Rumors of an electric Nebraska album have circulated among Springsteen fans for decades, but proof of its existence (let alone an official release) continues to elude us.
Still, the mystery of what Bruce’s famously low-fi acoustic album might sound like if electrified has become considerably less mysterious over time.
“Atlantic City” received a live electric treatment almost immediately; “Johnny 99” has seen several arrangements. “Open All Night” has been Seeger-ized, and “Reason to Believe” got a galvanizing Greenbaum treatment.
But one track that’s completely eluded us in electric form is the title track itself. Bruce’s dark, brooding “Nebraska” has always seemed to defy or discourage any attempt at a rock arrangement.
But today we can get a sense of just how rocking “Nebraska” can get, because Diego Mercuri and The Wrecking Band just took a run at it–and it’s pretty darn good.
Diego and his band hail from Italy, where they got their start playing covers by Bruce, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and others. They follow the important rule of covers, though: If you’re gonna cover a classic song, you better do it better or do it different.
Their version of “Nebraska” is daringly different. It dials up the ferocity but holds onto the narrator’s sense of alienation, with a disconnection that builds throughout the song until its defiant conclusion.
I’d love to hear Bruce and the E Street Band debut an arrangement like this. Nicely done, guys.
