“Soul Deep” has a curious history.
It was first recorded in 1966 by Robbie Lane and the Disciples, a Canadian rock band that peaked that same year with their third Canadian Top 40 single.
But they never released “Soul Deep.” Instead, their recording sat on the shelf until it was finally released on a retrospective CD in 1993. By that time, “Soul Deep” was already firmly entrenched in pop culture via The Box Tops, who took the song to #18 in the U.S. and #22 in the U.K. in 1969 in a blue-eyed soul arrangement that can’t be denied.
Why didn’t Lane release his original version after The Box Tops scored with theirs? Beats me, but that’s only one of the mysteries of “Soul Deep.”
The other mystery surrounds Gary U.S. Bonds’ cover on his 1982 On the Line album.
Bruce not only co-produced Bonds’ album (with Steve Van Zandt), he also contributed a whopping seven original songs for it. He contributed his band, too: On the Line is an E Street Band album, with Steve, Roy, Clarence, Danny, Max, and Garry playing throughout the entire album.
And maybe, just maybe… Bruce contributed even more than that.
Legend has it that Bruce originally contributed his vocals to his songs as well, but with Bruce approaching his peak of popularity, Columbia Records refused permission to release them. Bruce’s vocals had to be removed, most notably from “Angelyne,” which was originally a Springsteen/Bonds duet.
But Springsteen fans swear that not every trace of Bruce’s vocals was successfully removed. Despite no credit on the album other than “producer,” astute listeners might find Bruce lurking in the background on select tracks. Is he on “Soul Deep?” I have my opinion, but take a listen and decide for yourself:
Still can’t decide? Here’s something that might help: compare it with the one and only live version of “Soul Deep” that Bruce and Gary ever performed together, from a benefit show in 2003.
So what do you think? Is Bruce Springsteen an uncredited, unauthorized guest artists on Gary U.S. Bonds’ “Soul Deep?”
I know what I think.
Soul Deep
First performed: April 29, 2003 (Red Bank, NJ)
Last performed: April 29, 2003 (Red Bank, NJ)
Thanks – had never heard the original or Bruce & Bonds’ live version. Another iconic cover, as well as many peoples introduction to this classic, is Clarence Carter’s version.
Never thought (in my mind) there was any doubt that Bruce is all over the studio track. What amazes me after hearing these four versions, is that Bruce and Little Steven didn’t use a pronounced horn chart on the studio version. While Gary’s rocks, what might he have sounded like if the Robbie Lane arrangement had been used. It would have been truly a song you would have heard at a “Club Soul City” in my opinion.
Best Version Box Top!