Every so often (and for my taste, not nearly often enough) Bruce Springsteen puts out a new release, reissue, or box set. If you put your ear to the conch shell of the Internet, the sound can be deafening. To shut out some of the noise, three Springsteen obsessives quietly convene to toss around thoughts on our initial and slightly more considered reactions to the music. Folks, welcome to the BC Springsteen Roundtable.
I am as usual joined by fellow BlogCritics Lisa McKay and Josh Hathaway.
When the news first trickled out about Bruce putting together what became The Seeger Sessions, responses ranged from enthusiastic optimism to ambivalence to downright disgust. It was very interesting to me that so many people seemed to think they had intimate knowledge of Springsteen's motivations. Thus, the record was labeled a "vanity project, a mistake, a "sore thumb" in his catalog.
It's very strange, this sort of musical conservatism. It reminds me of the sour comments dripping from the mouths of people leaving those first electrified Bob Dylan shows.
Well, I had faith in Bruce and was not disappointed with the results. Though I yakked about the music in various forums, my favorite quote about The Seeger Sessions came from Blogcritics own Mat Brewster: "It is both holy and profane. It has the hushed tones of the haughtiest church, and the wild secularism of the Saturday night brothel." Yessir, that's exactly right.
But then there was the show. I could not have imagined either the intensity or the sense of togetherness. It was an amazing experience... honestly, one that I'll never forget.
The material on this live from Dublin album is a great summation of what this whole thing is about. And what is it about, exactly? I saw it (and felt it too!) as an expansion of the material's universal themes of hope and strength against adversity via a celebration of many forms of American music — forms whose originals are universal as well, coming from all around the globe. Yes, we do have folk... and blues, country, jazz, Cajun, swing, Celtic, and gospel.
There are some powerful moments here. The beautiful and respectful "When The Saints Go Marching In," with its shared lead vocals, segues into the raucous "This Little Light Of Mine," and then back to Bruce's own "American Land." The show ends with an emotional and fitting "We Shall Overcome."
Ah, and then there are the "Seegerized" Springsteen tunes. Some are given a fairly light touch, as with "Highway Patrolman," which has some gorgeous harmonies added to later choruses. On other songs, Bruce chose the complete transformation approach. So we have "If I Should Fall Behind" done in waltz time, "Open All Night" as swing (complete with Andrews Sisters-type introduction), and "Growin' Up" beginning as early Dylan before morphing into a two-step. Perhaps the biggest transformation of all comes by way of "Blinded By The Light," which is given a huge twist similar to the "Polka/Mariachi/Ska" version of "Ramrod" they delivered at "my" show last year. I suspect that these tunes may be hated by the Seeger holdouts. They're certainly entitled to their opinions. To me, the songs perfectly illustrate Bruce's reach, creativity, and erudite musical interests.
Article comments
1 - Dave Lifton
A great read, everybody. Thanks for that!
2 - Josh Hathaway
Lisa McKay... The Voice of Reason.
3 - Lisa McKay
That's probably the first time anyone's ever called me that, Josh. I'm marking the date on my calendar.
4 - Mark Saleski
probably just a random event....though lisa was probably still blissed out on vacation aura.
5 - Lisa McKay
Vacation is my drug of choice!
6 - Glen Boyd
Good read guys (and you too, Lisa). So, when can I play?
-Glen
7 - Lisa McKay
Don't be shy, Glen -- if you have something to add, that's what the comments section is for!
8 - Laser
Great read. Mark, I am trying to break thru security to reach you. What about? August 12, 1978
9 - Mat Brewster
Good stuff folks, and thanks for the nod Mark.
I think I must pick this up, and that soon. Now to just convince the wife.
10 - daryl d
I hate to be rain in on your latest Sprinsteen party, but I have bad news. The album is flopping. It debuted at number 23 and flippityflopped to number 47 this week. That's pretty shocking. Surprised no media outlets are mentioning this, but this is a serious flop.
11 - Lisa McKay
Daryl, you say that as if the record sales (or lack thereof) should somehow have an effect on our enjoyment of the music. Do you only like music that sells well, or do you actually have likes and dislikes that are independent of popularity?
