We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions [DualDisc]

 

 

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I love all of Spingsteen's familiar styles: the anthemic rock, the stirring slow ballad and the acoustic folk of the somber Nebraska. This album, however, simply does not appeal to me on any level. Perhaps it is because I was expecting some profundity, some soul stirring interpretations of the more serious songs associated with Pete Seeger. Unfortunately both the sounds and the songs disappoint, and the blend most of all. Many of the tracks are folk standards of the blandest type, like the introductory Old Dan Tucker. The exuberant treatment feels wasted on such repetitive, nonsensical lyrics.

Some songs have a gospel undertone, like the classic We Shall Overcome with its soulful backing vocals, Jacob's Ladder with the rousing vocals of its gospel choir and the melancholy Shenandoah which is one of the few highlights. Still I prefer Bob Dylan's version on his album Down In The Groove. Others have a country feel like the authentic-sounding lament My Oklahoma Home with its powerful male backing vocals. Country also surfaces in the uptempo Pay Me My Money Down which is redeemed by an impressive arrangement and instrumental virtuosity. Others are really rock music, like O Mary Don't You Weep with its biblical imagery and the raucous John Henry, a fast-paced song with frisky fiddles and Bruce shouting too loudly.

The slower numbers include the brooding Eyes On The Prize, Mrs McGrath and Erie Canal, a song with lovely banjo that incorporates jazzy improvisations in the instrumental sections. The tracks that I would listen to again are Jesse James, a lilting, energetic story song about the Robin Hood character, and of the aforementioned: Jacob's Ladder for its inspiring gospel voices, the melancholy My Oklahoma Home, Shenandoah with its spiritual undertone and maybe We Shall Overcome. Emblematic of the work as a whole, Froggie Went a Courtin' is the type of folk song that ought to remain restricted to kiddie's records. The video material on the recording, conversations with the musicians and the song videos contribute nothing to ameliorate the disappointment.

Something went wrong somewhere. The wide array of instruments encompasses guitar, sax, banjo, organ, accordion, mandolin, viola, tuba, drums and trumpet, and the playing is mostly enthusiastic. The arrangements aren't always suitable to the song but not bad for the chosen style. Many song segments stand out for the appealing instrumentation. But the arrangements and instrumentation simply do not blend with Bruce's sometimes shouted & sometimes mumbled vocals. Judging by the reviews, this album is clearly enjoyed by multitudes, which I find incomprehensible. Yes, there's no accounting for taste and to each their own, but I am baffled as to why Springsteen fans would even find The Seeger Sessions listenable. Time will tell; history's verdict may be harsh.

From the perspective of the career of Pete Seeger, "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions" is not what you might expect because if you think this is going to be a collection of covers of the greatest songs written by the American folk icon, then you are gong to be surprised and possibly disappointed. "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?," "If I Had a Hammer," and "Turn, Turn, Turn" are not going to be found here. The most recognizable song would be the title track, the song Seeger based on a spiritual that became the anthem of the Civil Rights movement. But this baker's dozen collection of tracks more about traditional songs that Seeger performed that Bruce Springsteen is passing along to a new generation. The second most recognizable song would probably be the last one, "Froggie Went a Courtin'" (which has been around at least since 1549), although "Erie Canal" would have to be second on that list. If you have any passing familiarity with American folk music then "Shenandoah," "John Henry," and "Old Dan Tucker" should be recognizable as well.

Then again, this album is not what you would expect from a Bruce Springsteen album, given that the Boss has never done a cover album before. He has done a few notable covers, from Tom Wait's "Jersey Girl" and Patti Smith's "Because the Night" to "War" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," so it is interesting that Springsteen would suddenly decide to do it for an entire album. Seeger is certainly a legend, and if this album introduces a new generation of fans to his work so much the better. But having watched Springsteen fail (by his standard anyway) with his acoustic albums "Nebraska," "The Ghost of Tom Joad," and "Devils & Dust," it is interesting to see what happens when he takes his acoustic guitar and backs it up a full folk music ensemble recording LIVE, without rehearsals, in three one-day sessions cut in 1997, 2005 and 2006. The irony is that those other acoustic efforts sound more like Seeger's work than this album, because most Seeger recordings are just him playing his banjo. But if you flip the CD over for the DVD side of the disc you can see the recording of some of these tracks and that what you think was going on in the studio from listening to these tracks is just what you see. Plus there are a couple of bonus tracks on the other side, "Buffalo Gals" and "How Can I Keep from Singing."

