We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

by

Bruce Springsteen

Edit

As a red-blooded American woman I have always loved Bruce Springsteen's music, but even older than my affection for Bruce is my affection for Pete Seeger. However, for years my husband has felt the need to leave the room whenver I've put Pete's music on, in an effort to escape Seeger's flawless and perfect earnestness. I think he just didn't think Pete was any FUN. Fortunately I think he will like Bruce's "let's have a party" spin on some of Pete's old favorites. If you never thought you'd get up and dance to Pete Seeger music, this album will change your mind.

On a more detailed level, the music ranges from really sublime to a bit disappointing. On the disappointing side I found "Shenandoah" almost incomprehnsible; Bruce is mumbling again, the pace is lugubrious, and the beautiful haunting melody is lost in the arrangement. Likewise "How Can I Keep from Singing" (a bonus track). On the other hand, Bruce's choice to use a host of Nawlins musicians on numerous tracks both energizes the music and makes it deeply meaningful on certain songs: "Jacob's Ladder" really swings, and "O Mary Don't You Weep" takes on a kind of redemptive quality. The song's lyrics (O Mary Don't you Weep....Pharoah's Army has drownded) seem to tell the listener that New Orleans will rise from the waters. The horn section really rocks throughout. "We Shall Overcome," in contrast, is quiet, contemplative, and moving - a contrast to the assertive fists-in-the-air version you may have in your head from countless peace marches.

By the way, this album comes on two discs - one is a DVD including the filming of several numbers. It didn't add much to my enjoyment of the music. However, if you are looking for the two bonus tracks, "How Can I Keep from Singing" and "Buffalo Gals," which do not appear on either the CD disc or on the liner notes, this is where you must look.

Oh, Bruce, Bruce, what have you done?!?

After thirty years in the music business, Springsteen has explored pretty much every musical genre. Most of it has been well done; much of it spectacular. The Seeger Sessions is no exception. It's basically a selection of traditional American folk songs (despite the title, not all Pete Seeger songs) arranged by Springsteen & Co. Fair warning: fans of Springsteen's rock style will hate it; much like "Ghost of Tom Joad," this sure ain't that.

I originally heard this on one of the full-album Sirius stations, and knew I had to have a copy. Off to Amazon, and two days later I have it in my hand. But what showed up is a miserable piece of DRM-ridden crap that won't play on my stereo. It isn't recognized by my computer, either Windows or Linux. It won't let me make a backup copy or rip it to MP3, as is my legal right. This is a deal-breaker. I listen to music mostly in my car, but as a matter of policy, I don't keep my original CDs in my car. Not even for The Boss.

This is in something called "Dualdisc" technology, which has a "DVD" on one side and an "audio CD" on the other side. (I put "CD" in quotes, because it isn't a CD. There's a lovely note inside the packaging that says "The audio side of this disc does not conform to CD specifications and therefore will not play on some CD and DVD players." The Amazon web site mentions the "enhanced" [hah!]Dualdisc technology, but not a word about the crippled DRM. The disc packaging itself only says it in four point type in yellow text on a brown background. I literally had to find a magnifying glass and a bright light to read it.)

So anyway, I gave it a listen on my DVD player (for some reason, the audio plays on my DVD player but the DVD side doesn't. More DRM? Who cares?) Even with the crappy audio on my DVD player, I can tell this would be an impressive album if I could listen to it better.

Just for my own amusement, I set up my old $20 Walkman-CD with a cable to the line input on my computer's sound card and recorded the whole thing into Audacity. A little cut 'n' paste, and guess what? It worked fine. So much for stupid anti-piracy schemes.

Alas, much as I might like the music, this one is going back to Amazon because of the DRM. (And yes, I deleted the analog copy.)

I'll give this one star out of five possible. And that one is only for the pure irony of locking up the music of that old socialist Pete Seeger, behind stupid and useless restrictions that prevent music fans from listening to it, while doing nothing that actually prevents someone who really wants to steal this from doing so.

Bruce, you should be ashamed of yourself.