover album Organic, which also features covers of Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, and Stevie Wonder.  While it gives Springsteen's original a more country flare, it still has a 90s-style sound (which also hampers the original, too).  The music sounds a little too clean and polished for my taste, as I'm more used to a grittier sound, like in Cocker's famous "With A Little Help From My Friends".

However, it is an interesting, unusual, and unexpected cover - if you told me Joe Cocker covered a Springsteen song, this would not have been on my shortlist of guesses.  And, personally, this was a new discovery for me, and, even if you've known about this cover for a while, I'm sure you can relate to the feeling of being a fan of something for so long, thinking you've seen it all, and then finding something new.  Hopefully, someone else reading this today will get that same feeling.

Cover Spotlight - "Used Cars" by Strand of Oaks

This weekend, I will be lucky enough to attend the Governor's Ball in New York City.  I will only be attending Sunday, as it has the one artist I need to see live once before I die: the legendary Weird Al Yankovic.  However, Sunday offers many other great artists, such as The War On Drugs, Noel Gallagher, and headliner the Black Keys.  However, if you show up early (which I hope to do), you can catch Strand Of Oaks, a singer-songwriter who I saw open for The Tallest Man On Earth a few years ago.  While his music is generally mellow (as you can see in his performance of "Used Cars" above), it will be interesting to see how he performs in front of a large festival crowd.  Personally, I think the man has some solid rock chops, as seen in his single "Goshen 97".  So, that's my humble tip for those going to Governor Ball early Sunday, although you can't go wrong with seeing most of the artists there.

Cover Spotlight: "Born In The U.S.A." by Dirk Nowitzki

Tomorrow is the start of the NBA Playoffs.  While many bemoan the playoffs for legitimate reasons, such as it having too many teams or being too long, I will always love the opening weekend.  This Saturday and Sunday, we will be inundated with basketball from noon to midnight.  There will be overtimes, blow-outs, controversial calls, and piles upon piles of overreactions based on a one-game sample size.  To me, it's always one of the best weekends of the spring.

So, to get us all in the mood, please watch the above video of the great Dirk Nowitzki singing the great Bruce Springsteen.  He sounds like an extra from "Sing-Along With The Drunken Asses", and throws in an attempt at the "Dancing In The Dark" dance.  It might not be the best 51 seconds of your life, but it's up there.

Links: Springsteen Songs Covered By Women

With March being Women's History Month, it is fitting that today we spotlight Springsteen songs that have been covered by women.  Compiled by Jay Lustig on NJArts.net, there are two parts: click here for part one, and click here for part two.  These links contain over 30 Springsteen songs covered by women in nearly every cover style imaginable.  You've got country Springsteen, disco Springsteen, gospel Springsteen, 80s synth Springsteen, folk Springsteen, covers-that-sound-like-the-original-Springsteen-version-that-you-almost-wonder-why-they-bothered-covering-it Springsteen, and, of course, tons and tons of acoustic Springsteen.  It's hard to pick a favorite, but if you don't have time to listen to all 30, I'll spotlight the Sleater-Kinney version of "The Promised Land", which I've been digging:

But hey, take your time going through the list.  Remember, this is a month-long celebration!

Video Spotlight: "The River" - Passenger

Passenger had his big break last year when his song "Let Her Go" was used in the insanely popular Budweiser commercial "Best Buds".  I've listened to that album a few times and he's quite a talented singer and songwriter.  So it's no shock at all to figure out that he's a Bruce fan and covered one of his greatest songs.  I haven't heard much from him since that commercial, although admittedly I know so little about current pop music, he could be the most popular musician out there and I would have no idea.

"The River" is one of my top five favorite Springsteen songs of all time.  For awhile it was my favorite, and every now and then I still consider it my favorite, depending on my mood.  It's a perfect song for an acoustic guitar, that really sets the tone for it's somber lyrics.  One quick search of YouTube confirms that by the sheer number of videos on there.  Although Passenger's version is clearly the best cover I have heard of "The River".  Enjoy!

Video Spotlight - "Monster Mash"

Happy Halloween!  I'll keep this post quick, so that our young fans can go back to eating candy, our older fans can go back to drinking, and our writer, OB, can go back to doing both.  Here we have Bruce and company playing live in Rochester on Halloween night two years ago.  It takes a bit of time to get the band into it, but we are treated to a version of the "Monster Mash" that sounds like it could be played on a cruise ship.  Stick around for Springsteen's Lugosi-voice, perhaps the most surprising Lugosi-voice since Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  If that doesn't scare you tonight, who knows what will.

