In the news this week are reports that Bruce Springsteen will release We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions with five new songs as the American Land Edition. While I’ve seen this kind of make more money marketing crap from overtly commercial acts and the practice is extremely common in movie DVDs (special editions, limited release extended editions, director’s cut, 10th/20 anniversary editions) I’m honestly shocked that my all-time favorite musician would do it.
Bruce has always portrayed himself as a man of the people. Heck even these songs are reworked folk anthems. For some time now, though, I’ve been wondering if the portrayal is more of a role than the real Bruce, or perhaps its who he was originally, before all the success, and then hardened into something he kept like a comfortable suit. Populism never goes out of style.
Other clues for me are that the E Street Band was never inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and his off-the-grid lifestyle is fairly consistent with any other American multimillionaire. When Bruce was voted in to the HoF in 1997, the first year he was eligible, the reason given for the E Streeters not being included was that his first record was credited solo, meaning the band hadn’t reached the required 25 year mark. The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle was released in 1973 and so the band became eligible the next year; even if one wanted to wait two additional years so the classic Born to Run lineup then they should have gone in with the Class of 2000. Six more years have come and gone with no sign of Steve Van Zandt, Gary Tallent, Roy Bitten, Danny Federici and Max Weinberg on the VH1 celebration.
Now I don’t begrudge Springsteen the money. Compared to performers who’ve probably racked up far bigger dollars (I’m looking at you, movie stars and producers) he’s certainly produced far more quality entertainment. But there are a number of incidents like this American Land Edition crap, typified by this paragraph from the Reuters story on its release: “In a nod to fans who have already purchased the album, the bonus tracks on the new version will be available as single-song downloads via iTunes.” So instead of paying $13 or so for a second copy, we can get the new songs only for $4.95 (99 cents x five songs), wow, what a bargain!
Bruce seems, in retrospect, to have reached some kind of turning point after the commercial, critical and fandom failure of the Lucky Town/Human Touch double releases and the instant sinking of the Plugged live CD. Starting with the latter in 1993 there have been 12 official releases–and only four of them have been newly recorded music. All the rest have been live performances, hits packages or unreleased archives. Three of the four new CDs, admittedly, have come in the last four years but overall I’m disappointed and now, perhaps, a little disillusioned.
BillSaysThis 