# Springsteen's 'We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 20, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springsteens-we-shall-overcome-the-seeger-sessions/533106 "2010-03-20T03:40:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springsteens-we-shall-overcome-the-seeger-sessions/533106/1 "2010-03-20T03:40:38Z")
Have any of you heard this CD? Springsteen invited some friends over to his farmhouse and recorded a bunch of old folk tunes, and it _kicks ass_. There were no rehearsals, no high-tech equipment…just a bunch of real musicians jamming. I picked it up a year ago, and I still can’t get enough of it. A quote from [allmusic.com](http://allmusic.com): > [@](#): > > We Shall Overcome does indeed have an unmistakably loose feel, and not just because you can hear the Boss call out chord changes in a handful of songs. This music is rowdy and rambling, as the group barrels head-first into songs that they’re playing together as a band for the first time, and it’s hard not to get swept up along in their excitement. Springsteen has made plenty of great records, but We Shall Overcome is unique in its sheer kinetic energy; he has never made a record that feels as alive as this. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springsteens-we-shall-overcome-the-seeger-sessions/533106/2 "2010-03-20T04:05:14Z")
I’ve listened a few times – it’s definitely a toe-tapper, infectious energy. I think if I watch the DVD I’ll be better able to appreciate what they’re doing. I don’t know diddly about music and how it’s put together. It wasn’t until I saw the episode of _Freaks and Geeks_ where Nick auditioned for a band that I realized how important the drummer is. So even though the technical stuff is lost on me, I agree that The Seeger Sessions is something special. FWIW. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![spoike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@spoike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spoike)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springsteens-we-shall-overcome-the-seeger-sessions/533106/3 "2010-03-20T04:14:11Z")
This is probably one of my most favourite albums of all time, and I’m not even that big of a Springsteen fan. I love the harmonies and the energy - they sound like they’re having a lot of fun. It’s just a treasure. ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springsteens-we-shall-overcome-the-seeger-sessions/533106/4 "2010-03-20T13:12:28Z")
I absolutely love this album. I’m woefully under-educated when it comes to folk music, so it was a nice exposure to some essential Americana. But mostly I liked the “feel” of the album. That quote from [allmusic.com](http://allmusic.com) is a pretty good summary of what I like about the album. I think a testament to the band’s connection to the music is that I actually tear up a little every time I hear _John Henry_. I was familiar with the song, but had never heard all the verses. Something about that simple lyric, “John Henry laid down his hammer and died,” gets me every time. I actually started a thread [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=492391) looking for other albums with the same kind of freewheeling sound to it. Nothing yet has struck me the same way that _The Seeger Sessions_ did, but there was some good music to be found. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springsteens-we-shall-overcome-the-seeger-sessions/533106/5 "2010-03-20T13:26:42Z")
I forgot to mention how perfect Springsteen’s voice is for these songs. _“He laid down his hammer and he died, yes he died.”_ I was in a music store when I first heard the CD; I knew nothing of it previously (though I was very familiar with Springsteen’s stuff). I remember the song: “Oh, Mary Don’t You Weep No More”, and it just grabbed me by the throat. Instant purchase, instant favorite. Here’s a great behind-the-scenes clip: [Bruce](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OmynnFfOuE) And another: [Bruce 2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PosTaUH6hac&NR=1) ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springsteens-we-shall-overcome-the-seeger-sessions/533106/6 "2010-03-20T13:30:05Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I remember the song: “Oh, Mary Don’t You Weep No More”, and it just grabbed me by the throat. Instant purchase, instant favorite. Yeah, that’s the other one. Really punches me in the gut. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springsteens-we-shall-overcome-the-seeger-sessions/533106/7 "2010-03-20T13:37:48Z")
Wow, not sure how I missed this work. Not really a Springsteen fan so much as a Seeger fan. I love roots music and how it worked into rock and roll. I’m going to have to get this one, and won’t even bother to listen before I buy. I just looked at the tracks and went OH yeah! Some good standards there. Thanks for the notification, MMM! ---
**Author:** ![banjoDavid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@banjoDavid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/banjoDavid)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springsteens-we-shall-overcome-the-seeger-sessions/533106/8 "2010-03-20T13:44:57Z")
THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BRUCE ALBUMS I grew up listening to all kinds of folk music from my parents, and found the rock & roll along the way. When I first heard Springsteen, it felt like he was a folk singer with a rock band behind him. This album confirmed that for me I have my beginning banjo classes play along with Pay me my money down. 2 chords, and a modulation from G to Bb back to G By the way, If you like this, find some Newgrass Revival to listen to. It’ll melt your ears off of your head! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springsteens-we-shall-overcome-the-seeger-sessions/533106/9 "2010-03-20T17:50:35Z")
It gets more of a workout vs. other Bruce in the Word household… ---
**Author:** ![LittleGreenRosetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c77e96/32.png) [@LittleGreenRosetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LittleGreenRosetta)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springsteens-we-shall-overcome-the-seeger-sessions/533106/10 "2010-03-20T21:37:32Z")
I don’t play this one a lot, but I **love** _Live in Dublin_. On there, you get the _Seeger_ songs, plus many of Bruce’s own songs redone in different arrangements with this band. It’s good stuff! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springsteens-we-shall-overcome-the-seeger-sessions/533106/11 "2010-03-20T21:41:59Z")
I bought this about a year or so ago. I like it. I LOVE Pay Me My Money Down. I could do without John Henry (it’s such a stale old song), but Springsteen does inject some raw energy into it. I also am fond of Mary Don’t You Weep No More. I just wish I liked his rendition of Shenadoah–I love that song.