Feb 142011
 

Full Albums features covers of every track off a classic album. Got an idea for a future pick? Leave a note in the comments!

Tunnel of Love may be the strangest record in Bruce Springsteen‘s catalog, and that’s saying a lot. Though he released it while still touring with the E Street Band, its sound signified a marked departure from the driving rock of his earlier albums. Indeed, although some E-Streeters dropped by to lend backing vocals or keyboard parts to certain tracks, Springsteen recorded Tunnel mostly by himself. In a sense, the album provided a sequel to Nebraska, except that sequel packed itself to the brim with synthesizers and 1980s production.

Lyrically, though, Tunnel of Love provided some of Springsteen’s sharpest writing to date. Though covers of the album’s songs flow as plentifully as those for Born in the USA or Darkness on the Edge of Town, these tunes prove especially attractive to musicians in the folk, country and singer-songwriter milieu. You won’t find any heavy metal covers of “Brilliant Disguise,” but you might be taken aback at the number of top-selling country artists who took a crack at “Tougher than the Rest.” Continue reading »

Nov 172010
 

Full Albums features covers of every track off a classic album. Got an idea for a future pick? Leave a note in the comments!

Bruce Springsteen released Darkness on the Edge of Town in 1978, three years after the commercially and critically successful juggernaut that was Born to Run. Although Darkness didn’t reach the commercial heights of its predecessor (due largely to the lack of any huge singles), many critics and fans took to the album, which cemented Bruce’s artistic path of writing songs about the common man. If Born to Run focused on the magic of youth, Darkness found Bruce growing up and not always liking what he found.

Decades later, Darkness has solidified itself as a core album in the Springsteen canon. Yesterday it got the deluxe treatment with a grand re-release including a remastered version of the album, a reproduction of Bruce’s recording notes, two live concert DVDs, two discs of unreleased music from the Darkness sessions, and, last night, Bruce Springsteen covering Will Smith’s daughter with Jimmy Fallon. What better time for Cover Me to pay homage to this rock masterpiece? Continue reading »