Springsteen's Pete Seeger tribute

M

mwerner

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Bruce's new album, The Seeger Sessions, is a tribute to long-time (he's 80 or so, and still kicking) folkie Pete Seeger.
Not an "E-street band" effort; Bruce has assembled a large, eclectic group of musicians to tear through a group of folk standards, in a variety of styles.

I just had time for a quick listen-through last night, and this is great stuff. The arrangements for these old, familiar tunes are all fresh and energetic, with many conveying the anger inherent in the originals.

Highly reccomended.
 
I will get this one, matter of fact I haven't had anything new by him since the Born In The USA album which I still love to look at that lovely cover of a Levi clad, shop rag in the backpocket, long cool daddy facing the United States flag. Where was I? Yes, will buy it. :) ;)
 
I would say that most of us older folks grew up with Pete Seeger's music, even if we didn't know it. I'm glad that Springsteen is helping keep it out there.
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
I don't like Springsteen, but I like Pete Seeger.
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Same here, so I bought the album and it confirmed my poinion that Springsteen cannot sing, at least not in a class with pete Seeger in his prme. The Boss may have other attributes that I miss, but his siging is not one of them. On the other hand, his rendition of "We Shall Overcome" was interesting and its inclusion in that album was worthy.
 
Danbo said:
Ditto, and I don't even know who Pete Seeger is.
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Pete Seeger is one of the folk singers who kept folk songs alive as a form of performance art throughout the 1940s and 1950s until the Kingston Trio "discovered" folk music in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The rest is pretty well-known. Seeger was part of the group, The Weavers, in the 1950s that included Ronnie Gillbert, Lee Hays, and Fred Hellerman as well as Peter Seeger. They were very popular in the early 1950s with the release of "Good Night, Irene", but they then came under suspicion of being pro-Communist during the McCarthy Era and were blacklisted from TV appearances for some while. They weren't Communist, but they were socialist in the Western European sense and they certainly were socially very progressive, being pro-integration and such. In any case, it was not until the mid-1960s that any of them ever got on TV and they had a hard time fnding companies to distriibute their records until very late in the 1950s.

Please, if you wish to debate McCarthy or the blacklist, do so in the Political Arena and not here.
 
FullerH said:
Pete Seeger is one of the folk singers who kept folk songs alive as a form of performance art throughout the 1940s and 1950s until the Kingston Trio "discovered" folk music in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The rest is pretty well-known. Seeger was part of the group, The Weavers, in the 1950s that included Ronnie Gillbert, Lee Hays, and Fred Hellerman as well as Peter Seeger. They were very popular in the early 1950s with the release of "Good Night, Irene", but they then came under suspicion of being pro-Communist during the McCarthy Era and were blacklisted from TV appearances for some while. They weren't Communist, but they were socialist in the Western European sense and they certainly were socially very progressive, being pro-integration and such. In any case, it was not until the mid-1960s that any of them ever got on TV and they had a hard time fnding companies to distriibute their records until very late in the 1950s.

Please, if you wish to debate McCarthy or the blacklist, do so in the Political Arena and not here.
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Actually Hugh, I have a Seeger CD, on the jacket of which he admits that, for a time, he was indeed a communist. BFD, it doesn't change the quality of his music, of course.
 
shaldag said:
Actually Hugh, I have a Seeger CD, on the jacket of which he admits that, for a time, he was indeed a communist. BFD, it doesn't change the quality of his music, of course.
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For many during the pre Cold War era, being a "Communist" was a style or fashion thing & should be punished as equally as a bad haircut- They both make you look foolish for a while.
For others who were preaching against very real social injustices (and there were some doozies ladies & gents) the Communists were the only game in town.
I don't know Seeger's personal political history, but speaking up against injustice doesn't make him a red in my eyes. I enjoy the songs.
 
I read Seeger's autobiographical "Henspecks and Flyscratches" about 30 years ago. He recounts testifying before the House Unamerican Activities committee, and (not a direct quote) said essentially, "If the American Indians were Communist, then I'm a Communist too."
 
His blurb (I'll see if I can find the exact jacket; I have a LOT of Seeger CDs) pretty much said that he was a bit of a true believer, if only, because, as Rugger says, it was the only game in town. I'm sure that a lot of people would admit to being naive back then.

In any event, I will enjoy playing Seeger's wonderful songs for my daughters--
including the openly socialist/communist ones like the "Bells of Rhymney". (I know, he didn't write the words. So, OK, "We shall overcome".
 
mwerner said:
Bruce's new album, The Seeger Sessions, is a tribute to long-time (he's 80 or so, and still kicking) folkie Pete Seeger.
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Pete Seeger was born on May 3, 1919.

Happy birthday, Pete! :D​
 
I just bought it and gave it a hammering in my Van all the way home from the city (2 hr drive) I love it, especially the hints of celtic flavour in the arangements.

I for one like the boss's voice, it's raspy and from the gut like an Irish pipe. But then I liked the way Shane Macgowan sang as well.
 
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