A soul covers album for Christmas is the last refuge of a scoundrel.
Bruce, Bruce, Bruce, What Are You Doing?
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Musings on the byways of popular culture
Musings on the byways of popular culture
by 102 Comments
A soul covers album for Christmas is the last refuge of a scoundrel.
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This is the sort of thing I would expect from Cliff Richard. It’s not been a good few months to be a Springsteen fan.
How very dare he enjoy himself. Kid, I blame the person who is forcing you to listen to it/buy it. He must be a right knobhead.
He’s perfectly entitled to enjoy himself, just as I am allowed to be disappointed that an artist who has a history of some superb covers in this genre has decided it’s acceptable to release something that sounds like an outtake from a Robson & Jerome session.
When news of this album was leaked last week, my hope was that he would have picked up his friendship with The Roots, who know this stuff backwards. Look at what you could have won…
It’s always annoying when an artist you love releases music you don’t. I get it. It’s the reason that when someone asks me “Do you love the Beatles?” I can answer “Indeed I do love the Beatles”, but when someone asks me “Do you love Bob Dylan?” I have to sit them down for five minutes to explain “Good Dylan” vs “Bad Dylan”.
Basically, it’s just a lot simpler for everyone if artists just release good music all the time and don’t do any dodgy side projects. Okay? Okay.
“I have to sit them down for five minutes to explain “Good Dylan” vs “Bad Dylan”.”
No you don’t. The same people say their favourite band is Queen and yet have never owned our listened to any records by them other than Greatest Hits. Let them explain that.
Did they release another album?
Ah, yes. Greatest hits Volume 2.
Believe it or not, there is a Volume 3 as well apparently.
I was going to add a comment here to try and explain what I think about Queen, and “Good Queen” and “Bad Queen”, but I just don’t want to open that can of worms.
An idea for another thread just struck me: bands/acts who survived and thrived in the 80s. Bruce and Queen are probably two good examples, the Kinks and the Moon Sausage band probably not. The jury is out on Floyd, Genesis and Yes.
Oh, go on Arthur – open that can, let the worms dance…
“The jury is out on Floyd, Genesis and Yes.” – I don’t think that the jury is out on any of these acts selling squidillions of records and concert tickets in the 80s. Surivived and thrived? I rather think they did.
Yebbut, did they get any hampers?
But will it be any good is the more important matter. The first single sounded ok.
He sounds great. Could be a nice fun album.
Frank Wilson’s original is a breath of fresh air, and has any civilians in ear shot running onto the dance floor.
Brooce’s version, well… oh dear. Not for me. I won’t be adding it to my DJ box.
Do you like him otherwise? Can’t see what is so terrible about it even if the original is better (it nearly always is)
I have a handful of Brooce albums, half a dozen maybe, but I wouldn’t describe myself as a fan.
That, though… well, perhaps it sounds better live. Although I’m not going to risk finding out.
Not sure he will be playing it live on the tour next year as it isn’t an E St Band album
Given the price of tickets, I wouldn’t go even if I wanted to.
Agreed. What do you mean ‘oh dear’ as if its so woeful that the poor old man can’t even tell.
MUST….DEFEND…BRUCE…AT…ALL….COSTS….HE… WILL….DIE….OTHERWISE
Is that passive aggressive comment aimed at me? I am not too excited about a covers album, but found that song enjoyable. It isn’t Jungleland or Atlantic City, but he’s 73 years old and seemingly having fun, so I have some hope for the album and may even buy it (and his last 2 albums before this were great)
It’s not a passive aggressive comment, it’s a joke. We have them a lot on here. They’re not very good, but we have them.
Yes you make a lot of jokes, I do sometimes also
Do you have a comment about the song?
The song is very good, the performance is OK. I like Bruce so I’m well-disposed towards it.
There – doing what I’m told like a good boy. Any further orders?
No orders,.glad you felt able to make a comment that is more than a “joke”
Thank you for that restorative clip around the ear Constable, I’m sure the community is grateful.
There’s a song title gag here somewhere….
Sad Dais?
Waiting On A Sunny Dai?
The Dais That Bind?
Independence Dai?
If Dai Should Fall Behind?
I dunno, I’m a concept guy, someone else can figure out the daitails.
Lonesome Dai.
Brilliant Daisguise.
Better Dais.
Thank you! I was about to reach for Thundair Road…
All things are good here most of the time, but following me around to make snide remarks after many of my comments gets old fast. Maybe take a day off occasionally.