Cover Spotlight - "Take 'Em As They Come" by Jimmy Eat World

Earlier this month, I saw the Gaslight Anthem play their largest show in New Jersey at the PNC Art Center (you can see my excitement in the comments section of this post).  While the Gaslight Anthem delivered a fantastic performance to a packed crowd, I was very impressed by their opening act, Jimmy Eat World.  While their star has faded over the last decade, they cranked out a tight set of solid rock songs - there wasn't a "slow or new song that let's people go to the bathroom" moment during the hour or so they played.

While the Gaslight Anthem's connections to Springsteen are very solidly drawn (lead singer Brian Fallon admitted to having a photo of Springsteen in his dressing room, leading to cheers of "Bruuuuuuce" from the crowd), you will have to dig deeper to find the link between Jimmy Eat World and the Boss.  And, here it is: a cover song (released only as an iTunes exclusive) of a song released only on a B-sides and rarities collection.  It's a fun and faithful rendition of "Take 'Em As They Come" that emphasizes the strongest parts of the song: the immediate opening, the frantic energy, and the catchy chorus.

Bruce covers Van Halen

Yep, it's another cover that I wouldn't have suspected in a million years.  This past weekend, as part of the NCAA Final Four celebration, Bruce played a full concert in Dallas, kicking it off by covering Van Halen's "Jump".  Now, I love Van Halen, but this is just getting crazy.  What does Van Halen have to do with Dallas or the NCAA tournament?  Yeah, I know basketball players "jump".  But come on, he's really stretching on this one, even more than Rory did with his Springsteen songs for every NBA Team.  And the jump ball was pretty cheesy.  It reminded me a lot of Bruce's Super Bowl Half Time performance in 2009.  The music is great but bringing out a referree is not needed at all.

However, Rory and I will be at the Virginia Beach show on Saturday, and I can't wait to see what he busts out for that show.  God willing it will be more 80's metal.

"The Dark End Of The Street"

I'm not usually one for soul music but a few years ago I heard this song covered by The Allman Brothers.  I was barely familiar with the Percy Sledge version, but I gained a whole new respect for the song that night.  It was definitely the highlight of the concert for me, and I've listened to several different versions of the song on YouTube since that night.  So you can imagine my delight, when I recently discovered that Bruce covered this song in Europe last year.

Bruce doesn't really do the song justice unfortunately, and I'd love to see him right that wrong on this tour by doing a proper cover.  He does a great monologue in his preacher voice and gets the crowd into the song, but some of the intangible soul of the song is missing in Bruce's version unfortunately.  And, as with all artists who I've heard covered it, romanticizes infidelity and cheating on your significant other in a justifiable way that only music seems to be able to do.

Quick Takes: High Hopes (OB)

So after listening to High Hopes for a full week I find myself fairly underwhelmed by the album, but still listening to it.  Like most people who have reviewed the album, I'm fairly split on my opinions of it.  What's good, ("Just Like Fire Would" and "Hunter of Invisible Game") is great.  Some of Bruce's best stuff since Magic.  But what's bad ("41 Shots" and "Harry's Place") is pretty abysmal.

Before I break it down, track by track, a little bit on the background of this album.  This has to be the least hyped Bruce album of recent memory.  I saw very little press coverage to promote this album.  Most of my friend's didn't even know Bruce released a new album until his fantastic appearance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.  Granted, they aren't Bruce fanatics like Rory, Steve and myself but they are casual fans nonetheless.  Hell, even I had to keep reminding myself in the weeks leading up to the release that Bruce had a new album coming out.  Fortunately, due to a fanatical fanbase and his great appearance on Fallon, it seems Bruce is about to score his 11th Number 1 album in the United States.  He's already Number 1 in the UK, and a number of other European countries.

And now, the tracks...

1.  "High Hopes"-  Not a fan of this at all.  I loved both lead singles from Working On A Dream and Wrecking Ball ("My Lucky Day" and "We Take Care Of Our Own", respectively).  In the end, I found the albums did not live up to the excitement I had for the album.  So now I've got a lackluster lead single, on an album that has minimal promotion...not the best start to an album.  Rating:1.5/5

2.  "Harry's Place"-  Complete and utter crap.  This might top "57 Channels" as my least favorite song ever released.  Like Steve said in his review, the song is a completely out of left field and very much in the style of Dire Straights.  So kudos to Bruce for experimenting, and trying something new.  Now, never do a song like this again.  The only plus of this song, is the posthumous work of Clarence Clemmons.  Rating: 0.5/5... and it's not even the worst song on the album...

