I'm so satisfied with the new versions of Janey Needs A Shooter, If I Was The Priest and Song For Orphans, that I'd welcome an album of fresh takes on early 70s songs. I'd love to hear some of the old Steel Mill and Bruce Springsteen Band songs and some of the 70s demos.
Prodigal Son
The Wind And The Rain
Evacuation Of The West
Two Hearts In True Waltz Time
He's Guilty (Send That Boy To Jail)
Bishop Danced
Randolph Street
Visitation At Fort Horn
You think he could turn Richfield Whistle into a rocker? Or is it brilliant as is leave it alone? I love that tune!
I was deeply sceptical about a new version of Priest, but I've got to say I love it every bit as much as the classic piano version. Orphans works brilliantly too: it really grabbed me in a way it never had before.
So yeah I'm all for new versions of other stuff now - Evacuation would be top of my list I think.
Sorry..
I love working from home... Jesus is standing in the doorway...
What the hell is a personally blessed balloon? I think I know, but I need confirmation...
Priest is still the highlight from the new album for me. It's like a time loop, some sort of a trap - you listen to it, and off you go, you dive straight into another era, an alternate mindset.
As I was listening to Hammersmith 2 I was thinking about how psychedelic Priest would have sounded with the attitude he had possessed on that night.
Interesting thread .... I did like all three of the old songs on LTY although two were new to me .....Seeger reworkings were hit and miss for me ..... I disliked some of them ....But loved If I Should Fall Behind and Blinded By The Light. And Open All Night was worth the price of admission for me even though i still had always hoped for an Open All Night that sounds like the reworked J99...a full out Chuck Berry rave up.
Here's hoping for "Sugarland".
In general I'm not usually that keen on reworking originals, sometimes it works but mostly not IMO. I think of the way Dylan has fucked up "singing" live some of his greatest songs and wince. The 3 (Priest, Janey and Orphans) on Letter To You are indeed excellent but I sometimes think it might have been better to release the album minus those 3 and add them to a standalone outtakes revisited album.
I should also confess to not being a Seeger sessions fan, I skipped the tour, did buy the album but after a few plays, gave up, I just don't like it. I did the same with Devils and Dust for the most part, just not my favourite Bruce.
OK that shows that we don't all agree on this forum and that's a good thing, we're still fans.
While we're at it, I'd happily splurge money on an album where he reworks his own originals with the Seeger Sessions band. Start with studio recordings of all the different versions he played on the original tour and take it from there.
The Western themes of "Priest" have me incredibly excited to hear "Evacuation" and "Fort Horn" on T2.
Maybe the inclusion of Bruce and Cousin Frank playing "Baby I" at the end of the Letter To You doc is a sign that rerecorded Steel Mill material isn't too far out of the question as well.
It's pretty funny to me how I didn't care too much about a new outtakes box set and wanted a new album > got a new album and loved the 'outtakes' most > and am now craving a new outtakes box set. Probably should've had faith in Bruce from the start with that one.