I agree, this strikes me as mean spirited mockery of a valued contributor
Thanks JW
I for one welcome the return of the mean spirited post. It’s been too long.
More orders.
I could have sworn that when the Queen died, it was Charles who was made King.
Either you started drinking early today (most days?) or you have some form of tourettes meaning you need to comment on absolutely everything, whether it brings any value or not.
No orders just suggestions. Maybe go for a walk or something.
Sir yes sir!
After that maybe I’ll try telling you how and when you should post. You’d enjoy that just as much as I do, I’m sure.
Jings, Dai, gettin a bit boss, aintcha?
I’ll have an Egg McMuffin if you’re going to the counter.
Like I’m falling for that. You made that up. You’ll be sending me for a bubble for the spirit level next.
Anyone, like me, waiting for Joons to fess up whether he was being ironic? Or not, in which case I’ll shut myself up.
Ah, Dai. Once again taking offence at some innocent, if not amusing, pub banter. Peace, love and chill
What would be the best and most incongruous covers album The Boss could possibly put out?
A collection of Divine Comedy cover versions?
Some karaoke Eminem performances?
Bruce Sings Billie Holiday?
Glory Box: Springsteen x Portishead
Springsteen’s Christmas Insane Clown Posse Collection?
I would like to hear him do some Watersons, using the magic of multitasking to allow him do all four part harmonies. That would be triffic.
The Boss’s tribute to Mark E Smith is way overdue.
“Ted Rodgers’ braaaaaaaiiinnnns burrrrrrrn in hellllllll!”
Step Inside Love – Bruce does Cilla.
Dusty Springsteen, Shirley?
Buffalo Springsteen
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young … and Bruce
Never Mind The Springsteens
Mrs. Mills plays Led Zeppelin.
Springsteen Plays Slipknot. All the mash-ups you love:
My Hometown Plague
Spit It Out, Rosalita
Before I Forget Philadelphia
Pulsing in the Streets with Maggots
Wait and Bleed on Fire
Etc.
Genuine lol at Pulsing In The Streets With Maggots.
Bruce covering Libro V of the Gesualdo Madrigals might be quite fun.
Kraftwerk?
Gabriel/Hackett era Genesis?
For heaven’s sake, he should be railing against the war in Ukraine, climate change, Trump’s probable re-election….but here he is enjoying himself and trying to make people happy. Outrageous.
It’s the Rod Stewart years. I hope to see Bruce mending roads in NJ soon. Your heroes always let you down. It’s just entertainment, people.
I googled it as I wanted to see the complete songlist and I found this quote by the man…
“I’ve tried to do justice to them all—and to the fabulous writers of this glorious music. My goal is for the modern audience to experience its beauty and joy, just as I have since I first heard it. I hope you love listening to it as much as I loved making it.”
What an arsehole!
When he recorded Just Like Fire Would by The Saints I thought it’d be good if he released an album of obscure/semi obscure rock songs. I still hope he does that.
@Cookieboy Why does that statement make him an arsehole ?
It doesn’t
I was referring to people who seemed to be suggesting he shouldn’t be recording songs he loves.
Aah gotcha
It’s all a bit conveneniently Lennon though, is not? I don’t think the relatively naive latter actually intended to create this monstrous lucrative ‘working class/blue collar’ multi millionaire rock star hypocritical messianic (thoroughly ironic nod to Mick) schtick?
Covers albums by music veterans. Not exactly unusual. Reflective, retrospective, sentimental for the music of their youth they’re like most of us as we age. They just wanna have fun.
He seems to be unnecessarily targeted , and on the basis of one song.
Someone compiled a playlist of the originals.
I like Bruce and I like this. I’ll buy the album in lieu of a concert ticket.
Aw goddam. When I arrived in this b*tch we had a deal: in the manner of the Community tv show and its “six series and a movie” refrain, our pop chums were really delivering if they gave us five albums and a greatest hits. After that, if you’re a band, you break up and then everyone – not just Status Quo – can do whatever you want in your remaining years.
(Lest we forget – it was your precious Beatles band who invented this – one of their better ideas IMHO).
If someone had said to me in 1992 “you won’t like the album Suede are going to put out in 2022”, I’d have said “I’m not going to give two ***** about Suede in 2022!”
