Light of Day: Tribute to Bruce Springsteen

Garland Jeffreys, Bruce Springsteen | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 9, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Schoolhouse Records
• ASIN: B0000C0FA2
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,175 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Better Days

2. Book of Dreams

3. Valentine's Day

4. Thunder Road

5. Candy's Room

6. Johnny 99

7. Man at the Top

8. If I Should Fall

9. Something in the Night

10. Atlantic City

See all 19 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Brilliant Disguise

2. New York City Serenade

3. Pink Cadillac

4. Streets of Philadelphia

5. My Hometown

6. Light of Day

7. Lucky Town

8. I'm on Fire

9. Downbound Train

10. Stolen Car

See all 18 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Faith will be rewarded!, September 9, 2003

By 

"caddieman" (boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Light of Day: Tribute to Bruce Springsteen (Audio CD)

37 songs featuring the likes of Nils Lofgren, Elvis Costello, Billy Bragg, Joe Ely and Joe Grushecky. and Springsteen was reportedly so impressed with Elliot Murpy's take on 'Better Days' that he asked him to jump onstage in Europe and perform it with the band. With a line-up like this how could this album be anything other than great? And yet like so many albums of this nature there is something lacking in the overall listening experience.

There are undeniably some great readings of Springsteen songs on this CD. Costello's 'Brilliant Disguise', Nil's take on 'Man at the Top', Joe Grushecky's bluesy reading of 'Light of Day' and Elliot Murphy's 'Better Days' are all heartfelt renditions of some of Springsteen's greatest songs. But there are too many on here that simply don't justify inclusion. Jason Ringenburg's 'My Hometown' and Kirk Kelly's 'Downbound Train' just left me feeling flat. Crazysloth's version of 'Candy's Room' starts off well but by following Springsteen's original arrangement they only highlight just what a potent force the E-Street band are in the studio; this new version simply lacks the punch and urgency of the original.

However, don't be put off by the high number of unknown artists appearing as it is from them some of the album's true highlights shine. Rosie Flores 'Lucky Town' is a joy to listen to and is a very nice soulful version of one of Bruce's more 'macho' numbers. Mark Wright's stipped-down take on 'Two Hearts' is also another hidden gem. By reworking the song and giving it a more acoustic reading he gives a delicacy to the lyric and a warmth to the song that is not present in Springsteen's original recording.

Overall i would recommend buying this album (royalties from all artists are being donated to research into parkinsons and also sarcoma) and there are some essential Springsteen covers to be found. A great single disc can be made of the tracks found here.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Springsteen's Songs translate well, February 19, 2007

By 

C. Dennis Burns "RadioActive" (Cleveland, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Light of Day: Tribute to Bruce Springsteen (Audio CD)

It's the people crying "blasphemy" who don't quite get it. Springsteen's lyrics (stories) are strong enough that they translate well into other genre's.

Of course they have a different attitude than they did as a rock tune, but folk, country & alternative are supposed to have a different attitude than rock. When listening to the folk & country versions of Springsteen songs, I hear words I never heard before, and the ones I had heard before take on a new level of meaning. It just goes to highlight exactly how strong a songwriter Springsteen is.

Actually, the least interesting tracks on this CD are by the folks who are, infact most like Springsteen in the style, people like Cafferty & Gruschecky; there you are forced into making comparisons.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars So uneven a tribute, February 6, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Light of Day: Tribute to Bruce Springsteen (Audio CD)

In my opinion Springsteen's magic is the mood he captures in his stories. There were few songs on this cd that I felt did tribute to mood or story. Dan Bern's version of Thunder Road, Bullens on "If I should fall behind" and Patty Griffin's "Stolen car" which she has on her cd '1,000 kisses' are some of the ones that worked for me. Listen before buying is my advice.