Springsteen tackles 'Dream Baby Dream,' teams up with Suicide

November 15, 2008 1:13 PM

Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream" YT Link is the duo of Alan Vega and Martin Rev at their most anthemic and uplifting, a different side of their confrontational synth-punk. Bruce Springsteen closed his shows on the 2005 Devils & Dust tour with a fantastic solo cover of "Dream Baby Dream," and is sharing a new split 10" with the NYC electronic pioneers themselves.
posted by porn in the woods (15 comments total)

First YT link isn't friendly with embedding but is def. available
posted by porn in the woods at 1:14 PM on November 15, 2008

Arse, I've been thinking 'I must remember to get the Springsteen one before it sells out' since the series was announced. Still, some of the other releases look good - the Grinderman, Pan Sonic, Spiritualised and Cope covers should all be fun - and The Boss' one will be reasonable on eBay in a couple of years.
posted by jack_mo at 1:23 PM on November 15, 2008

I've never been much of a Springsteen fan, but I immediately thought of Suicide when I first heard the song "State Trooper."
posted by cobra libre at 1:40 PM on November 15, 2008

I've long figured he was a fan of theirs, since he name-checks them so many times in "Born To Run."
posted by waraw at 1:41 PM on November 15, 2008 [2 favorites]

Seventy? Alan Vega is seventy? Here's to a long life making great art.
posted by ardgedee at 1:41 PM on November 15, 2008

Also loved when Bruce showed up (uncredited) on the title track of Lou Reed's Street Hassle.
posted by porn in the woods at 1:44 PM on November 15, 2008

Never mind, they're going on eBay for £6.99, which is what they cost from blastfirstpetite in the first place. Thanks for the reminder, porn!

I wonder when I'll grow out of the deep need to own the 10" vinyl with the pretty sleeve when a download makes very nearly the same noises?
posted by jack_mo at 1:47 PM on November 15, 2008

If I had been in the audience of the Springsteen shows, I would have genuinely freaked.
posted by gcbv at 1:52 PM on November 15, 2008

That Vega/Pan Sonic collaboration was really good, yeah.
posted by stinkycheese at 3:45 PM on November 15, 2008

Also check out "Endless", his collaboration with the guys from Pan Sonic.

And what about his work on "Endless Night" with Graham Parker? Pretty cool song with Bruce wailing away on backup vocals.

I love Suicide, although I grew up thinking of them as a mainstream band as they were very popular in parts of Europe.
posted by grounded at 3:48 PM on November 15, 2008

I'd like to hear the Boss do "Frankie Teardrop".
posted by stinkycheese at 6:27 PM on November 15, 2008

Now that cobra libre points it out, I can totally see the "State Trooper"/Suicide comparison.

I was told Rev made his own synths. That's pretty impressive in its own right.
posted by drezdn at 6:28 PM on November 15, 2008

I love the Mercury Rev and Vega collaboration on Dead Man.
posted by Manhasset at 8:07 PM on November 15, 2008

drezdn: I was told Rev made his own synths. That's pretty impressive in its own right."

I'm sad enough to remember reading that the earliest stuff was done a cheapo Japanese keyboard, then he used a Wurlitzer organ before graduating to a Farfisa for the first album and a Prophet-5 for the second one (all beefed up with Electro-Harmonix effects). Any links to the homemade stuff? He never really struck me as the soldering type.
posted by jack_mo at 4:17 PM on November 16, 2008

This link says "homemade synth", but they could be using it to mean someone else made it for him, or maybe it's something that never was true, but was repeated by enough people.

Lester Bangs liner notes place Suicide in its proper historical context: A document of a force of nature - the filthy loud subway station heart of NYC. Suicide pioneered everything from synth-pop to industrial disco - low rent electronic angst-fest. Vega runs rough shod over the whirring blast of Rev's homemade synth. -Rolling Stone Record Guide
posted by drezdn at 4:58 PM on November 16, 2008