Bruce Springsteen Issues First Live Covers Collection

Out now is Live Series: Songs Under Cover, Bruce Springsteen's fifth “greatest hits” collection from his officially sanctioned archival live bootleg series. The new 15-track compilation, features the E Street Band over the years covering legendary rock, pop, and soul staples by Jackie Wilson, the Searchers, the Isley Brothers, Van Morrison, Little Richards, Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran, Prince, the Bee Gees, Prince — and even AC/DC.

The new Songs Under Cover follows the recent Live Series sets Songs Of The Road, Songs Of Friendship, Songs Of Hope, Songs Of Love, and Songs From Around The World. The collections are the joint product of the Legacy imprint of Springsteen's Sony label and Nugs.net, which produces and distributes his monthly archival sets. This time out, the set includes six tunes that were first made available digitally back in 2014 and 2017 as part of his full-show nightly downloads.

Nils Lofgren admits that he loves any setlist shakeups, but reminded us that the fan requests hardly throw the E Street Band veterans: “I think all of us have got 40 years in now. We started in bar bands — it was a time with no video, no choreography, no nothing. You had to learn how to play in front of people. Basically in the '60s, y'know, in cover bands we all cut our teeth on incredible wealths of catalogues, like Motown, Stax/Volt, British Invasion, blues.”

Bruce Springsteen admits that well over 50 years into his performing career, whether it's a festival crowd of 200,000 or a club gig in front of 75 people, hitting the stage has never failed to excite and inspire him: “It's like you come out and you fall in love every night in some way. When you're doing it right, it's like a rebirth, y'know? It's not a repetition — it's a renewal — so that involves something happening every night for the first time. And, amazingly enough, it's like your first kiss in that there's something in playing. There were thousands of other times, but still when you come out there's some element of the first time that's very, very present. And it keeps you very open and present and it's what people feel.”

The tracklisting to Live Series: Songs Under Cover is:

“When You Walk In The Room” – Los Angeles, CA – 10/18/75
“Twist And Shout” – Upper Darby, PA – 12/31/75
“Summertime Blues” – Cleveland, OH – 8/9/78
“Detroit Medley” – New York, NY – 9/21/79
“Can't Help Falling In Love” – London, UK – 6/5/81
“Travelin' Band” – Los Angeles, CA – 9/27/85
“Boom Boom” – New York, NY – 5/23/88
“Higher And Higher” – Buffalo, NY – 11/22/09
“I Don't Want To Go Home” – Helsinki, FI – 7/31/12
“Stayin' Alive” – Brisbane, AU – 2/26/14
“Highway To Hell” – Brisbane, AU – 2/26/14
“Purple Rain” – Brooklyn, NY – 4/23/16
“Lucille” – Milan, IT – 7/3/16
“Brown Eyed Girl” – Adelaide, AU – 1/30/17
“I Fought The Law” – Hunter Valley, AU – 2/18/17