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| Tonight: |
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| (2006) |
Bryan: Here's a fun one, to date Springsteen's only full album of other people's material. I'll skip the usual attempt at humor in introducing Bryant, my partner-in-crime for this listen-through.
Bryant: Hello!
Bryan: This is kind of a tough one for me to evaluate, scores-wise. I decided to go based on enjoyment, not to suggest it's a comparable score for an original-penned tune. A 4 here is not necessarily a 4 elsewhere. Also, I wasn't sure how to assess a traditional sort of tune: by how they're arranged? Strength of original composition? Originality of interpretation? Or - opposite to that - respect for traditional interpretation, etc.? Ultimately, who cares - it's just a hell of a fun album.
Bryant: One of the most enjoyable albums in Bruce’s discography, for sure. Not necessarily one of my favorites, but shit, that’s a high bar to clear.
Bryan: Who sang it better, Bruce and the gang or The Wiggles? I'll go with Bruce, but the idea of Captain Feathersword handling one of these verses in Bruce's version is making me reach for the Ur-Kindle. 4.3/5 This is a crossover event that needs to happen.
Bryant: I frickin’ love this. Bruce’s vocals are a bit ragged in places, which is the only thing that prevents me from going higher than 4/5. I watched the Wiggles version, which gave me some chuckles. A spot of research informs me that this came about two years after the Springsteen version, so I assume they were taking his lead.
Bryan: Reminds me of every other CD at the coffee shop I worked at in Dayton, OH 97-98. (The other was either Rusted Root or Sarah MacLachlan.) As good a version of a tune honoring a son of a bitch as I've ever heard. 4/5 (Sometimes those make the best tunes.)
Bryant: 3.5/5 These first two songs are more than a bit like punk rock in some way I can’t identify.
Bryan: Fun tune. Again, how does Bruce get away with this stuff? I should be annoyed with his weird diction and doo-ri-yoo-ri-diddly-yahs, but I'm the exact opposite. Doo-diddly-ri it up, Bruce. 4/5
Bryant: I agree with you about the too-rye-diddly-aigh stuff; it ought to be horrifically annoying, but isn’t. I suppose maybe that’s because any number of Irish drinking songs contain that sort of thing. I mean, “Whiskey in the Jar” primed the pump in that regard, if nothing else. Whatever Bruce’s vocals lack in authenticity, the music makes up for. 3.25/5
Bryan: Another one that reminds me of Dayton '97. That zydeco/ roots/ swing thing was in full effect. Actually this came out the same year didn't it? This could have been the hit of the summer with that crowd for all I know. It fits in just fine. Fun tune, maybe a tad too long. Bruce has got to Bruce, though - no complaints. 3.5/5
Bryant: This probably IS a bit too long, but I don’t begrudge them the extra time. It seems designed to let the band stretch a bit, and this band is fucking GREAT, so bring it on. Apropos of nothing, I must take a moment now to confess that I know very few of these in their Seeger guises; he’s one of those guys that, as a big Bob Dylan fan, I probably should know more about (see also Woody Guthrie), but don’t. A project for some day down the line. 4.25/5 for this song.
"John Henry"
Bryan: Good vocal here by Bruce. The kids like the John Henry Disney short film. I wish they'd gone with this tune for it instead of the one they chose. 3.5/5
Bryant: I dig that Disney short reasonably well, but agree that it could only have been improved by having this song in it. 3.25/5 Good lyrics on this one; I should probably be paying closer attention to those.
Bryan: Like this one. Man, this is really taking me back to 1997 and the Squirrel Nut Zippers and stuff like that. I can't believe it wasn't in constant rotation at the coffee shop; it would fit in so perfectly with the other albums I remember from working there. 4.25/5
Bryant: One of the few songs I knew prior to this album. Hard to say enough positives about the arrangements and performances; these are fundamentally good songs, but Springsteen and friends have turned them into something celebratory and majestic. 3.5/5 for this song, which is looking like my default score on this album. Seems about right.
"Jacob's Ladder"
Bryan: Drunken Mardi Gras singalong in NOLA. 3.75/5
Bryant: This really does sound like Mardi Gras cavortings. That’s not a bad thing. 3.25/5
Bryan: That "It blowed away" bit has been stuck in my head all day. 4.25/5
Bryant: My only regret with this is that he didn’t convince Clarence to come in to be the one to holler “blowed away!” during the choruses. THAT is a missed opportunity. Otherwise, this rules. 4.25/5 You’ve got to like any song that rhymes “kissed ‘er” with “twister.”
