A dozen takes on a Boss classic. Too much? Or too little?
I don't own a single Bruce Springsteen album but I do like I'm On Fire, which appeared on his seventh album Born In The U.S.A. in 1984. So much so it seems that I have multiple versions of the song in my collection, including one by The Boss himself, though probably not the one you were expecting....
Oh, and a shout out to new (to me) discovery Mumble Tide, a Bristol-based duo who I will see supporting another local legend next month. They've very obligingly provided their take on I'm On Fire but their own material is well worth a look, too.
1) I'm On Fire: Catherine Feeny (2006)
2) I'm On Fire: Electrelane (2003)
3) I'm On Fire: Joensuu 1685 (2009)
4) I'm On Fire (Live @ Dingwalls, London): Big Country (1996)
5) I'm On Fire: Mumble Tide (2020)
6) I'm On Fire: Katmen (Darrel Higham & Slim Jim Phantom) (2023)
7) I'm On Fire: Johnny Cash (2000)
8) I'm On Fire (Rob Da Bank Session): Bat For Lashes (2006)
9) I'm On Fire: Willie Nile (2011)
10) I'm On Fire (Live @ Club ID Bar, Nagoya, Japan): Heather Nova (1995)
11) I'm On Fire (Dermot O'Leary Session): Gabrielle Aplin (2014)
12) I'm On Fire (Cousin Cole's Bad Desire Remix): Bruce Springsteen (2008)
1996: Eclectic: 4
1996: Truth & Bone EP: 10
2000: Badlands: 7
2003: On Parade EP: 2
2006: Q Covered: The Eighties (Q magazine promo CD): 1
2007: Prescilla EP: 8
2008: Tambourine Dream: 12
2010: I'm On Fire / Perfect Grace EP: 3
2011: It's Boss Time EP (Record Store Day 10"): 9
2014: The Saturday Sessions From The Dermot O'Leary Show: 11
2020: Sleepy Heads EP: 5
2023: Katmen Are Back: 6
All very nice but I'm more of a 5000 Volts man myself (to hark back to our earlier John Holt based correspondence)
ReplyDeleteNo arguments there, Ernie, so it seems only right to share a link to your recent post and the magnificent 5000 Volts in action...even if one of them did raid my wardrobe.
Deletehttps://27leggies.blogspot.com/2024/01/increasing-voltage.html
Good stuff but I much prefer Fire which he wrote for the Pointer Sisters
ReplyDeleteOh, and you also really need Nebraska in your life!
To begin with...
DeleteCC - I'm not sure that I'd ever heard the Pointer Sisters song!
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZEiiI7FAcY
And thanks for the suggested Boss primer!
Rol - steady now...!
I'm a huge fan of the Boss and you've selected some great cover versions. Love the Electrlane one, its so much their style. This track is excellent, you should also seek out the versions by Low and Soccer Mommy. I've got a Boss post forthcoming as well, finished it today but have many others inline ahead of it. And I second the notion that you need Nebraska in your life. I also think his Live in London album is fantastic, opening with London Calling.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mooz, I've heard but don't have the Soccer Mommy but [smacks forehead) I have got the version by Low and it somehow slipped through the net. Both great versions, as you say.
DeleteThat's another vote for Nebraska, I will track it down this weekend.
Like K i have never really warmed to the Boss but was on the Piccadilly line last summer when hundreds of Springsteen fans got on at Green Park after watching him at Hyde Park. I managed to talk to a good few of them between that station and Osterley about what was so special about him. I loved their passion for the man and i really want to like him but i just don't get it...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mike. As a teen in the mid-80s, I just didn't "get" Bruce/Born In The U.S.A. and listen to the deeper meaning of his songs, although perversely I had no problem "getting" Neil Young at the same age. Was I being swayed by the music journos at the time, who may have considered Neil "cooler" than Bruce? I honestly can't remember.
DeleteWith certain artists, the sheer volume of albums then becomes a bit of a daunting prospect - a similar challenge with Dylan until I just bit the bullet and dived in.
The vote is for Nebraska, so I'm jumping in feet first!