3.  "41 Shots (American Skin)"-  This song has been written about numerous times on this blog so I won't get into the background of this song, and I'll just review it.  The song is one of Bruce's most controversial, but to me the live release from Live In New York City, is one of Bruce's most powerful performance.  Unfortunately all of that emotion is lost on this studio version.  I really liked when  "American Land" and "Land of Hope and Dreams" got studio treatment on Wrecking Ball and they were welcome additions to the Springsteen Library.  This version is not.  It's overproduced and loses all the emotion of the Live In New York City version.  It's the worst song on the album, and if it weren't for the iconic live album version, this would go down as Bruce's worst work, in my opinion.  Rating: 0/5

This is not a good start to the album...

4.  "Just Like Fire Would"-  Just when I was ready to call this Bruce's worst album ever, "Just Like Fire Would" saved it.  Not only saved it but completely revived it.  A cover of a song I've never heard, by a group I've never heard of, and it's one of Bruce's top 5 songs of recent memory.  This song will bring the house down, and in my opinion, get the "Waiting On A Sunny Day" and "Shackled And Drawn" treatment in the set list for the upcoming live shows to really get the crowd going and into the show.  Rating: 5/5.  This song alone, saved this album.

5.  "Down In The Hole"-  I don't hate this song, but I hate where it's placed on the album.  After getting all pumped up from "Just Like Fire Would", this really brings me down.  It's a good song, reminds me a lot of "World's Apart" from The Rising, but it just should be somewhere else on the album.  It's far from perfect though, and is another song that suffers from overproduction.  Rating: 2.5/5.

6.  "Heaven's Wall"- Rocky Ground 2.0.  That's the best description of this song that I can come up with.  It's got a very gospel, spiritual feeling to the song.  Also it's an average song, that was really improved upon when performed live on Fallon.  This song will be a staple of the set list on the upcoming live shows, and probably even get a primo spot in the encore.  Rating 3/5.

7.  "Frankie Fell In Love"-  If another artist wrote this song it would sound like a novelty song.  But this short, up tempo rocker, with some of the sweetest, most over the top (in a good way) lyrics is a fantastic song.  Bruce falls back on a trademark of giving a gender-confusing-name to the main character of the song, but then tries something new with including historical figures in a fictional manner in this song.  In this case it's Shakespeare and Einstein discussing the practicality of the beloved Frankie finding the man of her dreams.  Frankie Fell In Love, and so will you...with this song.  Rating 4/5.

8.  "This Is Your Sword"-  With a very Celtic-like sounding intro, I can't help but think Bruce's work with The Dropkick Murphy's rubbed off on him in this song.  Another solid song on this album, with a great sound and lyrics.  It's missing a slight something that I can't put my finger on.  That keeps it from being an elite song but it's still a very good song.  Rating 3.5/5.

9.  "Hunter Of Invisible Game"-  As much as I praised "Just Like Fire Would", with each listen of this track I start to rethink that maybe this is the best song on the album.  I don't know, but both are great and completely different.  I cannot wait to be singing along with Bruce on this somber, acoustic ballad in the (hopefully) upcoming US tour.  Also, this is some of the finest lyrics Bruce has ever written on a metaphoric level.  "Hunter of Invisible Game" should be a regular used term in the English vernacular.  Rating: 5/5.

GREAT run of songs...

10.  "The Ghost Of Tom Joad"-  Like "41 Shots", I'm just going to assume you know the history of this song.  In a nutshell, Bruce wrote it in 1996, released it, Rage Against The Machine covered it, and Bruce has been playing it with Tom Morello on a regular basis since.  The original acoustic is very good, Rage's cover stinks, but Bruce playing it with Tom Morello, takes the original and turns it up to 11 to create pure magic.  It's not like live versions of "Atlantic City" or "Youngstown" where the song gets changed. "Ghost Of Tom Joad" is still the same song basically, but just so much more powerful with Morello, when performed live.  Unfortunately, it loses a lot of that power in the studio.  Not nearly as much as "41 Shots", but it's just not the same.  Rating: 2.5/5.

