Out now is 'Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool', a 2 CD tribute to Bruce Springsteen on the Where It's At Is Where You Are label. Artists covering Bruce include Jeniferever, Help Stamp Out Loneliness, Gregory Webster, Doug Yule, Amelia Fletcher, Darren Hayman and The Wave Pictures. I came across the existence of this album via the Darren Hayman/Hefner website:On the album Darren re-invents 'Rosilita (Come Out Tonight)' as pulsing, vocoded lullaby. He also plays bass and sings on 'Racing in the Streets' by the Wave Pictures even though the bastards didn't credit him. As well as this WIAWYA have released a split single by Darren and the Wave Pictures with two more Springsteen songs not on the album. Darren performs 'Girls in their Summer Clothes' and the Waves do 'If I Should Fall Behind'. If that wasn't enough copies of the seven inch come with a free album of the Wave Pictures doing a whole album of Bruce songs.
My copy of the vinyl single and the Wave Pictures covers CD arrived last week and ever since then I've been thinking about Bruce Springsteen. And the fact I can only claim to have heard about six of his songs. I've never listened to 'Nebraska' or to 'Born To Run', not heard a greatest hits compilation or the recent acclaimed Pete Seeger covers record or the many 'return-to-form' studio albums. I've never been to a gig, listened to a bootleg or watched a concert film.
I watched a couple of minutes of his 'triumphant' Glastonbury performance ("Bruce wins over another generation of fans..." etc etc) and thought it looked no different from any other snatches of footage from the last three decades. Despite the Glasto hoop-la, I still remain uninspired to listen to any of his music. But many, many bands I like not only cite him as a song-writer and musician they admire but also record his songs. And it is these covers, not Bruce's originals, that if anything would send me to listen to more of the Boss.
Listening to the five posted below the key to covering Bruce seems to be to slow-it-down and strip-it-back; the best example here being Ballboy's cover of "Born in the USA". I've struggled when people told me it was an anti-war song - given the clenched-fist-raised, stadium-rousing bombast the original is wrapped in. But get rid of the showmanship - and the chorus - and something else is revealed.
Bruce will be sixty later this year and no doubt he will keep churing out albums and tours. I may be missing out - but I think I'm going to keep listening to his music through other peoples' covers. And 'Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool' looks an excellent place to keep doing just that.
I watched a couple of minutes of his 'triumphant' Glastonbury performance ("Bruce wins over another generation of fans..." etc etc) and thought it looked no different from any other snatches of footage from the last three decades. Despite the Glasto hoop-la, I still remain uninspired to listen to any of his music. But many, many bands I like not only cite him as a song-writer and musician they admire but also record his songs. And it is these covers, not Bruce's originals, that if anything would send me to listen to more of the Boss.
Listening to the five posted below the key to covering Bruce seems to be to slow-it-down and strip-it-back; the best example here being Ballboy's cover of "Born in the USA". I've struggled when people told me it was an anti-war song - given the clenched-fist-raised, stadium-rousing bombast the original is wrapped in. But get rid of the showmanship - and the chorus - and something else is revealed.
Bruce will be sixty later this year and no doubt he will keep churing out albums and tours. I may be missing out - but I think I'm going to keep listening to his music through other peoples' covers. And 'Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool' looks an excellent place to keep doing just that.
BORN IN THE USA
Ballboy
The Sash My Father Wore & Other Stories [BUY]
STATE TROOPER
Cowboy Junkies
Whites Off Earth Now [BUY]
TOUGHER THAN THE REST
Camera Obscura
Live on MBR (via the Music Slut) [BUY Camera Obscura]
DANCING IN THE DARK
Jim Eldon
More Great Moments in Vinyl History [BUY]
BOBBY JEAN
The Wave Pictures
Play Some Pool [BUY]
Two word review: "pure class". 
Singer Tracyanne delivers her country-soul-pop songs with an unchanging facial expression but a voice every bit as gorgeous as on record that conveys deep emotion and grand drama. The six piece band behind and around her are never showy or obtrusive (other than some occasional disconcerting staring) and live recreate the lush textures just as effectively as Tracyanne's singing. Last time I saw them I remember being disappointed by the thin sound and lack of atmosphere - I think both had more to do with the venue (Jabez Clegg). Tonight the keyboards at times sounded like a full string section. And what a joy it is to hear a trumpet live.
And the band are as stylish in dress as they are musically: three of the five men in waistcoats or ties and the women in classy vintage-style dresses - more Madmen than Oxfam. Accessories included a swan brooch from Traceyanne and a white clamshell belt for Carey (that's enough on the fashion review, thank you).
It was an audience of all ages, shapes and sizes - certainly on this showing there is not an obvious CO fan 'type'. There were a couple of (single white) males at the front who appeared to be a bit too obsessive in their attention on Tracyanne. Overall the crowd were quietly reverential during the new material and whooping with recognition at songs from Let's Get Out Of This Country. That is except for a couple of Red Stripe drinking irritants who persisted in having a conversation throughout several songs including during Country Mile. If Mr P had been there he would have tore a strip of the young whippersnappers. I only caught the last few minutes of 
The Set List: