Best Springsteen interpreters: Manfred Mann's Earth Band
I have been listening to '70s Manfred Mann's Earth Band albums and they covered a number of Springsteen songs, mostly from his Greetings From Asbury park album. I have never been a big Springsteen fan. I don't love his voice and I especially don't love his arrangements most of the time. I hated the whole album of Born in the USA (but loved Tunnel of Love & Hungry Heart).
Much like Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen, Are Springsteen's songs better when interpreted by other artists? Look at Fire by the Pointer Sisters or Pink Cadillac by Bette Midler (but NOT by Natalie Cole).
However, I think the best interpreters were Manfred Mann's Earth Band, who covered three songs from Greetings From Asbury Park- Spirit in the Night, For You and the #1 hit Blinded By the Light. These guys really had something in both their lead singer, Chris Thompson, and their amazing arrangements of what were dull Springsteen dirges and turned them into great pieces of 70s rock. Here are the examples. What say you?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 20 | May 25, 2023 10:59 PM
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"Blinded By The Light"
never liked that song - horrid title.
by Anonymous | reply 3 | May 22, 2023 4:53 PM
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Manfred Mann certain did better jobs with those early Springsteen songs. No doubt about it.
Springsteen just had a lot to learn about arranging songs and got much better with subsequent albums. Greetings from Asbury Park was especially raw and needed better arrangements which Mannfred Mann was able to deliver.
I'd have loved to hear Manfred cover of some of Springsteen's later hits from the 70s and early 80s, just to see what they did with it. But those three songs were all improved by Manfred, especially Blinded by the Light.
by Anonymous | reply 4 | May 22, 2023 5:00 PM
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“Revved up like a deuce?” Oh, please.
by Anonymous | reply 5 | May 22, 2023 5:03 PM
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Yeah, I wish they would have done a full album of Springsteen songs, especially after they had a minor '80s comeback in 1984 with their single "Runner" (not a Springsteen song, but it was the same year he had released Born in the USA. I think at that point Chris Thompson was long gone to a solo career (a not very successful one), but maybe they could have brought him back.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | May 22, 2023 5:04 PM
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[quote] I hated the whole album of Born in the USA (but loved Tunnel of Love & Hungry Heart).
Hungry Heart? IMO, that song is basic (in a bad way) and cheesy.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | May 22, 2023 5:20 PM
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I also loved the song he wrote that Gary U.S. Bonds covered, This Little Girl. Where the Manfred Mann and Pointer Sisters songs didn't immediately scream Springsteen, this one is almost like a Bruce demo with Gary doing the scratch vocal.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 8 | May 25, 2023 3:47 AM
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Wrapped up like a DOUCHE, ya know
by Anonymous | reply 9 | May 25, 2023 3:49 AM
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Well, if you've never been a big Springsteen fan I guess that explains it.
by Anonymous | reply 10 | May 25, 2023 4:40 AM
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I didn’t like many songs on BITUSA until I heard the live versions on the 1986 box set. “No Surrender” is a classic live. And “Jersey Girl,” which had not been released before, is such a great song (thanks, Tom Waits). The very best of all, however, is the live version of “Thunder Road,” which was already one of the ten best songs of all time.
So my favorite Springsteen interpreter is Springsteen.
by Anonymous | reply 11 | May 25, 2023 5:58 AM
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Bowie: game recognize game.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 12 | May 25, 2023 7:37 AM
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My favorite Bruce cover is done by Rage Against the Machine- the Ghost of Tom Joad. Bruce was such a fan of this cover he had RATM guitarist Tom Morello play on an electric remake Bruce and the E Street Band did. That version is also great.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 13 | May 25, 2023 8:26 AM
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What genre of music is this? Could never tolerate it
by Anonymous | reply 14 | May 25, 2023 9:23 AM
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Springsteen's recordings are like Thomas Kinkaide paintings so of course other artists do it better
by Anonymous | reply 15 | May 25, 2023 10:02 AM
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It's easy to cover something, hard to create it.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | May 25, 2023 3:36 PM
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So you would discount all the great vocalists, from Sinatra to Fitzgerald, because they "covered" songs instead of writing them?
by Anonymous | reply 17 | May 25, 2023 3:38 PM
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R17 I was talking about Manfred Mann's Earth Band (the subject of the thread). But I don't consider singing pop standards as "singing covers". The term originated with rock music, I think.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | May 25, 2023 3:46 PM
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Fine, then I'll add Linda Ronstadt into that, since she had a 15 year career "covering" rock songs before she switched to standards.
Manfred Mann's Earth Band did more than just "cover" the song. They aren't a wedding band. They came up with the arrangements and produced the record themselves, as well as performing it. Is that easy? Let's see you do it.
by Anonymous | reply 19 | May 25, 2023 4:12 PM
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R19 Sorry I hurt your feelings, Manfred, I didn't know you were posting in the thread.
by Anonymous | reply 20 | May 25, 2023 10:59 PM
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