New Springsteen single out today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOPDhoZH91g

Thoughts?

New album on Jan. 14 is confirmed.

 

High Hopes tracklisting:

1. High Hopes (Tim Scott McConnell) - featuring Tom Morello
2. Harry's Place * - featuring Tom Morello
3. American Skin (41 Shots) - featuring Tom Morello
4. Just Like Fire Would (Chris J. Bailey) - featuring Tom Morello
5. Down In The Hole *
6. Heaven's Wall ** - featuring Tom Morello
7. Frankie Fell In Love
8. This Is Your Sword
9. Hunter Of Invisible Game * - featuring Tom Morello
10. The Ghost of Tom Joad - duet with Tom Morello
11. The Wall
12. Dream Baby Dream (Martin Rev and Alan Vega) - featuring Tom Morello


hmmm. Three covers and two remakes on a 12-song album. (Presumably 'The Wall' is not a Pink Floyd tribute version.)

And it appears Morello is now an all-but-official member of the ESB. To put it kind of baldly, that leaves both Van Zandt and Lofgren with not that much to do.

 

The talking points per Bruce, for what it's worth, are that this album is a collection of what he feels are some of the best non-issued tracks from the last decade or so.

 

A great live version of GOTJ with Morello from the Magic Tour was already released a few years ago (along with Danny's last performance of Sandy). 41 Shots is 13 years old and was already released on LINYC and I hate Dream Baby Dream. I like High Hopes and have liked what I heard of The Wall

I'll of course buy it and over-analyze every song, but not encouraged.

As to Morello/SVZ/Nils, it was pretty clear over the past few tours that Steven has basically given up on stage except to sing harmony on a couple of songs and to help Bruce when it is Stump the Band time. Nils is almost a tragic figure at times, willing to cash the checks and be content with his one big solo a night as Bruce plays lead on everything. Bruce is obviously energized by Morello and I think he may go full time next tour.

 

I think it would be awesome and also boost Bruce's "one-for-all/all-for-one" team-spirit mythology if he would throw Nils and Steven one song per show.

Some of the old Little Steven songs like 'Under The Gun,' 'Out of the Darkness' and 'Undefeated (Everybody Goes Home)' actually fit in thematically, too.

 

Which basically makes it another "Tracks" album.

 

I knew I heard it somewhere, but couldn't remember what tour it was on.

 

Bruce is putting out a River box set similar to what he did for BTR and Darkness. I guess my Hanukkah present has been selected.

He also posted an unreleased song on www.brucespringsteen.net

 

Well, unreleased since 1980.
I thought I read somewhere on some Springsteen message board in early-mid summer that he had most of another (new) album ready to go and it was supposed to come out a couple months before/ after The River reissue. So I suppose if that had any truth at all, a new record would probably come out in the spring, presumably with some concert action to follow in the summertime.

 

"Party Lights" -- a little Point Blank and a little of his added verse to Jersey Girl. I like this one -- somewhere in between the freewheeling outakes of that era and the heavier stuff which made The River.

 

This melody, if you can call it that, needs a better hook. The song just rambles along aimlessly.

 

Is that his wedding coat?