The Friday Mixtape: 10/31/08 — Everybody’s Doing Springsteen Except Bruce (But He Has a Mean Woody)

Scott Malchus October 31, 2008 19

Badly Drawn Boy – Thunder Road from Uncut Magazine Bruce Springsteen Tribute Volume 1(2003)
The Knack – Don’t Look Back from Get the Knack (remastered edition) (1979/2002)
John Hiatt – Johnny 99 from One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen (1997)
Patty Griffin – Stolen Car from 1000 Kisses (2002)
Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes – The Fever from I Don’t Want to Go Home (1976)
The Mavericks – All That Heaven Will Allow from What a Crying Shame (1994)
Deana Carter – State Trooper from Badlands: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska (2000)
Trisha Yearwood – Sad Eyes from Real Live Woman (2000)
The Smithereens – Downbound Train from One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen (1997)
Ben E. King – 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) from One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen (1997)
Billy Bragg – Mansion on the Hill from Uncut Magazine Bruce Springsteen Tribute Volume 2 (2003)
Sonny Burgess – Tiger Rose from Sonny Burgess (1996)
Thea Gilmore – Cover Me from Uncut Magazine Bruce Springsteen Tribute Volume 1 (2003)
John Wesley Harding – Jackson Cage from One Step Up/Two Steps Back:The Songs of Bruce Springsteen (1997)
The Reivers – Atlantic City from Cover Me: Songs by Springsteen (1984)
Johnny Cash – Highway Patrolman from Johnny 99 (1983)
Dion – Book of Dreams from Deja Nu (2000)
Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris – Across the Border from Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions (1999)
Bruce Springsteen – I Ain’t Got No Home from Folkways: A Vision Shared (1988)



  • JohnHughes

    BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUCEEEE…

    …covers.

  • jankyphil

    The Band's cover of Atlantic City is way better than this one by the Reivers.

  • Elaine

    Not being a huge Bruce fan, I don't know most of these songs. Are any of them real standouts that shouldn't be missed?

  • Malchus

    I don't know. The Band's version is closer to how Bruce would eventually perform the song with a band, but there is something jangly and powerful about this version by the Reivers that knocks it out of the park for me. Both are good, as far as I'm concerned, but since this was the first full band version of the song I ever heard, I prefer it.

  • guitarwilly

    I´m a great Bruce fan. These covers met my tast very well.

  • EightE1

    Excellent mix, Malchus. Lots of really good stuff here.

    That Dion record also has a killer version of “If I Should Fall Behind.” Well worth checking out.

    Nicely done.

    Rob
    EightE1

  • Jeff K.

    My favorite cover of Atlantic City is by Kurt Neumann (of the BoDeans) from the One Step Up covers album. It captures the spirit of the song with a completely different sound.

    Thanks for this list and the blog!

  • http://blogs.townonline.com/Springsteen/ Pete

    This is an amazing collection — I haven't heard a lot of these. I just put a link to the list on my Springsteen blog. Thanks for the compilation!

  • http://www.paisleypop.com Jim

    Great post! Glad to have that Reivers again… I had the album, but when I went to transfer it to mp3, it kept skipping on the solo! One of my favorite covers of that song.

  • Elaine

    Well, either way, I ran across some Bruce news for y'all.

    Bruce Springsteen's Halloween Treat
    http://tinyurl.com/6b2zvp

    Happy Halloweening.

  • Malchus

    If you had choose just a couple, I think the Southside Johnny song is essential. It's a great example of mid 70's R&B with a great arrangement by Little Steven. Then I'd listen to the Patty Griffin song. Her rendition is heartbreaking. The John Wesley Harding sing is a complete reimagining of “Jackson Cage” and really shows how bleak the lyrics are. Finally. because the song is so close to my heart, the Dion “Book of Dreams” is just magic and the perfect love song.
    Thank for checking us out. Scott

  • Bubba

    Where did the MP3s go?

  • Malchus

    They're back! Sorry.

  • Bubba

    thanks mate, really appreciated!

  • Kathy

    Billy Bragg = amazing.

    If you like him, listen to the rest of the Anti- artists on their sampler. It's great.

    You can download it OR stream it: http://www.antilabelblog.com/

  • http://mostplays.com games

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  • marty

    Can anyone email me the MP3 by john hiatt, Johnny 99?
    riffraft_nc

  • marty

    Can anyone email me the MP3 by john hiatt, Johnny 99?
    riffraft_nc

  • marty

    Can anyone email me the MP3 by john hiatt, Johnny 99?
    riffraft_nc