r/BruceSpringsteen • u/gentleglen • 2d ago
Are we ever getting Covers 2?
As in a sequel to Only the Strong Survive, not a live album
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u/gishingwell 2d ago
I realise it's an inessential album in his discography but I don't know. I enjoy it for what it is. The Boss having fun on songs he loved from his youth. I find it uplifting.
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u/Trouble_River 2d ago
I dunno, I enjoyed OTSS for what it was. A "side quest" to pay tribute to those who've come before. Vocals were respectable considering Bruce's age.
I'm 42, so a little young for when those songs were new, but I've recognized a few "in the wild" since thanks to OTSS. It's a part of my musical education!
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u/oedipus_wr3x 2d ago
I don’t get the vehement dislike for OTSS. Whether or not soul music is your thing, it’s quite obvious that it shaped Bruce’s music and stage persona. I’m a few years younger than you, so I also enjoyed getting exposed to new music. People online aren’t nearly as quick to dump on Seeger Sessions, which is a similar “side quest” album.
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u/Prior-Narwhal6718 1d ago
Agree fully! I am a few months younger than Bruce, so I grew up listening to the same music he did. And while the R&B/Soul influence has been obvious all along, it shows up strongly in two albums that are often disparaged by "fans"—Better Days and Human Touch. Sam Moore, of the great duo Sam and Dave, sings on three songs on Human Touch, and Bobby KIng sings on two. So, if there are readers out there who think those two albums and OTSS are inferior material, maybe take another listen to all three.
Bruce performs songs from all three albums when he tours with the E Street gang, and Better Days is a crowd favorite, as are Nightshift and Don't Play That Song. I'm listening to that right now and singing along. Personally, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted is a favorite, and I would love to see it performed live..
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u/Chayes83 9h ago
I think he erred by not picking a few more popular songs that people our age knew. What becomes of the brokenhearted was the only one I had heard before. Think some of these era songs coulda been concert hits if he picked more popular songs.
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u/FancyJellyfish652 2d ago
I suspect we’ll get some of it on Tracks 3. I think Bruce realizes people don’t really want it as a stand alone release
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u/Shadow-Inversions 2d ago
He recently said he has 2 albums finished, and wants the second to release before the first. I suspect the first is Vol 2, and the newer more urgent album is a political album responding to ICE and Trump.
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u/VegetableBuy4577 2d ago
No, Volume 2 is also finished but not one of those two albums.
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u/Shadow-Inversions 2d ago
Interesting! Source on this?
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u/VegetableBuy4577 2d ago
His interview in Rolling Stone last year, where he said it was separate from the solo album he had ready at that time.
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u/3inchCRACK 2d ago
What songs would you want to see on Covers 2?
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u/gentleglen 2d ago
I know he recorded “70 songs” for the project, so he must’ve done a lot of soul classics. I’d like to see him do Don Covay’s It’s Better to Have (and Don’t Need) personally
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u/RunningDrummer 2d ago
Not OP, but if Bruce were to do another covers album, I guess I'd be interested in seeing him do folk music again. Usually his covers aren't my favorite, but the Seeger Sessions/Dublin albums are amazing.
Realistically, I don't think he brings enough energy to covers of songs from the 50s through now, except if they're in a live environment (LOVE his cover of Clampdown, for instance, but I doubt it would hit the same in a studio)
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u/Silly_Situation_4337 2d ago
I hope he releases it sometime soon, but any new album would be welcomed. Bruce can do no wrong.
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u/Crooked16th 2d ago
I assume we either get a new album next spring or tracks 3 with Covers 2 in it some time next summer.
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u/Sirenfromtheditch 1d ago
It really diluted his cannon, so hopefully not.
Probably also some Sony contractual obligation
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u/borntorun24 12h ago
I see a lot of hate for this album but I enjoy it as a side project rather than a "proper" album. Some of the backing tracks are a bit bland but there's some strong vocal performances and he seems to be really enjoying himself which helps make it a fun listen.
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u/Mammoth_Sell5185 2d ago
It depends. I’m not sure if there are a whole bunch of other soul songs that he and Aniello recorded during Covid or not. If so, then I would think they’ll come out at some point, if for no other reason, then Sony probably can put them out if they want to whether or not Bruce does or
doesn’t….At least after he’s no longer on this earth.
If he hasn’t recorded them yet, I’m not sure if he would bother, at least not the way he recorded the first batch. It was pretty much of a flop and with good reason. Those songs were recorded without any feeling whatsoever and most of the choices were pretty bad.
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u/RunningDrummer 2d ago
Look, I don't like the album much either, but let's not lie about it. You make it sound like there's no rhyme or reason for the song selections, but Springsteen said the songs he covered were picked because he enjoyed them growing up.
As far as if he's even recorded other covers, he said in 2022 that about 3/4 of a second volume of OTSS was recorded, and David Sancious (who's apparently supposed to be on the second volume) confirmed that 18 songs had been recorded by mid-2023. I do think Bruce shelved the album, or at least is starting to build up a cache of material for Sony to release over the next few decades (which I will say I agree with you on.)
Fianlly, saying it flopped is just wrong. It's not a good Bruce album (as most fans agree), but it did decent in terms of chart positions when it was released It didn't get rave reviews, sure, but I'd say averaging 3/5 stars for most albums is typical, but because we're talking about Bruce, people are acting like it was critically panned.
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u/Mammoth_Sell5185 2d ago
If you read his commentary on each of the tracks, yes, some of them were songs he really liked growing up, but some of them were not. They were recent selections that he made for various reasons. And regardless of the reasons behind any of the selections, I just think it was poorly produced from the standpoint of track selection. Many of the songs themselves were just not that good to begin with.
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u/Upbeat-Refuse9615 2d ago
The man is 77 years old. Be thankful he's still above ground and upright. Good Lord!
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u/ItsOnlyAPassingThing 2d ago
Op was just asking a question, calm yourself.
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u/Upbeat-Refuse9615 2d ago
The wording gave an impatient vibe. You calm yourself.
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u/RunningDrummer 2d ago
If OP's wording came off as impatient, I feel sorry when fast-food employees ask you to repeat your order.
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u/Model_ig_uk 2d ago
I hope not, OTSS was not generally liked by the fan base including myself, I always believed that when he did Dustland Fairytale with the Killers his vocal sounded very poor & OTSS was an attempt to capture his best vocals but he over sang & didn't do anything to the originals to make them his own. All of the tracks are superb by the original artists but done by Bruce they add nothing.
I have never been able to listen to the album from start to finish, the last time I tried my wife asked "why is he shouting?", and that pretty much sums up this record.
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u/Exotic_Bonus9006 2d ago
Will he ever release another album, period? He's got at least three in the can.