11.  "The Wall"-  This song is just really forgettable, in my opinion.  Sounds like a song left off of Devils and Dust which wasn't that great of an album to start with.  I am not going to lie, I end up skipping this song most times.  Not out of hatred like other songs, but just boredom.  Rating 1/5.

12. "Dream Baby Dream"-  This one hurts.  There was a time I said this was Bruce's best cover.  I've since changed my mind and given that title to "Long Black Veil".  But still "Dream Baby Dream" is a close second.  The live version, from the Devils and Dust Tour that is.  Unfortunately, like all the other studio version's of live songs on this album, it just doesn't stand up.  The live version has this beautiful desperation of Bruce sitting at the organ and repeating the same lyrics over and over again.  It reminds me a lot of the ending to the Johnny Cash biopic, Walk The Line, when he continually proposes to June Carter till she finally sees he's for real, and accepts.  And, criminally, that is just missing from this studio version.  It's not nearly as noticeable as the other two live songs getting studio treatment, but it's still lacking.  Rating: 3/5.

Overall:  I know I've used this joke before on the blog, but I can't remember when so I will use it again:  Sex is like pizza.  When it's good, it's great.  When it's bad...it's still pretty damn good!  And that's how I feel about Springsteen.  I will never complain about a new Springsteen album, especially because they are almost always followed by tours.  And like I said, what's good on this album is great!  The best thing about the digital age of media is the reduction of price in buying new albums.  10 years ago, when physical media was dominant and this CD would probably cost $20, I don't know if I could recommend it.  But in today's of iTunes and Amazon downloads, I can wholeheartedly recommend it for nearly half the price!

Guest Post - JD & The Straight Shot cover "Pink Cadillac"

This post was written by Keith Stone, writer and editor of the blog Rainman Suite, the home of my own Atlantic City Diaries.  A die-hard Knicks fan, he discovered James Dolan's cover of Bruce's "Pink Cadillac" a couple weeks ago, and was inspired to write a post.  Take it away, sir!



In 1983, Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen recorded “Pink Cadillac” while a young musician named JD decided to put his rock star dreams on hold and take a greater interest in his father’s cable company. Well, fate has an interesting way of working out and 30 years later JD is Jim Dolan, the billionaire CEO of Cablevision and Madison Square Garden.

The funny thing is, when you’re a billionaire, you can do whatever you want: race yachts professionally, trade your legendary Hall of Fame-bound center for Glen Rice, or create your own classic rock-infused blues band filled with employees of companies that you run and tour with the Allman Brothers.

In honor of the upcoming NBA season and considering that the New York Knickerbockers are the closest team playing to New Jersey, here is JD & the Straight Shot performing their rendition of “Pink Cadillac.” Unfortunately, JD is not wearing his trademark fedora, but you can still hear the heartbreak and passion in his grizzled Southern accent that one can only get by growing up in a mansion on Long Island.

While to the casual eye the luxurious Oyster Bay house he converted into a recording studio is a far cry from the Stone Pony, a keen observer can spot notable similarities between JD and Bruce. For one, they are both bosses who have spent considerable time ordering around big men and tambourine-playing women. Secondly, they both gesticulate wildly while performing. However, while Bruce moves around the stage with the excitement of a child who just received a Nintendo for Christmas, Mr. Dolan is more like a diabetes patient who forgot to take his insulin.

Who knows how many takes it took to produce such a spontaneous looking music video? When the Cablevision helicopter is at your disposal, you can jam long into the night. Between JD reading the lyrics from a sheet of paper just off camera to the rest of the band awkwardly looking like they’re in the worst episode of The Office ever, it’s a disgrace this wasn't nominated for a VMA. Just make sure to look like you’re having fun when the red light is on, young guy in the Straight Shot. Otherwise, your check may not clear.

[Important note for law enforcement: I checked for shackles on the one guy in the glasses but it’s possible they were edited out in postproduction. He did not look like he was there by will. Just to be sure, is it possible to file a missing persons report?]

The important takeaway from the JD&TSS cover of “Pink Cadillac” is that dreams do come true (if your dad co-founded HBO). It doesn't matter if JD doesn't realize that Bruce wasn't actually referring to a car. Look at that huge smile on his face. With that said, musically it’s not bad. And therein lies every Knicks fan’s hope: that somehow JD can accidentally put together a winning team like the Straight Shot. Enjoy the video and enjoy the 2013-2014 NBA season.