The background on this 2006 album is that Springsteen was working on putting together a second album of "Tracks," collecting his rarities, when he came across a set of recordings he had made in 1997 for the Seeger tribute album, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone: The Songs of Pete Seeger." The only contribution from Springsteen ended up being "We Shall Overcome" on the album which had 39 tracks recorded by everyone from the Weavers and Peter, Paul & Mary to the Indigo Girls and Ani Difranco. This inspired Springsteen to record an entire album of folk tunes that Pete Seeger had popularized, and some of the musicians he brought together for this album had played on those sessions back in 1997. The liner notes by Dave Marsh provide a brief introduction on the background of each song. For example, "Old Dan Tucker," is: "An antique fiddle tune, often used for square dances, made famous around 1843 when Dan Emmett, one of the greatest early minstrel singers, wrote a version of these lyrics for his group, the Virginia Minstrels." You have to admire the mix of brevity and detail, which contrasts nicely with the rollickin' good time these musicians have in the studio. I find these songs addictive, and while they are not everybody's cup of tea, they have my toe tappin' through constant replay.

Bruce Springsteen was one of those musicians that provided the soundtrack of my teenager years, with Born in the USA rubbing shoulders with REMs Losing my Religion, Peter Gabriels Big and Madonnas Like a Virgin. I guess its no accident that these songs come to mind, given that these musicians are among the few from the 1980s whose music doesnt date.

While the latter three musicians have continued on, reinventing themselves for the nineties and the naughties with various degrees of success, Bruce Springsteen faded out for me. Other than Tunnel of Love, there was no other album I thought (however erroneously) worth having. While Madonna was making a fool of herself with a remake of American Pie and Peter Gabriel went industrial with Up, I never paused to wonder where had Bruce Springsteen gone.

Recently, Bruce sprang back to the medias attention with the release of We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. Programs on NPR gave Bruce a lot of exposure for this new album which was so different from Bruces rock persona. Upon listening to the album, however, I wonder why it took this long for Bruce to find a part of himself he never knew hed had.

Work on the album that became The Seeger Sessions began in 1997 when Bruce Springsteen released a cover of the classic Pete Seeger song We Shall Overcome. Pete Seeger is a noted folk singer and political activist from the 1950s, possibly best known as the co-author of such songs as Where have all the flowers gone, and If I Had a Hammer.

Having previously known little of Pete Seegers work and intrigued by what he had heard, Bruce did a thorough investigation, heading down to his local record store and returning with a pile of Pete Seegers albums the length of his arm. Listening to the folk ballads, he was inspired to go on a quest, which culminated in a bunch of musicians (friends and friends of friends of Soozie Tyrell, a violinist with Bruces E Street Band) holed up in the living room of an old farm house, playing folk tunes, some over a hundred years old.

The thirteen songs of We Shall Overcome: the Pete Seeger Sessions were recorded over three one-day sessions with this group, totally unrehearsed. Its raw and unscripted, and full of an energy that sets your toes tapping and your hands clapping. Bruces husky voice is amazingly appropriate to the material, lending it a rough edge to the sad songs that plays perfectly. And you can tell that all of the musicians, the violinists, the guitar and banjo players, the drummers and the horns in the hallway, are having a wonderful time. The music is old, vibrant, lyrical and sad, as rich as a Kentucky mansion. Right from the first song, Old Dan Tucker, its as though a bunch of travelling musicians have barged into your front room, and they brought beer!

We Shall Overcome: the Seeger Sessions is an album for Bruce Springsteen fans who like to hear him rock it old school, and for people eager to hear a maestro explore well beyond his musical boundaries. It will appeal to connoisseurs of folk and rock. It is a wonderful album to bounce around to, ably conveying the richness of Americas roots music tradition.

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5.0 out of 5 stars This is an amazing CD!
Bruce Springsteen's "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions" is an absolutely courageous, beautiful. This is a labour of love and it shows. Read more

Published on April 12 2007 by W. T. Trofimuk

1.0 out of 5 stars Crap and double crap!
Only Springsteen could release an album this bad. What I mean by this, is that if a second tier artist wanted to release a CD of Seeger covers and the CD sounded as bad as this,... Read more

Published on Sep 6 2006 by BAF-BOOKS

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor quality cd but music great
Great cd but skips all over the place no matter which cd player i use, but great songs what i can hear.

Published on May 25 2006 by Ewan M. Cameron

5.0 out of 5 stars The Boss? Great album
I have always wondered why Bruce was called "The Boss". I never liked his music, other that the occasional song here or there. Read more

Published on May 14 2006 by C. Barna

5.0 out of 5 stars Great cd from the Boss
I have been a fan of Springsteen since I first bought Born To Run as a teenager back in 1975. I have been amazed with his work. He is the voice of the common man. Read more

Published on May 9 2006 by Shawn Turner

5.0 out of 5 stars Springsteen at his best again
I have been a Springsteen fan since I first bought Born to Run in 1975 as a teenager. Bruce has released some amazing songs over the years. He is a storyteller of great tallent. Read more

Published on May 8 2006 by Shawn Turner

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!
While I've only bought a couple of Springsteen's albums, this is one I'm glad I bought. He puts a great beat and a new twist on some old folk style songs. Very cool. Read more

Published on May 8 2006

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