Bryan: I like "Makes no difference where I'm walkin' / I can hear my chicken squawkin'" too.
"Eyes on the Prize"
Bryan: That violin/ accordion is pretty hoedown-sway-y. Bruce's vocals are a little overdone here, for my money. Not a bad tune or anything, though. Like the horns/ drums-kick-in. More NOLA street scene theater of the mind. 3.5/5
Bryant: 3.25/5 Where else have I heard that “streets up there are paved with gold” couplet? Google indicates that it is likely “Trampin’ ” by Patti Smith. A page further in gives me the real answer: “I Shall Be Free No. 10” by Dylan. Both of ‘em obviously got it from this song, though.
"Shenandoah"
Bryan: Nice tune. Not really my thing, but I appreciate its value. Funny thing is, I think this is the same chords as "Jersey Girl." I could be wrong, but the melody is similar enough in a couple of spots. Goes to show you how enduring / malleable some of these traditional old-timey songs are. But, of course, we've been rewriting Bach and Episcopal hymns for centuries, and will continue to do so undoubtedly. 3.75/5
Bryant: 2/5 I think Bruce approached it too reverentially, but then also failed to do anything interesting vocally. I’d never have noticed the similarity to “Jersey Girl” if you hadn’t pointed it out, but yeah, seems close.
"Pay Me My Money Down"
Bryan: Fun old shanty. Maybe a tad too long. 3.75/5
Bryant: Grammatically, that’s an awful title. The grammar gets a 1/5, but the song gets a 4/5. Hey, you might be able to answer this: what is that that happens at around the 2:00 mark? Do they shift into a different key? It’s cool, whatever it is.
Bryan: You got it, just a key change. I think you can even hear Bruce call it out in the mix (does he say B flat? E flat? Something flat.)
"We Shall Overcome"
Bryan: Not bad but not my thing. Kind of a funereal arrangement. 3/5
Bryant: Bruce has the wrong kind of voice for this. He’s just not up to the task of delivering this kind of singing. Shoulda handed it off to Patti, or done it with her as a duet. Or, better yet, brought in the E Street band and reimagined it as a rocker from The River. That MIGHT have fallen flat on its face. But I’d argue that this one does, too, and it does so in a very boring manner; having a Nils solo in the middle of it might at least have pepped it up. 1.75/5 It just doesn’t work; not as a Springsteen song, not as a cover of a Seeger song.
"Froggie Went A'Courtin'"
Bryan: 3.5/5 Fun enough, and ok end to the albums.
Bryant: What a weird song. Surely The Wiggles have done this one, too? “If ya want anymore you can sing it yerself” is a pretty great way to end the album. 3.5/5
~
Bryan: Total 44.05 Avg. 3.67
Bryant: 43.75 total, 3.37 average.
Bryan: Total 44.05 Avg. 3.67
Bryant: 43.75 total, 3.37 average.
RANKINGS
Bryan:
Lucky Town 2.15
Greetings from Asbury Park 2.19
The Ghost of Tom Joad 2.44
In Concert / MTV Plugged 2.82
Tracks 2.83
Chimes of Freedom 2.86
Blood Brothers 2.88
Human Touch 2.9
Book of Dreams 3.1
The Rising 3.3
Devils and Dust 3.36
The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle 3.43
Live in New York City 3.5
Loose Ends 3.63
Greatest Hits (New Tracks Only) 3.65
We Shall Overcome: The Pete Seeger Sessions 3.67
The River 3.71
Tunnel of Love 3.8
Darkness on the Edge of Town 3.82
Live ’75 - ‘85 4
Born to Run 4.41
Nebraska 4.5
Born in the USA 5.4
Bryant:
Human Touch 1.7
Lucky Town 2.15
The Ghost of Tom Joad 2.46
Devils and Dust 2.48
Book of Dreams 2.58
Chimes of Freedom 2.69
In Concert / Mtv Plugged 2.75
Greetings from Asbury Park 2.75
Tracks 2.81
Blood Brothers 2.9
The Rising 3.1
Tunnel of Love 3.35
We Shall Overcome: The Pete Seeger Sessions 3.37
Greatest Hits (New Tracks Only) 3.38
The River 3.39
Live in New York City 3.48
The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle 3.68
Live ’75 - ‘85 3.7
Loose Ends 3.92
Born to Run 4.35
Darkness on the Edge of Town 4.4
Nebraska 4.63
Born in the USA 4.88
Bryan: As I did last time, I'm going to
Bryant: I'll turn the lights out when I leave. Don't worry about a thing! Let me just up the stereo here...
