Bruce Springsteen's latest ode to the "common man"

Amazon.com ^ | 4/7/2006 | Bruce Springsteen

[bagadonutz]

'We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions' features Bruce's personal interpretations of thirteen traditional songs, all of them associated with the legendary guiding light of American folk music, Pete Seeger, for whom the album is named. Speaking of the origins of the new music, Springsteen said, "So much of my writing, particularly when I write acoustically, comes straight out of the folk tradition. Making this album was creatively liberating because I have a love of all those different roots sounds... they can conjure up a world with just a few notes and a few words." Springsteen recorded the album with a large ensemble.

[bagadonutz]

This one decides it for me. It's not Bruce Springsteen who is great, it's the E Street Band. Everytime he does one of these solo projects it makes me want to hurl. Check out the new Amazon page and the Customer forums for some good discussions on Pete Seeger and how the old-guard commies get a free pass.

[theDentist]

Well, there's $15 or $20 I can save easily. Springsteen is overrated.

[bill1952]

Who? didn't he used to be somebody?

[Gay State Conservative]

And after a hard day's championing of "the common man",Springsteen goes home to his $30 million mansion.

[joebuck]

"This one decides it for me. It's not Bruce Springsteen who is great, it's the E Street Band."

As much as I want to agree with you, "Nebraska" tends to refute your point. It was Bruce's first solo acoustical album and it was excellent. Somewhere around the "Born in the USA" timeframe Springsteen copped this holier than thou, self rightous attitude and has gone downhill ever since. His last, Devils and Dirt, was so bad I couldn't believe this was the same guy who did "Darkness on the Edge of Town" or "The River".

[Vaquero]

yeah Springsteen with all his millions can aford to be a communist.....at least till the state takes it all away from him....

....d*uchebag

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

If you think someone is common, tell them that to their face.
Make sure you are much younger and larger so you won't get your a$$ kicked.

[Jack of all Trades]

The Boss that I knew as a teenager was kidnapped my socialist, bleeding heart aliens and replaced by one of their own. This happened in the mid-eighties somewhere around Nebraska.

[joebuck]

Actually I meant to say "Devils and Dust" not Devils and Dirt.

[BufordP]

[Palpatine]

I did like the early 90's song 'Human touch' (song, not album), but I agree he's been going downhill, much like U2 who adopted that 'holier than thou' attitude right around the same time Brucey did. And a bucketload of other artists as well, come to think og it. That alien theory of yours might not be so crazy.

[Tijeras_Slim]

DC Chapter, the REAL ROCKERS!

[wideawake]

You're right. Nebraska is probably his best record.

Of course, as far as I'm concerned, Greetings and The Wild have mostly just novelty value and everything after Born In The U.S.A. is either corny, annoying or both.

Born To Run, Darkness On The Edge Of Town, Nebraska, The River and Born In The U.S.A. (with reservations) are the only records by Springsteen worth owning in their entirety.

The other 10 or so just aren't good records - some rise to the level of mediocre.

[ProudNorseman]

You're absolutely right. "Nebraska," "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "The River" -- and also his breakthrough album, "Born to Run" -- are the real deal. The rest are forgettable indeed.

[baltodog]

The River -- hands down -- one of the great rock albums of all time.

[caver]

Springsteen doing Pete Seeger sounds like a waste of plastic.

[ProudNorseman]

Woops, didn't see your comment. Agreed, "Born in the U.S.A." isn't all bad either, though it's well behind the other four.

[garyhope]

I saw Springsteen's first live concert in California. I thought he was just an ordinary bar band.

He's insufferably pretentious, portentous, affected, phony and contrived with all the faux humility and fake humbleness. He's this way because he's actually stupid. He is a lucky guy though to gain such an audience which becomes self-perputating with slavish, idolatrous fans.

Much of rock music is now just contrived posing and fake "Kodak Moments" as learned and parroted by the MTV video generation. Pre video, there were real concerts with real musical moments rather than just show bizzy stage shows.

Brucie, Wucie. The fake humility and "common man" pose makes me barf. It's indicative of the slide in standards and ability of the public to discern reality from the ersatz.

[Tribune7]

This shows the problem with copyright law. Springteen is going to get royalties for life from the stuff he did in the '70s and early '80s.

Now, if royalties were limited to 14 years, he actually try to put effort into making stuff people want to hear.

[Tribune7]

I got a job working construction
At the Johnstown Company
But lately there hasn't been much work
On account of the economy

Perfect summation of the Carter years.