Springsteen's latest album, High Hopes, contains two covers that he's been kicking around for awhile (live and studio demos). The first, High Hopes, comes from some 90s L.A. band, The Havalinas. The Boss didn't do much to revamp this tune. It's grown on me after repeated listens, though. The Havalinas seem like a straight ahead rock band with an image problem that got marketed like an "alternative band." They're Janes Addiction-like and Suicidal Tendencies-ish in appearance. I can't figure out their sound. The drums and shout-along chorus are winners.
The next track, Dream Baby Dream, hails from the NY electronic proto-punk group, Suicide. Their version is ironic and chilling. Springsteen took all of the hipster out of it and turned it into a sincere anthem for post-apocalypse America. In a recent interview he explained that he tried to bring back Roy Orbison's zombie with his vocals.
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