12 - Glen Boyd
Considering the stuff that does "sell" these days, I'd consider Bruce's first week tally of 30,000 some odd units a badge of honor. Bruce follows his conscience and his artistic muse, rather than going whichever way the commercial wind happens to blow this week. Which is why you will never see him make a gangsta rap or an emo album.
So let Daryl blather on about Alannis Morisette, his republican cop friend who has an axe to grind about the song "American Skin," or whoever/whatever. That is, when he isn't bringing his personal gripes about his friends who got canned from Rolling Stone to the table.
We write about music here (amomg other things), and I think we do a rather good job of it. Certain exceptions to the rule notwithstanding of course.
-Glen
13 - El Bicho
How many copies did the music company need to sell to make back their money? All they look at is the bottom line, so unless someone can offer up projected sales numbers claims of flopping are just hot air.
14 - Tom Johnson
Seeing as it's a live release, there are much lower costs associated with this than a studio album. I'm 100% certain that the label was well aware that sales would be dramatically lower for this release than many others. Live albums/DVDs traditionally sell far fewer copies than regular studio albums - they are aimed at hardcore fans, who number much lower than those who buy the big hit studio albums. I would say that Daryl can go back to fretting about something else - this release will not do any harm to Springsteen's viability as a marketable artist. Oh, wait, Daryl was HOPING it was harm his marketability . . . well, he's going to have to keep up his vigil against Springsteen, I guess. Fight the good fight, Daryl! I'm sure you're making a huge impact!
15 - HB Beverly
Also, a point to remember here is that Bruce is the type of artist who if he doesn't make a big sales splash at the start, continues to sell steadily throughout the years. They said the same thing about "Nebraska" when it came out, and everyone initially despised it, but it has since gone on to be platinum in sales, and is regarded as one of his most highly regarded works. Everyone keeps forgetting that Mr. Springsteen isn't your typical Pop/Rock artist. He's one of a handfull of writers that we continually reach back, and look to as a nation for hope, inspiration, and to gain a clearer picture of where we are, and where we've been as that nation.
16 - GK
I'm really not sure what the sales of an album have to do with its value as music; a number of platinum selling albums have been trifles, while some that barely made a blip on the radar are now considered classics. This is a fine live recording and a welcome addition to the Springsteen catalog. My biggest complaint is the album feels a little too polished, and the band doesn't seem to be taking significant risks. Sure, there is the retelling of selections from past albums, but even these, for all their innovation, are a little too calculated. "Atlantic City" is better as the stripped down desperation of a small-time hustler. "Blinded by the Light" is just bad.
I think the bottom line for folks who complain about recent work has more to do with sour grapes over their perception that Springsteen has somehow abandoned values he extolled in "Born in the USA." But that album, like all Springsteen's work, is a celebration of the working class, not an exultation of the Reagan years. In fact, a careful listening reveals his disenchantment with the time. The only difference between Springsteen in the USA and Springsteen in Dublin is an acoustic guitar replacing his electric. The values are identical.
I'm just glad he is still adventurous in his fifties. He could be singing duets with Britney Spears and Bono to establish his continued relevance in the industry; thank goodness he isn't.
17 - epppie
I love Live In Dublin. I agree with the comments that some of the reworkings of Bruce's own songs don't work, especially Atlantic City (and unlike some of the reviewers above, I don't care for Highway Patrolman). On the other hand, I think some of the reworkings work absolutely brilliantly. That's the chance you take when you rework songs and I'm glad Bruce does it. I would observe that when Bruce's reworkings don't succeed, it's usually because he undersings. Sometimes Bruce holds back on the emotion of songs too much, the reason being, I think, that some of the songs feature characters that are obviously not very self-expressive. That's always a dilemma in art. How do you express the unexpressive character?
I don't see how folks have could ever have seen the Seeger Sessions as a weird turn for Bruce - he has long identified with folk music and only more so as time has gone by. It's an inspired move, so in that sense it's a leap - maybe folks mistake a leap of inspiration for a sideways jag.
One of the reworkings I particularly like is Open All Night. Even though that song originally had dirgelike elements, it grew out of the strain of rockabilly influenced songs Bruce created in the late seventies and the early eighties, and rockabilly is right next door to swing. I think the reworking of Open All Night is the centerpiece of Live in Dublin. It doesn't just work, it works magnificently.