We'll walk it off.
“Buffalo Gals” This appeared on the DVD side of the DualDisc release. It’s a rollicking little song that ought to have been on the album. Great Bruce vocals. 3.5/5
“How Can I Keep From Singing?” This is also on the DualDisc DVD side. It doesn’t do much for me. 1.5/5 The vocal arrangement is way too busy. I kinda get what they were going for, but I don’t think it works.
“How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?” This hails from the American Land edition of the CD, which was released six months or so later. I remember when that came out, it pissed me off because it seemed like ol’ Bruce was taking a trip into my wallet he had not earned, so I slapped his hand away and never got a copy. So I’m hearing this song for (I think) the first time. It’s alright; nothing special. 2/5
“Bring ‘em Home” Unless the YouTuber who put this up used the wrong version, this (also from the American Land edition) was a live cut from someplace. It’s pretty good; deeply-felt, hippie-tinged folk. Not inappropriate to 2006. 2.25/5
“American Land” As you might imagine, this comes from the American Land edition. It’s a Springsteen original, and he’d later cut it with the E Street Band as a bonus song for Wrecking Ball. I prefer that version, but this one is fine, too. 3.5/5
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| Now for the DVD: |
(1) John Henry – Terrific version. Is this the version from the album? I don’t think so; I think most of these aren’t. “I’m swingin’ thirty pounds from my hips on down” always makes me laugh.
“So much of my writing – particularly my writing when I write by myself, acoustically – comes straight out of the folk-ballad tradition. I found it, personally, [very] unconfining, ‘cause I had a love of all those different root sounds.”
Bruce makes a general offer of beers for anyone who wants one at one point leading into a backing-vocals heavy bit of recording. “We need a wild sound on these background vocals,” Bruce declares to the room. This leads into…
(2) Pay Me My Money Down – Patti looks like she’s having a blast here. So does Soozie. Bruce, who is seen in cutaways sipping what appears to be whiskey, is having a grand old time. Soozie does great work on this album; not hard to see why she made the jump from to full-fledged E Street status.
“There’s something about those things,” Bruce says (referring to the type of instruments you “can go out and play in the yard”), “those true folk instruments, the ones that didn’t have to be plugged in.”
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| To prove it, everyone goes out in the yard and plays a bit of “Buffalo Gals.” |
(3) Erie Canal – You get to see a bit of this one coming together, and it’s fascinating. Bruce hears a few players noodling around a bit on the fringes, and runs through a few bars with each – horn, sax, trumpet – doing his thing. At the end he laughs, and says they’ll go with the banjo; everyone else laughs, too, including the guys who just got shot down. You get the sense that this is by no means contentious or belittling, that it’s just part of the process of getting these songs into shape.
“There’s something to be said for the different locales that music gets made in,” Springsteen says. Speaking of a big recording studio, he says, “you get comfort, [it’s] easy to get to, you get all the things that come with modern life, you know. [But] some of the grit and some of the effort gets lost along the way, you know.”
(4) O Mary Don’t You Weep – There’s a darling moment leading into this where Bruce, presumably having imagined some sound in his mind, does an a capella replication of it and asks if anyone wants to try playing it. Everyone laughs, and Bruce seems delighted by his own unguarded goofiness. Then the violinist who isn’t Soozie hauls off and plays the violin line that opens this song, and it’s basically exactly what Bruce just called for. Excellent!
(5) Shenandoah – This still doesn’t do a lot for me, but the sentiment behind it makes for a good ending song.
Final thoughts: at 33 minutes, this is too short for my tastes. Great, though. If it was three hours, I’d watch every bit of it.
~
Bryan: Thank you, Bryant! We'll see you next Saturday with a pair of live releases, from decidedly different eras. Hope to see you then.