I do worry a little that ver future kids will look at the new Buzzcocks album with the same old band logo and have trouble distinguishing this period from their imperial phase, but, as future kids will be living in a place resembling that time Johnny Alpha went to hell in Strontium Dog, I expect they’ll have other things to distract them.
Also: daft Christmas projects are fundamentally encoded into pop’s DNA and are a darned sight more welcome than grim-faced “unplugged” sessions or double live dullness..
TBF, Bruce does love this stuff, it was inherent in the earlier recordings, and he can be enthusiastic about covers in his concerts, which is laudable. But Another thing embedded into pop and rock DNA is a famous artist making far more out of their product than the original artist. There’s some interesting looking originals in this playlist. I will be tracking them down. “Nightshift”, not so much. I’d rather hear “Brick House” ( or the Mest Loaf cover of that, “Brick Shit House”).
I don’t really have a dog in this fight. Springsteen just doesn’t click with me and that’s fine. I had a work colleague who was such a fan he had Springsteen put on the back of his QPR shirt. I just offer an observation here. This list of songs are singers songs. Bruce is a performer rather than singer I think I’m right I’m saying. His interpretations will be fascinating but I can’t help but think they’ll be awkward at best. A bit like Mike Yarwood at the end of his show “and this is me”. That sounds quite harsh now. Anyway he’s Bruce he can do what he likes. I think he should do an album of The Smiths covers by the way.
I am not going to comment until I have heard it but it shouldn’t really come as too much of a surprise as Bruce frequently adds a cover or two to his shows and the music on this cd is right up his street.
Besides on of my absolute fave Bruce songs is Trapped and he didn’t write that.
Love how people dismiss before they have heard the bloody thing.
To be fair to Dave, Bruce is more of a performer than a singer, 40-plus years of stretching the old neck sinews becomes habitual, so he’s hardly betting against form here.
Greetings From Loftus Road, West London.
So we both support shit football teams then?
Gerry Francis and Stan Bowles setting it up nicely for Bruce Springsteen to tap home from five yards out. He wheels away triumphantly to acknowledge the jubilant South Africa Road stand. Ahh, what a team those superhoops were, eh?
Thanks Dave, I’d successfully blocked out memories of Mike Yarwood singing and now you’ve brought them back!
It was surprising how fast we could move to change channel back in those pre remote control days.
Surprised some university hasn’t yet commissioned a research study correlating the rise of the remote control and the explosion in obesity
“explosion in obesity”…… it’s only waffer thin.
Jesus, Moose, it’s only 8.11 am and you’re already on the grog!
Dai will have a fit
The annoying thing is I haven’t had a drink in more than three weeks. I obviously don’t need chemical assistance to be an irritating bastard.
Either that or that night out three weeks ago saw you imbibe sufficient units to keep the local AA chapter going until we get a Labour government
Oddly enough been three weeks since my last sniff off the barmaid’s apron. Will be having a few tonight though
I hope your early morning high spirits aren’t down to you misreading the suggestion that you go for a walk.
Moose that is…
A loyal completist is something to be.
I am not a loyal completist at all -,I don’t have the Wild and the innocent and I thought Springsteen on Broadway was actually quite boring and Patti sang out of tune when I watched the tv show and didn’t buy the album as a result. Also don’t have Lucky Town and Human Touch.
I am disappointed it is not a new E Street band album but will give this a try.
I enjoyed both those songs way up above, preferring the first one. There’s been talk of a ‘Soul Covers’ album from Bruce for a while and now it’s confirmed. I’ll be buying it and I expect I’ll really enjoy it. Enjoyment, something to behold in these grey and ugly times.
Oh and Moose, keep ‘em coming mate! 🤣😎🍺😂💥🥸
Don’t mind if I do, cheeky chops.
There’s a very interesting thread at Hoffman about this, complete with shots of the cover, clips, and the usual contention. The thing that strikes me is the weirdly artificial look, not only of Bruce, who resembles an animatronic Dewey Crowe, hair veering wildly from Ray Reardon Brylcreem on the cover to Brillo doily in the video, but that fake (how I wish there was a French word I could use here) Soul Train video set, with not one convincing real person doing one real thing. The gameplay is – hey, let’s have a real good time! And only the miserabilist can be against that, right? Who can criticise a seventy year-old wanting to inject a little Old School Soul into the world? Not me! At least, I wouldn’t, if the music didn’t sound like karaoke and the video look like a Pepsi ad, with all the cinematic truthfulness of Kendal Jenner’s street protest.
