“Jumbeliah” marks a transition in Bruce’s songwriting and provides a fascinating look at one of the only original compositions he created for the short-lived Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom.
Month: October 2018
“It’s Hard to Be Saint in the City” played an important role in Bruce’s rise to stardom, but the lesser-known acoustic version is the definitive take.
“Melancholy, lo-fi indie” group The Boombox Hearts take a different path with their version of “Cover Me,” and it works.
Bookended by a wild card opener and closer, punctuated by a full Born to Run album performance and the debut of Philly Elvis, my last show at the Spectrum was a memorable one.
Bruce and Cats on a Smooth Surface cover Ritchie Valens’ very first hit.
“Living on the Edge” is a glorious hot mess of a song. An unreleased outtake until 1998, it nevertheless spawned no less than three officially released Springsteen originals along the way.
One of my favorite “Brilliant Disguise” covers–Thompson Square gets to the heart of the song and its shifting meaning over time.
The E Street Band covered one of the world’s most well-known gospel hymns to salute their dearly departed bandmate.
“The Klansman” is one of the best unreleased outtakes from the Born in the U.S.A. sessions–a stark, morally ambiguous tale of the day a KKK recruiter visits a young boy’s home.
Cher’s cover of “Tougher The Rest” is a bit over the top, but c’mon… it’s Vegas!