Do you think Bruce uses a two-slot or a four-slot toaster?
Or one with a crumpet cage?
Interesting question. More interesting than the album, anyway.
It sounds very much like that jobby Steve van Zandt did with Darlene Love, and I expect my reaction to this will be similar: I’ll play the whole thing through, smile broadly, and say, “Well, that was a lot of fun, wodnit,” and then have no desire to listen to any of it ever again.
Bruce’s penchant for performing CPR on clapped-out old R&B songs goes way back – “Detroit Medley”, “Jolé Blon”, “Quarter to Three” – but things that work when you’re watching a guy leap on top of a grand piano at the tail end of a boisterous three-hour show don’t necessarily work when you fire up Spotify while you’re degunking the oven.
We’ll see.
Not sure if I want to listen to something that sounds like Steve Van Vandt doing a jobby with someone.
“Little Steven, Big Jobs”, that’s his motto.
That makes it worse. Growing up, in our house a number two was called a big job.
I *think* you’ve hit on the hidden subtext of this thread, Bryan.
You may be right, I certainly foolishly took Archie’s last comment at face value.
Crumpet cage? Is that not something from your
dungeon“wine cellar”?Apparently you can also use it for muffins…
I’m a fan and will get it at some stage, I suspect when the price comes down, but will stream it. I can’t say I’m exactly over excited – feels very much like a stop gap. His previous covers album was the Seeger Sessions, which also divided opinion if memory serves, but I loved it and often return to it. High Hopes had covers on it (and I know nobody else likes that except me!), but it was lesser known material – here there will be direct comparisons with the originals and probably won’t benefit from that – we’ll see.
I can understand artists covering songs that they love at a concert. Very enjoyable for them, obviously, and also for audience members who love the songs too.
Releasing recordings of them that don’t stand up against the original versions, OTOH, is a pretty pointless exercise, except in purely commercial terms, unless the buyer hasn’t previously been familiar with the material.
Even then there’s a danger that the songs can be percieved by unenquiring minds as being the cover artist’s own.
@Mike_H I have a slightly different opinion. Generally I am not in favour of covers albums regarding them often as a sign of writers block or fulfilling a contractual obligation. However there are some artists for example Cat Power who excel at covers often making them their own. And then there are artists who introduce great songs to a wider audience which benefits the original artist or his/her estate if they have passed.
A good example of this is A good year for the Roses which is much better than the original IMHO but also introduced countless fans to country music that may otherwise have ignored it.
The same can be said of UB40 with Red Red wine even though their version is tosh and even Blondie with The Tide is High or Soft Cell with Tainted Love.
I think Rumer’s “Nashville Tears” album falls into that category – superb songs, but I’d never heard of Hugh Prestwood before I heard this album.
The way Paul Young made Love Will Tear Us Apart all his own also leaps to mind
Not so taken with Cat Power’s recent album, tbh, but one superb album of covers this year is the one from Cowboy Junkies. Their version of Bob Dylan’s ‘Made Up My Mind to Give My Love to You’ is magnificent.
And I doubt I will hear a better cover version this year than the Whitmore Sisters’ cover of McCartney’s ‘On the Wings of a Nightingale’, which he wrote for the Everlys
We’ve two boys, one’s 3 and a half and the other 10 months.
Their mam (and indeed I) will go thru a ritual at Christmas where the lads give us Christmas presents.
Two things happened yesterday. I put on the video of this on the google play speaker and the older lad danced ’round the kitchen and the younger bopped along in his high chair, sending mushed up milk and Farley’s rusks all over, but he was enjoying it!
Wife turns to me and says ‘I got an email from Golden Discs and guess what the lads will buy you for Christmas’ and I beamed to myself.
There’ll be a lot of sweet soul covers blaring out round our house and I can’t wait.
I listened to the original and Bruce’s version a few times. Lead vocals not as good but those chorus vocals in the newie really have some oomph.
So everything’s swell except the lead vocals. Gotcha.
Well to my ears , its all about that big vocal chorus. Sets the song apart.
Wow! That has to be the first mention on the AW of Golden Discs, La Cucaracha* of Irish record shops..
(*by which I mean the indestructible one – if GD ever closes its doors, that’s the final sign the apocalypse is here..)
Pleasant enough version of Nightshift, not as good as the original and not adding anything new. Very nice suit though.